Provision of externally accredited immunisation certification within an Australian Professional Pharmacy University programme: a survey of graduates on benefits and outcomes

OBJECTIVES: In Australia, pharmacists may become authorised immunisers by obtaining additional credentialling from certified providers. Some Australian Universities are providing externally accredited immunisation training to final year pharmacy students. Student satisfaction has been demonstrated, but graduate views on benefits and outcomes are yet to be determined. The aim of this study was to evaluate graduates’ perceptions of providing an accredited immunisation certification during their University pharmacy programme. METHODS: A survey was sent to Griffith University pharmacy graduates of 2016–2020 inclusive. Respondents who completed the accredited immunisation training at University were asked to rank their agreement with five statements on a five-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly Disagree, 5 = Strongly Agree). Further information, including free-text responses, was collected on current area of practice and involvement in vaccinations. KEY FINDINGS: Of the 46 graduates who completed the survey, 42 (91.3%) completed the accredited immunisation training at University. Statements that the accredited immunisation training was considered a valuable additional offering to the pharmacy programme and the time commitment was worthwhile resulted in a mean agreement of 4.74 ± 0.73 and 4.64 ± 0.76, respectively. The majority of respondents (n = 27, 58.7%) were providing immunisations on a daily, weekly or monthly basis with over half reporting becoming more actively involved in immunisation due to COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacy graduates valued completing an externally accredited immunisation training within their University programme and reported benefits to their employability and current roles. Incorporating externally accredited training into the curriculum can ensure graduates are prepared and skilled in continually expanding roles for pharmacists.