Vaccine for students

Multicollinearity, BSN, RN · Aug 25, 2009

I asked this question here about a month ago and found no answers. I'll be curious if there are any new protocols for this. For example, might students be able to participate in their clinical hospitals' vaccination events for employees, but pay?

I'm concerned we nursing students may fall through the cracks and not get access to swine flu vaccine set aside for health care workers. A shame considering how we could infect patients or get swine flu from caring for patients on vents.

llg, PhD, RN · Aug 25, 2009

My hospital is considering making both vaccines mandatory for eveyone. Given the large number of students, I doubt we will be offering the vaccine to them like we do for employees. Students will be on their own to get it. I don't know if students are prepared for having to go out and get it. That worries me ... as does the possibility that they will not have the same access to the SOIV vaccine as hospital employees do. People may have their clinicals cancelled.

Multicollinearity, BSN, RN · Aug 25, 2009

llg,

Are you aware of hospitals ever requiring students to have flu vaccination (regular flu) for clinical participation? I've never heard of this. I understand the swine flu situation is different, but I'm just curious.

Every semester I see classmates in clinical with high fevers and coughing, and they are pressured by the instructors to stay in clinical. Is this uncommon? I would think this would anger hospitals that permit students on their units for clinical.

llg, PhD, RN · Aug 25, 2009

llg,
Are you aware of hospitals ever requiring students to have flu vaccination (regular flu) for clinical participation? I've never heard of this. I understand the swine flu situation is different, but I'm just curious.
Every semester I see classmates in clinical with high fevers and coughing, and they are pressured by the instructors to stay in clinical. Is this uncommon? I would think this would anger hospitals that permit students on their units for clinical.

That's exactly why I am asking the question. My hospital is considering the enacting of a very strict policy -- both for employees AND for students. Student may find themselves forced to stay home (or go home) if they have any symptoms of flu-like illness. I am wondering what will happen to their school progression if they can't come to clinical -- and wondering what arrangements are being made for those students to "make up" clinical hours missed, etc. "What are nursing schools to prepare for such scenarios?" is my question.

Like you, I have never heard of schools requiring flu vaccine -- but we might be requiring it this year.

Kringe38 · Aug 27, 2009

I just started NS this week and pretty much all they said to us was to ask that we not come to clinical OR even just regular class if we had a fever. Kind of confuses me a little because, although of course H1N1 would be worse than a cold, you could have a cold and be coughing and sneezing and contagious like crazy and not necessarily have a fever. I wonder what's going to happen.

One of our instructors said that we as students would get the H1N1 vaccine along with full-fledged HCW. However, schoolchildren will be first in line even before HCW. I didn't know that was true!

indigo girl · Aug 27, 2009

...
...schoolchildren will be first in line even before HCW. I didn't know that was true!

This is unfortunately, not true. Kids are a target group but they are not a priority group. There is a difference, I am told. Because there is not enough vaccine, the priority groups will be vaxed first.

Target Groups

http://afludiary.blogspot.com/2009/08/brother-can-you-spare-shot.html

On July 29th at the ACIP meeting (see The ACIP Committee Recommendations) we learned of plans to target roughly 159 million `higher risk’ Americans with a vaccination program this fall, and the hopes that all Americans who want a shot will be offered one in the months that follow.
These target groups assumed that adequate quantities of vaccine would be available in October, and are made up of:
Pregnant women (4 Million)
Household contacts and caregivers of children under 6 mos (who cannot receive a vaccination themselves) (5 Million)
Health Care Workers & Medical Service Personnel (14 million)
Children and adolescents aged 6mos –24yrs (102 Million)
Persons aged 25-64 years of age with certain Medical Conditions (34 million)

Priority Groups

While it was it was hoped that it would not be needed, as a fallback position - in the event of a major shortfall of vaccine – ACIP identified a smaller `subgroup’ who could receive prioritization for the vaccine.
This priority group consists of roughly 42 million people.
Pregnant women (4 million)
Household contacts of Infants
Health Care Workers With Direct Patient Contact (9 Million)
Children aged 6mos – 4 yrs (18 million)
Children under 19 with chronic medical conditions (6 Million)
No doubt there are now discussions ongoing about what to do about this expected vaccine shortfall.
Whether to concentrate on this smaller subgroup? Or to go ahead with the larger 159 million-person priority group as originally planned?
UPDATE: It appears, based on reporting from ABC News this morning, that the decision is leaning towards going with this 42 million person cohort.

indigo girl · Aug 27, 2009

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/aug/18/us-cuts-doses-of-flu-vaccine/

U.S. health officials on Monday said they have slashed their estimate of how many swine flu vaccine doses will be available for the start of a mass vaccination campaign in the fall.
Citing delays in manufacturing and packaging the vaccines, the Department of Health and Human Services said only 45 million doses of the new H1N1 vaccine would be on hand in mid-October, instead of the 120 million previously forecast.
The revised delivery guidelines would push back a federal government estimate that all those requiring vaccinations be immunized by the first week of December.
"Our latest information from the manufacturers tells us that we now expect to have about 45 million doses by October 15 with approximately 20 million doses being delivered each week thereafter, up to the 195 million doses that we have purchased," Bill Hall, an HHS spokesman, said in e-mail.

(info courtesy of FlaMedic)

Kringe38 · Aug 28, 2009

That's what I kind of thought...maybe she meant babies. Or maybe this is what the health care people in our area are planning on doing?

indigo girl · Aug 28, 2009

I don't know, hon.

I do know that CDC has not updated their site since July so they still have the original guidance up. So, who knows what that means.

I also continue to see some articles out there saying that kids are in the first group.

Hopefully, they will clarify this soon, but I don't how they will do more with less...

Let's stay tuned.

Kringe38 · Aug 28, 2009

Yeah, there's just not going to be enough to go around and the guidelines seem not to be hard and fast rules...so I guess that means each community can technically give the vaccine to who it wants. I guess. It's a crazy situation.

Multicollinearity, BSN, RN · Aug 29, 2009

llg,

I have new information. The hospital I am doing my clinicals at seems very proactive and organized regarding communicable diseases (more than any hospital I've done clinicals at). I found out they will be offering free flu vaccines to all staff AND clinical students as soon as both types of flu vaccine are available. Additionally, nursing students are prohibited from contact with patients with respiratory illness when the staff needs to wear masks. We just have to take other patients. This hospital has great big signs at every entrance about swine flu and hygiene protocols, along with masks. I am very impressed.

My school of nursing has not mentioned a thing about swine flu other than an instructor saying "What's the big deal? It's the flu...who cares?" That made me cringe. I wonder if admin at my nursing program is aware of the CDC guideline about healthcare workers staying out of the clinical environment for a full seven days if a worker has the flu. It will be very interesting to see how this plays out, that's for sure.