Key messages
- Nurse immunisers are authorised to possess and administer specified vaccines.
- Nurse immunisers are also authorised to possess and administer specified Schedule 4 poisons, as necessary, for the treatment of anaphylactic reactions to the vaccines.
In Victoria, Nurse immunisers are Registered Nurses (not Enrolled Nurses) who are approved to administer specified vaccines and can manage adverse reactions where there may not be a medical practitioner present. They can provide this service to approved client groups in circumstances such as nurse-led immunisation services in:
- local councils
- general practice
- hospitals
- community health
- occupational health services.
Nurse immunisers are approved under regulation 8(1) and regulation 161 of the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Regulations 2017.
The Secretary approval applies to a Registered Nurse who has completed a program of study. The nurse must meet the Secretary approval criteria to practice.
The Secretary approval does not apply to Registered Nurses who have not completed a program of study, but who may administer vaccines supplied under an individual prescription, or under the direction (for example, drug order) and supervision of a medical practitioner.
A time-limited approval, Secretary Approval: Nurse Immuniser – SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) VACCINE, authorises a Nurse Immuniser to possess and administer any SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) VACCINE approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (COVID-19 VACCINE) in accordance with the conditions outlined in the Approval until 20 February 2022 (inclusive), unless revoked earlier.
The Secretary Approval was published in the Government Gazette S 582 20 October 2021 pp. 1-3 (Nurse Immuniser – SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) VACCINE) or accessible via the Medicines and Poisons – Secretary Approvals webpage. This approval supersedes the Secretary Approval: Nurse Immuniser – SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) VACCINE published in the Government Gazette S 80 21 February 2021 pp.1-3.
Reviewed 31 October 2021
Health.vic
-
- Hospitals & health services
- Health Service Partnerships
- Public hospitals in Victoria
-
- Patient care
- Ambulance and patient transport
- Non-emergency patient transport
- First Aid Services
- Acute care
- Virtual care (Telehealth)
- Perinatal and reproductive services
- Rehabilitation and complex care
- Specialty diagnostics, therapeutics and programs
- Older people in hospital
- End of life and palliative care in Victoria
- Smoke Free Hospitals
-
- Quality, safety and service improvement
- My Health Record
- Collecting patient-reported outcome measures in Victoria
- Public hospital accreditation in Victoria
- Improvement and Innovation Program
- Credentialing for senior medical staff in Victoria
- Clinical risk management
- Preventing infections in health services
- Healthy choices
- Victorian Perinatal Data Collection
-
- Rural health
- Improving Access to Primary Care in Rural and Remote Areas Initiative
- Mildura Base Hospital Transition
- Rural x-ray services
- Rural health regions and locations
- Rural and regional medical director role
- Victorian Patient Transport Assistance Scheme
- Rural and isolated practice registered nurses
- Urgent care in regional and rural Victoria
-
- Private health service establishments
- Private hospitals
- Day procedure centres
- Mobile health services
- Fees for private health service establishments in Victoria
- Design resources for private health service establishments
- Professional standards in private health service establishments
- Legislation updates for private health service establishments
- Complaints about private health service establishments
- Cosmetic procedures
- Guideline for providers of liposuction
- Private hospital funding agreement
-
- Primary & community health
- Local Public Health Units
- Integrated care
-
- Maternal and Child Health Service
- Maternal and Child Health Service Framework
- Maternal and Child Health Service resources
- Child Development Information System
- Early parenting centres
- Maternal Child and Health Reporting, Funding and Data
- Baby bundle
- Sleep and settling
- Maternal and Child Health Workforce professional development
- Aboriginal Maternal and Child Health
- Public Dental and Community Health Program funding model review
-
- Public health
-
- Cemeteries and crematoria
- Cemetery trust member appointments
- Cemetery search
- Cemeteries and crematoria complaints
- Cremations
- Exhumations
- Governance and finance
- Cemetery grants
- Interments and memorials
- Land and development
- Legislation governing Victorian cemeteries and crematoria
- Cemeteries and crematoria publications
- Repatriations
- Rights of interment
-
- Medicines and Poisons Regulation
