Mandatory flu shots????

Nurses COVID

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It didn't dawn on me until just right now, don't ask me why, that my choice of NOT getting a flu shot will NOT get me into a nursing program. The director at my school of choice basically stated "it is a requirement that you receive one, however you can sign a declaration that you do not wish to receive one." Then I asked, "would that inhibit my chances of getting into the program?" She replied, "well, the facilities in which we work with it is required due to you working with elderly clients; If you do not wish to get the flu shot perhaps you should look into another career."

*****?? (excuse the language) I have worked in nursing homes, health centers, private duty, home health agencies, visiting nurses association, hospice AND THEY NEVER REQUIRED me to ever receive or even ASKED if I have obtained a flu shot!!! (mid 90's)

So, anyone please tell me my dream of becoming a nurse is already dead because I REFUSE to get a flu shot???!!! seriously??? I am so upset right now!!!

Specializes in Oncology.

Here's what an epidemiologist thinks about him.

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Specializes in Oncology.
When these mandatory flu vaccines programs come about they usually give the employees weeks to months head notice or the policies were already in place before the employee started working there. No one is being forced it is a condition of your employment just as keeping up your nursing license, following JC regulations, OSHA guidelines etc are.

Forced vaccination is what the military does where if you don't get the vaccine you can face court martial, fines, imprisonment etc. When civilian employers start doing that I will concede and say that flu vaccines are being forced.

Most vaccine post-marketing studies are published by the government/CDC/NIH etc and have no backing from the pharmaceutical companies.

There is no giant conspiracy theory that several million people would have to know about and be in on to make this even a partial truth. Like all anti-vaccine people you provide absolutely no scientific proof of your allegations, but you expect everyone to just nod and agree. Vaccines save millions a lives each year and save billions of dollars in healthcare costs.

I post the same challenge all the time and that is provide some kind of peer-reviewed scientific evidence to back up your claims. Otherwise you are just another conspiracy theorist spreading fictional tales.

"Myth #5: Flu vaccines provide billions of dollars in profits for pharmaceutical companies. (Maybe, maybe not, but so what?)

There is no question that pharmaceutical companies are for-profit companies and that they really rake in the billions. If they didn't make a profit off vaccine, they wouldn't manufacture them. However, the profits they earn from vaccines are a drop in the bucket when considered along with chronic condition medications such as blood pressure meds and mental health drugs, not to mention the cash flow from medications like Viagra.

But the recommendations for vaccines come from public health organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and similar public health, government and academic institutions across the world. Unless you think all those countries' governments and public health officials are involved in a huge conspiracy or money-making scheme with Big Pharma (and if you think that, read this), then the fact that vaccines offer a profit to pharma companies isn't a reason not to get vaccinated. In fact, influenza itself is quite costly, costing the US about $4.6 billionannually in direct medical costs and as much as $87 billion annually in all costs." Setting the Record Straight: Debunking All the Flu Vaccine Myths

Not to mention, in nearly every case where an employer is requiring vaccination, the employer is also buying the vaccination and letting the employee get vaccinated on the clock, so it's not like they're forcing you to go buy it on your own time. Why would the infection control department be out to sabotage their own employer by recommending something just to make an unrelated company rich?

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Specializes in Anesthesia.

Have you actually looked at this guy's profile? His PhD is a hybrid history, anthropology, and science degree.

Peter Doshi

MIT HASTS: About HASTS Here is the degree he got from MIT. He is basically an anthropologist that specializes in studying the cultural effects of technology.

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Specializes in School Nursing.
Then you need to check out EVM, OSHA is of the opinion that it does little if any good to have HCWs vaccinated in ref to patients illness.

When it comes to vaccines and public HEALTH issues, I tend to follow CDC and WHO, not OSHA. If this were processing plants, refineries and chemical plants, I'd go with OSHA recommendations.

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Even though I am an "employee" I should still have rights about MY medical treatment just like any other person. End of story.

They do not force teachers to be vaccinated, or medical transportation drivers, or any number of other people who could be involved with patients. It's just plain picking on nurses.

This is an older post but this thread has been revived because it is flu season.

I work in hospice and in the school system. Teachers, janitors, transportation drivers, aides, the school nurse (me), and all district employees are encouraged to get the flu shot. We are late coming to the game so we are not at mandating yet . . . . but we will get there. We work with children who are sick all the time when school first starts and that coincides with flu season. A couple of years back we had an outbreak of flu here, not a cold . . . . and it put many kids out of school and employees out of work for awhile. So the district decided to offer free flu shots through our insurance. They set up sites at each school and a pretty good majority showed up. We do have our naysayers as well. And of course what bugs me is anyone making the decision based on misinformation.

Right now there is no requirement for kids to have their flu shot. But they do have to have their childhood immunizations. In California, a new law came into effect this year that you can't just sign a waiver but must make an appointment with a provider and listen to a talk about the reasons immunizations are good. Only then can a healthcare provider sign the paperwork for a waiver.

My point is, this isn't just healthcare workers. It is moving in all job areas - we are just behind a bit but we will catch up.

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On PhD, thanks for those links.

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Why not just get the flu shot?

Personally, i will never get a flu shot again. I had one for the first time three weeks ago, and my symptoms started after receiving it - fever and chills, nausea and vomiting, dizziness - and this is STILL GOING ON TODAY. THREE WEEKS of being sick as ****, unable to keep food down, blacking out several times, vomiting and shaking and cold sweats...this is horrible. No job is worth feeling like this for so long. And the worst part is, I don't know when it is going to stop! When am I going to be back to normal again? It's been three weeks!

I walked into the flu clinic feeling perfectly fine, and shortly after that injection I felt like hell and it hasn't gone away. I've literally not had the flu since middle school. I've not been sick with any sort of illness since one bout of flu in 6th grade. No fevers, no flu, no respiratory infections, not even a common winter cold! Yet somehow i "needed" a ******* flu shot that made me feel worse than I've ever felt in my life.

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Good day:

Does the current flu shot still contain mercury?

What do current studies show linking mercury to autism? To ADHD? To Alzheimer's?

Current reports show that this year's flu vaccine is how effective / ineffective?

Does critical thinking only apply to other areas, and when it comes to mandatory vaccines one is to turn off their brain, and just do as one's told?

Thank you.

P.S. I apologize if the above comes across as too blunt; but just because the CDC or someone else states it is good for you... to me, there's still homework rather than just blatantly following.

Don't apologize! You are absolutely right.

You can get a preservative-free vaccine which does not contain thimerosal (mercury), but that still does not put you in the clear as far as potential adverse reactions.

Until there have been several legitimate LONG TERM studies (i.e. spanning several decades) disproving the potential correlation between flu vaccines and increased risk of Alzheimers, no one should be mandating a flu shot.

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In the 90's I also worked in nursing homes and was never asked nor required to get a flu shot. In all honesty I don't even remember the residents getting them. Fast forward to 2007 when I began my LPN program...the entire nursing home got flu shots in terms of patients. We were not required to get the vaccine. In 2013 I began my LPN to RN program and it was a requirement that you either got the flu shot OR wore a mask whenever you would be within 6 feet of a patient. The time frame of wearing a mask was the flu season.

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to pmabraham:

Just taking a moment to respond to your query about current studies and links between thimerosol and autism: there is none. No link exists between the MMR vaccine and autism, or for that matter any vaccine and autism.

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Good day:

"Ok what I was saying is that asking a continual string of questions is not an effective technique of argument"

If one's hope is that one will do their own homework, then telling them the answers may not be effective either ;-)

Thank you.

Brilliant, sir. ;-)

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