[BugsRme]

Yep...this is the same Joint Commission that surveys hospitals on patient's rights. As I understand the standard, an employer can't punish you for refusing to take the flu shot, but they can make unaccented workers wear surgical masks during flu season when caring for patients. The declination statement is not real specific...it should just state "I choose not to take the flu vaccine because of (check one) religious reasons, or medical reasons. It really should not be asking for specific medical conditions unless you want to disclose the condition and have an Employee Health Nurse or Infection Control Nurse contact you to provide you with educational information. Just a word of caution- there are about 15 states and a few of the Canadian provinces that mandate flu shots for any one working in LTC. I understand the legislation in these 15 states makes it fairly difficult to get an exemption for medical or religious reasons- again this only applies to LTC.

[willie03]

Originally Posted by BugsRme

Yep...this is the same Joint Commission that surveys hospitals on patient's rights. As I understand the standard, an employer can't punish you for refusing to take the flu shot, but they can make unaccented workers wear surgical masks during flu season when caring for patients. The declination statement is not real specific...it should just state "I choose not to take the flu vaccine because of (check one) religious reasons, or medical reasons. It really should not be asking for specific medical conditions unless you want to disclose the condition and have an Employee Health Nurse or Infection Control Nurse contact you to provide you with educational information. Just a word of caution- there are about 15 states and a few of the Canadian provinces that mandate flu shots for any one working in LTC. I understand the legislation in these 15 states makes it fairly difficult to get an exemption for medical or religious reasons- again this only applies to LTC.

Thanks for the info. Do you know if there is a website with this information available?

[RNKatePSU]

I work for the government and plan to NOT receive the vaccine, so I'll let you know how that goes.

On a semi-different, but related topic... What is everyone's opinion regarding whether the intranasal flu vaccine makes people sick? In my current job, a main responsibility is administering the vaccine to our community and, since I've never given the intranasal one, I'm curious if this rumor has any merit.

[not now]

Originally Posted by earle58

i've never had to give a reason, either.
however (), i have no problem giving the reason: citing i got the danged flu right after i received the vaccine (last yr).

leslie

Where I work there is a flyer in the staff bathroom (that's were all the important flyers and such go) that basically says if I don't get the flu shot I'll be killing innocent children and grandma's. Why? Because I'm gonna come to work sick and give it to them. Uh, if ya let my have my days off when I'm sick then I wouldn't come to work sick.

It also says in bold letters on the bottom that the flu shot does not cause the flu. Tell that to my LTC patients who all got the runs and projectile vomiting after the flu shot last year. How do I know? We gave it in groups of five rooms moving down the hall. The resident's all got sick in small groups moving down the hall.

I haven't had the flu shot in years and I rarely get sick (knock on wood). Why take the stick?

[sharona97]

Originally Posted by RNKatePSU

I work for the government and plan to NOT receive the vaccine, so I'll let you know how that goes.

On a semi-different, but related topic... What is everyone's opinion regarding whether the intranasal flu vaccine makes people sick? In my current job, a main responsibility is administering the vaccine to our community and, since I've never given the intranasal one, I'm curious if this rumor has any merit.

FluMist a N/S is in experimental stages now and apparently showing protection in the mice. TamifluN/S from what I have read is not stopping the H5N1 (Avian Flu) and is not effective in preventing pt's from death. This info is from info I have read on other sites.

Indigo Girl has very good info that is up to date in her posts IMHO.

[RNKatePSU]

If FluMist is in it's experimental stages, why did we just get a HUGE shipment of flu vaccine containing many doses of FluMist? That puzzles me... I would like to think that if it's in the experimental stages, the companies would require a consent (in addition to the one I have to have signed for my work place) to administer the experimental vaccine. One of our PCPs has said that when the live, intranasal vaccine was given last year, people came in to be seen for flu-like s/s in droves. I guess I'll just grit my teeth and hope for the best this flu season.

[sharona97]

I could be wrong , but the experimental study is to find a combantant that works for us when needed for the possible H5N1 flu. That is the literature I read as far as the treatment of this mist being used on mice that have been effected with the avian flu. Of course I could be misinterpreting the cause of why it is being used on mice. I understand that it is a drug already in use for influenza. I thought I'd share the posts I've read recently on allnurses.com.

[RNKatePSU]

Ohhhh...ok. I didn't realize that when you said experimental, you were referring to the avian flu. I'm on the same page now. Thanks for clearing that up! I didn't want to be immunizing our community with an experimental vaccine!

[sharona97]

Originally Posted by RNKatePSU

Ohhhh...ok. I didn't realize that when you said experimental, you were referring to the avian flu. I'm on the same page now. Thanks for clearing that up! I didn't want to be immunizing our community with an experimental vaccine!

I'm just starting to learn about tha Avain Flu risk and I'm sure I could have expressed that statement better. Hard concept that Avain Flu, but glad to see work is being done worldwide and diaster plans on this allnurses has been very helpful. (Long reads, but interesting).

[indigo girl]

http://www.ajc.com/health/content/he...08/fludoc.html

Originally Posted by //www.ajc.com/health/content/health/stories/2007/10/08/fludoc.html

Nearly 60 percent of US doctors, nurses, orderlies, and other healthcare workers do not get vaccinated against the flu...

In Massachusetts, the state has ordered nursing homes and other long-term care facilities to offer shots to workers - and to keep a list of everybody who refuses so that if there's a flu outbreak, disease trackers will know who is vaccinated and who is not.

At the same time, a national hospital accrediting agency has told administrators to vaccinate more employees or potentially forfeit the seal of approval that is needed to receive federal funding. Hospitals must track vaccination rates, dissect the reasons behind staffers' refusal to get shots, and then craft a strategy for getting vaccine into the arms of more workers, according to the new rules from the Joint Commission.

From a post on another forum:

<snip>

"In our hospital we adopted a new policy that you have to have a valid reason for declining your flu shot AND if you do.....you must then sign a declination paper and take a class on seasonal flu. We also started this year with a nurse who takes a traveling flushot "cart" from department to department making it easier for coworkers to urge folks on."

<snip>