URI College of Pharmacy trains pharmacy technicians to administer vaccines
KINGSTON, R.I. — July 23, 2025 — This summer, University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy faculty and staff members are continuing their efforts to help fight communicable diseases through a training program on the Kingston Campus that teaches pharmacy technicians to administer vaccines.
Originally developed by Washington State University and revised through a partnership between WSU and the American Pharmacists Association, the “Pharmacy-Based Immunization Administration by Pharmacy Technicians” training program expands the role of pharmacy techs by training them to administer immunizations. The two-part program emphasizes a health care team collaboration between pharmacists and technicians, which seeks to improve population health by increasing immunization rates in states that allow technicians to immunize, including Rhode Island.
Director of Experiential Education Brett Feret and Coordinator of Accreditation and Assessment Matthew Lacroix will head up the training, which covers all aspects of administering a vaccine, from specific patient considerations like how to choose the right size needle, to specific instruction on proper techniques. The training includes an online, self-study component as well as a live seminar to teach hands-on immunization techniques for intramuscular and subcutaneous injections. Technicians will learn distraction techniques when administering injections, precautions to take that reduce the risk of infections, and procedures to manage a vaccine reaction emergency.
The training program on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., will provide six hours of continuing education credit for pharmacy technicians, according to Mary-Jane Kanaczet, director of the college’s Office of Healthcare Workforce Development.
“Regulatory changes in pharmacy immunization have extended the ability to vaccinate to qualified pharmacy technicians,” Kanaczet said. “The URI College of Pharmacy has a long tradition of training pharmacists and pharmacy techs to vaccinate and did so through the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Indeed, in 2021 the college began training pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to administer the COVID-19 vaccine after a change in the state’s COVID health regulations allowed them to join pharmacists in doing so. The program has since expanded to include multiple vaccinations, helping ease the burden on health care professionals and expand vaccination adherence.
Registration for the Aug. 27 training program is now open. Visit the Healthcare Workforce Development website for more information and to register. Those interested in future training programs, can sign up for program alerts on the website or by contacting Kanaczet at mj@uri.edu
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