Mandated Flu vaccine?

Nurses COVID

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Hi- Just received a blanket email yesterday that my hospital in VA is requiring ALL STAFF involved in patient care to get the flu vaccine this year. (incl nurses, physicians, clinical aides etc) I always get the vaccine voluntarily but feels wrong that this can be mandated. I still intend to get it. Is this legal? I remember something similar involving a group of NY Nurses some time back.:uhoh3:

This year my facility has institited the policy of mandatory flu shots as well. However, if we refuse, we sign a document to that effect and are given mandatory "education" on the subject. Im not sure what the fall out will be as this is the first year this is happening. We shall soon find out.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

Mandatory -- must wear a mask if there is a medical reason not to take it -- and may not work in certain high risk areas.

Policy implemented a few years ago and at that time, some people chose to resign rather than get the vaccine. Since then, it has been a condition of employment, so that has not been much of an issue. Nobody comes to work here who is not willing to get the vaccine because they know up-front that it is required.

We've had a few issues with students who haven't wanted to get it ... but they must abide by the same rules. Fortunately, we only enforce the policy during flu season, which has allowed a few students to schedule their clinical rotations when it was not flu season.

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Specializes in Developmental Disabilites,.

Mandatory unless contraindicated in which case you must wear a mask at all times.

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

I personally am at a loss as to how educated healthcare professionals can and do still claim that they only "get the flu" when they have had the vaccine. We KNOW that the vaccine does not "cause" the flu! We also know that it isn't 100% (that's not possible), so if you DO get the flu in the same season in which you are vaccinated, it is a COINCIDENCE. For as smart as we are, so many people still blame the vaccine for causing influenza.

I don't get it.

Two years ago, when H1N1 was at it's peak here, I got the flu. A bad case of it, and it was then complicated by pneumonia. I had gotten my vacc shortly before I got sick, but I know that's not WHY I got sick. I also know that getting the vaccine isn't a sure thing to NOT becoming ill.

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Specializes in cardiac, ICU, education.
I personally am at a loss as to how educated healthcare professionals can and do still claim that they only "get the flu" when they have had the vaccine. We KNOW that the vaccine does not "cause" the flu! We also know that it isn't 100% (that's not possible), so if you DO get the flu in the same season in which you are vaccinated, it is a COINCIDENCE. For as smart as we are, so many people still blame the vaccine for causing influenza.

There are many additives and chemicals that have been added to vaccines that can cause allergic reactions and/or flu like symptoms:

aluminum salts, help the vaccine to work better

human serum albumin, help stabilize live viruses in the vaccine

formaldehyde, antibiotics, egg proteins and yeast proteins, are left over in residual amounts from the way that vaccines are made

I will never take the regular flu vaccine again as I got extremely sick within 24 hours after injection 3 years in a row. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea - I would have been better off getting the flu

I don't think it should be mandatory because I still do believe in the right not to be injected with something if I so choose.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, ER.

I did back in 2009. The slogan was "Flu shot or mask." You couldn't just sign a waiver if you didn't want the flu shot, you had to have a medical reason why you couldn't have it. Anyone who was not able to get the shot had to wear a mask from September to March at ALL times, including interacting with coworkers. I said thanks but no thanks, I'll take what's behind door #2...my body, my rights.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, ER.

I don't get it.

Two years ago, when H1N1 was at it's peak here, I got the flu. A bad case of it, and it was then complicated by pneumonia. I had gotten my vacc shortly before I got sick, but I know that's not WHY I got sick.

That's quite the coincidence. :twocents:

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Specializes in Pediatrics, ER.

I find it so interesting that people consider getting the flu shot to be a "patient safety issue." I can think of a lot more pressing issues than injecting yourself with a strain of flu that the other part of the world had six months before.

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Specializes in cardiac, ICU, education.
My employer requires flu vaccination for anyone who may interact with patients as part of their job.

In most facilities this 'rule' comes down from the infection control MD/medical director for the hospital. The IC docs usually have a nice relationship with pharmaceutical companies. How nice for the drug companies that this is now mandatory. Just sayin'.....

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The vaccine merely protects you against the more common strains of the flu. Each season's vaccine is based on a few of last season's most predominate strains. Influenza can mutate (antigenic shift and antigenic drift), which is why there is always the potential for a flu epidemic.

I can see both sides of the argument, but I am leery of new vaccines. I have gotten a flu shot in the past, but didn't get one when the H1N1 vaccine, first appeared. It also didn't help that I took care of two patients with Guillain-Barre which they attributed to flu shots. Any type of mandatory invasion of my body also just generally riles me up and makes me want to refuse on principle. I would also expect everyone from the CEO down to be included if this is the expectation. My previous hospital required you to wear a mask. My current hospital encourages it, but its not mandatory.

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Two years ago, when H1N1 was at it's peak here, I got the flu. A bad case of it, and it was then complicated by pneumonia. I had gotten my vacc shortly before I got sick, but I know that's not WHY I got sick. I also know that getting the vaccine isn't a sure thing to NOT becoming ill.

So why should I get a vaccine if it isn't a sure thing against the flu :confused:?

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Specializes in Critical Care.

The majority of flu vaccines are killed virus vaccines, so you can't 'get' the flu from the vaccine. Part of the purpose of a vaccine is to stimulate an immune response which can feel like a mild to moderate flu. The purpose of vaccinating health care workers is not avoid the discomfort of mild to moderate symptoms, but rather to avoid proliferation of the virus in workers that can then spread to compromised patients. Nausea and aches are no fun, but I don't agree that patients should risk death so that we don't have to risk some discomfort.

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