Annual flu vaccine - Will you get yours this year and why?

[CaliNurse]

Each year I give our staff the annual flu vaccine. I find many people are hesitant to take advantage of this opportunity. Will you get your flu vaccine this year? If not why?

Cali:nurse:

[globalRN]

I can't recall the exact names of studies...but research shows when higher numbers of staff who work with LTC clients are immunized against the flu ...there is a lower incidence of influenza within the LTC population when compared to non-immunized staff

working in similar facilities.

[caliotter3]

last year one of my employers gave it but the cheapskates made us pay for it. so this year i'll ask my second employer if they provide it. anything for free i'll go for, or else i'll go to a clinic where they charge less.

[SmilingBluEyes]

yep. why? look where i work; in a hospital where flu bugs abound. to me, its a nobrainer.

[globalRN]

I know that in at least 1 province in Canada in the winter of late 1999, early 2000...all nurses had to have mandatory flu shots.

If refused and had the flu: no paid sicktime.

But the employer paid for the shot.

There was such a nursing shortage that management didn't want any nurses getting the flu if it could be prevented

[willie2001]

I'm with OBNURSEHEATHER, I perfer to take my chances. I have never had a flu shot and can't remember the last time I was sick. Could it be that having sick people coughing in your face on a daily basis help one build up a natural immunity! HMMM!

[KeniRN]

I used to not get it, figured I'd take my chances. Then after having to take a LOA for a year my last semester of school for medical reasons (Not flu related) I decided I was not taking the chance of getting the flu (I worked in a peds ER) and missing any classes when I returned. Very determined to graduate:) Since then I have gotten it q year and not only do i not get the flu, I have not gotten my annual sinus infxn that comes and goes from Mid Nov to March.

Sign me up!

[stressedlpn]

heck ya I'll get it, we are required and the hosp. pays for it, I've never got sick from the flu shot, but am sure that it has kept me from getting sick

[jode]

As a Pneumonia case manager, I hope all of you get the flu vaccine, especially if it is offered to you by your employer. For the poster who stated they got sick after rec'g the shot, please bear in mind that the flu vaccine is a killed virus. If you became ill, you were likely exposed to a virus before the vaccine was administered. I had the flu when I was in my 20's and was in bed literally for over 3 days. It should not be confused with a bad cold.

The National Pneumonia Project has a national campaign on improving outcomes and reducing the incidences of influenza and pneumonia. Vaccination is a large part of this initiative. For more information about vaccines, http://www.nationalpneumonia.org or the CDC site.

[kids]

I get my flu shot every year, if my employer is not offering it I pay for it. I know it won't prevent my getting the flu but it will improve my chances if exposed and will reduce the severity. Getting sick sucks but I can deal with it. The number 1 reason I get the shot is to protect my patients from me.

[Helori]

I got the flu shot about four years ago, and was sicker more often that winter than any year previous or after. I'm healthy, whithout any chronic medical problems and prefer to let my body deal with illness naturally.

Last year though my employer made it mandatory saying that if we didn't get the shot, we didn't get paid for sick time. Also without the shot if there was an outbreak on floor (meaning 2 or more pts on a 50 bed ward) we wouldn't be allowed to work, and of course wouldn't get paid for being off. I still chose not to get the shot. I didn't get sick but worried the entire season that we would have pts with the flu and I wouldn't be allowed to work. So if my employer has the same policy this year I will probably get it.

By the way only had 1 pt diagnosed with the flu the entire season and most of the staff chose not to get the shot!

[whipping girl in 07, RN]

I got it last year for the first time since I was pregnant with my son (who's now five) and I got the flu anyway. So I don't know whether I'll get it or not.

And it was the first time I'd had the flu since I was in 8th grade (I'm 28).

[BadBird, BSN, RN]

It seems that whenever they vaccinate for the flu it is another strand that hits so you end up with the flu anyway. When I did get the vaccine I always got sick, since I haven't take the vaccine in the past 4 years I haven't gotten sick. So no, I won't get a vaccine.