UPDATE: How you can help administer COVID-19 vaccinations

As vaccines are being rolled out in commu­ni­ties across Washington state, nurses have been asking how they can help in distri­b­u­tion efforts. To help deliver vaccines across the state, nurses must register as an Emergency Volun­teer Health Practi­tioner in the Washington State Emergency Registry of Volun­teers (WAserv) at WAserv​.org.

WAserv is a statewide registry of volun­teers who stand ready to respond during public health emergen­cies. Once regis­tered in WAserv, the Washington State Depart­ment of Health (DOH) contacts volun­teers with infor­ma­tion on how they can help. Volun­teers might be asked to assist local facil­i­ties with vacci­na­tions, care for COVID-19 patients, or support medical staff in other ways, depending on their expertise.

Addition­ally, while an emergency procla­ma­tion from the Governor is in effect, a volun­teer health practi­tioner who is licensed in another state may practice in Washington without obtaining a Washington license if they are in good standing in all states of licen­sure and are regis­tered in the volun­teer health practi­tioner system.

What if you have an expired or inactive license?

On Jan. 31, Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah authorized the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act), which allows retired and inactive health care providers to help administer COVID-19 vaccines.

If you have an expired or inactive license, you must meet the following requirements outlined in the PREP Act:

1. The person held at any time since July 1998 a full active Washington State license to practice as a/an
   • Advanced registered nurse practitioner, under chapter 18.79 RCW;
   • Registered nurse, under chapter 18.79 RCW;
   • Licensed practical nurse, under chapter 18.79 RCW;
   • Physician, under chapter 18.71 RCW;
   • Osteopathic physician and surgeon, under chapter 18.57 RCW;
   • Physician assistant (allopathic or osteopathic), under chapters 18.71A or 18.57A RCW;
   • Pharmacist, under chapter 18.64 RCW; or,
   • Naturopath, under chapter 18.36A RCW;
2. No license ever held by the person in any United States jurisdiction has been subject to enforcement action, as determined by the Department of Health;
3. The person has performed at least one of the following:
   1. Administered a vaccine by intramuscular injection within the ten years preceding the date of this authorization;
   2. Participated regularly in immunization services, including administration, over the course of their professional experience; and/or,
   3. Completed a refresher immunization training within the six months preceding or at any time after the date of this authorization. The training may be given by a person holding a Washington State license in good standing in any profession listed in section 1 above, a health care facility, a person or entity currently authorized by the state to provide continuing education to any profession listed in section 1 above, a public health agency, or an accredited educational institution;
   4. The person administers COVID-19 vaccines in support of an enrollee or participant in the state or federal government’s COVID-19 vaccination program;
   5. The person has registered in WAserv at waserv.org, for which instructions can be found here.
   6. The person has received confirmation from the Department of Health that (s)he is authorized hereunder; and,
   7. The person has not been otherwise excluded from this authorization by the Department of Health.

What if you need immunization training?

If you need additional immunization training to qualify as a volunteer, as identified in #3 in the requirements, the Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission recommends these resources:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 vaccine training
• Department of Heath COVID-19 vaccine training resources
• Washington State Pharmacy Association immunization training
• Oregon Health Science University dental immunization training
• Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS):
  • VAERS Overview video
  • VAERS demonstration video

Have questions?

For more infor­ma­tion about WAserv, visit DOH’s page or check out the WAserv fact sheet. Questions can be emailed to the WAserv coordi­nator, Kim Butowicz, at WAserv@doh.wa.gov or 360 – 236‑4090.