Fired for refusing??

[Indyrn00]

Thoughts on employer mandatory Flu vaccine...

[chare]

Actually, a nurse in my area who was PREGNANT got a note from her doctor saying she could not get the flu vax and she was FIRED

What was the rationale provided for not getting the vaccination?

What on earth makes this employer think its ok to give the vaccine to a pregnant woman???

Pregnant? Get a Flu Shot!

[Bortaz, MSN, RN]

Actually, a nurse in my area was fired for not receiving the flu vax this year.

So? She still wasn't forced to get the shot, which is my point that you are trying to dispute. She chose not to abide by an employer's policy, and accepted the consequences. No shot was forced on her.

[BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN]

She still wasn't forced to get the shot. She chose not to and had to live with the consequences, just like anyone else...

Actually, a nurse in my area who was PREGNANT got a note from her doctor saying she could not get the flu vax and she was FIRED. Infants cannot even get the vax before 6 months of age. What on earth makes this employer think its ok to give the vaccine to a pregnant woman???

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

Actually, a nurse in my area was fired for not receiving the flu vax this year. She was pregnant and her OB gave her a note excusing her from the vaccine. Infants cannot even receive the vax till 6 months of age, so what on earth made this employer think it was ok to give it to a pregnant woman? Sorry but the touted protection hasn't added up to much in the past 3 years...not enough to give it to someone pregnant in my opinion. Also, for the person who was concerned about a healthcare provider spreading the flu: the flu can be spread by someone who is vaccinated. They only need to touch something with the virus on it, and not wash their hands. Handwashing is still the single best preventative to spreading disease. And I would count on that much more than I'd ever count on the vaccine.

If this is the case from PA where the nurse had had two previous miscarriages, the doctor's note essentially said it would cause emotional distress and did not provide a medical contraindication.

[hybr1d]

Just browsed through this thread. I guess most are american on the boards? Sounds so strange for me as a swede to read that you can get fired for not getting the flu shot. Over here the organization, if they fired someone based on that, would face hard consequences for that and would most likely have to compensate the worker (even if it it was only a threat of being fired). Though the couldn't fire someone based on that anyway. Strong laws and unions protecting workers over organizations. Interesting still to read how developed countries can be so different from one another.

I didn't immunize me or my kid vs H1N1 during the outbreak or other seasons and just as well, didn't go too well with that over here with the many young ones who got narcolepsy in the aftermath. I might take the shot next season though.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

Just browsed through this thread. I guess most are american on the boards? Sounds so strange for me as a swede to read that you can get fired for not getting the flu shot. Over here the organization, if they fired someone based on that, would face hard consequences for that and would most likely have to compensate the worker (even if it it was only a threat of being fired). Though the couldn't fire someone based on that anyway. Strong laws and unions protecting workers over organizations. Interesting still to read how developed countries can be so different from one another.

I didn't immunize me or my kid vs H1N1 during the outbreak or other seasons and just as well, didn't go too well with that over here with the many young ones who got narcolepsy in the aftermath. I might take the shot next season though.

Welcome to AN!

Yup...welcome to the USA.

[hybr1d]

Sounds like a rough place for workers Esme There's a huge demand for nurses over here. *hint hint*

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

It is increasingly more of an interest to me.

[hybr1d]

Seriously, look into it. I can help you out finding staffing organizations for example in Norway, there nurses fresh from school can get up towards 3500-4000 euros/month with expenses paid and with all the workers rights that I'm starting to appreciate more and more after reading about what it's like in US. Experienced nurses quite alot more :-)

[wtbcrna, MSN, DNP, CRNA]

I don't see how protecting your patients is a bad thing. When healthcare providers refuse to follow decades old proven research that has been shown to decrease morbities and mortality than perhaps those people do not need to be in the healthcare profession regardless of the country of practice.

[hybr1d]

I don't want to start a debate, I just noted that for me it seems a strange way to go about it. Cultural differences I suppose and that's ok. Workers are the ones that in my opinion need to be protected in law and not being basically forced (yes I know they are not physically forced but I know you know what I mean) to face injections they don't want to save their personal economy. Most nurses I know, while they administer vaccines do not get flu shots themselves. I live on the country side though with no big hospitals so nurses I know are not in that kind of care. Getting flu shots is promoted at hospitals to keep the work force up and running but is by no means something nurses or docs have to do. I think at some of the big hospitals that I found numbers for 50-60% get the vaccine and that's for nurses + doctors. I am certain it varies depending on what kind of ward they work at. Anyway, I have never had a reason to do it but I might next season when I'm active within health care during the season for the first time. We don't have a high % of patients that get the vaccine either, what % in US get it? The pandemrix narcolepsy cases didn't really strengthen the general public trust in it either. Flu is generally not talked about much here, at least not in my circle of acquaintances.

ETA I am not trying to convince anyone, just sharing what it's like over here. Many of the nurses I've met are awesome nurses and I'm happy to be live where mine and their rights are protected :-) Those that don't get the shot are not bad nurses or people. We don't owe our patients life and limb. We all do best we can and I'm sure everyone has their own reasons for not getting the shot and we don't owe our employer or colleagues explanations. Happy I won't ever have to give one. I think it would just be down hill from there.

[morte, LPN, LVN]

to my knowledge, there are no double blind studies on flu vac. what I have read, the mort/morb stats haven't improved with increasing vac rates.....