Refusing Mandatory Vaccination

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · Sep 18, 2009

You are an adult...this is not elementary school...you have the right to refuse any vaccine that you want.
The school should be able to provide a waiver for you to sign.

This isn't always the case, actually you have a better chance of being able to have waivers for elementary school. In my school you can sign a waiver for Meningitis and Hep B the rest are MANDATORY or Positive Titers

I should clarify, this isn't my SCHOOL's policy it is the NURSING PROGRAM policy.

So yes I can refuse to get those vaccines, (although I got them as a child) but lets say I didn't, I can refuse, I can fill out whatever paper work I want, I will still be dismissed from the program unless it was the 2 we can sign waivers on.

kmt22773 · Sep 18, 2009

The healthcare system that I work for mandates taking the flu vaccine. If you have not taken it by a certain date you are terminated.

smartin13 · Sep 19, 2009

The hospital I work at mandates that we get the flu vaccine as well, the only exceptions are severe allergic reactions to vaccinations in the past documented by a MD. If you do not get the vaccine by the set date you will be terminated plain and simple. My hospital is not the only one with this policy in the city so my school has also made it mandatory (so we can do clinicals). So you might be able to get around it in your school, but you won't be able to get around it in clinicals or at the facilities you will be working in.

TerriS.RN · Sep 20, 2009

Again, please research further, no one can mandate you to take an immunization. I believe that the immunizations are a form of medical experimentation. They claim that they are for the "good" of all, however, if you look at the pre/post-clinical trials on the package inserts themselves, they are all "non-US" (hmmm, why isn't the US studying this? The US adds squalene which most other countries do not!) studies and there have only been a very small number of people followed. One particular study found two people that died, one from a malignant abdominal neoplasm and the other from pancreatitis 10 months post vaccination--both having been healthy prior to immunization. Both illnesses were attributed to the vaccine. Off the top of my head, I cannot remember the number of people which were studied in the post-clinical trials. Parkinsons disease is also being attributed to immunization. Do any of us wonder why we are seeing an increase of the number of people with multiple sclerosis or an increase in the number of persons diagnosed with ALS??? Look at the tremendous increase in the number of autoimmune disorders, SIDS and cancers in our children today as compared to perhaps >25 years ago! Then look at the increase of immunizations which are "required" (I use that term loosely--all immunizations for children may be refused based on your personal belief if you truely believe they will and can cause harm to your child...just complete the declination form).

Wake up! We are protected by the Nuremberg Code of 1947 for medical experimentation as well as the First Amendment (if you truely have a strong religious opposition to vaccination). The problem with what is happening in our hospitals today is that NO ONE IS CHALLENGING THIS MANDATION!!! DOn't be fearful of losing your job...what they don't tell you is that the mandation is to take the shot or fill out the declination for medical, religious, personal or philosophical reasons. I am certain that if you go to your PCP for a medical exemption, you can share with him/her that they could be held responsible for anything that happens to you and have them sign a statement making them personally and financially responsible for damages incurred from vaccination. I'll bet that you get the statement without question.

Some of the physicians that I work with are declaring this unconstitutional, but of course, they have their buddies to write their statements of medical declination.

It's not what you know...it's who you know!!!

Music in My Heart · Sep 20, 2009

Be very aware that since hospitals are mandating influenza vaccinations, it is a precursor to the H1N1 vaccination. I have been a nurse for over 29 years now working in the CCU, ED and Hemodialysis...who could be more ill and immunocompromised than these types of patients. I have never gotten ill from any of my patients and if I was ill, I either called in sick or wore a mask...now then, lets talk about the influenza vaccine! I voluntarily took the vaccination the season of 2003-2004 and became severely ill. I was not advised of the ingredients of the vaccination. I am severely allergic to formaldehyde and was not given informed consent...there was not a single package insert available! Hmmm! I refused the vaccination last year based on my experience which proved to me that God has my back and vaccination is not a good thing. Follow the money my dear young nurses! Who do you think funds the research for these vaccinations? Could it be...the very pharmaceutical companies that manufacture them??? Take a look at the disclaimers for the researchers and you sill see their conflict of interest statements...they are all tied in some way to the pharmaceutical companies funding their research! Good answer!
Please don't be naive to think that your workplace has your best interest at hand. They are attemping to keep their numbers up for Joint Commission, who in turn go by what the CDC recommends, whose Board is chock full of Pharmaceutical Company investors who, by the way are exempt from any conflict of interest when they make recommendations. Oh, and by the way, the FDA is tied into all of this too with many, many Pharmaceutical investors that vote for approving new vaccines...how do you think the HPV vaccination was passed? It was a great way to resoup lost monies from the Cox-2 inhibitor law suits!
Get educated but DON"T GET VACCINATED!!! Last year I wore a mask all season, went to work everyday and never got ill and have not been ill since having been ill that 2003-04 season when I succumbed to the vaccine...never again! Think about what will happen to you 5-10 years down the road, or perhaps less than that, when you find out..."oh by the way, that vaccine that you were given for influenza and H1N1 was mixed up with the H5N1 experimental vaccines, or maybe even some sort of a cancer that was being grown in monkey kidneys! Oops! Sorry about that!
Be smart, work safe, use universal precautions not artificiai stimulation of your immune system...it wreaks havoc on your natural immunity.
God bless you all if you take it, just make certain that you are well informed...read the package insert!

