Ankh

This is so upsetting. This is the kind of thing that creates a culture of fear and which leads many nurses to not report incidents (as I've seen so many times). Your CNO is way out of line and going against research which supports the idea that reporting errors helps prevent additional ones from occurring and that errors are seldom the fault of a single person so the blame approach should not be used. Despite your harsh CNO, please forgive yourself and try to push forward. I feel like knowledge and awareness of errors that don't hurt patients help us avoid errors that do hurt people.

These are great suggestions! Thank you!! And substituting - what a great way to scope out this specialty more closely.

Thank you so much for this tip. I really appreciate the feedback you have provided, especially the safety risks involved in a person with less experience being the only health professional on site. I've made a few mistakes in med surg, thankfully not harmful to patients and that was adults and hard to deal with. I could never live with causing harm to a child. So I really truly appreciate you helping me understand the risks involved and cannot thank you enough.

Point taken and your insight is appreciated. I am certainly aware about how employers look at time spent away from nursing for parenting or any other reasons. Do you recommend additional hospital based experience prior to this transition? That is something I am open to though I doubt I would take on a pediatric nursing role in a hospital setting. Or are there other settings that could prepare me for the role of school nurse?

Thank you! I had no idea that a teaching certificate could help in this way.

Thank you! This is great advice and glad to know I'm not the only teacher to nurse transplant! That is great insight keeping my teaching certificate. I am going to look into that.

EXACTLY! I could not have said it better! Also thank you for saying Affordable Care Act. I was correctly taught in nursing school that the term "Obamacare" is politically charged and unprofessional. Not a term for a professional registered nurse to ever use. So than you!!

Good luck and congrats! í ½í¹Œí ¼í¿½í ½í¸Š

To clarify I was working in NY where the mask is mandated for those who decline flu vaccine. I do not believe in vaccination for me but was ok wearing the mask though doubtful it offered much protection for patients. I'm on the alternative health spectrum and do not fully accept the germ theory as fact but merely a perspective. I respect those who choose to vaccinate from an informed perspective. However i believe it is my right as an RN to practice AND abstain from vaccines so long as I engage in proper self care and avoid contact with patients if I am sick.

I have been thinking about becoming a school nurse for some time now. I am a former classroom teacher and after I got my nursing license and BSN, worked in med-surg for a year. Now I am taking some time off from paid work to be a SAHM. Thinking about next career steps, I believe in the power of health education and also teaching the young how to prevent the development of health problems through healthy habits. Could those of you with experience in school nursing please share your experiences and advice on this specialty? What are the pros and cons? What if I didn't especially love my peds rotation (understatement of the century) but love working with children? Are there opportunities to educate in a school nursing role? Do I have to be certified as a school nurse? Thank you so very much for any insight you can provide.

Mask 💯

Sex ed in a really fun way is really important for this age group including sexual assault prevention/risk reduction.

I've read portions of the discussion, not all 56 pages. I decided to comment because #1 I am thrilled to have tickets to see this film later in the week and #2 I feel it is important for RNs who reject standard assumptions about vaccines voices to be included. Even if someone else is making similar points, I'm happy to add my voice in so that person does not feel isolated or alone as nurses who question vaccine safety can be made to feel. I actually have gotten a lot of positive feedback at my job from other staff members from all different levels including managerial regarding my decision to decline the flu vaccine (resulting in the requirement to wear a mask during flu season). I don't sit online all day as I set strict media quotas for myself to ensure that the majority of my life is spent in 3 dimensions. Therefore, I have not taken the time to read each and every post, but have read several pages, enough to understand the key points of the discussion. Having read many similar discussions, discussed these issues as a nursing student and read many books and articles about vaccines on varying sides of the debate, I am aware of the key points being made. This part isn't directed at you Spidey's mom, but at others who have made statements that nurses who question vaccines are "suckers" and an "embarrassment." I wholeheartedly disagree and will not retort with name calling. My voice and perspective and those of others who ask questions are out there regardless of these insults and the fight for vaccine safety and freedom to accept or refuse vaccination are not things that you can silence or slow down through insults or any other means.

I didn't bring up autism in fact, but general vaccine safety issues and reactions. People really fixate on this link, parents and loved ones with children afflicted by autism rightfully so, but it's so much more than autism. In response to your comment directed at autism, "Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter." (Chinua Achebe) I am versed in what mainstream science has to say about vaccines and autism and in fact, you are incorrect. A ruling by a court in Italy did rule a causal link between the MMR vaccine and autism (1). What I find unacceptable is that people allow vaccines schedules to be released without question, without critique about their safety. Incremental increases in the quantity of vaccines as well as the quantity and severity of reactions documented by VAERS and those undocumented and unacknowledged and the response from some is "it can't be the vaccines." Does this crisis not at lease warrant alarm and additional investigation? I consider the biggest embarrassment not being able to use ones own intuition, judgement and critical thinking skills to assess health issues. So called scientifically valid sources once claimed it unecessary to wash hands between contact with different patients. It took a group of critical thinking rebel midwives to transform this unsanitary practice that was killing mothers and babies into safer, healthier and lifesaving conditions and there are so many other examples of this. It is through asking questions and criticism of what is going on that we can move towards a healthier, safer society. Health professionals who do not engage in this process due to a herd mentality or lack of information from non-corporate sponsored sources really do such a disservice to the people they are charged with caring for. We have reached a boiling point when it comes to vaccines being shoved down our throats without attention to the ways in which they jeopardize our health and the unacceptable responses from the agencies we fund to protect our health. If "Vaxxed: From Coverup to Catastrophe" helps probe the questioning process, I think that's a great step forward. The fact that so many people are opposed to this film is actually generating further interest and serving inadvertently to promote the film (2). Keep up the great work! [h=1][/h]Sources: 1. U.S. Media Blackout: Italian Courts Rule Vaccines Cause Autism | Global Research - Centre for Research on Globalization 2. Backfire: how a pharma-funded “Listserv” and censorship are turning the movie Vaxxed into a… — Medium

