Vaccine Nurse (Part-Time, Temporary)

Statement of Duties

The temporary, part-time vaccine nurse will work alongside Somerville’s Public Health Nurses to administer vaccines to patients in both community and residential settings. They will assist with all aspects of the vaccine clinic planning process including confirming space reservations, volunteer coordination, supply inventory, and vaccine administration. The nurse vaccinator is expected to vaccinate persons 6 months and older based on the current CDC immunization schedule and availability of vaccines at the Health Department. The employment period for this position for 28 weeks starting early September through mid-March with a maximum of 19 hours per week.

Essential Functions:

The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various type of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.

• Administer vaccines safely and efficiently according to CDC and MDPH immunization practices.
• Adhere to safety and infection control procedures while administering vaccines and overseeing safe clinic flow for staff and vaccine recipients.
• Participates in Massachusetts Immunization Information System (MIIS) and reports immunization data in a timely manner while following HIPAA standards and confidentiality laws as set by local and state government entities.
• Ensure safety of vaccines including complying with MDPH vaccine storage and handling requirements.
• Provide vaccine educational information to families; including possible side effects, immunization schedules, and schedule return visits, as needed, for continuity of care.
• Comply with Massachusetts Records Retention laws and report any adverse events using VAERs form with immediate with immediate notification to supervisor and medical director.
• Triage phone calls and walk in patients, appropriately scheduling appointments based on need. Including, coordinating and performing home visits for vaccine administration as appropriate.
• Participate in ongoing training and education related to vaccine administration and safety.
• Document vaccination administration using Color software documentation system.
• Execute transport per the department’s protocol for emergency transport of vaccines in the event of a power outage or vaccine temperature storage issue.
• May be requested to provide back-up coverage for essential public health nursing functions including Direct Observation Therapy for Tuberculosis cases and infectious disease case investigation dependent on department needs.
• Respond to urgent City events or emergencies as directed by Director of Public Health Nursing.
• Other tasks as assigned.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education and Experience:

• Must possess a valid, current license to practice as a Registered Nurse in Massachusetts
• BSN or Associates Degree in Nursing
• Prior vaccine management experience preferred
• Prior experience working at vaccine clinics required
• Must have access to reliable personal transportation and ability to travel throughout the community and transport vaccines.
• Must be physically able to bend, lift 30 pounds, and move up and down stairs
•  Must have current CPR and First Aid certification
• Bilingual/Bicultural experience preferred
• Strong preference for a connection to the Somerville area.
• Some evening and weekend hours are required.

Knowledge, Abilities and Skill

Knowledge:

• Considerable knowledge of and skill in the application of nursing theory, practices, principles, and techniques employed in the field of public health and related programs
• Considerable knowledge of and ability to apply the principles and practices of public health, especially surrounding vaccine hesitancy
• Considerable knowledge of available resources and organizations in the City of Somerville and the City of Cambridge and the ability to coordinate these as needed
•  General knowledge of current social and economic problems relating to public health
• Familiarity with ICS principles and LBOH involvement in emergency response and administering countermeasures.

Ability:

• Ability to deal tactfully with others and to exercise good judgment in appraising situations and making decisions
• Ability to secure the cooperation of patients, to elicit needed information, and to maintain effective working relationships.
• Ability to record accurately services rendered and to interpret and explain records, reports, and medical instructions.
• Ability to maintain confidential information

Skill:

• Proficient in all aspects of vaccine preparation and administration
• Demonstrated technical experience with Color platform, MIIS, Microsoft Office Suite, Outlook, Word, Excel (or similar databases), and Internet Explorer.

Work Environment

The work environment involves everyday discomforts typical of offices, with occasional exposure to outside elements. Noise or physical surroundings may be distracting, but conditions are generally not unpleasant.

Physical and Mental Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the position’s essential functions.

Physical Skills

Some physical demands are required to perform the essential functions of this position. Work effort principally involves sitting and walking to perform work tasks, with intermittent periods of stooping, and standing. The employee may be required to occasionally lift, push or pull objects such as books, office equipment, clinic supplies, pandemic trailer supplies. Ability to respond to emergency situations.

Motor Skills

Duties may involve close hand and eye coordination and physical dexterity.

Manipulation and motor control under conditions that may require extreme accuracy may be critical. The manual skills required are comparable to those which might be needed to conduct laboratory tests, perform microscopic experiments, or administer injections. The job requires fine motor skills for activities such as picking up objects with hands, grasping small objects with hands, writing with pen or pencil, key/typing on a computer, pinch/pick, twist, squeeze or otherwise work with fingers to manipulate standard nursing supplies and office equipment.

Visual Skills

Visual demands require constantly reading documents for general understanding and analytical

purposes, and ability to see objects up to 20 inches away and more than 20 feet away. Job requires depth perception, peripheral vision, and ability to distinguish color and color intensity. The employee is required to constantly read documents, personal computer screens and written reports for general understanding and routinely for analytical purposes. The employee must have

the auditory ability to listen and comprehend. The employee is routinely required to read non-written materials (i.e., maps, blueprints etc.) and to conduct physical assessments.

This is a safety sensitive position. Candidate will need to complete additional screenings before passing preemployment.

Hours: Part-Time, Temporary Salary: $40 per hour FLSA Status: Non-Exempt Union: Non-Union Date Posted: August 7, 2026 

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The City of Somerville is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, disability or any other protected category. Women, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures will be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities free of charge, upon request. Persons with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication (i.e., CART, ASL), written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures in order to access the programs, activities, and meetings of the City of Somerville should please contact the ADA Coordinator at 617-625-6600 x 2059 or ADA@somervillema.gov.

Pre-Employment Requirements for All Employees:

• MA Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) clearance
• Completion of Conflict-of-Interest Law Education training for municipal employees

Overview of Total Rewards:

• 4 weeks annual vacation for non-union positions. Union positions vary by contract. Please note, police officers are members of the SPEA union. Public Health Nurses are part of Union A (SMEA).
• Medical insurance through the Group Insurance Commission (GIC) - 80% of premium costs paid by City
• Dental coverage low and high plans through Cigna
• Vision care through Vision Service Plan (VSP)
• Long term disability through Sun Life
• Group and voluntary life insurance through Boston Mutual
• Health Care and Dependent Care flexible spending through Benefit Strategies
• Deferred compensation plans through a choice of three vendors
• Free, confidential services through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provided by E4Health
• Annual cancer screening & wellness release
• Somerville Retirement Pension System
• Tuition reimbursement
• MBTA pass program
• FREE Blue Bikes membership
• Eligible employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF)

Benefits listed are for benefits-eligible positions and the above information is meant to be a general overview of the benefit programs offered by the City of Somerville and not a binding contract.

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