Using Your Nursing Credentials to Validate Anti-Vaxxer Theories

[Helen Crump]

As nurses we are supposed to understand and follow science. Yet all over the country nurses are using their background to validate crackpot theories about Covid and the vaccine. Should there be consequences for leading an effort to hurt the public health? After all, it violates basic nursing ethics in particular, do no harm. Should boards of nurses sanction these people or should the ANA or other associations put out a statement saying these folk don't represent us?

[CShel, ASN]

1 minute ago, Hoosier_RN said:

The FDA has approved many meds that have later been found to be harmful.

Absolutely true - but not really my point. Some people have been using the fact that it wasn't approved as the basis for their argument against vaccination. Now that it IS approved, I just wonder if they've changed their minds.

[GrumpyRN, NP]

A nurse who denies the existence of Covid-19 and discourages people from getting vaccinated has been struck off the nursing register.

"A Nursing and Midwifery Council fitness-to-practise panel determined that Kay Shemirani – more commonly known as Kate Shemirani – was no longer a safe or effective nurse." (My Bold)

https://www.nursingtimes.net/news/professional-regulation/covid-denier-and-anti-vaxxer-nurse-struck-off-register-by-nmc-04-06-2021/

 

[Ohio NP]

On 8/31/2021 at 3:00 PM, SmilingBluEyes said:

https://www.indystar.com/story/news/education/2021/08/11/dan-stock-indiana-doctors-viral-mt-vernon-school-board-testimony-full-misinformation/5551476001/

An Indiana doctor's COVID comments went viral. They were also full of misinformation.

Dr. Dan Stock looked and sounded the part. He was well-dressed, well-spoken, credentialed and explained complicated medical terms with ease, so even the layperson could understand what he was saying. 

There was only one problem: what he was saying was largely false, contrary to the opinions of the medical establishment, and potentially dangerous. 

More of the article on the link above. What we say matters. Words matter!

And he lied about his credentials. I watched his school board performance and he stated a number of things that were absolutely unequivocally wrong about immunology and virology yet he stated in his public grandstanding speech that he was a specialist in virology and immunology.  He’s not, he’s not board certified in either of those specialties he’s just a general practitioner who runs a new age type clinic where he makes his money off skin de-ageing treatments and the like. I’m pretty tired of the doctors and nurses trying to make a name for themselves and get that social media buzz to parlay this nonsense into the talking heads and social “influencer” money that seems to be a big side hustle in healthcare right now. Everyone looking to be the next snake oil salesman in the vein of Dr. Oz, Drew Pinsky, etc. I called his performance just that, it was a performance, he had someone at the ready to record, and they started spreading that nonsense all over social media. He should lose his license I’m so over the quacks. 

[toomuchbaloney]

It's the era of conmen, grifters and charlatans.  There's a large group of Americans primed to believe all manner of emotionally charged stuff with absolutely zero evidence. 

[Hoosier_RN, MSN]

52 minutes ago, CShel said:

Absolutely true - but not really my point. Some people have been using the fact that it wasn't approved as the basis for their argument against vaccination. Now that it IS approved, I just wonder if they've changed their minds.

I know, I was just making the devils advocate point. People do what they want, they'll go to whatever resource fits their narrative 

[PoppieLady]

Have you seen Dr Death? They barely stopped a surgeon who had no idea how to operate… it’s scary how little they manage

[babywhisperer333, BSN]

Spreading/sharing misinformation that can have the potential to influence or shape an individuals decision about their health, is immoral and should not be tolerated. If you passed nursing school, you know how to source credible information. If you are sharing information that has no science to back it up, you are disrespecting all of science as well as your own title. Attaching credentials to the end of your name like RN, LPN, Dr......that gives you credibility so using that leverage to promote actions/decisions that could cause harm, is unethical and should not be tolerated. Vaccine science, how we make them, how they work in the body.....this is not new. Having to prove that you have been vaccinated against certain pathogens that have or can threaten public health and safety.....is not new. We all have immunization records. The data regarding the safety, efficacy, and potential side effects of every vaccine is readily available, and while it's not our job to pass judgement, or to tell anyone what to do, it is our job to protect our patients and the public. As a nicu nurse I am now caring for preemie babies that had to be cut from their moms bodies way too early, as they  lay intubated in the ICU fighting for their lives. Not because they had any underlying health conditions, but because there was too much conflicting data about vaccine safety. Moms in their 20's guys...... trying to make the right choice.....unvaccinated, clinging to life, separated from their babies......what happened to "first, do no harm"??? The evidence clearly backs up the safety of these vaccines as well as efficacy as our hospital beds filling up with unvaccinated people.....I have very little tolerance for this as I watch the numbers climb, as I listen to stories of nurses on the brink of just giving up on the whole profession. I don't judge the patients because often they don't know better, they didn't take courses on research, pathophysiology,  immunology..... we did.....that's on us.....it's not time for us to share our personal feelings or conspiracy theories, not now....  not in the middle of this public health crisis, our job is to keep the focus on what we know, on the science, on the facts. To share actual data and credible evidence. 

