Pediatric Immunizations: Immunization Schedule and Recommendations
2.27 Contact Hours
Written by: Erin Azuse, RN, BSN
To successfully complete this course and receive your certificate, you must read the content online or in the downloadable PDF, pass the post test with a 70% or better, and complete the evaluation form by February 3, 2021.
You will only be asked to pay for the course if you decide to grade the post examination to earn a certificate with contact hours.
Corexcel is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation (ANCC).
This activity was developed by Corexcel without support from any commercial interest.
It is Corexcel's policy to ensure fair balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all programming. In compliance with the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) we require that faculty disclose all financial relationships with commercial interests over the past 12 months.
No planning committee member has indicated a relevant financial relationship with a commercial interest involved with the content contained in this course.
Corexcel's provider status through ANCC is limited to educational activities. Neither Corexcel nor the ANCC endorse commercial products.
Learning Objectives
After completing this course participants should be able to:
- List the current recommended schedule of immunizations per the CDC and discuss how the list is updated.
- Identify 10 preventable diseases for which children routinely receive immunizations.
- Discuss symptoms and complications of these diseases.
- Be familiar with combination vaccines and their components.
- Explain the proper nursing procedure for administering vaccinations.
- Identify the potential reactions that may occur from immunizations.
- Describe any contraindications to receiving immunizations.
- Identify common misconceptions about vaccinations and describe the nurse's role in changing this.
Current Recommended Immunization Schedule
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a schedule of routine vaccinations to protect against 17 diseases that are still in existence. The majority of these are given during infancy and childhood. This schedule is developed by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a group of medical and public health experts. The ACIP meets at the CDC in Atlanta, Georgia three times a year to update these recommendations based on new research regarding vaccine safety and effectiveness, disease outbreaks, and vaccine shortages. The most current recommended schedule can be viewed at: www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/hcp/imz/child-adolescent.html