Flu Vaccine, Is It My Choice?

Something that has been circling the media recently is the issue on immunizations. While this has been a hot topic for some time the more recent issue when it comes to immunizations is regarding the current measles outbreak. It would be quite a lengthy blog post if I chose to focus on the issue of immunizations as a whole. Instead I want to focus on something that will directly affect me as I inch nearer into the field of nursing. 

Over the past few years more and more hospitals have been enforcing a mandate to all long-term health care workers to receive the influenza vaccine. This mandate has caused quite a stir with several health care workers across the United States and more specifically in Indiana. In 2012 ABC News did a report titled, Eight Hospital Employees Fired For Refusing Flu Vaccines, in which like the title says, 8 of IU Health’s 26,000 employees were fired for noncompliance to the influenza vaccination mandate. This mandate offers an exemption for those whose religious beliefs would not allow the influenza vaccine for it is considered going against their religion of not using conventional medicine. The mandate also offers an exemption for medical purposes, that for some medical reason it would be deemed unsafe for you to receive the flu shot.  The hospitals exclaim this mandate is to ensure safety of patients and employees and they have quite the support to help validate this mandate. On the other hand some of the health care workers feel this is a violation of their rights and should be allowed to choose if they want to receive the flu shot or not. I am not here to argue one way or the other... just to bring awareness. This is something I will have to deal with when I am a health care worker working in a hospital. 

Flu Vaccine, is it my choice?

Relating this issue even closer to my current life and the decisions ahead of me, is my school's policy on immunizations. Ivy Tech's policy is indeed pro vaccination. In the near future I will have a decision to make. I'll tell you right now, I have NEVER EVER received the influenza vaccine, not once. Have I ever had the flu? I think maybe twice, but I never went to the doctor and had a swab test to confirm it was actually the flu. I have never considered getting the flu shot before now. It's never been required of me and I am generally not around a mass amount of people that I would fear being exposed or infected. I don't have children, I don't deal with the general public often, I don't currently deal with sick people, I am not pregnant, I am healthy, I don't have a compromised immune system, I wash my hands, I am not elderly, and I am obviously not a small child. Am I ignorant? Possibly, the verdict is still out on that one. Am I scared of needles? Nope, as long as I'm not in a dentist's chair. Do I live in a bubble? One might think so, but I like my bubble. Notice there were a lot of "I's" in my explanation, which makes me feel rather selfish, but let's be honest aren't we all looking out for our own best interest most of the time? Any one of  my reasons for not thinking I need the vaccine can easily change. So, given the possibility that I could still be exposed to someone who has the flu and become infected and then infect others is it worth the risk to not get the vaccine? That's for me to decide right, or is that another selfish move? 

Considering a Teaching Hospital For My Future

One of the many things I think about as I venture down this road to a degree in nursing is the type of medical facility I will begin my nursing career in. While it may be premature for me to already be thinking about such things considering I still have a ways to go before I graduate, I can't help but think of my future and where I will work, who I will work with, the patients I will care for, and the impact all of this will have on my nursing career. When I consider my options the one that sticks out the most is working in a teaching hospital.

According to AHA “teaching hospitals educate and train future medical professionals, conduct state of the art research, care for the nation's poor and uninsured people, and stand ready to provide highly specialized clinical care to the most severely ill and injured.” I found this to be the simplest definition or explanation of what a teaching hospital is. Generally when one thinks of a teaching hospital they think of medical students that have just graduated and doctors performing experimental surgeries, little is usually thought of the nurses working in those hospitals. But there are nurses working in those hospitals and they play an important role in the care of the patients and development of the physicians working there.

AAMC Statistics about the importance of teaching hospitals.

There are a lot of factors to consider when choosing the type of medical facility to work in. Teaching hospitals offer learning opportunities, exposure to a wider ranger of critical patients, more one-on-one interaction with doctors and medical staff, 24-hour access to physicians or residents, along with many other factors. It is also important to consider personal factors such as, what your learning style is, your personality, the type of environment you want to work in, career goals, and other factors that may be important in helping decide if a teaching hospital will be a good fit.

Working in a teaching hospital is not for everyone but I would like to think it would be a good fit for me. Teaching hospitals are important in health care and medical advancements in America. Teaching hospitals (all hospitals) make a difference and that is something I want to do as well and learn more in my field along the way. 

Welcome

Hello wonderful people, welcome to From Farm to Scrubs! Let me start by introducing myself to help you get to know me a little. My name is Heather, and as you may have figured by reading the title of my blog, I grew up on a farm. My family’s farm is still a huge part of my life, my husband and I visit every chance we get (which is not often enough these days). Being a farm girl has helped shape me into the person I am today. The person currently pursuing a career in the ever growing field of nursing, hence the “to Scrubs” portion of my blog name. 

In this blog I hope to share with you my journey as I cruise down the different avenues needed for me to succeed in becoming a registered nurse. While I’d like to think I have it all together and know exactly what I’m going and need to do, I’m still figuring things out. It is my hope to post about topics regarding my personal experiences as well as the experiences of some professionals such as Leslie in the field of nursing. I want to challenge what I think I know about nursing and all those preconceived notions by digging deep and doing research on topics that will affect me and the choices I make along my journey. When I come to a fork in the road I want to be able to make an informed decision and know what path to take that will be most beneficial to my journey. 

(my family's) Farm life vs...

Student life...