I am a nursing student in NY about to take NCLEX in a few days. In New York they passed a bill about the Mandatory Flu Shot. I am all for patient safety and preventing a world wide Invasion (u know that movie with Nicole Kidman) get your shot kind of sickness but this is ridiculous and the fact that it happened in NEW YORK CITY first scares the crap out of me and seemingly out of the blue. I see this issue is posted in the Pandemic section but this is a general nursing concern because I mean once again:
it happened in NEW YORK CITY first, it can definitely happen to you in your state
what else are they gonna mandate?
that's why I think it should be in the general nursing forum section...
off my soapbox now and retreating back :chair:
does anybody else see where I am going with this... I mean where does this end because this shouldn't have begun
this can get ugly relatively quickly.
And it could be your state next with a flu shot or something else
I agree with a lot of you. I get my flu shot every year, and I've had other "required" vaccinations. Getting a vaccination doesn't bother me, nor even being told it is a requirement of employment, if it is a well-tested vaccine. However, being told I must get a vaccine that has not been tested does not sit well with me.
What happened to informed consent, does it not apply to us? "Sorry, we can't inform you of the risks because we don't know them yet, but we still expect your consent, or else..."
I've seen many posts talking about "civil liberties" and being "forced" to get the flu shot. Nobody is forcing anybody to get the shot. In order for you to be forced to take it and thereby have your civil liberties violated they would have to forcibly pin you down and inject you while you are kicking and screaming. What they are actually forcing you to do is to make a choice between two options and some of you don't like either option. But you still have a choice.
We're talking about the regular old flu shot vaccine, not the HINI shot. That's all NYS has mandated at this point, in case anyone was confused.
According to the NYSHD, they basically say that the H1N1 vaccine will be mandatory, so long as it is approved (which it already is), and so long as there is adequate supply.
Mandatory medical experimentation is a condition of employment? It's a little hard to "go somewhere else" when the entire state puts forth a mandate, no? I suppose we could all quit and work for McDonalds. I'm astonished that so many people are okay with the idea of the government or an employer giving them an ultimatum: allow our experimental vaccine to be injected/snorted into your body or give up your livelihood.
This vaccine is made the same way as the seasonal flu vaccine, it is not anywhere close to medical experimentation. They used the same technology that has existed, very safely, for years, it is just a different strain of virus going into it. Do you really think the yearly seasonal flu vaccine rolls out with any more extensive testing than this H1N1 vaccine?
Everyone on this board chose to become a healthcare provider. That choice comes with responsibility. We are mandated to do yearly TB tests, to show proof of other childhood immunizations. All of this is in order to protect our patients. I do not see how this mandate is any different, especially when most that I have heard of give you the option to either get the shot or wear a mask. You have a choice. You choose to become a nurse, and with that choice comes responsibility. You can't come to work drunk and risk patient safety. Likewise, you can't come to work potentially harboring a virus that could harm your susceptable patients without doing something to mitigate that risk. I do not think this is asking too much.
I guess I should have been a little clearer about the issue at hand which is our rights... at least mine feel a little impinged upon
NOT the taking of the shot but the fact that we have no choice AND that this moved so quickly in NYC that no one really had a chance to oppose because really like someone else posted what about all the pt.'s visitors that aren't vaccinated? What about housekeeping? What about ... I mean the list goes on.. all under the premise to protect the public which I am all for but I don't know if I am if it impedes on my liberties because if it does where does it stop.
Some people will get this and some won't. Sometimes its like beating your head against the wall trying to make people understand "rights." You will be accused of being an idiot conservative too... I have a European wife that will tell you all about immunizations, socialized medicine etc.. etc...
Short story: I was off work for a few weeks. The only place I went to was my new physicians office, my new obgyn's office, the lab for bloodwork and the ultrasound lab. Two days later, I got the flu for 7 awful days:down:. Yeah I lost 6lbs:up:, but I felt like I got put through the meat grinder then punched. I believe if you are working in heathcare, and don't get the flu or H1N1 shot, then you should be required to wear facemask and gloves your entire shift. You must protect yourself, your pt and co-workers.
Not a big deal to me. Of course I have probably been vaccinated twice with many vaccines. I'm one of those old military people that got all of my vaccines all over again. They were still vaccinating against smallpox at the time - that also was my 2nd one.
I totally understand rights. But I also understand responsibility.
I wonder as a patient or resident would you still be as angry about this law? Personally I would want my health care team to be vaccinated, especially if I was sick at the time and could not be vaccinated myself.
in our state...they are asking volunteers to give the swine flu vaccination....i am jobless...( agency is cancelling me and am on standby and getting cancelled) considering volunteering.....
:redbeathe
in my state they are PAYING ppl up to 50/hr to sign up work shifts giving vaccines.
And I think some ppl are overthinking this issue. If you get sick, you can't care for others, you miss work. We are the ones that are needed during flu season, so it stands to reason that we should be protecting ourselves from illness. No need to get all up in arms, "they're trampling my rights!" It's just another vaccine.
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Personally I would want my health care team to be vaccinated, especially if I was sick at the time and could not be vaccinated myself.
breaktime
71 Posts
I agree with a lot of you. I get my flu shot every year, and I've had other "required" vaccinations. Getting a vaccination doesn't bother me, nor even being told it is a requirement of employment, if it is a well-tested vaccine. However, being told I must get a vaccine that has not been tested does not sit well with me.
What happened to informed consent, does it not apply to us? "Sorry, we can't inform you of the risks because we don't know them yet, but we still expect your consent, or else..."