As a wellness professional, hopefully, you’re somewhat familiar with aseptic technique. This technique refers to the procedure for ensuring a sterile environment, which can prevent the spread of infection in a healthcare setting.

Each healthcare setting, however, can have its own individual procedures to ensure this sterility. At TotalWellness, we define an aseptic technique we’d like you to use as you fill syringes with flu vaccine.

Hopefully, you caught it in your contractor manual, but here is a brief reminder as we enter flu season.

TotalWellness Aseptic Technique

Step 1: Wash your hands thoroughly or utilize the provided hand sanitizer.

Step 2: Arrange supplies so they’re easily accessible in a clean work area. Utilize the provided placemats to create a clean workspace on which supplies can set, and be sure to keep empty and filled syringes separate so as not to mix them up.

Step 3: Gently agitate the vial to restore suspension of vaccine.

Step 4: Carefully remove the vial cover to expose the rubber top without contaminating it. If you're not drawing up the very first shot from that vial, clean the rubber top with an alcohol wipe.

Step 5: Carefully remove the syringe cap without contaminating the needle or inside of cap.

Step 6: Draw back 0.5 mL (1/2 mL) of air into the syringe.

Step 7: Inject the air into the vial and draw up 0.5 mL (1/2 mL) of vaccine.

Step 8: Remove any air bubbles from the syringe carefully to avoid losing vaccine.

Step 9: Carefully and securely recap the needle to avoid contaminating it.

Step 10: Make note of the lot number.

At TotalWellness, we ask you to focus on aseptic technique specifically as you fill syringes for your flu shot events. That doesn’t mean, however, that sterility isn’t important throughout the entire process.

Please remember to take a good look at your syringes before you administer a shot. If the syringe is visibly unclean, discolored, damaged or appears to be the wrong dose of vaccine, use a different syringe.

The best way to ensure safety and cleanliness at corporate events is to be strategic. Be sure to adhere to our aseptic technique, double check your supplies and if in doubt, throw it out.

How else do you ensure sterility at flu shot events?