Hi - I am a nurse working in the UK. Every year I get asked to have the flu jab by my employer. This year particularly I felt that I could not say no and I felt bullied into having it.
I have since found out that in US it is mandatory in some hospitals - how common is it? There is debate about whether it should be introduced over in the UK.
I think that it should be individual choice. My main question is how widespread is mandatory flu jabs for health care professionals?
We are required to get the flu vaccine or wear a mask. If you chose the mask option you must always be wearing it, and they do enforce it from October to March. It is an offense that could merit a write-up. I work in Oncology in direct patient contact with people undergoing treatment so I get it. Flu was so bad this year that if you tested positive for it, provided a DR note, and called out it didn't count as a call out through the end of March.
Ugh. We work in HEALTHCARE with SICK PATIENTS WHO ARE VULNERABLE. We work with multiple patients, spreading germs from person to person, in high risk, high contagion areas. Heaven forbid we should be required to take one small step to protect our patients through protecting ourselves from an illness that is highly contagious and highly dangerous, especially if we work with children, the elderly, or the immunocompromised.
I used to be a Community Health Nurse and my primary focus was vaccines. Very pro-vaccine here and so is my facility. There are an alarming amount of anti-vaxxers that are nurses.
Specializes in ED, Cardiac-step down, tele, med surg.
Where I've worked you have to wear a mask if you refuse it. I had a reaction to it last year and had to wear a mask this year even with a doctor's note. I was glad to wear the mask though because I got sick way less. Patients have coughed in my face and I was so glad to have that mask on. I actually prefer to mask during flu season. In my area the vaccine was 10% effective this year, so I didn't feel to bad not getting it this year, but I did protect myself and my patients with a mask
I work private duty Pediatrics. One of my agencies requires the vaccine, which I always get. In addition, if my client is sick & coughing all over, I also wear a mask ... to protect myself.
I used to be a Community Health Nurse and my primary focus was vaccines. Very pro-vaccine here and so is my facility. There are an alarming amount of anti-vaxxers that are nurses.
It's so absurd that we should have to call ourselves "pro-vaccine". It's like being "pro-healthcare" or "pro-science" or "pro-evidence-based practice". Vaccines are not up for debate, or shouldn't be among educated medical professionals. Their legitimacy, safety, and invaluable worth are settled and they are arguably the most amazing contribution to human health in the past century. I want to bang my head against the wall every time I encounter someone in healthcare who complains about having to receive this incredible gift to humanity. Unless you have a legitimate medical contraindication there is just no excuse.
I work as a nurse at the Urgent Care and I don't mind getting a flu shot. One person in front office refused to get it during last flu season, and she had to wear a mask while at work, every day. She is allergic to it though. I am glad that i have no problem getting a shot because there is no way i would want to wear a mask the entire time at work. We had tons of sick people come in during flu season and I believe that the flu shot helped keeping me from getting sick. I had direct contact with almost all the flu patients during the season (getting them tested, providing care, etc), and i was fine.
In the US.. we get the flu vaccine or lose our jobs. Some facilities will allow the nurse to wear a mask throughout the flu season if they refuse. I had no problem with it...my view point is it protects the herd and me.
I don't think OP is an anti-vaxxer; I'm British but live/work in USA and even 10 years into my residency here I still get the occasional culture shock.
I don't mind getting the flu shot every year while I work in the USA - a few moments of discomfort isn't really going to dampen my day. However, I feel like if I was pressured/bullied into getting it, I might be reticent to do so. It's all about how you frame it! When in Rome, y'know? But I know if I had a particularly rough/snide manager over me demanding I get the shot and passing judgment if I didn't, I wouldn't feel so great.
It's going to feel odd to some folks if it's not mandatory and hasn't been mandatory in the past; there's always that transition period. As Americans in healthcare that work in mandatory facilities, I don't think there are many that give it a 2nd thought (though please correct me if I'm wrong). I think if it became mandatory in the UK, in a couple of years once people have gotten used to the change, I don't think they'll bat an eye either.
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DowntheRiver
983 Posts
We are required to get the flu vaccine or wear a mask. If you chose the mask option you must always be wearing it, and they do enforce it from October to March. It is an offense that could merit a write-up. I work in Oncology in direct patient contact with people undergoing treatment so I get it. Flu was so bad this year that if you tested positive for it, provided a DR note, and called out it didn't count as a call out through the end of March.