How did you get out of getting the Flu shot?

[Surg-OncRN]

Hi, I have gotten the flu shot every year since becoming a nurse seven years ago. I have decided I do not want to take it anymore for reasons I will not get into right now. My facility pushes getting it very strongly but it is not mandatory. I know that coworkers are able to not take it due to religious reasons as one example. What are some other examples I could use without telling a lie. Let me know your thoughts. Thanks!

[PacoUSA, BSN, RN]

I always get my flu shot, every year on the same day in fact, it's like a holiday lol. There is someone at work who is staunchly averse to getting flu shots, and with the new NYS law will be required to wear a mask the entire time at work. I am wondering how long that is going to last.

[taydian]

I'm amazed at how a job can force you to put something in your body that if you don't want to. What has this world come to? What happened to just washing your hands and covering your mouth when you cough, sneeze, etc?

I've never gotten the flu shot I'm my life. And I wish someone would threaten me of my job. I'd just quit. No sweat off my back. I know some people can't afford to do that though which makes it more sad because employers now some people just can't afford to quit.

Do you really believe that every single person washes his/her hands after a sneeze or cough? Do you really believe every health care worker washes their hands after contact, period? Not everyone does the Elmo elbow block. Many people still block their spray with their hand. I'm not a medical nurse, but even I, sometimes, don't have the time to wash my hands and some facilities don't have hand sanitizers in a convenient place ........

Cool if you can quit your job with no sweat off your back....but I don't think it's an irrational required precaution as health care workers as you make it out to be.

Some places give you an option: get the flu shot or wear a mask. I don't think its unfair at all........but I'm just one person.

[MrChicagoRN, RN]

This is what I don't understand: no one asks the countless members of the unwashed public who traipse in and out of the hospital every day if they got their flu shots..

Vaccination screening has been part of the admission process at every hospital I've ever worked at.

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

The job can't force you to. The employer can, however, make it a condition of employment and, if people don't like that, they can quit as you noted later in your post.

Thank you - exactly.

Wow. You do know that you can transmit the flu virus before you start to feel sick and that can make the difference for a neutropenic patient, don't you? It's just a shot, not a big deal. To your patients, though, it IS a big deal. A patient on chemo, a patient with HIV, a patient who is immuno-suppressed due to a organ transplant are all examples of patients that need you to be healthy. This is what you should have learned in school.

Or working in the NICU or Newborn Nursery or Post-Partum.

It isn't a big deal to get a shot. We give them all the time to patients. Rocephin IM anyone?

[DroogieRN]

Vaccination screening has been part of the admission process at every hospital I've ever worked at.

I'm talking about visitors.

[malenurse69, MSN, NP]

I'm talking about visitors.

You make too much sense, they can't argue your point directly. Everyone with a lick of intuition knows flu shots arn't what they are cracked up to be and acrually aint that good for ya. People at the top suuuuure love to push it though, don't they :) *cough$$$cough*

[verene, MSN]

This is what I don't understand: no one asks the countless members of the unwashed public who traipse in and out of the hospital every day if they got their flu shots.

Where I volunteer we have signs posted everywhere asking visitors if they have ANY flu like symptoms to either leave or wear a mask/gown. If the patient is high-risk for infection, we can turn away visitors who are presenting any symptoms of illness. So, no, we can't ask all visitors if they've been vaccinated, but we can still screen them for patient safety. As a health care professional or volunteer you are allowed to decline the shot with paperwork, but you MUST wear a gown and mask through out flu season and tell patients that you have not had a flu shot - the patient is allowed to decline to work with you for this reason.

[elkpark]

Where I volunteer we have signs posted everywhere asking visitors if they have ANY flu like symptoms to either leave or wear a mask/gown. If the patient is high-risk for infection, we can turn away visitors who are presenting any symptoms of illness. So, no, we can't ask all visitors if they've been vaccinated, but we can still screen them for patient safety.

My employer, also.