i just heard this last week and want to know what anyone else has heard.
the infection control person at my employer let us know that we will be expected to accept the flu vaccine for the upcoming 08-09 flu season.
i don't plan to accept the vaccine but i was incredulous that this edict would be passed around.
i believe we were warned that we would have to "sign a form of declination?":eek:--never heard of such a thing.
the justification for attempting to mandate such action was : "medicare will be lowering reimbursement for institutions that don't have a high-enough percentage of compliance."
the thing is that if you have certain criteria that makes it so you can't get the vaccine, you can't get it... simple as that.
what is the big deal? it can only help keep you - AND the patients you work with... from getting sick. i think some people don't want medical advances just so they can make a stink. last year the Flu strains were mismatched. Everyone in my family had the vaccine last year... me, hubby, baby and daughter... but we all got FLU B.
Mismatched strains only happen every once in a great while... but it does happen. The main thing to remember is that any protection you get is a plus.
i will be getting vaccinated and i will get my family vaccinated. i have seen too many patients have nasty flu complication... prevention is always better.
As a side note: Maybe if employers wouldn't push employees with unreasonable sick day rules, sick employees wouldn't have to come to work with the flu and infect the patients.
[Yes, I do have an axe to grind]
sure, that will help too, but people are also viral before they begin to show symptoms... so some people will be exposed before you even feel "sick".
Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.
In home health we tell the staff to stay home. I've even sent staff home to keep spread at bay....quite the opposite of hospital and SNF stories reported at AN.
One office was quarranteed last year and staff came from another branch to cover patients (very low flu shot acceptance rate there in 07). You can bet that staff will be encouraged to get vaccine this year.
I've never had one previous to being a nurse and would just sign the form and decline one now as well. I know other nurses have declined where I work and a fuss wasn't made about it.
I'm still debating whether or not to get the vaccine.
I got it every year for about 7 years, and yup you guessed it, I GOT the flu! Now, I know that the vaccine doesn't cause the flu, that I must have gotten a strain that wasn't included in the vaccine.
For the last 6 years, I haven't gotten the vaccine d/t working from home and having little if any contact with the "outside world" LOL and I haven't gotten the flu at all in those 6 years.
I am one of those odd balls that get a nasty reaction to the vaccine, I get most of the reported side effects. Especially pain and soreness at the injection site. But my entire arm is sore for a good week or two. (same thing happens with any other injection I get..wimpy arm I guess)
I have another month or so to decide..I guess I'll figure it out then.
Sign the darn declination form and forget it. They can't legally force a vaccine upon you. If you get called before the ID board, just say you decline for personal reasons. It's not the Spanish Inquisition. You have the legal right to decline. The CDC/JCAHO guidelines are there to increase vaccination rates among HCW, simply because we have low compliance rates, and come in contact with high-risk patients.
I get the flu shot every year, and have yet to get the flu. I even escaped the vigilante strain that eluded the vaccine makers this year. A little arm soreness is a small price to pay for a free vaccine that prevents me from feeling like crap for 2 weeks. Can't tell you how many pts are admitted to the ICU intubated for the flu.
The same people that complain about vaccine risk are the same ones that drink diet soda. Same hype, different priorities.
If I were the parent of an immunocompromised pediatric patient, I would rather my child's nurse had been vaccinated. JMHO.
I don't want my employer to think they have the right to force me to do anything, not least of which is take any medication...so I will decline on paper, and know that if I choose to get the vaccine I have a perfectly good PCP.
My children are so tired of hearing me preach about our wonderful rights- and the fight to keep them.
Agree- I take a flu shot almost every year- and appreciate the free ones conveniently given at work. However... people have the right to refuse.
The crazy threats admin throws to please "the man" with good numbers can sometimes be ridiculous. No sick pay, have to talk to the big doctors...wwwooowwweee.
I wouldn't take it.....I've had the flu shot before and had a horrible, horrible allergic rxn. So terrible the docs thought I had meningitis at first. No way I'm ever doing that again!
NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN
10 Articles; 19,187 Posts
those with egg allergy/sensativity can be offered nasal vacinne.
it is perfectly acceptable to sign form declining vaccine with reason why listed. i think our form had check box.
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jcaho:infection prevention and control (ic)
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