Of course, virulent pathogens wreak havoc on your natural immunity, too... not to mention your other organ systems.

Yes, some people have reactions to medications. On the other hand, the effectiveness of vaccines in preventing communicable disease is indisputable if you look at the hard data.

The risk from the diseases vastly outweighs the risk from vaccine complications.

Artificial stimulation of your immune system DOES NOT wreak havoc on the human immune system.

TerriS.RN · Sep 20, 2009

And have you any hard facts??? My nephew developed a high fever and seized within 24 hours of his vaccinations when he was two years old. Otherwise he was thought of being healthy...within one month he ws found dead in his crib...autopsy just stated "SIDS." I do not believe that this was coincidental my friend. From the time of this particular vaccination, he had shortness of breath until he took his last breath. His pediatrician told his mother that he had a form of childhood activity induced asthma. Prior to this vaccination he was a normally developed healthy child. His mother and both my sister and I (who are both RN's) were called over-reactive. I suppose that we did over-react, especially when he died. I suppose that you won't believe it until you experience the devastating effect that vaccination can have on a human being.

I do pray that you never have to learn the hard way...just keep living in your happy little world and continue to beleive that vaccination is perfectly safe. I'll be the families and victims of the 1976 Swine flu vaccinations would dare to differ with you...deaths and Guillain Barre syndrome don't sound like these vaccines were perfectly harmless...

Circejane · Sep 20, 2009

i believe that the immunizations are a form of medical experimentation. they claim that they are for the "good" of all, however, if you look at the pre/post-clinical trials on the package inserts themselves, they are all "non-us" (hmmm, why isn't the us studying this? the us adds squalene which most other countries do not!) studies and there have only been a very small number of people followed. one particular study found two people that died, one from a malignant abdominal neoplasm and the other from pancreatitis 10 months post vaccination--both having been healthy prior to immunization. both illnesses were attributed to the vaccine. off the top of my head, i cannot remember the number of people which were studied in the post-clinical trials. parkinsons disease is also being attributed to immunization. do any of us wonder why we are seeing an increase of the number of people with multiple sclerosis or an increase in the number of persons diagnosed with als??? look at the tremendous increase in the number of autoimmune disorders, sids and cancers in our children today as compared to perhaps >25 years ago! then look at the increase of immunizations which are "required" (i use that term loosely--all immunizations for children may be refused based on your personal belief if you truely believe they will and can cause harm to your child...just complete the declination form).
wake up! we are protected by the nuremberg code of 1947 for medical experimentation as well as the first amendment (if you truely have a strong religious opposition to vaccination). the problem with what is happening in our hospitals today is that no one is challenging this mandation!!! don't be fearful of losing your job...what they don't tell you is that the mandation is to take the shot or fill out the declination for medical, religious, personal or philosophical reasons. i am certain that if you go to your pcp for a medical exemption, you can share with him/her that they could be held responsible for anything that happens to you and have them sign a statement making them personally and financially responsible for damages incurred from vaccination. i'll bet that you get the statement without question.
some of the physicians that i work with are declaring this unconstitutional, but of course, they have their buddies to write their statements of medical declination.
it's not what you know...it's who you know!!!

this kind of paranoia and misinformation is dismaying enough, but more so when it comes from medical professionals. :no:

it is erroneous to state that vaccination is medical experimentation. most mandatory vaccinations, such as the mmr, tetorifice, hep b have decades of solid research and evidence behind them. the varicella vaccine has been in widespread use since the mid-nineties. they are not experimental. one could argue about the flu and h1n1 vaccines, but those are only two out of a number of vaccines, and are often not mandatory. the mandatory ones for school cannot be considered experimental. to invoke the nuremberg code is not only overkill, it's offensive. you're equating the mmr with what the nazis did to prisoners? that's just disturbing.

to address the issue of squalene, i would suggest that people read this: http://www.who.int/vaccine_safety/topics/adjuvants/squalene/questions_and_answers/en/

squalene itself is found in many products, including cod liver oil. it is present in the fluad flu vaccine, and has been used safely in over 22 million people since 1997. twenty-two million people. moreover, the generations before us who took cod liver oil, and those of us who now take fish oil capsules, are not dropping like flies. instead, these things are widely accepted as immune system boosters, and continuing research is showing how helpful they are. not to say that something considered safe always is--i personally feel that it's far more important to avoid pesticides, herbicides, and any other -cides to avoid long-term health problems than it is to get in a flap over vaccines with a proven safety record. look at all the chemicals in our processed foods, the antibiotic and hormone overuse in our food industries, the use of known carcinogens in our daily lives if you want to point fingers at the causes of mysterious abdominal neoplasms and als.

