Nurse: 'I was fired for refusing flu shot'

Nurses COVID

Published

Smug much? This is what grinds my gears. This attitude that those of us who choose to get vaccinated are either too stupid to make an educated decision or so blind that we follow wherever anyone tells us is the right way to go. I get the flu shot because I have severe asthma and the last time I had the flu (I was not vaccinated at the time) it nearly killed me. I will do anything I can to avoid that chance again. Even if it's only 50% successful or 80-90% or whatever each new study says. That for me is a decrease in the risk of my dying so I'll take whatever I can get. Call me uneducated if it makes you feel smarter but at least you won't be calling me dead.

As far as all vaccines being bad, when was the last time you took care of someone in the US (not a recent immigrant) with smallpox? Furthermore, the reason you can safely leave your kids un-vaccinated is because so many before you didn't.

Describing everyone who disagrees with you as incapable of having an intelligent conversation is off-putting, untrue and, quite frankly, rude beyond measure.

I never said anyone who is pro vaccines is incapable of intelligent conversation. I respect and applaud your getting the care you believe is good for you and wish you good health. Asthma is no fun.

At least you get to choose your care.

Please realize that those of us who believe otherwise have what we believe are good reasons for our beliefs and are also deserving of respect.

To Kooky Korky -

Thanks for getting your vaccination. You will never know if you have saved one of your patients or co-worker from getting the flu, maybe you even protected yourself.

I sympathize with long time HCWs that are now required to get the vaccination. We all need to consider that the world is changing around us every day. Expecting the world and your job to stay the same over your whole career is naïve. People's job descriptions and employer requirements change all the time. Each of us needs to be flexible and change as the world changes around us.

Young people starting out in the health care profession need to understand that 5-10-15 years down road there may be job or training requirements that will be unpalatable to them in the future. If they are just starting out as a HCW and can't cope with the current job requirements, how will they be flexible enough to cope with changes in the future?

You, and many other reticent allnurses members, have coped with these new employer requirements by reluctantly getting the vaccination. New HCWs need to learn to be flexible. If they are not willing to adapt now, the best advice they can receive is to search for a different career that allows them more personal freedoms and choices.

Al, thanks for your thanks. Yes, it's true that everything changes. Life is change. We don't have to like having our personal freedoms taken away, though, do we? And it is especially disturbing to those of us who see our Bill of Rights also eroded.

It all reminds me of the mark of the Beast, coming all too soon.

Just for the record, there is evidence that the original polio vaccine that many of us old folks received as children contained as many as 53 contaminants - yes, organisms other than the polio virus. Just google. So I can't help but wonder - what is in these flu shots besides a flu virus? It will be interesting to find out as time goes by and information leaks out.

I was the first one to "just say no" many many years in a row. I am personally against a great deal of medications for myself and my body. Spent multiple years around a bucket load of kids who were sneezing and coughing all over me. I have the immune system of a tank. I don't like people telling me I "have" to get something (especially the government) so that the benefit is more dollars for the facility. No thank you. Where is the declination form.

Then I spent one winter (and yes it was the ENTIRE winter) with the flu. For weeks. Thought my end had come. Crying tears between the hacking, nasty undeniable puddles of nastiness. And I can not be clearer--I am no drama queen, and have the attitude of "take a shower, have a cup of tea, and pull your darn self up by the bootstraps and carry on". I had a 3 babies naturally and over 9 pounds each with not a med on board--and it was a walk in the park compared to the winter of my discontent.

It just takes catching a flu once to realize that the shot, in comparison, far outweighs spending weeks on what I would consider the edge of death. Now I take the shot, pray to the higher power that I NEVER have to go through that again, I take a couple of Tylenol, as a precaution, and would take a benedryl if it made me feel "weird". And it hasn't. And I have been fine and dandy ever winter since.

Coincidence? Maybe. But even if it has a placebo effect, never you mind, just give it to me. I wouldn't wish the flu on my worst enemy.

Sorry you were so sick. I have had what I guess was the flu many a time. Every time they release a new flu virus, there's another flu to catch. And I have been down with it at least 4 or 5 times. The worst of it is the muscle aches. One year, I was actually crying, I was so sore. A grown man, crying with the flu. But I'd rather have that than the shot, as I don't know what's in that shot. And I should not have to have put into me anything I choose not to accept. Anyone remember informed consent? Truly informed.

Yes, to the poster above who wrote of Gardisil - Rick Perry should take it. And all of his womenfolk loved ones.

Specializes in Peds/Neo CCT,Flight, ER, Hem/Onc.

KK, I never said you did but you did imply that we "lack knowledge" and that simply is not true.

Al, thanks for your thanks. Yes, it's true that everything changes. Life is change. We don't have to like having our personal freedoms taken away, though, do we? And it is especially disturbing to those of us who see our Bill of Rights also eroded.

It all reminds me of the mark of the Beast, coming all too soon. . . .

Why is it that discussions of employer mandated vaccinations always seem to devolve into comments about constitutional rights or evoke religious zealotry?

. . . Just for the record, there is evidence that the original polio vaccine that many of us old folks received as children contained as many as 53 contaminants - yes, organisms other than the polio virus. Just google. So I can't help but wonder - what is in these flu shots besides a flu virus? It will be interesting to find out as time goes by and information leaks out.

Kooky Korky, you don't have to wonder about what is in influenza vaccines or Google anti-vaccer sites to find out. In a response I made on September 8 here at allnurses, I posted links to all of the package inserts for influenza vaccines approved for the 2012-2013 flu season. (link)

Of course, there are some conspiracy theorists that believe Big Pharma is inserting secret ingredients into these formulation to take away personal freedoms and turn people into areligious zombies. :)

There are entirely too many Sheeple in this world who do as they're told rather than doing RESEARCH, naming no names...laidback Al. We are in a profession that prides itself on being evidence-based. Where's the evidence that vaccines are beneficial? And I'm not only talking about the stupid flu shot, I'm talking about them all. Do the research, get your facts straight and then join us here for an intelligent conversation. You may wanna check out vaclib.org. And yes, I'm one of those evil parents who have chosen to send their kids into this world sans vaccines.

