Yes, I'm Vaxxed But...

[grammieRN]

I remember being taught in nursing school the rights of medication administration -

1. Right patient
2. Right medication
3. Right dose
4. Right route
5. Right time
6. Right documentation
7. Right situation
8. Right place
9. RIGHT TO REFUSE. 

I also remember my nursing instructor stressing how important number 9 is and that we as nurses have a duty to ensure that the right to refuse any medical care or medication is honored and upheld. To advocate for our patients and protect them. Protect them from what you may ask? To protect them from other medical professionals and “people” who think they can bully, manipulate, control and dominate any patient to force a medication, procedure or any type of medical care.

And wouldn’t you know that this RIGHT to refuse has been what I have had to defend more than anything? As an RN of more than a decade, I will forever support the right to choose and also the right to REFUSE any form of medical care. I can’t believe anyone feels that mandates of any form of medicine or medical practice or procedure is acceptable. Even more shocked that some nurses and NURSE LEADERS feel this is acceptable after a career of fighting for, defending and advocating for our patients rights. 

Forced healthcare is NOT healthcare and I stand for the freedom this country was founded on. I have stood for my patients right  to choose. And now that nurses and other healthcare workers rights are being threatened, I stand for their right to choose as well. COERCION is not CONSENT. 

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

On 9/1/2021 at 10:58 PM, grammieRN said:

The Influenza vaccine is not mandated, the Shingles vaccine is not mandated, the varicella is not mandated.  

I guess you have missed  many of the threads on mandated flu shots in the past. I personally have never been mandated to do so, but plenty of other nurses have, and it has been debated plenty on this forum.

[JadedCPN, BSN, RN]

40 minutes ago, Horseshoe said:

I guess you have missed  many of the threads on mandated flu shots in the past. I personally have never been mandated to do so, but plenty of other nurses have, and it has been debated plenty on this forum.

I’ve always been mandated to take the flu vaccine during my career. It wasn’t until I moved to Texas a few years ago that I worked somewhere it wasn’t mandated, go figure.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

2 minutes ago, JadedCPN said:

I’ve always been mandated to take the flu vaccine during my career. It wasn’t until I moved to Texas a few years ago that I worked somewhere it wasn’t mandated, go figure.

Right now there is very little about Texas I would be surprised about. There may be some health care entities that required a flu shot in the past, but I've never worked at one, and none of my nurse friends that work in other systems have mentioned being required to have one.

[Guest219794]

8 hours ago, grammieRN said:

Some vaccines or proof of vaccine (titers) are required to be hired into a facility,

Yup.  Add Covid to the list.
 

You know about the pandemic, right?

[SmilingBluEyes]

Devil's advocate? Well that falls flat with me. You have the choice just not the freedom from consequences of that choice.

[CommunityRNBSN, BSN, RN]

I had to get an MMR and a full Hep B series when I started nursing school. Yawn. 

[nursel56]

On 9/1/2021 at 5:05 PM, grammieRN said:

I remember being taught in nursing school the rights of medication administration - 1.Right patient, 2. right medication, 3. right dose, 4. right route, 5. right time, 6. right documentation, 7. right situation 8. Right place and 9. RIGHT TO REFUSE. 

I also remember my nursing instructor stressing how important number 9 is and that we as nurses have a duty to ensure that the right to refuse any medical care or medication is honored and upheld. To advocate for our patients and protect them. Protect them from what you may ask? To protect them from other medical professionals and “people” who think they can bully, manipulate, control and dominate any patient to force a medication, procedure or any type of medical care.

And wouldn’t you know that this RIGHT to refuse has been what I have had to defend more than anything? As an RN of more than a decade, I will forever support the right to choose and also the right to REFUSE any form of medical care. I can’t believe anyone feels that mandates of any form of medicine or medical practice or procedure is acceptable. Even more shocked that some nurses and NURSE LEADERS feel this is acceptable after a career of fighting for, defending and advocating for our patients rights. 

Forced healthcare is NOT healthcare and I stand for the freedom this country was founded on. I have stood for my patients right  to choose. And now that nurses and other healthcare workers rights are being threatened, I stand for their right to choose as well. COERCION is not CONSENT. 
 