this is not to say that all vaccines are 100% safe, or that all people will react exactly as desired, but they serve a purpose. i had chicken pox as a teen and was out of school for a month, very ill and in misery. i wish there had been a vaccine at the time, i would have been happy to have missed that experience. i would also be very happy to not ever have the chance of developing shingles.

i'm very sorry to hear about your nephew, something was clearly going on with him. it could even have been vaccine-related, but if so it was certainly an idiosyncratic reaction, and as rns we know that those cannot be predicted. i am always hesitant to condemn an event immediately preceding onset of a health issue--there's a lot of erroneous assumptions out there. my mother found a lump in her left breast (turned out to be stage iii ductal carcinoma) 9 months after having major surgery on her left shoulder. did the surgery cause the cancer? certainly not, but certain family members believe that it did.

vaccines aren't perfect. i was a veterinary technician before becoming a nurse, and we all praised the skies when a vaccine came out for feline leukemia, a communicable disease and the leading viral killer of cats. within a decade, evidence showed that there was a small but significant incidence of sarcoma at the injection site in some cats, which was later labeled "vaccine-related feline sarcoma". both lab and field studies were done, and now the vaccine protocol is such that if your cat is indoors only and not likely to be exposed to felv, vets do not recommend vaccinating for it. if they do go outside, their likelihood of catching this horrible disease far outweighs their chances of developing the sarcoma. owners are educated and can then make a choice. likewise, using evidence-based methods, it has been determined that many veterinary vaccines in older, previously vaccinated animals can be done every three years rather than every year. this is a demonstration of how vaccine protocols change based on research and feedback from professionals in the field. it is no different in human medicine. and i will say that in my personal experience, i have seen literally hundreds of unvaccinated or undervaccinated pet animals sicken and often die from diseases that did not affect their properly vaccinated counterparts. the same thing happens in human medicine.

vaccines save lives.

rbytsdy · Sep 20, 2009

I WISH there had been a vaccine at the time, I would have been happy to have missed that experience. I would also be very happy to not ever have the chance of developing shingles.

You do realize that exposure to the varicella vaccine gives you a mild form of chicken pox??? The severity of chicken pox is INVERSE to the severity of shingles. This means that since today's kids are mostly vaccinated against chicken pox, they are actually getting a mild form of the disease which puts them at risk for horrible cases of shingles which is more painful and more dangerous. (I know - Merk is making shingles vaccines to shoot us all up with)

Since you had a bad case of chicken pox, you will likely get a mild case of shingles if you ever do get shingles. In other words, you'll be thankful later. The vaccine would not have protected you against shingles since it is giving you the virus.

allnurses Guide · Sep 20, 2009

One day I wore blue shoes, and the next week I had a cold! Coincidence? I think not! I think the shoe manufacturers are getting money from the people who make cold and flu medicine!

Sarcasm aside, I am stunned by the ignorance displayed in this thread. The great thing about EVIDENCE BASED MEDICINE is that it's not opinion, it's fact. Someone mentioned TWO people who died from a vaccine? Well gee, that's sad for them and their families, but TWO out of how many? Two million? Twenty million? If some people had their way, we'd go back to having children dying of all sorts of childhood diseases because it's "natural".

People have the right to refuse to be vaccinated. Hospitals and patients have the right not to be exposed to you. Choose another job.

Circejane · Sep 20, 2009

I didn't adequately explain what i was talking about--I was referring to the shingles vaccine when talking about avoiding shingles, but didn't realize that I hadn't made any reference to the shingles vaccine, just chicken pox. My bad, and thank you for being on the ball! Yep, both vaccines are live attenuated virus, the shingles one being more potent. Though those who had the chicken pox vaccine are estimated to be 4-5 times less likely to get shingles than those who had it 'normally', I have read.

I did NOT realize that the more severe your chicken pox, the milder the shingles would be. What is the rationale behind that? If that's the case, that's excellent news for me, at least, because I was one sick puppy and had lesions cropping up in my upper GI tract, inner ear, everywhere for weeks--just kept getting new waves of them, plus a superinfection. Ugh. Over my seventeenth birthday, no less. :smiley_aa

michaboo · Sep 23, 2009

In a competitive field like nursing, employers aren't even going to want to deal with you if there are too many hoops to jump through. There are plenty of vaccinated nurses and nursing students out there who are ready to work. I am not saying this in judgement because I am someone who went through school with a religious waiver for vaccinations. But for nursing school I gave in and got every vaccination at once. I had 103 fever every time I received them. So if you can find a way around this, share it with the world. But most likely the schools are very very strict with their policies and will not even accept your application. And I would do anything to be a nurse!

zebsmom2002 · Sep 24, 2009

Um, not if you want to attend clinicals. The school requirements=the requirements of the agencies where you will practice during your rotations. Sorry, but it is what it is.