Is your Facility 'forcing' you to get the Flu Vaccine?

Nurses COVID

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My company have a new policy that if you do not want to receive the flu vaccine this year by end November, then you have to wear a mask within 6 feet of all patients.

So they are not saying you have to have the flu vaccine but if you don't then you have to wear a mask at all times!

The local hospital was on the news this week saying if staff refuse to get the flu shot then their contract will be terminated. As we work in an at will state then this apparently is legal.

I chose to take the flu shot, but the rest of the staff feel they are being bullied into doing it. For me it is just not possible to wear a mask 24/7 when with the patients.

Specializes in Psych.

Wonder if the pharmaceutical companies might have their hands in the pockets of the CDC? Wonder no more! The law is obvious that they do. See http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-110s2456is/html/BILLS-110s2456is.htm

Specifically:

``SEC. 2142. VACCINE BUYBACK PROGRAM. ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall establish an influenza vaccine buyback protocol under which the Secretary may enter into buyback contracts with manufacturers of influenza vaccine to purchase such manufacturers' excess stocks of influenza vaccine so long as such vaccine has been manufactured in accordance with the recommendations of the Advisory Committee for the production of seasonal influenza vaccine. ``(b) Manufacturers.--The Secretary shall have the discretion to award buyback contracts under subsection (a) to several influenza vaccine manufacturers in a manner consistent with the goal of providing stability in the influenza vaccine market, as long as the Federal Government purchases not more than 50 percent of the excess influenza vaccine stock of any single manufacturer at market price.

That reads to me as - if they (the government) can't get us to use it, the federal government will buy it back - up to 50% of the excess - from each manufacturer - at market value.

It is true that the flu might not harm you, but it might kill your patient. You are contagious before you have symptoms, long enough to pass it on. Being a healthcare worker I choose to be around vulnerable populations, and it is my responsibility to do my best to protect them. There is no scientific evidence linking the flu shot to Alzheimer's, or the flu, but there is a lot of actual scientific evidence showing the benefits of getting vaccinated. We are supposed to be advocates of evidence based medicine, it is our responsibility to educate ourselves, so we can educate the public. It is a small personal sacrifice that you can make for the well being of your patients. If a legitimate study comes out that shows some danger of getting the flu shot, a danger worse than potentially killing your patient, then I can understand fighting the system, but until that happens (if it is not contraindicated) stop whining and get the shot. There are a lot of battles worth fighting, this isn't one of them.

Specializes in Oncology.

A few years back I read a journal article that the first H1N1 vaccine in Canada was only tested on a little over 200 people before being mass produced for the public. Out of those 200 people, 4 had severe reactions that required hospitalization. Even worse, the vaccine had never been tested on pregnant women (which doctors push to vaccinate) and was tested on less than 12 children before being deemed "safe". Sure, the CDC can tout the safety of vaccines all they want, but sometimes I wonder if the pharmaceutical companies don't have their hands in the pockets of the CDC and other agencies that are pushing for forced immunizations.

The H1N1 vaccine is like any other flu vaccine. It's just a strain of influenza virus. There are different strains of virus in the vaccine every year, and they're not tested on huge quantities of people every year because there's simply no need. This is now the third year H1N1 has been vaccinated against, and I guarantee it hasn't seen a 2% rate of serious side effects.

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

My hospital mandates the flu shot this year. If you don't have it by a certain date, you get a week's unpaid administrative leave to consider your options. If, at the end of the week, you haven't gotten your flu shot, it's considered your resignation.

I'd get the flu shot anyway. I got it as soon as I went back to work.

Last I checked, upon receiving any medical procedure, including a vaccination, this means that I am now a patient, not an employee, and under the Patient's Bill of Rights, I have the right to refuse a medical procedure that I do not want, and it is none of my employer's business whether I have had the medical procedure or not.

Specializes in CDI Supervisor; Formerly NICU.

How is it bullying when you have more than one option?

Option 1: Take the shot and keep your job, mask-free.

Option 2: Refuse, and wear a mask.

Option 3: Refuse, and move on down the street.

Option 4: Work in an environment that doesn't require the shot.

How many more options do whiners need before they're happy?

Specializes in LTC and School Health.

I'm not allergic nor do I have any medical or religious contraindications to the flu shot. Do I like to be forced to have it? No. Do I want to keep my job? Yes.

I pick and choose my battles. I get the flu shot every year so its' not a big deal for me.

Specializes in Acute Mental Health.

The facility where I work just initiated a new policy..... get the vaccine or be terminated. I get it every year so for me, no biggie. I hate it when the flu presents its ugly head on my unit. Caring for all those sick makes for a very long shift. Last year we were quarantined for 2wks!! We all drove each other nuts. Fights were breaking out daily.

My employer requires you to simply sign a refusal form that states you understand the risks of refusing the flu vaccine.

I do not believe it is right for employers to "punish" their nurses who choose not to receive the vaccine. I know people that personally do not believe in vaccines period and/or have become very sick after receiving past flu vaccines and do not want to take such a risk again. I only receive the flu vaccine because I have asthma that flares up in the cold months.

Specializes in CDI Supervisor; Formerly NICU.
The viruses in the flu shot are killed (inactivated), so you cannot get the flu from a flu shot.
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/flushot.htm
Specializes in ER.

My facility offers the choice between vaccine and mask. We have 19 people wearing masks last year out of thousands of employees. Our aids patients believe in them and this impresses the heck out of me since they are very picky about their care so I follow their lead and happily get the shot.

You are incorrect...there IS research showing negative effects including those I have mentioned. Your statement of "stop whining and get the shot" is in my opinion offensive. Whining and believing that no one has a right to tell you what to do with your body are NOT the same. As far as evidence based medicine...seriously? You cannot always TRUST medicine. Look how many meds get recalled or pulled off the market. Some of us sit on the holistic side of care and there is nothing wrong with that. It is just different from what you believe.

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