12 hour shift and a slight slowdown in pace

 Second week completed with one early shift and my first ever 12 hour shift.

In the whole of the 12 hour shift I only got through two vials as a vaccinator! The first third of my shift was spent supervising a new colleague with her first shift. The middle four hours was spent in the reconstitution cabin, a necessary but somewhat dull roll ruling over the cold chain with 31 vials reconstituted!

And then for the final four hours I was the runner for rest of evening. This role is basically the link between the reconstitution cabin, the vaccinators and the car management team. It’s important that we don’t take out too many vials especially as the day draws to a close in order to minimise any possible vaccine wastage. So the task is to liaise with everybody about the number of cars waiting (and the number of people in them due for a vaccine), the number of vaccine doses that each vaccinator has left, and to ensure that these match up by the close of the day.

My separate early shift was spent in the very pleasant company of a former colleague and staff member of mine from my Clinical Nurse Manager days. It was nice to catch up.

This week has seen a fall off in numbers attending as there seem to be some vaccine stock limitations. This will surely pick up again over the coming weeks as supplies increase and stabilise and the vaccine target groups are expanded.

It is interesting to provide these vaccines in a drive through setting. It has been generally well set up with large drive through marquees. However they have gaps every few metres which coincide uncannily with where drivers choose to stop! There will also be a considerable increase in the reporting of needle-stick injuries as all these vaccines need dilution, drawing up and walking to and fro to the car all of which present additional hazards that will occasionally cause minor accidents. None that I’m aware of yet though.

Next week I have a couple of hopefully straightforward 8 hour shifts.