Twentynine Palms immunization training prepares Sailors to support medical readiness
TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. — Thirty-four Sailors from across Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Twentynine Palms and supporting operational units completed the command’s first Basic Vaccinator Course on Sept. 24, expanding the number of personnel qualified to administer vaccines and strengthening the command’s ability to support force health protection and medical readiness.
The training combined classroom instruction, hands-on practice and competency testing to prepare participants to safely administer vaccines, screen patients, respond to adverse reactions and properly document immunizations.
Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Peter Amponsah, a preventive medicine technician and leading petty officer for the command’s preventive medicine department, developed the training after arriving at NMRTC Twentynine Palms and identifying an opportunity to expand vaccination capabilities across the command.
For Amponsah, the idea had its roots in training he received eight years earlier.
“The idea grew from my experience attending the Vaccine Core Course at NMRTC San Diego when I was a junior Sailor,” Amponsah said. “The course changed my perspective on vaccines and immunizations.”
Amponsah said the combination of classroom education and practical training helped him develop skills that were not always covered during traditional Navy technical training. After completing the course, he was selected to assist as an instructor at NMRTC San Diego, an experience he said remained one of the most meaningful of his career as a hospital corpsman and preventive medicine technician.
When Amponsah reported to Twentynine Palms, he saw an opportunity to bring a similar training model to the command.
“Since checking in to NMRTC Twentynine Palms about two months ago, I have consistently heard Command Master Chief Richard Moreno emphasize the command’s commitment to professional development, patient safety, force health protection and warfighter readiness,” Amponsah said. “Those priorities reinforced my desire to bring this training to Twentynine Palms.”
Turning that idea into a commandwide training program required collaboration across multiple specialties and directorates. Public health leadership, immunization personnel, nurses, hospital corpsmen, staff education and training personnel and other subject-matter experts contributed to planning the course, developing instruction and staffing hands-on skills stations.
That broad support allowed the command to provide participants with training covering the vaccination process from the moment a patient arrives through vaccine administration and final documentation.
Classroom instruction covered vaccine fundamentals, influenza, patient screening, vaccine-administration routes, Vaccine Information Statements, clinical emergencies, risk communication and professionalism. Participants also learned health system documentation, vaccine adverse-event reporting, medical-waste disposal, needlestick protocols, cold-chain management and procedures for safely packing and transporting vaccines.
The practical portion of the course gave participants an opportunity to apply those lessons before demonstrating competency.
During skills stations, trainees practiced screening patients, preparing and administering vaccines, placing tuberculin skin tests, educating patients and responding to vaccine concerns. The training also covered recognizing conditions requiring referral to an onsite provider, managing anaphylaxis, administering epinephrine, responding to needlestick injuries and maintaining vaccines at appropriate temperatures.
Amponsah said developing those skills helps Sailors understand the entire vaccination process rather than focusing solely on administering an injection.
“Sailors learned and practiced the full vaccination workflow, from welcoming and screening patients to administering vaccines and documenting care,” he said.
Participants were required to complete a 25-question examination with a minimum passing score of 70% and demonstrate their skills through competency testing. Those who successfully completed the requirements received vaccinator competency validation and certificates of completion.
The inaugural class included personnel from nearly every area of the command, including medical services, public health, dental, surgical services, nursing services, clinical support services and administration.
While many participants were hospital corpsmen or other healthcare personnel, the class also included Sailors serving in nonmedical ratings, demonstrating an opportunity to broaden the command’s pool of trained personnel.
Operational medical personnel from 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines; 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines; and 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines also completed the training, extending its reach beyond the hospital and into units supporting Marines aboard Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms.
Amponsah said expanding the number of qualified vaccinators gives the command greater flexibility when responding to seasonal immunization efforts, periods of increased demand and other public health needs.
“This training is important because offering immunizations are a critical part of force health protection and operational medical readiness,” Amponsah said. “By developing a larger pool of qualified and competent vaccinators, NMRTC Twentynine Palms can provide timely immunization services, support seasonal vaccination efforts and respond more effectively during high-demand periods or public health events.”
That capability is particularly important in a military healthcare environment, where immunizations can help protect individual patients while also supporting the readiness of units preparing for training, deployments and operations.
Vaccine-preventable illnesses can affect the availability of service members and their ability to perform their missions. Maintaining a trained vaccinator workforce helps ensure offered immunizations can be delivered safely and efficiently while reducing the risk of disease non-battle injuries.
The course was also designed to standardize vaccination practices across the command by reinforcing current Defense Health Agency and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance.
Beyond the technical skill of administering a vaccine, Amponsah said the training emphasized patient safety at every step, including screening for contraindications, educating patients, maintaining the vaccine cold chain and ensuring accurate documentation.
“The course also promotes consistent patient screening, safe vaccine administration, proper documentation and adherence to current clinical guidance,” Amponsah said. “These capabilities help protect service members, reduce the risk of vaccine-preventable illness and ensure Sailors are prepared to provide safe, reliable care whenever and wherever it is needed.”
With the first 34 graduates completing the course, the command is already looking toward making the training a sustained part of professional development at NMRTC Twentynine Palms.
The Basic Vaccinator Course is planned to be offered quarterly, allowing newly assigned personnel to receive training while helping the command maintain a larger pool of qualified vaccinators.
Amponsah also hopes future iterations will continue reaching personnel outside the hospital through collaboration with operational and Marine Corps medical units.
“The goal is for the Basic Vaccinator Course to become a recurring training opportunity at NMRTC Twentynine Palms,” Amponsah said. “Currently, the course will be offered quarterly to provide training for newly assigned personnel, sustain a qualified vaccinator workforce and maintain immunization competency across the command.”
For Amponsah, seeing the first class graduate represented the culmination of an effort that began with lessons he learned as a student years earlier and continued through the support of personnel throughout NMRTC Twentynine Palms.
“The success of the first Basic Vaccinator Course was truly a team effort,” Amponsah said. “I am proud of the 34 graduates and grateful to the command leadership, instructors, implementation team and support staff who helped make the course possible and a resounding success.”
More importantly, he said, the course gives Sailors another skill they can carry with them throughout Navy Medicine and into operational environments where their training may be needed.
“Most importantly, the course equips Sailors with the knowledge, practical skills and confidence they need to safely care for our patients and support the mission,” Amponsah said.
Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Twentynine Palms supports the readiness and health of service members, their families and other beneficiaries while maintaining a ready medical force capable of supporting operational requirements. The command includes Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms at Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms and branch health clinics at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake and Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center Bridgeport.
Navy Medicine’s 44,000-plus highly trained military and civilian healthcare professionals provide enduring expeditionary medical support to the warfighter on, below and above the sea, and ashore.
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