Cash a shot in the arm for nurse jab rollout

THE Western Victoria Primary Health Network has invested more than $20,000 of federal funding to sponsor 60 nurses in the western Victoria region to be immunisers and assist with the COVID-19 vaccination rollout.

The sponsorship covers 75-100 per cent of the accredited Immunisation Endorsement Pathway course costs (valued at $567) run by Melbourne-based registered training organisation The Benchmarque Group.

Upon completing the course, registered nurses and midwives will be qualified to administer vaccinations in Victoria, independent of a medical officer such as a general practitioner.

Endorsed enrolled nurses will be qualified to administer vaccinations under the supervision of a medical officer.

WVPHN CEO Rowena Clift said with International Nurses Day having been marked last Wednesday, the funding recognised the key role nurses and the primary care sector had to play in combating the pandemic.

“Supporting our region’s nurses, especially in regional and rural areas, is a major focus for WVPHN, especially during this pandemic,” Ms Clift said.

“We really wanted to ensure the community could receive the COVID-19 vaccine as rapidly as possible.

“Empowering our nurse workforce to use their experience and knowledge to assist general practices … means more vaccine to more people.”

The scholarships were awarded to nurses working in primary care and those working in Aboriginal-controlled community health organisations in the western Victoria region via an expression of interest process, and were equitably distributed across western Victoria based on need and community demand.

People 50 years and over are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.