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​Pennsylvania Expands Authority of Supervised Nursing Students to Administer Vaccines Outside Their Clinical Placements 

December 24, 2020 

In Pennsylvania, nursing students are permitted to administer vaccines, including influenza and COVID-19 vaccines, as part of their clinical placements through their nursing education programs as long as they are under direct supervision of registered nurses and have received proper training. Currently, however, nursing students are not permitted to administer vaccines or provide other nursing services outside of their clinical placements until they are fully licensed. 

To increase the number of qualified providers that may administer vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department requested, and the Governor approved, a suspension of Sections 21.112 and 21.222(d) of the Board’s regulations, 49 Pa. Code §§ 21.112 and 21.222(d), in connection with influenza and COVID-19 vaccines. 

This suspension permits nursing students who have expertise in the technical details of administering vaccines to serve as technicians, separate and apart from their clinical placements but without being licensed, to administer influenza and COVID-19 vaccines with supervision by a licensed healthcare practitioner consistent with the Pennsylvania COVID-19 Interim Vaccination Distribution Plan

This waiver shall extend for the duration of the COVID-19 emergency plus an additional 90 days after the emergency ends.