Re: Should the H1N1 Vaccine be mandatory for Healthcare Professionals?

Originally Posted by jessiern

No one, not even my employer, has the right to tell me what to put into my body. PERIOD.

Ummm..OK. You're logic doesn't make sense. What about all those other vaccinations that you're required to have????????????

Re: Should the H1N1 Vaccine be mandatory for Healthcare Professionals?

I was told this week by my lead instructor that every student nurse had to get the regular flu shot. She said we had the option of not having the shot. If we decided that we did not want the vx then we would not be able to do clinical rounds at the hospital.
no clinicals=no certificate.

I took my steaming mad butt down to Wallgreens and complained to the pharmacist as he was giving my shot... poor guy

Re: Should the H1N1 Vaccine be mandatory for Healthcare Professionals?

There must have been a problem getting HCWs to take the HepB series of vaccinations, as anyone who doesn't want to do that, signs a release saying they either had the series previously, or refuse to have it. The Employee Health Nurse can order (with consent of a new employee), a test for HbSAb. If the result is HbSAg +, he/she will have to work where the danger of exposing patients to their carrier state isn't a potential risk.

Since there's nowhere a HCW can work as such without exposing others to H1N1, when he/she's communicable (notice that I wrote "when", not "if"), she/he shouldn't work at all until the risk is over! If I for any reason couldn't take the vaccine without risking my life, I'd leave nursing until the risk of acquiring it is over; and I'd stay away from crowded indoor spaces.

Those who refuse to take the vaccine must be sure it could be lethal for them to take it. Therefore they should get as much information as they can, about the vaccine having been administered to many human volunteers during the research of it. I've read that online, and I'm convinced that a sufficient number of people have received the vaccine without ill effect, that I will take it. However, I believe HCWs have a right to refuse it, as mandatory administration of anything to employees is wrong - legally and morally. However employers can and should require anyone who hasn't taken the vaccine, to take an unpaid leave of absence.

The reason I feel so strongly about that, is because I'd hate to see nurses as "Typhoid Marys" exposing the public to a disease that has been shown to be lethal, when a vaccine is available to render them immune. If people with active Tb refuse (or are unreliable) to take their meds, the court can, and does restrict them to their homes, sending HH nurses in to give the meds by injection forceably, if need be. It would be a real pity if an insufficient number of HCWs made that necessary with nurses. However the length of time it takes the vaccine to render immunity, would make it unrealistic to do that. So the public will have to get the vaccine so that unvaccinated nurses won't spread H1N1 to them!

Now read about it, folks and believe what the CDC and WHO say about researching it sufficiently, before advising its use. It's shear paranoia to think that those agencies would intentionally mislead us and the public, for heaven's sake!!! I listened to a radio "talk show" this morning, which had a "neurosurgeon" speaking against vaccines in general, the one against H1N1 specifically, siting all the old and now unused substances that were in vaccines, such as formaldehyde. He talked about them having more than "a dose" of mercury in each dose of vaccine, while the program host gasped. Now is that idiotic? How much mercury is a dose, and why would it be considered that?

Re: Should the H1N1 Vaccine be mandatory for Healthcare Professionals?

Why is it okay to require health care workers and not require teachers, restaurant personnel, people riding the subway, school children, or anyone who comes into contact with large numbers of the general public on a daily basis to take the same shot? Maybe someone should be stationed at the entrance of every mall in the county and require that anyone entering show proof that they have been vaccinated. If they haven't then they must be vaccinated or go home. LOL Sounds ridiculous doesn't it? So does forcing health care worker to take a vaccine because the general public is paranoid. Please don't flame me....I am not serious about forcing others to take it. I do not believe that it should be required that anyone take the vaccine. People should be allowed to educate themselves and made an informed decision.

I understand that we work where there are sick people, but those sick people are normally walking around sharing their illness long before we see them.

People are afraid of H1N1 and the media is not helping. Instead of playing on peoples fears they should take the opportunity to educate them.

Re: Should the H1N1 Vaccine be mandatory for Healthcare Professionals?

Isn't the "regular" flu shot technically a "new" vaccine every year since it is developed with different strains of the virus each year??

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/flu_vaccine_updates.htm

Also, the "Mandatory" flu shot at our hospital can be waived simply by signing a declination form stating that you don't want it. They do not take away our right to choose.

