{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,28]],"date-time":"2026-07-28T19:32:00Z","timestamp":1785267120817,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":16,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2019,11,11]],"date-time":"2019-11-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1573430400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Pharmacy"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Pharmacy technicians are legally allowed to administer immunizations in specific U.S. states, provided they meet certain criteria, including the completion of an accredited immunization training course. Immunizing pharmacy technicians were incorporated into an Indian Health Services federal facility, Whiteriver Service Unit (WRSU), in 2018. The objective of this research was to gather information about implementing immunizing pharmacy technicians in a federal facility serving a large rural and medically underserved population. Methods: WRSU launched a Pharmacy Technician Immunization Program in June 2018 after seven federally employed pharmacy technicians participated in the Washington State University accredited technician immunization training. The types of vaccinations administered, and the ages of patients immunized by pharmacy technicians, were tracked from July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019. Results: Seven immunization-trained pharmacy technicians administered 4394 injections for a total of 4852 vaccinations in one year. Vaccinations were administered to patients ranging in age from 2 months old to 85 years old and included protection against diphtheria, tetanus, polio, hepatitis A and B, H. influenza, human papillomavirus, seasonal influenza, meningococcal, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, pneumonia, and rotavirus. Conclusion: In one year, seven pharmacy technicians administered more than 4800 vaccinations to underserved patients. Pharmacy technicians trained and certified to administer immunizations increase access to vaccination care and have the potential to drastically increase the number of immunizations given and reduce the number of deaths from vaccine-preventable diseases.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/pharmacy7040152","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2019,11,12]],"date-time":"2019-11-12T04:07:07Z","timestamp":1573531627000},"page":"152","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":15,"title":["Implementing Immunizing Pharmacy Technicians in a Federal Healthcare Facility"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"7","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1039-1311","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kimberly","family":"McKeirnan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Washington State University, Spokane, WA 99223, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Gregory","family":"Sarchet","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"U.S. Public Health Service, Whiteriver, AZ 85941, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2019,11,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Health Resources and Services Administration (2019, September 25). HRSA Health Workforce. What is a Shortage Designation?, Available online: https:\/\/bhw.hrsa.gov\/shortage-designation\/what-is-shortage-designation."},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"Health Resources and Services Administration (2019, September 25). HRSA Health Workforce. Shortage Designation Scoring Criteria, Available online: https:\/\/bhw.hrsa.gov\/shortage-designation\/hpsa-criteria."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"67","DOI":"10.1331\/JAPhA.2012.10070","article-title":"Pharmacy provision of influenza vaccinations in medically underserved communities","volume":"52","author":"Murphy","year":"2012","journal-title":"J. Am. Pharm. Assoc."},{"key":"ref_4","unstructured":"Health Resources and Services Administration (2019, September 25). American Indian\/Alaska Native Health, Available online: https:\/\/www.hrsa.gov\/public-health\/community\/indian-health\/shortage.html."},{"key":"ref_5","unstructured":"U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health (2019, September 25). Immunizations and American Indians\/Alaska Natives, Available online: https:\/\/minorityhealth.hhs.gov\/omh\/browse.aspx?lvl=4&lvlid=37."},{"key":"ref_6","unstructured":"Indian Health Service (2019, September 25). The Federal Health Program for American Indians and Alaska Natives, Available online: https:\/\/www.ihs.gov\/aboutihs\/."},{"key":"ref_7","unstructured":"(2019, September 26). Indian Health Services Phoenix Area Healthcare Facilities, Available online: https:\/\/www.ihs.gov\/phoenix\/healthcarefacilities\/whiteriver\/."},{"key":"ref_8","unstructured":"Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (2019, September 26). Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) Reports, Available online: https:\/\/www.federalreserve.gov\/publications\/gpra.htm."},{"key":"ref_9","unstructured":"(2019, September 26). Recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule for Ages 18 Years or Younger, Available online: https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/vaccines\/schedules\/downloads\/child\/0-18yrs-child-combined-schedule.pdf."},{"key":"ref_10","unstructured":"(2019, September 27). Vaccination Coverage for Selected Diseases among Children Aged 19\u201335 Months, by Race, Hispanic Origin, Poverty Level, and Location of Residence in Metropolitan Statistical Area: United States. 1998\u20132016, Available online: https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nchs\/data\/hus\/2017\/066.pdf."},{"key":"ref_11","unstructured":"(2019, September 27). Washington State University College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Pharmacy Technician Immunization Training. Available online: https:\/\/pharmacy.wsu.edu\/pharmacy-technician-immunization-training\/."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"174.e1","DOI":"10.1016\/j.japh.2018.01.003","article-title":"Training Pharmacy Technicians to Administer Immunizations","volume":"58","author":"McKeirnan","year":"2018","journal-title":"J. Am. Pharm. Assoc."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"527","DOI":"10.1016\/j.japh.2019.03.008","article-title":"Supervising Pharmacists\u2019 Opinions about Pharmacy Technicians as Immunizers","volume":"59","author":"Bertsch","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Am. Pharm. Assoc."},{"key":"ref_14","unstructured":"Sarchet, G., Helm, E., and McKeirnan, K. (2019, January 22). Pharmacy Technicians and their Impact on Immunization Delivery. Proceedings of the Federal Pharmacists Forum, American Pharmacists Association Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA, USA."},{"key":"ref_15","unstructured":"(2019, September 27). The Technician\u2019s Role in Pharmacy-Based Vaccination Programs. Available online: http:\/\/ws.westernu.edu\/WesternU-News\/docs\/TEAM-KarlHess-Final.pdf."},{"key":"ref_16","unstructured":"(2019, September 27). Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service Pharmacist Professional Advisory Committee, Pharmacists Expanding Vaccination Access (PEVA), Available online: https:\/\/dcp.psc.gov\/OSG\/pharmacy\/pevahomepage.aspx."}],"container-title":["Pharmacy"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2226-4787\/7\/4\/152\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T13:33:28Z","timestamp":1760189608000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2226-4787\/7\/4\/152"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2019,11,11]]},"references-count":16,"journal-issue":{"issue":"4","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2019,12]]}},"alternative-id":["pharmacy7040152"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/pharmacy7040152","relation":{},"ISSN":["2226-4787"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2226-4787","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2019,11,11]]}}}