Activity Overview

Vaccines are biological products that can lose potency when they are exposed to temperatures or environmental conditions outside manufacturer recommendations. 

A vaccine that has been improperly stored may look completely normal. There may be no visible change in the vial, syringe, or packaging to indicate the vaccine has lost potency. 

For that reason, maintaining the vaccine cold chain is one of the most important responsibilities of every healthcare facility that stores and administers vaccines. 

The cold chain begins when a vaccine is manufactured and continues through: 

• transportation; 

• delivery; 

• storage at the healthcare facility; 

• preparation; and 

• administration to the patient. 

Every person who handles vaccines contributes to maintaining that chain. 

Proper vaccine storage and handling helps: 

• preserve vaccine potency; 

• protect patients from potentially ineffective vaccination; 

• prevent unnecessary revaccination; 

• reduce vaccine waste; 

• prevent financial loss; and 

• maintain confidence in vaccination programs. 

Pharmacy technicians may participate in vaccine inventory management, receipt of shipments, temperature monitoring, storage, preparation, transport, and identification of temperature excursions under the supervision of a pharmacist and according to organizational procedures. 

This section also introduces the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), an important national vaccine-safety surveillance system jointly managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 

Important: Vaccine storage requirements vary by product and may change. Always consult current manufacturer labeling, CDC guidance, organizational procedures, and applicable state or Vaccines for Children program requirements. 

Learning Objectives 

After completing this section, the learner should be able to: 

1. Explain the purpose and components of the vaccine cold chain. 

2. Describe appropriate vaccine storage equipment and temperature-monitoring practices. 

3. Identify recommended temperature ranges for refrigerated and frozen vaccines. 

4. Explain the responsibilities of primary and alternate vaccine coordinators. 

5. Describe appropriate vaccine inventory, expiration-date, and beyond-use-date management. 

6. Recognize a temperature excursion and describe the appropriate initial response. 

7. Explain appropriate practices for transporting vaccines. 

8. Apply safe vaccine-preparation and storage principles to common pharmacy situations. 

9. Describe the purpose and limitations of VAERS. 

10. Identify who may submit a VAERS report and circumstances in which reporting is required or encouraged. 

All reading material for home-study was developed by CDC. Powell Health has not been endorsed by the US government, HHS, or CDC. These materials can be found online without charge outside of the Powell Health immunization training program. These documents are supplementary to the Powell Health Immunization Training program and charges cover the processing of CE.

Course Requirements

1. Read through each section.

2. Take the post-test and receive a score of at least 80%.