Gardisil

Seems like I read that the vaccine is only effective for about 4 years...is there a booster shot??

Yet another unanswered question. Seems a little misplaced to be vaccinating 9-11 year olds, only to have protection wane as they enter the years when they are most likely to begin sexual activity.

why would we be vacinating ANY pregnant woman for anything that is not IMMEDIATELY life threatening?

I agree with this. My point is that whatever their decision is, there should be a policy written in order to keep everyone in the same loop. Each nurse doing their own thing is a root for trouble, because the nurses that follow behind them during orientation, floating or whatever the case is learns from who they luck up with rather than what is facility wide. For now, the best approach (to me) is to do a pregnancy test at least. It is only a few minutes out of my life and it is better be be armed with as much knowledge as possible about the patient's condition than it is to just go ahead and take chances. Too many policies are outdated and nurses are sadly misinformed.

Yet another answered question. Seems a little misplaced to be vaccinating 9-11 year olds, only to have protection wane as they enter the years when they are most likely to begin sexual activity.

For sure. It is almost saying that they had better do it early, while they have some protection, but that opens up a whole other can of worms. I am so disgusted with this...the more posts I read, the more insight I am getting and I am angry because I know that I will be encountering a bunch of bull when I keep inquiring. This is what leaves nurses to their own devices. All I know is that no matter what, a pregnancy test is going to be done if they want me to administer the vaccine. Period. Give these girls a chance at life...stop experimenting on them already!:angryfire

I obtained the policy from my nursing supervisor today. It says that the providers must obtain a complete history of the last menstral period and sexual activity. If the menses cannot be accurately obtained and documented, or occured more than 30 days prior to the vaccination request and/or sexual activity is present, provider must order a pregnancy test. If it is discovered that the patient is pregnant, either at the request or during the series, then, the vaccination must be delayed until after completion of pregnancy.

What my concern was is that most of our patients are not accurate historians, especially teenagers (in particular, those accompanied by their mothers), foreigners who do not understand the menstral cycle the way that we do. In this case, I would do a pregnancy test anyhow. I noticed today that a provider only documented :Assessment made, HPV vaccine ordered. That is not enough for me, I felt that she should have documented when the last period was and if the person was sexually active. I did the pregnancy test, especially after the girl told me she was 5 days late. It was negative, so, I proceeded.

Also, if the person is on Depo-Provera, and came on time for her next shot, it is probably safe to give because we have the documented proof that one of our nurses administered the vaccine. Otherwise, I personally feel that with the experience I have had with most of my patients, birth control pills and patches are not necessarily enough, so, I would probably give the pregnancy test to ensure that no harm is done. And, now, I know that these are the same questions I have to ask each time a person returns for the subsequent vaccinations. If there is a change, or I suspect different, a pregnancy test will be done and I'll report all of the data to the provider.

I told my supervisor that she needs to give me a copy of the policy so that I can place it in the OB/GYN policy/procedure book so that we'll all know. I have one for myself, for sure! I feel better, now, and hope that sharing this information has helped people here.

pagandeva, that is a good bit of information to know! Especially the part about teen girls not being quite so accurate when in front of parents. It would only make sense to do a pregnancy test to ensure that a baby was not harmed during vaccination..its only a minor thing to do considering any consequences that could come from having the vaccine while pregnant.