Courses

This comprehensive course is suitable for health care professionals who will be providing Tuberculosis (TB) immunisation services including nurses, occupational health workers, midwives, neonatal nurses, school nurses and Allied Health Professionals working in primary care.

The course is also suitable for anyone who is required to perform scar checks and/or provide BCG vaccination and related screening, or just has a general interest in TB services will find this course useful.

Information around what Tuberculosis (TB) is, and why it is an important public health issue.

Professional and legal guidance and standards around Tuberculosis (TB) and providing screening for vaccination services.

Screening for BCG vaccine and related procedures and equipment:

• Scar checking
• Mantoux testing (Tuberculin skin testing)
• IGRA testing (Quantiferon blood testing)

BCG vaccination and intradermal administration techniques.

Advise on aftercare of BCG vaccination site.

Working under PGD's/PSD's and other legal mechanisims for administering vaccines.

Medicines Management

The student will be able to:

• Explain what Tuberculosis (TB) is and why it is an important health issue.
• Explain some of the relevant professional guidance and where to go for up-to-date information.
• Describe how TB vaccination fits in to the national vaccination schedules in the UK.
• Describe whom to vaccinate and why.
• Perform scar checks for establishing prior BCG and Small Pox vaccinations.
• Describe the differences between IGRA (Quantiferon) and Mantoux testing.
• Discuss the process of IGRA testing whilst the course covers IGRA testing processes and rationales. In practice, this would also require general phlebotomy skills and experience which are not taught on this course.
• Perform a Mantoux test and accurately interpret the results.
• Administer BCG vaccination intradermally using adequate infection control procedures.