Retired Nurses Join Frontlines As Sacramento Pharmacies Push For Trained Vaccinators
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - Sonya Frausto owns Ten Acres Pharmacy in Sacramento, and like many others, she's pressed to get enough staff trained in administering the COVID-19 vaccine.
In fact, we did a simple search online for COVID vaccine jobs and discovered a long list of pharmacies looking for workers. That's why Frausto is encouraging people with any healthcare background to get trained on the vaccine.
"Twenty hour-long training where they actually have to do home training, live training, computer training and they get to practice," Frausto said. "All of this information is jam-packed into this training so that's why it's important that you have this large quantity of information because patients are going to ask questions."
Frausto and her staff take 30-plus calls a day just from people asking about the vaccine.
"I think my very first day that was one of the first questions I had to answer on the phone," said Amory Eilander, a pharmacy tech.
And the need goes further than workers who can give the shots – they need people who can man the lines, check patients in and monitor them for side effects.
"Health departments are also looking, volunteer clinics are also looking, so everybody is looking for these people in gold basically, right?" Frausto said.
That need prompted retired nurse Laura Hess to get trained on the COVID-19 vaccine so she could join the frontlines and help vaccinate people.
"This was just an amazing opportunity for me to be able to give back," Hess told CBS13.
She's alongside other retired nurses, EMTs and dentists at vaccine clinics. But first, they had to go through training to learn the nuances of each vaccine including how they're stored and the possible side effects.
"It's a way to give back. Also to be participating in a team effort. We're doing it together. We're all in this together," said retired dentist Wai Chan.
It's a community effort in making sure their neighbors stay healthy and protected.
"I'm excited. We've got to wipe out this pandemic, so anything we can do to help," Eilander said.
"That's the warm and fuzzy you feel after you give a vaccination," Frausto said. "I mean I think when you get that feeling, no matter what stage or how much you make it just makes you feel good that you're doing something right and you're taking care of people."
The California Department of Public Health has a COVID-19 Call Center dedicated to medical providers to answer questions about training requirements and enrollment.