Can I administer my fathers Shingles Vaccine? (I am an RPN in Ontario).

[Positivethinking]

Hi there,

I am am RPN in Ontario, and my father has asked me if I can administer his Shingles Vaccine after he picks it up from the pharmacy with a prescription ? Can I do this for my father?

Thank you in advance.

[Castiela]

I will preface this with that I am from BC and could not find any case studies on the CNO website, but th CRNBC has a case study that I think applies to your situation. I will post it and allow you to apply the CNO practice standards regarding therapeutic patient relationships to the situation.

You could also ask a CNO representative.

Ling's sister is being dcd from the hospital. "Ling knows when a nurse must care for a family member or friend because there are no other options, overall responsibility for care is transferred to another health care provider when possible. She also knows that if a nurse wants to care for a family member or friend, caution is required.

Boundaries in the Nurse-Client Relationship outlines requirements for nurses related to boundaries and professional relationships.

If Ling chooses to provide some nursing care to her sister, she understands she'll be entering into a professional relationship with Naomi and acting in a dual role. She knows she'll need to be objective enough to have an effective professional relationship with her sister.

What should Ling consider?

Ling knows that this situation requires thoughtful consideration, caution and discussion with her sister, family and the care team. She'll need to be able to separate her personal feelings, values, beliefs and family relationships from her professional and ethical obligations.

She'll want to:

Reflect on why she wants to care for her sister and whether she can maintain her objectivity and professionalism.

Explore all available options with her sister, family and care team.

Decide if she is competent to provide the necessary nursing care in this setting.

Consider whether her sister is fully informed and consents without feeling pressured or coerced.

Consider how she will make it clear to everyone involved (her sister, her family, other health care team members and herself) when she is acting as a sister and when she is a nurse.

Think about how she will meet all professional and ethical standards (especially Privacy and Confidentiality, Consent, Documentation, Conflict of Interest, and Duty to Provide Care).

Consider how she will communicate with her sister's health care team and practise within the established plan of care.

Ling decides she wants to provide some nursing care

After careful consideration and discussion with her sister, family and the care team, Ling decides she will provide some nursing care to help out over the weekends. It's a time-limited commitment and she has a support system that will allow her to keep the situation professional and as agreed upon.

Ling is competent to provide the necessary nursing care in a home care setting and is clear about her role within the plan of care developed by the home care nurses. She believes family relationships and expectations will not interfere with her meeting her sister's care needs but has a plan if issues arise (CRNBC, "It's all relative", accessed Sept 1, 2017)"

[dishes, BSN, RN]

What if after giving the vaccine to your father, he has the rare reaction of anaphylaxis are you prepared to deal with it? If not, you should not be giving it.

[MelissaC71]

I would say no.