Hep B vaccine...are you vaccinated?

Nurses General Nursing

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I am entering a wound care program, and I needed to get a physical eval clearance from my doc. My doc has to take this soooo seriously, he makes me come in for a updated U/A CBC and he "ordered" a Hep B vaccine.

OK, I am not vaccinated :chair:

When this vaccine first came out, it was not made from monoclonal antibodies, so I refused it b/c the live vaccine could have also exposed me to HIV as far as I was concerned.

OK, so they have long since made the vaccine "safe." But after all these years, I figure Why Bother??

Let me ask this, let's say you had major trauma and needed several transfusions. Is that vaccine going to help, you? I figured it was really just to protect against an exposure like a needlestick, which I perceive to be a "lower risk" exposure than several blood transfusions.

That may be a dumb logic, but that is how I rationalized it.

WE are exposed to sooooo many things in this profession, I just, not to get all religious on ya, but I just put in in God's hands. Maybe I am a fool.

So, anyway, I am wondering have you had the vaccine?

If not, why not?

I am just really curious, that's all.

Specializes in Med-Surg.

I had to have the Hep B shot to enter nursing school. It's supposed to be a series of 3, but I only took 2 and then had the titer done. My titer is low but acceptable (barely) and now that I am working they are encouraging me to get the shots again.

I was vaccinated when it was first offered at the hospital where I worked during the 90's. Had to have proof of the series for rn school also. All the kids I work with are either vacinated or in the process. I've only encountered one religious objection in 5 years and they had to have a letter from their pastor.

I've got it. It is low risk, and you can never be too careful!

I was vaccinated during my training (2000) but had my titres done this year and had to have a booster. In five years time, I'll have to have *another* booster. I'd rather have the needles than Hep B.

Rural communities with large Aboriginal populations are introducing vaccination in infancy, and last I heard it was going to be introduced for all school children in Qld.

Specializes in Telemetry, Case Management.

Got the series in early 90's. Had titres done for new job in 2001, all good. Figure if I can keep from getting any nasty germies out there, I should take advantage of it. You don't know where these people have been and what they have done.

Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

The more people who are immunized against a disease (making the assumption that the vaccine is good, etc.), the less disease occurs in the population as a whole, including the non-immunized people. That's called "herd immunity".

Since hepatitis B is a very BAD player as far as sequelae (like a high incidence of liver failure or cancer), complications, rapid acute onset and and even death in some cases, health care workers coming in contact wet stuff not belonging to themselves more often than the average person are advised to get this vaccine, and that's why "they" [the CDC] is pushing so hard to get kids (and health care workers, and just about everyone else)vaccinated.

I got my series in 1987-88 (recombinant DNA type, safer than the older version), I did convert, and got a booster in the mid 90's.

My personal bias is: GET it!!

I had the series before it was a "safe vaccine". I still show immunity, even after this long. I see no reason not to take it and a lot of reasons why you should. I worked for an M.D. who got it from a patient and he gave it to his whole family . (What a gift). Of course his was before the vaccine. To protect my family, I would go for it any time I had to.

I was required to have all three immunization doses for Hep B in nursing school. The hospital I'm working at requires RNs to also be immunized for Hep B.

I'm vaccinated against Hep B, Hep A, meningitis, and all the regular childhood vaccinations. I've never had an adverse reaction to any shot, and I would rather have a shot than get a disease.

I am an LPN in a LTC facility. This is the only job I have had since I graduated from LPN school last June.

Anyway, I have not had it simply because I have read so many bad things from it. Side effects. My RN supervisor (BSN) took the first one and could not take anymore. It did something to her joints....joint pain, swelling, etc. So that was enuff to scare me.

THEN AGAIN---I know I need it. MY son took it as a toddler so why should I not take it myself if I was not worried about putting him through it...he had no problems. And most people I talk to who have had it had no problems either.

I also give my mother injections 2 x week for RA and the stuff is made from hamster ovaries and extremely immunosupressing. My point is...others take it without problems and take other stuff that sounds so much worse, yet they are fine so far.

Why should I be afraid? I dunno. But I am.

My RN program that I am hoping to get in next year (I am in A and P, now) I believe requires it. And all of the hospitals here require it.

So when it boils down to it whenever I get my RN I will have to take it or I might as well find a different profession right now.....!

Laurie

Specializes in ORTHOPAEDICS-CERTIFIED SINCE 89.

Yes. First "free series" in my hospital. Had a needlestick and billing office tried to BILL me for like $200. That was like 1986 maybe.....

I saw where there is a combined Hep A/Hep B vaccine coming out. So far my titres show Im still protected.

Yep. My feeling is that with so many un-protectable (?) things out there, why not get vaccinated against the things that I can?

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