[saraleigh, ASN, RN]

On 8/31/2021 at 12:36 PM, JBMmom said:

 If you think back to thalidomide, Vioxx, talcom powder, even smoking, the medical community has, in the past, supported treatments or interventions that ended up doing patients harm.

None of these products caused a world-wide pandemic. We are treading in much deeper waters here (regarding Covid-19) and as such our actions and words have much greater consequence, literally and figuratively. 

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

On 8/31/2021 at 2:36 PM, JBMmom said:

 I don't know what to do about it myself, but I don't think anyone should lose their license over being ill informed. Unless they do something like inject saline instead of the vaccine or something which is a direct attempt to deceive or harm patients. Nurses and doctors are people, too. And sometimes people make bad decisions about all sorts of things. While I wish the medical community could come together 100% to get people vaccinated, that's not going to happen because we're human and I don't think it should necessarily end someone's career. 

"Being ill informed" and spreading lies via massive platforms like Youtube, FB, Twitter, TikTok, etc. are not the same thing, but they can both nevertheless result in death and disability. People using these platforms have deliberately made false statements in order to sell products or advance a political ideology for their own personal advancement/goals. Some of them have blatantly misrepresented their credentials and/or expertise.  If you are a nurse or MD, you have an obligation to be "well informed." Being ill informed is no excuse for a profession that has allegedly been taught how to properly vet information, evaluate research studies, sources, etc. Failure to do so, and worse, going further to spread far and wide this misinformation can result in unnecessary morbidity and mortality. 

I recently read about the unfortunate death of a 30 year old woman from Covid. On her FB, she asked for input from anyone who had had Covid while also having high risk comorbidities. A poster asked her to "define high risks". She answered "Bad asthma and breathing problems." She didn't mention it, but this was her FB page with many photos of herself on it, and she was clearly not just overweight, but morbidly obese. This "friend" told her that "at the hospital, I was told that having a healthy immune system can work against you." And went on to describe what was essentially the cytokine storm that happened in 1918 and how normally vulnerable individuals were not able to launch the robust immune response that actually contributed to the deaths of so many young and healthy people. With that in mind, he advised her not to believe in what she was hearing about high risk, as her conditions might actually offer protection from said cytokine storm because they would dampen her immune response.

Now, I don't know if she took this advice to heart, and certainly we are all ultimately responsible for our decisions, but this young lady did not get the vaccine and she subsequently contracted Covid and has died. At 30 years old. I can only wonder what might have happened if one of her "friends" was actually a qualified professional who had used facts to bring to her attention her high risk rather than Joe Schmo talking as if his words should have any weight whatsoever. Even more horrifying would have been if Joe Schmo had represented himself as a doctor or nurse-the harm caused could have been exponentially higher. And I wonder who "at the hospital" told him that having a poor immune system might be protective-a "misinformed" nurse?

As nursing professionals, our words have the power to influence. We should be more cognizant of the responsibility that comes with that respect.

I'm not arguing that misinformed healthcare professionals should lose their licenses. But in egregious cases, mandatory re-education or other sanctions might well be appropriate. Otherwise, we are basically saying "What's a few deaths here and there? I meant well but just didn't know any better!"

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

4 hours ago, GrumpyRN said:

A nurse who denies the existence of Covid-19 and discourages people from getting vaccinated has been struck off the nursing register.

"A Nursing and Midwifery Council fitness-to-practise panel determined that Kay Shemirani – more commonly known as Kate Shemirani – was no longer a safe or effective nurse." (My Bold)

https://www.nursingtimes.net/news/professional-regulation/covid-denier-and-anti-vaxxer-nurse-struck-off-register-by-nmc-04-06-2021/

 

She sounds like a lunatic.

From the article:

Quote

Despite the outcome of the case, Nursing Times has learnt that Ms Shemirani plans to continue to call herself a nurse and wear her nurse uniform.

