Protecting Canadians Against Pneumococcal Disease: A multimedia learning experience for pharmacists
Join the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy's online course on Protecting Canadians Against Pneumococcal Disease. Self-paced and free, this course is written by expert Professor Sherilyn Houle. This course includes:
- Recommendations and best practices for preventing pneumococcal disease
- An overview of vaccine options
- Asynchronous, mobile-friendly format
- Practice-relevant downloadable resources
Details
- Accredited for one CEU (CCCEP #: 8013-2025-4066-I-P, expiry: October 9, 2026)
- Free of charge
- Fully online; complete at your own pace
- Two modules; estimated one hour to complete
This program is made possible by an independent medical education grant from Merck. All users who complete the course (achieving at least 70% on the final quiz) can download a Statement of Completion.
Modules and Learning Objectives
The program is delivered completely online via the School of Pharmacy’s Thinkific website. It consists of two modules and takes approximately one hour to complete. All users who complete the course (achieving at least 70% on the final quiz) can download a Statement of Completion.
After completing the content, participants should be able to:
Module 1: Why Canadians should care about pneumococcal disease
- Explain how serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae implicated in serious disease can vary geographically, over time, and across different age groups
- Distinguish temporal trends in cases of pneumococcal disease from trends seen with other vaccine-preventable respiratory infections including COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
- Describe the spectrum of infection severity from asymptomatic carriage to local or systemic disease
- Identify populations at elevated risk of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) based on demographic, medical, environmental, and behavioural factors.
Module 2: A practical guide to pneumococcal vaccination
- Distinguish across available vaccines against pneumococcal disease by serotype coverage, vaccine type, and indications
- Apply National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommendations to patient care decision-making
- Proactively engage in conversations with patients on pneumococcal vaccination in practice, including identifying and addressing vaccine hesitancy and educating patients on new vaccines and updated recommendations
- Apply their full scope of practice to encourage pneumococcal vaccination uptake
Course author
Dr. Sherilyn Houle, Associate Professor, University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy
Dr. Sherilyn Houle received her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the University of Saskatchewan and her PhD from the Department of Medicine at the University of Alberta. She has practice experience in hospital, home care, community pharmacy, and primary care team settings, including with an international travel and immunizations clinic. She is an Associate Professor at the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy, with teaching and research interests in pharmacy practice to full scope with a focus on immunizations and travel medicine. She is a sought-after speaker and contributor to continuing professional development programs and policy papers in immunization.