Thanks for suggesting that I do more research and get my facts straight. I am always willing to learn more about the science and efficacy of influenza vaccination. I am really interested in scholarly, evidence-based longitudinal studies, cohort analyses, double blind studies, etc., not just for influenza vaccinations, but all kinds of vaccinations. So I visited the link you posted.

So what did I find when I visited the vaclib.org site you suggested?

Yes, you guess it, another anti-vaccer site.

No reports by recognized scholars. No links to peer-reviewed articles. Just references and links to anti-vaccination screeds and diatribes. The web site itself is an outdated throw back to the late 20th century with gaudy colors and animated fonts and symbols. Loads of psuedo-science BS about how bad vaccinations are, all dressed up as official "facts".

It seems that anti-vaccers don't understand critical thinking and the application of the scientific method to a collection of data. More importantly, they don't understand the difference between an opinion and a fact. No matter how often an opinion is repeated and no matter how many people repeat it, it is still an opinion. Repetition does not turn an opinion into to a fact, no matter how many times anti-vaccers repeat it.

As for the vaclib.org web site itself, draw your own conclusions about the motivations of the site owners. Are they truly interested in protecting people from receiving dangerous vaccinations or are they more interested in harvesting money from gullible anti-vaccers? Check out their products web page at: vaclib.org/basic/products.htm and make your own determination.

Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

So much ado about nothing. Take it or go work elsewhere. One poster mentioned the "critical nursing shortage" as a reason not to make it mandatory and once I read that it really made me wonder how nurses themselves can be so misinformed............

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

The hospital has no interest in you the employee.......they have no real interest in the patient.....for if they did the staffing would be better. They care about the costs of sick time.... and replacing a sick work force....so if all employees get vaccinated and it is effective on only 60% of them....think of the amount of sick time that 60% would have cost them if they actually called out sick.

It's all about he bottom line. Making workers wear masks is just a modern version of a Scarlett Letter......drawing attention and punishing the non conformist. Not that they are right or wrong just that they don't "conform".

It's not about the vaccine per say......it's about my right to choose. Every time a law is passed forcing me to conform.....I loose another right to choose my own destiny.

That is a big deal for me.

Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

I do get that and agree Esme. I don't think it should be required. However, they can do what they want and as a "done" deal it just seems not worth all this in my opinion. Tilting at windmills and all.

Why is it that discussions of employer mandated vaccinations always seem to devolve into comments about constitutional rights or evoke religious zealotry?

Kooky Korky, you don't have to wonder about what is in influenza vaccines or Google anti-vaccer sites to find out. In a response I made on September 8 here at allnurses, I posted links to all of the package inserts for influenza vaccines approved for the 2012-2013 flu season. (link)

Of course, there are some conspiracy theorists that believe Big Pharma is inserting secret ingredients into these formulation to take away personal freedoms and turn people into areligious zombies. :)

I guess being ordered to take a shot to keep my job just hits me the wrong way and reminds me of the stranglehold that employers have over workers. It certainly doesn't jibe with my concept of being free. And don't say I'm free to get a different job - it's not so easy when you're older, Al. It's just not the easiest thing, especially in today's economy. Ask the new grads. Further, who's to say that the new job won't require the shot next year?

I merely expressed my feelings. I am a Christian, I believe in the Bible. I know that makes me a religious nut/zealot/Bible thumper (although I've never thumped a Bible in my whole life). Today's "educated" people would die before admitting they are theists or that they need Jesus to give them salvation so they can go to Heaven when they die. They believe in evolution, not creation and those of us who do not believe that way are ignorant, zealots, etc.

I'm old enough to remember when vaccines were not mandatory and one could work without peeing in a cup or having a hair sample taken, before credit records were checked, and on and on. But, as you say, the world has changed.

If you trust Big Pharma and the FDA, google colcrys. And chem trails.

Did you know that some states used to have, and might still have, speed limits that were not a particular number? Rather, the limit was "right and proper". Yes, Big brother left it to individuals to determine what speed was fitting in a certain setting.

We do not need government to tell us how to live. The governors are supposed to serve their constituents, not the other way around. There are not supposed to be career senators, representatives, councilmen, and so on. Presidents are not supposed to issue executive orders. Such edicts should come down only from kings or queens, where they have kings and queens. Last I looked, we still a constitutional republic, albeit a badly weakened one.

I know, Al and probably most others here, that you do not share my views, perhaps never will share them. I mention them just to give you a little explanation as to why I hold them.

The Israelits sinned and angered God by demanding to have a king like the nations around them did. We would do well to remember this. The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.

. . .I know, Al and probably most others here, that you do not share my views, perhaps never will share them. I mention them just to give you a little explanation as to why I hold them. . . .

Everyone is entitled to their own viewpoints and beliefs.

There is no doubt that there are major social and political issues in the USA and other countries around the world, but resolution of many of these political and social problems will only occur when educated populations have the right to make informed choices in a free and open voting system.

However, this thread, and others like it in this forum, only deal with efficacy of vaccination and whether or not employers have a right to mandate vaccinations. These threads are not appropriate for religious or political proselytizing.

For people that have strong feelings about these greater issues, creating polemic posts in vaccinations threads is not the way to try to effect social change. You need to take up the crusade with your family, friends, and other concerned citizens in a larger and more public arena then a discussion forum such as allnurses.

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