How do you/did you handle your anti-vaccine parents?

[k1p1ssk, BSN, RN]

Connecticut is ending it's Religious exemption for vaccines and schools can now only accept medical exemptions for school entry: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/connecticut-6th-state-end-religious-vaccine-exemption-77370602

This article mentions that current religious exemptions are "grandfathered in" but in MA we require them to submit a new letter each year. 

I feel like MA may go this route of disallowing religious exemptions soon. If you're in a state where this happened and were a school nurse when it happened, I'm curious to know how you handled your families who had been claiming religious exemptions. Did they start their series or change schools? Or did they suddenly get medical exemptions? How hard did you fight them on it? 

[tining, BSN, RN]

We have "Reason of Conscience" in Texas, covers everything.  They will probably get medical exemptions.  Don't argue with those parents, not worth the time and it diminishes your relationship.  

[NutmeggeRN, BSN]

Hoping it happens in my state....we shall see, most likely not. 

[BrisketRN, BSN, RN]

I tell them what documentation I need and explain that without the documentation their child might be excluded from school.  I've had parents ask me for help filling out the documents/what to write.  I do not assist in the process.  I provide the link from the state that includes the paperwork.  Luckily our school has over 99% of students compliant with state mandated vaccines.

[k1p1ssk, BSN, RN]

Just now, BrisketRN said:

I tell them what documentation I need and explain that without the documentation their child might be excluded from school.  I've had parents ask me for help filling out the documents/what to write.  I do not assist in the process.  I provide the link from the state that includes the paperwork.  Luckily our school has over 99% of students compliant with state mandated vaccines.

I wish MA provided a form; We have to ask for a letter. It only has to be 1-2 sentences long and mention the law allowing religious exemptions, but for families with low comprehension or for whom ENglish is not their first language, this is difficult.

I also will not assist save for telling them to Google it, but I worry that gives them the OK to just bathe in anti-vax rhetoric. It would maybe be nice if the state put together an educational site the families have to go through to get to the religious exemption form... pipe dreams!

[AdobeRN]

On 4/30/2021 at 3:35 PM, tining said:

We have "Reason of Conscience" in Texas, covers everything.  They will probably get medical exemptions.  Don't argue with those parents, not worth the time and it diminishes your relationship.  

I gave up on the education/teaching/explaining of the subject of immunizations long ago - I too learned it was not worth the time or effort and in the long run just left bad vibes on both our ends.  I just give the facts of what is required of state of Texas, will provide the link to request the Exemption form and move on.  I do find it funny that some of these parents come at me HOT right off the bat, I feel they want an argument or just expecting one, it's crazy.  Sometimes I just come out and tell them - I really don't care what your beliefs, reasons for not getting vaccinated - all I care about is that my paperwork is in order - get me the form on time, completed correctly and I will leave you alone ? 

Thankfully I work in a district that takes the immunization requirements seriously & my campus admin team back it up - we don't let folks complete registration, start school, pick up schedules etc etc etc until the immunization requirements are complete.

Good Luck to you - I live in Texas and I hope the "reason of Conscience" Exemption never changes - getting parents to get a medical exemption would be a huge annoyance. 

[BrisketRN, BSN, RN]

1 minute ago, k1p1ssk said:

I wish MA provided a form; We have to ask for a letter. It only has to be 1-2 sentences long and mention the law allowing religious exemptions, but for families with low comprehension or for whom ENglish is not their first language, this is difficult.

I also will not assist save for telling them to Google it, but I worry that gives them the OK to just bathe in anti-vax rhetoric. It would maybe be nice if the state put together an educational site the families have to go through to get to the religious exemption form... pipe dreams!

That is so frustrating.  I'm wondering if you could talk to your administration about writing a short policy on vaccine exemptions so that could be provided to parents as needed.

[ihavealltheice]

15 minutes ago, AdobeRN said:

I gave up on the education/teaching/explaining of the subject of immunizations long ago - I too learned it was not worth the time or effort and in the long run just left bad vibes on both our ends.  I just give the facts of what is required of state of Texas, will provide the link to request the Exemption form and move on.  I do find it funny that some of these parents come at me HOT right off the bat, I feel they want an argument or just expecting one, it's crazy.  Sometimes I just come out and tell them - I really don't care what your beliefs, reasons for not getting vaccinated - all I care about is that my paperwork is in order - get me the form on time, completed correctly and I will leave you alone ? 

Yep. This. All of it.

[k1p1ssk, BSN, RN]

1 hour ago, BrisketRN said:

That is so frustrating.  I'm wondering if you could talk to your administration about writing a short policy on vaccine exemptions so that could be provided to parents as needed.

I wrote something up this year to give to a family who was claiming a medical exemption, but it was anectdotal and no doctor would give it in our area, and they would not send in the letter for religious exemption, and used the language barrier as an excuse. I kinda called their bluff and asked, "well, you must have had help filling out the registration forms, can you please have that person help you with the letter?" I wrote up what they needed to have on the letter. Then I told them to keep a copy of it, and just change the date each year and resubmit. Hopefully that actually works, but I have no doubt I will be fighting this battle forever.

[NutmeggeRN, BSN]

There are actually very few actual religions that have official religious exemptions.

https://www.vumc.org/health-wellness/news-resource-articles/immunizations-and-religion

Worth the read!

[k1p1ssk, BSN, RN]

24 minutes ago, NutmeggeRN said:

There are actually very few actual religions that have official religious exemptions.

https://www.vumc.org/health-wellness/news-resource-articles/immunizations-and-religion

Worth the read!

I've read through and bookmarked that! I think someone posted it relatively recently...