- Patient Schedule 8 treatment permits
- Schedule 9 permits for clinical trials
- Documents and forms to print or download
- Legislation and Approvals
- Frequently Asked Questions - Medicines and Poisons Regulation
- Health practitioners
- Licences and permits to possess (& possibly supply) scheduled substances
- Medicinal cannabis
- Pharmacotherapy (opioid replacement therapy)
- Recent updates
- SafeScript
-
- Environmental health
- Improving childhood asthma management in Melbourne's inner west
- Climate and weather, and public health
- Environmental health in the community
- Environmental health in the home
- Environmental health professionals
- Face masks for environmental hazards
- Human health risk assessments
- Lead and human health
- Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
- Pesticide use and pest control
-
- Immunisation
- Vaccination program for adults
- Seasonal influenza vaccine
- Immunisation provider information
- Immunisation resources order form
- Adverse events following immunisation reporting
- Cold chain management
- Immunisation schedule and vaccine eligibility criteria
- Immunisers in Victoria
- Immunity for community
- Immunisation for special-risk groups
- Vaccination for adolescents
- Vaccination of infants and children
- Ordering vaccine
- Victorian coverage rates for Victoria
- Yellow fever vaccination centres
-
- Infectious diseases
- Disease information and advice
- Infection control guidelines
- Infectious diseases surveillance in Victoria
- Notification procedures for infectious diseases
- Notifiable infectious diseases, conditions and micro-organisms
- Protecting patient privacy in Victoria
- Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008
-
- Mental health
-
- About Victoria's mental health services
- Area-based services
- Statewide and specialist mental health services
- Mental Health Community Support Services
- Support and intervention services
- Language services - when to use them
- Access to mental health services across areas
- Transport for people in mental health services
- Order mental health publications
-
- Alcohol & drugs
-
- Alcohol and other drug treatment services
- Overview of Victoria's alcohol and drug treatment system
- Pathways into alcohol and other drugs treatment
- Prevention and harm reduction
- Medically supervised injecting room
- Community-based AOD treatment services in Victoria
- Residential treatment services
- Hospital-based services
- Forensic services
- Pharmacotherapy treatment
- Services for Aboriginal people
- Services for young people
- Statewide and specialist services
- Compulsory treatment
- Family and peer support
-
- Alcohol and other drug service standards and guidelines
- Alcohol and other drug client charter and resources
- Alcohol and other drug treatment principles
- Service quality and accreditation
- Alcohol and other drug program guidelines
- Maintenance pharmacotherapy
- Drink and Drug Driving Behaviour Change Program
- Alcohol and Other Drug Residential Rehabilitation Facility Design Guidelines
- Specialist Family Violence Advisor capacity building program in mental health and alcohol and other drug services - Victoria
-
- Ageing & aged care
- My Aged Care assessment services
-
- Dementia-friendly environments
- Designing for people with dementia
- Maintaining personal identity
- Personal enjoyment
- Interior design
- Dining areas, kitchens and eating
- Bedrooms and privacy
- Bathrooms
- Gardens and outdoor spaces
- Assistive technology
- Staff education and support
- Strategies, checklists and tools
- References
-
- About us
- Our operational plan
- Our ministers
-
- Health workforce
- Medical workforce in Victoria
- Mental health workforce
-
- Nursing and midwifery
-
- Free nursing and midwifery study
- Undergraduate nursing and midwifery scholarships
- Enrolled nurse to registered nurse transition scholarships
- Re-entry pathway scholarships for nurses and midwives
- Refresher pathway for nurses and midwives
- Postgraduate scholarships for nurses and midwives
- Support for new nurse practitioners
- Additional funding for nursing and midwifery positions
- Undergraduate student employment
- Nursing and Midwifery Workforce Development Fund
- Becoming a nurse or midwife
- Furthering your nursing and midwifery career
- Midwives in Victoria
- Inter-professional Nurse Paramedic Graduate Program
- Returning to nursing or midwifery
- Safe Patient Care
- Aboriginal graduate and cadetship programs
- Allied health workforce
- Education and training
- Enterprise agreements
- Worker health and wellbeing
- Information sharing and MARAM
- Recognition and awards
- Our campaigns
On this site
Consumer information
More information
Contact details
Postal address: Medicines and Poisons Regulation Department of Health GPO Box 4057 Melbourne VIC 3001
Medicines and Poisons Regulation Department of Health