Motivational Interviewing: Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy in School Settings

Course Overview

This one-hour enduring education activity, Motivational Interviewing: Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy in School Settings, is designed to strengthen school nurses’ knowledge of evidence-based communication strategies to support conversations with families who have questions or concerns about vaccinations. Participants will learn core motivational interviewing principles, including reflective listening, open-ended questions, affirmation, and supporting autonomy, and how these strategies can build trust and improve communication.

The course highlights practical ways school nurses can apply motivational interviewing techniques when engaging with students, families, and school staff about immunizations. Examples relevant to school and public health settings are included to support application in daily nursing practice.

Objectives

At the conclusion of this activity, participants who complete the evaluation will self-report that they learned at least one motivational interviewing strategy they can apply when addressing vaccine hesitancy in school nursing practice.

Presenter

Aaron Hunt, PhD, MPH

Dr. Aaron Hunt is an Assistant Professor in the Master of Public Health Program at Utah State University and serves as the Health and Wellness Specialist for USU Extension. He earned his PhD in Public Health from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and has extensive experience in health education and promotion. His work has focused on substance use prevention, mental health, maternal and child health, vaccine confidence, and infectious disease prevention. Dr. Hunt’s current efforts center on applying evidence-based strategies to promote behavior change and improve the health and well-being of Utah communities.

Nursing Continuing Professional Development (NCPD) Disclosures

Criteria for successful completion

Participants must:

Review the full educational activity.
Complete the evaluation by January 21, 2029, to receive 1.0 NCPD credit (one-time award).

Accreditation statement

This activity is provided by the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Health Promotion and Prevention, Healthy Environment Active Living Program.

The Utah Department of Health and Human Services, Healthy Environments Active Living Program is an approved provider of nursing continuing professional development by the Colorado Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

Disclosure of financial relationships

There are no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies for those involved in the content development and delivery of this activity.

Presentation materials

Motivational interviewing toolkit for health professionals

Presentation slides