Rapid Operationalization of COVID-19 Immunization Clinics With Medical and Physician Assistant Students Serving as Vaccinators

Introduction

In anticipation of institutional and community-wide COVID-19 immunization clinics, an educational program for the administration of COVID-19 vaccines was developed, collaborating with the Virginia Department of Health to train doctor of medicine and physician assistant students to serve as vaccinators. Faculty and students also worked with state legislatures to propose and enact a bill that would enable such students to vaccinate patients.

Methods

Between January 2021 and August 2022, 263 student volunteers completed 3,685 person-hours, administering 48,279 doses. On the basis of community need, the majority of vaccines were administered at mass vaccination clinics in Chesapeake (47%) and Norfolk (22%) in Virginia. One year after the first COVID-19 immunization clinic, the authors surveyed students who assisted with clinics, utilizing a Likert scale and free-text responses to elicit feedback about the training and volunteer experience.

Results

Volunteers ranked the vaccination clinics among the top third of established volunteer experiences offered at Eastern Virginia Medical School, and 75% of respondents believed that this training should be a permanent part of their program curriculum.

Conclusions

This paper presents a strategy for preparing students to serve as vaccinators during public health emergencies and show how other institutions of medical education can prepare for and engage student participation in vaccination campaigns and emergent health initiatives.