"Treatment Consent Form" for nursing school?

[LaceyRN]

I begin nursing school in January, and have lots of forms to fill out. I have no problem with all but one of them. This form is a treatment consent form and it states that "attendance in the program will not be allowed" without it. Here is what I am required to sign, verbatum:

"I hereby give my consent to XXXXX, under emergency conditions, or when I am unable to be contacted, for administration of anesthesia and performance of any operation, any special examination and/or treatment necessary and advisable by the Employee/Student Heath Office."

"I also consent to any immunization advised by the Employee/Student Heath Office."

Is this a normal and common type of consent? I bolded the second part b/c I do not like the wording of it! I want the right to refuse certain vaccines, such as small pox and meningitis, and do not want to be forced out of the program just because I sign this form and refuse an "immunization advised."

I would love to hear from other nurses and students about this. Am I normal to question this kind of consent?

[Cherish]

We aren't talking about Fraternization and to be honest military rarely court martials anyone on that anyways...lol...trust me A LOT of people cheat and fraternize in the army. I was suggesting a logical way for her to go about this situation by doing the living will...but then again we are not lawyers...so the best situation would be for her to contact the school and/or lawyer. She will get her answers then.

[TazziRN, RN]

Extreme example, I know, but fraternization is a court martial offense. What I'm getting at is that when you serve, your soul belongs to Unca Sam. It's different in the military.

[LaceyRN]

She's not against vax, she's against being told she WILL take them.

This is exactly the issue. I am not against vaccinations, but I am against giving a generic blanket consent to take ANY vaccine, at ANY time based only upon the advisement of the administration. I want the CHOICE to decide AT THE TIME of advisement whether or not the benefits of such vaccine outweigh the risks, and to confer upon the advise of my doctor prior to consenting to the immunization.

For example, I have decided to get the Hep B, but decided to opt out of the meningitis vaccine. I wish to reserve this right to choose and not be forced into something just because I signed a generic consent form. I don't think I am being unreasonable.

[Multicollinearity, BSN, RN]

Sometimes legal documents sound strange because the 'legaleeze' is confusing. Perhaps the legal way of saying you are unconscious and unable to give consent is to say "unable to contact or reach."

The one form gave you the option of having or declining the hep b and menningitis, right? That is fair.

So it sounds like your conflict is with the generic consent for immunizations or vax? While unlikely, it is possible that some entirely new illness could break out while you are in nursing school (think pandemic avian flu). I'm sure the school wants the right to require some new vaccine if they see it as necessary for the program. That sounds reasonable to me. I doubt that the administrators are going to force shots on you without any compelling reasons. I would personally view this as the give-and-take that goes with enrolling in a health-related program. The administrators have to look out for the entire program.

[Cherish]

TazziRN: Thank you for your input. But can we get off the subject of military? I understand the difference of the two. I am a VETERAN so am no longer in the Military.

Mixy: I understand what you are saying. Just contact your school and/ or lawyer. They'll tell you your answer. Maybe they will see we're your coming from and revise that mandatory vaccinations for all future students.

[nell]

mixy,

I would have a problem with several parts of that form also. Good for you for actually reading the forms before signing them.

I'll bet you will be one of those nurses who uses their critical thinking skills instead of just blindly carrying out orders. Too many nurses are passive and just go along with anything without questioning whether it is right or not.

Tazzi is right - nursing school is not the military.

As someone who just had another reaction to a supposedly beneficial/harmless med, I would definitely want to decide (or my SO if I was incapable) on any treatments whatsoever.

nell

[TazziRN, RN]

TazziRN: Thank you for your input. But can we get off the subject of military? I understand the difference of the two. I am a VETERAN so am no longer in the Military.

You brought it up, not me.

[Altra, BSN, RN]

This is exactly the issue. I am not against vaccinations, but I am against giving a generic blanket consent to take ANY vaccine, at ANY time based only upon the advisement of the administration. I want the CHOICE to decide AT THE TIME of advisement whether or not the benefits of such vaccine outweigh the risks, and to confer upon the advise of my doctor prior to consenting to the immunization.

For example, I have decided to get the Hep B, but decided to opt out of the meningitis vaccine. I wish to reserve this right to choose and not be forced into something just because I signed a generic consent form. I don't think I am being unreasonable.

The school's form, as you have quoted it here, seems fairly standard to me. The school is required, by the facilities with which they have contracts to provide you with clinical educational experiences, to verify that you can show evidence of immunity (i.e. vaccinated against diptheria, tetorifice, mumps, measles, etc.). As I understand it, it is now a "standard of care" to advise that all health care workers/students receive the Hep B vaccine. My school provided the vaccine series to us and allowed refusal upon a signed document stating that the person refusing the vaccine understood the risk of contracting Hep B.

The consent for emergency medical treatment is just that ... consent for treatment in the event of an EMERGENCY. The "in the event you can't be contacted" language means in the event your condition is such that you cannot then consent for treatment (i.e., you are unconscious, etc.)

I read the "any/all advised vaccines" to mean ... whatever is medically advisable now and/or becomes advisable in the future. (i.e., if new vaccines are developed or a public health situation changes which makes it advisable for health care workers to be vaccinated against additional diseases.

Of course you have the right to refuse anything ... but the school also has the right to not admit students who are unable/unwilling to comply with its standards. Ultimately, these standards are those of the hospitals & other facilities which provide clinical experiences.