Educational Resources for Medical Assistants in VFC Offices

Background: California has more than 4500 VFC Providers, and Medical Assistants do the lion’s share of vaccine management and administration in their practices. Medical Assistants generally do not have access to professional development or continuing education, and it is not physically or fiscally possible for California’s 20 VFC Field staff to provide frequent on-site training. CA VFC, in partnership with CDPH develops and makes available a wide variety of job aids and educational resources for Medical Assistants.

Setting: 4000+ VFC Provider practices in California’s 61 local health jurisdictions

Population: Medical Assistants working in VFC practices

Project Description: VFC and CDPH identify specific priorities and create attractive and engaging job aids, faxable tips, and interactive learning modules. Early in 2009 storage and management were identified as top priorities. A variety of job aids were developed included items on refrigerator and freezer set up, temperature monitoring, and care of vaccine storage units. With the advent of H1N1, a number of existing seasonal influenza and hand hygiene materials were updated with H1N1 messaging. Additionally, VFC and CDPH created a selection of H1N1-specific items.

Results/Lessons Learned: Immunization information is dynamic. It is critical to keep the Medical Assistants working in VFC practices up-to-date with the latest information. Messages must be tailored for the specific audience. Learning styles must be considered during product development. Communication and distribution methods also must be considered. Systems should be in place to communicate both mundane information and late-breaking news.