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
Specializes in M/S, MICU, CVICU, SICU, ER, Trauma, NICU.
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.
I believe that is what PTO is for.
And yes, unlike you, some of still believe in the ability to CHOOSE.
Specializes in M/S, MICU, CVICU, SICU, ER, Trauma, NICU.
I think nurses wearing masks is a great thing. That way all we have to worry about are the dietary staff, housekeepers, office staff, the clerk who checks you out at Wally World, the fast food worker who hands you your breakfast, your kids coming home from school, your spouse's coworker who never calls in sick, all the folks at the movie theater, and a couple of million other people I failed to mention. Yep, seeing all the nurses wearing masks makes me feel warm and safe all over.
I am allergic to eggs, and have not had a flu shot, ever. Nor do I expect to get one this year. I don't know about the mist version and egg allergies. While working in dialysis in the early 80's I was exposed to hepatitis, and though I never developed the disease, I still test positive for antibodies. So no hep vaccine, either.
And yes, unlike you, some of still believe in the ability to CHOOSE.
I do not understand this argument. All the places I have heard of are giving employees a CHOICE: shot or mask. I do not see what is so wrong with that. Now, if there are places that I am not aware of that are truly mandating the shot, or you are fired, then I would have a problem with that. This is all about choice. You can choose to get the shot, you can choose to wear a mask, but you do not have the right to choose not to protect your patients for a disease that could kill them, especially when you could be contagious with that disease before you even show symptoms.
My facility doesn't mandate it, but...if you decline the seasonal flu shot for any reason other than a medical reason not to get it and if you miss work for diagnosed influenza, they will consider it an unexcused absence. They can terminate you for one or two unexcused absences...mandate termination after three. I'm sure I'll get it...I usually do...not sure about the swine flu one.
How are they planning on finding out you have the flu? You don't need to tell them when you call in, and I hope they aren't checking everyone's medical records. they can't enforce this policy.
Specializes in PICU, NICU, L&D, Public Health, Hospice.
People given the mandate to get the H1N1 vaccine or wear a mask have been given a choice. People who have been mandated to get the vaccine or lose their jobs have a legal challenge ... I doubt seriously that there is a legal precident that actually allows employers to do that.
If people have an allergy to eggs they MAY NOT BE GIVEN THE VACCINE. Those folks are automatically excluded with the pre-vaccination screening questions that EVERYONE is required to answer. Persons with egg allergies DO NOT HAVE A CHOICE...THEY CAN NOT BE VACCINATED WITH ANY VACCINE GROWN IN EGGS.
I agree with the issues regarding loss of liberties. Am of an age when we didn't have many vaccines. Polio vaccine mother made sure we got because neighbor girl had polio, a bad disease. Had a measles, immune. Have had flues in years before vaccines, probably immune to a bunch of them too. Haven't had flu in I can't remember the last time. Now I know mrsa is a bacteria but if they could come up with something to protect me against that I would get in line for it.
Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
I do not understand this argument. All the places I have heard of are giving employees a CHOICE: shot or mask. I do not see what is so wrong with that. Now, if there are places that I am not aware of that are truly mandating the shot, or you are fired, then I would have a problem with that. This is all about choice. You can choose to get the shot, you can choose to wear a mask, but you do not have the right to choose not to protect your patients for a disease that could kill them, especially when you could be contagious with that disease before you even show symptoms.
New York is mandated to get the vaccine by 11/30/09 or we can face a two week suspension without pay, then will have to wear a mask...also even after that, can be faced with termination for non-compliance with policy.
To be honest, I am not really afraid of receiving H1N1 and would have taken it, anyhow, but am outraged that my choice is being taken from me. And, I am working late almost every night administering vaccines to walk in patients as well as employees. It does not make me feel good when most of the non-medical staff are asking me questions that I really can't answer. Nor do I feel good giving these shots. H1N1 will be delivered to us on 10/15/09. I will not feel that great because while I cannot legally force anyone to take it, employees included, the facility is, and just the idea that this person feels forced to receive the shot from me hurts. It almost makes me feel like I am doing what Jim Jones did to Jonestown.
New York is mandated to get the vaccine by 11/30/09 or we can face a two week suspension without pay, then will have to wear a mask...also even after that, can be faced with termination for non-compliance with policy.
OK, I do have a problem with that. I wonder if they will actually pull the trigger on the suspensions without pay. Seems like a slippery legal slope. If you give the option of mask vs shot, then that is a standard condition of employment to me. If you give no choice whatsoever, I would not agree with that. In fact, I am pretty stubborn, so if it was me I would be likely to refuse the shot from my employer for principal of it, but I would get it elsewhere to protect myself. The deaths of healthy people my age are so random that the potential side effects of the shot are far outweighed by the risk of not getting it, for me at least.
OK, I do have a problem with that. I wonder if they will actually pull the trigger on the suspensions without pay. Seems like a slippery legal slope. If you give the option of mask vs shot, then that is a standard condition of employment to me. If you give no choice whatsoever, I would not agree with that. In fact, I am pretty stubborn, so if it was me I would be likely to refuse the shot from my employer for principal of it, but I would get it elsewhere to protect myself. The deaths of healthy people my age are so random that the potential side effects of the shot are far outweighed by the risk of not getting it, for me at least.
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I wonder if one of the reasons for the "heavy-handedness" of employers insisting on no vaccine/no job, is that maybe they are worried about lawsuits. We all know that nurses get blamed (rightly or wrongly) for every hospital infection. If a pt dies from H1N1, even if they had it before they came into the hospital (or if visitors gave it to them), would a pt's family have a successful lawsuit because one of the nurses that took care of Granny had not been vaccinated?
PostOpPrincess, BSN, RN
2,211 Posts
I believe that is what PTO is for.
And yes, unlike you, some of still believe in the ability to CHOOSE.