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Immunization Record

Know what you've had. Know when you had it.

Developed by Craig G. Hurwitz, MD

Why this matters

The records get lost. Yours shouldn't.

Childhood vaccination records often live in a single yellow card or one pediatrician's chart. Adult vaccines are worse — they get scattered across primary care offices, urgent care visits, pharmacies, travel clinics, and workplace health screenings. When you actually need to know — at an ER visit, a new doctor, or before international travel — that information is rarely in one place.

This sheet fixes that. Keep your own record. Update it every time you get a shot. Bring it with you when it matters.

A common scenario — the ER tetanus question

A patient comes in with a deep cut or a puncture wound. The first thing the ER asks: "When was your last tetanus shot?" If the answer is "I don't remember" or "sometime in the 90s," they'll usually give a booster to be safe. That's an unnecessary shot, an extra co-pay, and a sore arm — all because the record wasn't handy.

Tetanus boosters are recommended every 10 years. If you have your own record and the last booster was 4 years ago, you walk out of the ER without it. Two minutes of record-keeping saves the trip.

What to track

Vaccines adults commonly get

Recommendations change, so always check with your doctor — but these are the ones most adults will see on their record over time.

Tetanus / Tdap

Every 10 yrs

Td or Tdap booster. Tdap (adds whooping cough coverage) once in adulthood, then Td every 10 years. Booster earlier if you have a dirty wound.

Influenza (flu)

Annual

One dose every fall. High-dose or adjuvanted versions recommended for 65+.

COVID-19

Updated annually

Annual updated formulation. Record the manufacturer and lot number — useful if you need to know which strain coverage you had.

Pneumococcal

Age 65+ or high-risk

PCV20 or PCV15 + PPSV23 series. Earlier if you have chronic lung, heart, kidney disease, diabetes, or smoke.

Shingles (Shingrix)

Age 50+

Two doses, 2-6 months apart. Recommended for everyone 50 and older regardless of prior chickenpox or Zostavax.

RSV

Age 60+ or pregnant

Single dose for older adults and certain high-risk groups. Recommendations evolving — ask your doctor.

Hepatitis A & B

If at risk

Travel, healthcare work, liver disease, diabetes — series of 2 or 3 doses. Keep dates of each shot in the series.

HPV

Through age 45

Series of 2 or 3 doses depending on age at start. Recommended through age 26; available through 45 after discussion.

Travel-specific

As needed

Yellow fever, typhoid, Japanese encephalitis, rabies pre-exposure, others. Keep the certificates — yellow fever requires the WHO yellow card.

Worked example

How it might look

A realistic adult vaccine log spanning about a decade.

Worked example
DateVaccineDoseLot / locationNotes
03/15/2016TdapBoosterCVS pharmacyRoutine 10-year
10/12/2019Hepatitis A1 of 2NNH officePre-travel to Mexico
04/20/2020Hepatitis A2 of 2NNH officeSeries complete
09/30/2021Flu (quad)AnnualWalgreens—
01/05/2022Shingrix1 of 2CVS, Lot AB1234Sore arm 2 days
04/12/2022Shingrix2 of 2CVS, Lot CD5678Series complete
10/01/2023Flu + COVID boosterAnnualNNH officeCOVID: Pfizer XBB
11/14/2024Pneumococcal (PCV20)SingleNNH officeAge 65, single dose

My Immunization Record

Northern Nephrology & Hypertension Patient Personal Health Record

Vaccines received

Chronological. Include date, vaccine name, dose number if part of a series.
Date Vaccine Dose Lot / location Notes

Notes

Reactions, allergies to vaccine components, ones you've declined
Common mistakes to avoid

Where these records fall short

Only logging childhood shots The childhood schedule is on your pediatric record. What's missing — and most useful — is the adult log: every booster, every flu shot, every travel vaccine since age 18.
No dates, just "got it" "Yes I had a tetanus shot" doesn't help an ER doctor. "March 2016" tells them whether you need a booster today.
Skipping the travel vaccines Yellow fever, typhoid, hepatitis A boosters before a trip — these often get done at travel clinics that don't share records with your PCP. Capture them yourself.
No lot number for series vaccines For COVID, Shingrix, HPV, and hepatitis series, the lot number matters if there's ever a recall or a question about a reaction. Take a photo of the sticker or write it down at the time.

Your shots, on one page

Hand it to every new doctor. Bring it before international travel. Pull it out at the ER. Update it the day you get a shot.

More trackers Medication sheet Back to Patient Center

Take Charge of Your Health!

The Immunization Sheet:

One of the most overlooked aspects of care

Except for pediatric practices, a current immunization sheet is probably one of the most overlooked aspects of your medical care. The information may be buried in your doctor's records or just not available because of changes in practices over the years. A simple immunization sheet, kept up to date and kept by you is an extremely valuable part of the personal medical record.

Get Started

Probably the most important of the vaccinations often needed immediately is the date of your last tetanus booster. This occurs at the time of an acute injury such as a bad cut (lacertation) or dirty pucture wound. You may be seen in an emergency room where they ask you for the date of your last tetanus booster. Other vaccinations to track are rubella, measles, polio, hep B , pneumococcal and flu vaccinations. The center for disease control has an excellent immunization tracking sheet, which i've linked for you below.

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