How to Talk about Vaccines in the Pipeline for Older Adults

This self-paced interactive course provides an overview of vaccine development and vaccines currently in development and/or clinical trials that may be available to PALTC residents soon. Designed for medical directors, attending physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician associates, this course includes information about vaccine development, the risks and benefits of new vaccines, and communication strategies for sharing that information with residents and their families.  

Module Sections

  1. Overview of the Vaccine Development Process
  2. Pneumococcus: Improving a Vaccine
  3. Norovirus: Using a New Route of Administration & Platform Technology
  4. Clostridioides difficile: Regrouping after a Candidate Vaccine Failure
  5. Vaccine Communications Approach
  6. Public Health and Vaccine Infrastructure
  7. Wrap-up & Resources

Learning Objectives

  • Explain the staged process of how a vaccine candidate becomes licensed.
  • Describe the incidence, distribution, and possible control of disease caused by three diseases for which there are vaccine candidates in the pipeline: pneumococcus, C. diff, and norovirus. 
  • Describe new vaccines and the development process with staff and residents in plain language.

Additional Resources

For related resources, downloadable tools, and templates, visit movingneedles.org.

  • 1.0 CME 
  • 1.0 CMD Management 
  • 1.0 MOC 

Release Date: 12/15/2025   |   Expiration: 12/15/2026 

Credit Statements 

Accreditation: Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. 

CME Designation: Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. 

CMD Credit Hours: This CME activity has been pre-approved for up to 1.0 management hour(s) toward certification or recertification as a Certified Medical Director (CMD) in post-acute and long-term care medicine. Each physician should claim only those hours of credit actually spent on the activity. The CMD Program is administered by PALTmed. For further information, contact PALTmed at 410-992-3115 or at certification@paltmed.org. 

ABIM MOC: Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 1.0 Medical Knowledge MOC points and patient safety MOC credit in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit. 

Financial Disclosure Statement 

The following individuals disclosed a relevant financial relationship:  

  • Elizabeth Sobczyk – Advisory Board: Moderna; GSK 
  • Heather Roney – Stock Shareholder: CVS Health Corp 

All relevant relationships have been mitigated by the Association. No one else in control of content disclosed any relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. 

Components visible upon registration.