I am going to see this film later in the week. I really find it so unprofessional to polarize the topic into pro and anti vaxxer without any discussion. There are many corporate interests embedded in the kinds and number of vaccines recommended for children, teens and adults alike. Personally, I believe as a nurse it is my job to critically think through all perspectives regarding vaccines, not just what my nursing textbooks and the CDC say. I find it simply appalling that some health professionals do not take harm caused by vaccines seiously. I don't consider myself an anti vaccine promoter but let's look at documented cases of real harm people including young children have experienced. Saying it ain't so and let's just keep injecting SIMPLY ISN'T AN ETHICAL RESPONSE. At a bare minimum our oath to do no harm requires respect for people's experiences and a desire for better investigation and safety.

Working in New York, it is critical that we have nurses, doctors, PAs, Nursing attendants, etc. from all different cultures to connect with the vast array of patients we get. It's not always about finding an exact match (i.e. Cantonese speaking patient, Cantonese speaking nurse), but about having the resources on hand. I have not had the experiences or observations that you have encountered. I find the vast array of health professionals that come to work from different languages, cultures, countries and histories contribute significantly to our ability to take great care of our patients. If someone is not behaving professionally, that is a personal decision, not a cultural trait.

I can relate to working with someone who seems off or to have an "attitude." I feel we need to give people a chance, especially when its our first time working with them. Anyone can perceive us in exactly the same way even if nothing was intended. I see this so often. We don't know the kinds of stresses and other life issues that people are dealing with and vice versa, so give people a chance and try to get to know them a little better before labeling them. Give it some time. Communication is so critical to the safety of our patients, so always try to keep a positive attitude and keep the communication lines open.

Your claim that unwillingness to be exposed to toxins in vaccines means someone shouldn't be a nurse is wrong on such a fundamental level, simply your opinion and nothing more.

I have to respectfully disagree with your comment that vaccine AE's are taken seriously by our FDA and federal government via VAERS and other forums. Yes, reporting systems are in place for vaccine AE's just like other medications, foods and FDA regulated substances. When it comes time to actually pursue legal action d/t harmful or fatal effects of vaccines, there are many barriers to this process. Claims are easily and frequently dismissed since causation is rarely acknowledged. At times claims are successfully made and individuals or families are compensated. But does that ever make up for a permanent disability or fatality? What I would like to see acknowledged are the thousands upon thousands of reported serious adverse effects people have experienced (and one can only imagine how many unreported) due to receiving vaccines we are told are safe? How can a concoction that has caused so many problems where billions of dollars have been awarded to compensate victims of vaccine injury be described as "safe"? A great start would be to use more accurate language to describe the risks and benefits of vaccines.

Agreed, there are many environmental and food-based toxins surrounding us. To clarify, I haven't drank a sip of alcohol in 7 years and very little before then and yes, I am vegan and also do not drink coffee. I am certain that toxins enter my system when I breathe and engage in other typical ADLs. That being said, why would I want to add to my baseline exposure? As I said before, I respect individuals who choose to vaccinate and reduce their chances of getting the flu and/or other illnesses. My right to avoid additional exposure to toxins should also be respected. Risk-benefit analysis doesn't only take place on the groupthink level but on the individual. We all have family histories, illnesses and knowledge of self that cannot be accounted for when the CDC makes their recommendations. My body wisdom is not an invalid source of information. rusti1 brings up a great example of an RN ending up in the ED d/t a vaccine he or she attempted to declined but was pressured into getting. That RN's body wisdom should have been respected and taken into consideration to avoid that horrible outcome.

I would love to see greater accountability from the pharmaceutical companies that make vaccines, from providers who administer them and from the FDA and CDC - the FDA for approving vaccines, medications, foods and food additives that are not safe and the CDC for making blanket recommendations. If an individual has a harmful reaction to a vaccine, and in the case of the influence vaccine many individuals, we should not brush this aside but take it into consideration the way that the vaccine components may be hurting or even killing people. However, these reactions are not always taken seriously when the data they can provide the public with (perhaps leading to safer vaccines) is critical. Knowing my holistic slant on things, I probably would still decline. However, this in itself would make me at least consider getting the vaccine.

Spidey's mom, I appreciate your perspective about why you choose to vaccinate yourself and your family as well as the information you have provided. I am aware that formaldehyde is included in trace amounts and that mercury is included in the multi-dose formulation only. My employer uses the multi-dose formulation for staff and patients alike though I know I could easily go elsewhere and get a thimerasol-free version at minimal cost. I am not here to disagree with the information the FDA provides. What I would like to see is greater accountability when it comes to real adverse effects, disabilities and deaths that have occurred as a result of the flu vaccine and many others.

Get as much rest as you can and bring water and gum/mints.

I will use the example of the flu vaccine offered by my employer - Fluzone. The ingredients I am most concerned with are the formaldehyde and thimerosal. Yes, I understand, the dose makes the poison. My opinion is that if something is a known toxin or carcinogen and can cause serious harm or death to people in a larger dose, should I be completely unconcerned with introducing a smaller dose to my system? People have different responses to this question which I respect but for me it's a no.

I'm not mad at anything. I was simply pointing out that asking a yes or no question and subsequently asking for elaboration for only one of those two possible answers constitutes a form of bias built into a survey response. Personally, I am interested in better understanding why individuals choose to get vaccinated for the flu beyond employer requirements.