“Pharmacies can truly be a one-stop-shop for vaccine information, delivery and support.”

A working group based at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy launches COVID-19 vaccine curriculum to develop vaccine ambassadors

As the Ontario Government and local public health units rollout the COVID-19 vaccine, pharmacists are preparing to play a key role in administering the vaccine.

“Pharmacists are ready to step up to this challenge and play an active role in Ontario’s vaccination campaign,” said Lisa Dolovich, Professor and Dean of the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy (LDFP).

The COVID-19 vaccination campaign is one of the biggest challenges facing health systems around the world. To ensure all members of the pharmacy community (and beyond) are knowledgeable about the vaccine, Dean Dolovich assembled an intra-professional working group of twelve LDFP clinical, teaching and research experts, including Linda Dresser and Anna Taddio, to develop a COVID-19 vaccine curriculum. 

Professors Sandra Bjelajac Mejia and Karen Cameron, represented LDFP on the working group, which also included representation from Medicine, Nursing and Physiotherapy. Their shared goal was to develop a COVID-19 Vaccine Curriculum to support all members of U of T’s health sciences ecosystem to become COVID-19 vaccine ambassadors. 

“Pharmacists are trusted and accessible health professionals who understand the science of immunization and are well-prepared to engage in dialogue with patients, family and friends about vaccination,” said Sandra Bjelajac Mejia, Assistant Professor - Teaching Stream, who co-led the curriculum development.

The curriculum launched on February 23 to PharmD and PharmD for Pharmacists students following consultations with faculty, students and partners across the health sciences faculties and the Toronto Academic Health Sciences Network. It consists of five online modules, three patient case scenarios and four knowledge checks/quizzes. It takes approximately three hours to complete all five modules, which cover a variety of topics, including: how mRNA vaccines work, vaccine safety and efficacy, dosing, indications and storage, and building vaccine confidence.

COVID-19 Vaccine Curriculum prepares pharmacy community to communicate broadly about vaccine benefits

According to Bjelajac-Mejia, students and faculty working in pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences are uniquely equipped to understand the evidence, decode clinical trial information, and communicate with patients, family and friends to help individuals make an informed choice.

“We can expect questions such as, how will the vaccine interact with the medications I’m taking, or how might it impact my other conditions? Pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists can play a key role in not only translating the science, but also validating and addressing individual concerns and providing practical advice,” said Bjelajac-Mejia.

“We can decipher the science, answer questions, prepare and administer the vaccine, then support with follow-up. Pharmacies can truly be a one-stop-shop for vaccine information, delivery and support.” 

Bjelajac-Mejia says that the U of T health sciences faculties plan to rollout the COVID-19 Vaccine Curriculum to learners, faculty, as well as share with external partners in the coming weeks.

“We have motivated learners. I think everyone is fielding vaccine questions, in clinical placements and around the dinner table with family and friends. We’re eager to get information in the hands of our community – and share it widely,” said Bjelajac-Mejia.

By: Nicole Bodnar