 

[Kype]

So on topic this story.  In October of 2019, I was standing on line at my pharmacy to refill my pantoprazole.  I was behind 6 other people who ever had a question about anything in the universe.:_  In the meantime, I noticed all these posters about available vaccinations.  A shingles vaccine, what?  and whatever has happened that we need whooping cough re-vaccines?  I thought whooping cough no longer existed in the US, and my brain went to this space.............Do I need another POLIO vaccine? because POLIO had basically been eradicated across the globe because of vaccines, but, wait for it, if a WHOOPING COUGH vaccine is now being recommended ................... because of transmission to vulnerable populations like CHILDREN ......... well, I'm on board!  So I had a conversation with Ann, who turned out to be Ann, MY PHARMACIST.  

On 10.1.19 I received a flu vaccine to my LUA (left upper arm) and the very same time I accepted my #1/2 MMR (measles/mumps/rubella -- german measles--) to my RUA (right upper arm).

On 11.04.19, I received my #2 MMr in my LUA and the same time I received my #1 Shingella vaccine (chicken pox, which is a terribly communicable disease which manifests itself as herpes)

On 12.12.09 I received my #2 my booster TDAP..  Ann said - "Hey! take a break, give your body a rest and we'll see in January!"

On 1.07.20, I received my #2 shingles vaccine to my LUA.  And Ann joked, "If you're interested, you should probably get a flu booster next month.........."  LOL  But, gee, I was done, but thank you Ann!

And in Jan?Feb?2020  I was aware of a "chinese virus" that manifested itself on a cruise ship off the shores of CA.  And it was decided that passengers of this cruise ship would not be allowed to disembark and return to their homes because of a "mysterious chinese virus"  Reminder... this was a cruise ship full of US citizens. 

Because of this "mysterious" "chinese" virus.

Enough said.

Zip ahead 19 months.  I only ventured out once a week to minimize my COVID exposure.  I wore a mask to either get gas in my car, which was comical......... where was I going?! or groceries or...(I admit!) wine.

LESSON HERE.  I am a simple nurse.  Albeit more post-high school/vocational school.  

At this point,,,,,,,,,,,,,, I have had to succumb  to my own worst thoughts.   No matter what, we can't cure stupid.

We can't treat stupid.

We can't even SAVE stupid.

If you are a person who endeavors to achieve a paying job that requires you to be a 6 foot radius of another individual, meaning a child, or even JOE FRIENDLY at the bus stop, traffic light or a smile and hello EVER, ANYWHERE and you think it's your constitutional right ro maintain your employment so you can enjoy your right to be mask=free and vaccination=free, I am completely confused about what you think your rights are.  

 

 

 

!!

[Leah Hona, RN]

On 8/31/2021 at 4:17 PM, SmilingBluEyes said:

When you put it like that I see your point. But this pandemic stands to kill millions in fairly short order, so I feel in this case, spreading around bad information should be looked at and corrected quickly.

 

On 8/31/2021 at 3:36 PM, JBMmom said:

I truly don't think that there are that many nurses and doctors that intend harm out there. It's unfortunate that there is some direct misinformation being passed along, but there are also many people that are skeptical and are trying to voice that in a true effort to do something good. If you think back to thalidomide, Vioxx, talcom powder, even smoking, the medical community has, in the past, supported treatments or interventions that ended up doing patients harm. I am NOT saying that I think the vaccine falls in that category myself, but there are people that don't understand the true depth of the research behind coronaviruses and I would like to think that they have the best interest of others at heart when they raise these concerns. I don't know what to do about it myself, but I don't think anyone should lose their license over being ill informed. Unless they do something like inject saline instead of the vaccine or something which is a direct attempt to deceive or harm patients. Nurses and doctors are people, too. And sometimes people make bad decisions about all sorts of things. While I wish the medical community could come together 100% to get people vaccinated, that's not going to happen because we're human and I don't think it should necessarily end someone's career. 

I can appreciate what you are saying, and I don’t have a problem with anyone voicing their opinion in this respect when on personal time. However, when acting in the role of a healthcare provider, during work hours, and whenever you identify yourself as a nurse, I think it is important that you clarify the difference between your own personal beliefs and the facts that the medical community has presented as they know them thus far. It is your DUTY to inform the public of the latest medical information available whether or not you agree with it. You are welcome to your opinion, but you must state it as such, and ONLY if the person you are talking to wants a listening ear to commiserate about being an anti-vaxxer  themselves. I have a very deep religious background and we are encouraged to spread the gospel to others so that they may have the joy and peace we get from our Heavenly Father. NEVER have I tried to preach to my patients nor have I discussed any religion other than their own, because that is what is important to them.

Our patients and the general public deserve to be given the latest information we have about the vaccine, treatments, and risks of COVID in order to make an informed decision for themselves. That is our responsibility as healthcare providers.