When I went to nursing school there were 5 rights.  I'm not sure adding more "rights" to the mix has ever prevented an error, but your comment about "right to refuse" being that which you've been required to defend most frequently is interesting, in that usually by the time the nurse shows up with the medication or starts to advise about side effects and the like any objections to the proposed plan of treatment would've already been voiced.

I've never witnessed either force or coercion employed as a means of assuring someone follows a treatment plan they don't want, after it is clear the patient understands the risks and benefits of each choice.

If it is a right do you ask them if they would like to refuse their meds just as you make sure you have the preceding 8 "rights" covered?

 

[hibiscus6, BSN]

In my state influenza vaccination has been required for health care workers in hospitals and SNFs for several years in an effort to protect the patients through herd immunity. A consequence of exercising the right to refuse the vaccine in this state is the loss of ability to work in those settings. Consequences  of exercising the right to refuse the covid vaccine include loss of opportunity for employment in certain jobs, along with increasing one’s chances of illness and the knowledge that one is helping to prolong the pandemic and endangering others.  

[Tenebrae, BSN, RN]

On 9/1/2021 at 9:14 PM, grammieRN said:

Yes...we are "mandated" to show proof of certain vaccines.  There are many vaccines that are not mandatory. We have a right to choose.  

I've been an AN member since 2009. I'm not a frequent contributor. 

Our patients have a right to choose not to get infected by easily preventable diseases from their medical staff

Every choice has consequences. 

I'm done seeing so many people demand I respect their choices while they whine and whinge about not liking the consequences of their choices

[FolksBtrippin, BSN, RN]

On 9/1/2021 at 9:14 PM, grammieRN said:

Yes...we are "mandated" to show proof of certain vaccines.  There are many vaccines that are not mandatory. We have a right to choose.  

I've been an AN member since 2009. I'm not a frequent contributor. 

Hi Grammie;

I do remember you.

Do mandates to get the covid vaccine bother you more than mandates to get the flu shot or any other shot?

[HarleyvQuinn, MSN, RN, NP]

On 9/1/2021 at 10:58 PM, grammieRN said:

The Influenza vaccine is not mandated, the Shingles vaccine is not mandated, the varicella is not mandated.  

Of course we can choose not to get a vaccine...but accommodations can be made as they have been.  Masks, testing, titers.  Our jobs are not threatened if we choose not to get certain vaccines.  Some vaccines or proof of vaccine (titers) are required to be hired into a facility, some are not required.

I have had my jabs....I know what's at stake and I "chose" to vaccinate.  

Again.....we should all have that right without fear of repercussions.  Our colleagues will be losing their careers, their livelihood.      

Our military is required to receive vaccinations with much harsher side effect profiles than civilians are exposed to, or they lose their livelihoods. There has not been a flu (since 1918), varicella, or shingles pandemic the way we have had this COVID pandemic. Pandemics require unique mitigation strategies, especially in regards to ensuring that there is enough healthy/protected (I.e. vaccinated) staff to continue to care for the sick/vulnerable. There is still a choice. The vaccination is required for the job/employer. It's about the patients. It goes hand in hand with the potential occupational exposures. I often wonder how everyone would handle it if cases of bioterrorism occurred and it became necessary for our healthcare workers to be vaccinated against Anthrax or Smallpox. 

[drivesbarefoot]

I had the covid vaccine and am not anti-vax.  But the healthcare staff I know of who have chosen, at this time, not to get the vaccination have made their choice based mostly on the fact the manufacturing drug companies of the vaccine and the hospital have no liability if injured by the vaccine.  They feel it’s just too new.  Other mandated vaccines have been around a long time with short term and long term adverse reactions well known.  Others had a bad experience with vaccine #1 aside from the usual common reactions and afraid to get #2, one example is Bell’s palsy after the 1st vaccine, and another person had Guillain-Barré after a flu vaccine so she feels she’s sensitive to another potential autoimmune reaction.  Either may have happened anyway for some other reason, but they are afraid and I totally emphasize with them.  Now being mandated, it doesn’t seem right to force people to get a vaccine they have made the decision not to receive at this time.   For me this isn’t about the vaccine so much as it is about how this is opening the door for many other mandates down the road.  That’s what scares me the most.