I understand that flu vaccines are not 100% effective (they tend to be 70-90% effective), but if it prevents you from getting it then it prevents you from: 1) missing work 2) spreading it to family, friends, and community members 3) spreading it to immunocompramised patients. Teachers, restaurant workers, and the general public do not have direct contact with severely immunicompramised patients on a daily basis. We do. Plus, if we are going to bring that issue up why don't all food preparers wear gloves and change them often between orders? Can't tell you how many times I've spotted bare hands in the kitchen and gloved hands on the cash register (shudder). I have never had the flu (KNOCKING ON WOOD HERE), but until I was in healthcare I took care to stay far away from sick, snotty, coughing people (and even friends that "don't feel right"). That's kinda unavoidable for me now, so I got the flu shot as extra protection for me and my patients.

Just my opinion. :-)

Re: Should the H1N1 Vaccine be mandatory for Healthcare Professionals?

absolutly not the final stages of testing are not evem completed yst and wont be until april 2010 there not even sure if you need 1 or 2 vaccinations according to med scape I will wait and see what happens to all of the others that are the human lab rats. They have no ideas about long term effects. The FDA has approved so many drugs that were deemed safe but caused many deaths and serious complications.
check out this link:
http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/GuidanceCom.../ucm161063.htm

Re: Should the H1N1 Vaccine be mandatory for Healthcare Professionals?

Originally Posted by lamazeteacher

The reason I feel so strongly about that, is because I'd hate to see nurses as "Typhoid Marys" exposing the public to a disease that has been shown to be lethal, when a vaccine is available to render them immune. If people with active Tb refuse (or are unreliable) to take their meds, the court can, and does restrict them to their homes, sending HH nurses in to give the meds by injection forceably, if need be. It would be a real pity if an insufficient number of HCWs made that necessary with nurses. However the length of time it takes the vaccine to render immunity, would make it unrealistic to do that. So the public will have to get the vaccine so that unvaccinated nurses won't spread H1N1 to them!

The public should have to get the vaccine if anyone is being mandated at all.
Your "Typhoid Mary" is Joe Public, not the nurses, who has been walking around for days with the flu in denial, spreading it around, and then comes to the ER coughing and sneezing all over the nurses/staff wanting help.

Re: Should the H1N1 Vaccine be mandatory for Healthcare Professionals?

Originally Posted by RN34TX

The public should have to get the vaccine if anyone is being mandated at all.
Your "Typhoid Mary" is Joe Public, not the nurses, who has been walking around for days with the flu in denial, spreading it around, and then comes to the ER coughing and sneezing all over the nurses/staff wanting help.

It is amazing how disgusting and unhygienic people can be when you sit down for a minute and watch. I can't begin to count how many people sneeze/cough into their hands and then touch everything in sight. Or the nursing student that "just can't miss a classs" and brings their infectious cold to everyone else. Better public education is sorely needed.

Re: Should the H1N1 Vaccine be mandatory for Healthcare Professionals?

Originally Posted by I_<3_ICU_RN

It is amazing how disgusting and unhygienic people can be when you sit down for a minute and watch. I can't begin to count how many people sneeze/cough into their hands and then touch everything in sight. Or the nursing student that "just can't miss a classs" and brings their infectious cold to everyone else. Better public education is sorely needed.

Tell me about it; a while back I was at a grocery store right down the street from a hospital. I turned the corner of an aisle and the person coming around the other side sneezed right in my face; she didn't cover her her sneeze or anything. A few days later I was sick with something that lasted 2 weeks.
Speaking as a nursing student, if you think the not wanting to miss class thing is bad you should consider the not being able to miss clinicals problem. When we go through our critical care rotation it's so short that we absolutely cannot miss a clinical day and make up for it so students will come to the hospital sick and most of them don't know what precautions to take.

You can make the H1N1 vaccine mandatory for health care workers but it's meticulous infection control precautions that will keep us from spreading the virus from patient to patient and knowing when you need to call in from work. There will always be infections to spread and there will always be populations that are vulnerable to those infections; requiring workers to get vaccinated for one is not going to change that.

Re: Should the H1N1 Vaccine be mandatory for Healthcare Professionals?

This should absolutely not be mandatory and if it becomes that way I guess I will not be working. I hate that the news keeps advertising as "All pregnant women are urged to get the H1N1 vaccine." I asked my OB and she said she would definetly not recommend it. I'm 14 weeks pregnant and there's no way I would take it. Like others have said, it hasn't been studied and tested nearly enough to see what the side effects are. Heck, they wouldn't even let me take my FloNase because there weren't enough studies done, let alone take a new vaccine that had only begun research earlier this year. No Thanks!!