Not Vaccinated-In Need of Advice

[scouteb]

My parents decided to stop taking me in for vaccinations after I turned two. My mother had read books about the risks involved and decided that she did not want to take the risk. I respect her decision and I have never had any serious health issues, other than chicken pox when I was eight. Neither have any of my four brothers. I've never felt the need to get vaccinations, but I have decided I want to be a nurse. I am a first-year pre-nursing student, so this hasn't come up yet, but I know it will when I begin to apply to schools next fall. I know that I need to be vaccinated and I need the flu shot (which I also have never gotten). I am just a little nervous/scared. I don't know which vaccinations are required, and I don't know who to turn to for advice. Does anyone know what my requirements are and who I am supposed to call? Is there a chance I could get really sick since I've gone eighteen years without those injections into my system? How soon do I need to have these injections done? My mother still does not believe in vaccines so I have to figure this out on my own.

I sincerely appreciate any advice you have to offer. Please, no judgement in the commentary, I have only told a handful of people about my lack of vaccinations because it is typically met with aggressive condescension. Thank you.

[guest517]

Its a requirement by all Nursing Programs that you be vaccinated prior to beginning clinical rotations. Without the vaccines, you will be unable to begin the clinical portion of the program. The typical vaccines include: DPT, MMR, Polio, Hepatitis B, Chicken Pox, Flu Shot and a 2 step TB Test. Like the people above mentioned, starting sooner than later is essential because if you need additional shots (due to the titer results) you have to wait weeks in between getting them.

[allisonnn317]

Hi! I work for a pediatrician and can vouch for what everyone else is saying about STARTING EARLY. A huge number of the vaccines we give younger children are done in series and are not just one shot like the flu. Some shots require multiple months in between doses, so I would start at least a year ahead of doing your clinicals just to be safe.

I also want to reiterate what others have said about the variety of vaccines you'll need. There's the basic ones that most people get by the age of five, like MMR, Tdap, IPV, etc. but, depending on what population you want to work with, you may need to get more. My uncle has leukemia and my aunt, who is a nurse, won't let anyone near him if they haven't received every vaccine on the market. I'm sure this will be true for most populations who have compromised immune systems, so keep that in mind as well when deciding what vaccines you need. Good luck! :)

[wildnursebrendan]

You already got good advice from everyone. Just to reinforce the lack of risks in getting vaccinations, there are TONS of studies and meta-analyses of vaccinations with incredibly large sample sizes, looking at any possible correlations between vaccinations and any negative outcomes, including compromising the immune system, causing mercury poisoning, linking vaccinations to increased chances of other illnesses later.... and the only thing that seems to be true is that very rarely someone has an adverse reaction relatively soon after being administered the vaccine. Barely ever happens, and they keep you in the office for a period of time just in case something happens. Check the CDC and NIH websites if you want to read a few summaries of the data or statistics on adverse reactions.

I wasn't vaccinated as a child, but have since studied the data and gotten vaccinated. The only thing I drag my feet on is the flu shot because it's like 20-30% effective at best. But yea get started early for the ones that you have to take in a series. Good luck.