Isn't mandatory vax for nurse religious discrimination? grrr...

[fyrflymommy]

I am trying so badly to not have a tet shot. I asked the admin of the nursing program I will be attending about using a religious exemption or even signing a waiver and she said she would find out. Well, she emailed and I cannot be exempted. The clinical sites won't allow it and require it of all their nursing students and employees.

So what am I supposed to do? Should I email again and ask about religious discrimination? Or just take the shot and pray that I don't permanently damage my health?

fyrfly

[becca_howell]

It sounds like discrimination to me. It sounds like you have two options: take the shot and pray (hard), or take legal action and risk your academic future and your job. I'm glad I'm not in your shoes, hun!

[katelove]

In Australia student nurses are not allowed to conscientiously object to vaccination. The reason for this is that they need to do placements in a wide variety of clinical settings to fulfil the requirements of their course and being unvaccinated could place them, or patients with whom they have contact, at risk. Nurses who are already registered or enrolled may conscientiously object but may not be permitted to work in certain, high risk, areas at the discretion of the employer.

My understanding is that this is not considered discrimination on the basis of religion because there is no religious group which objects to vaccination per se.

[Marnica]

Originally Posted by katelove

In Australia student nurses are not allowed to conscientiously object to vaccination. The reason for this is that they need to do placements in a wide variety of clinical settings to fulfil the requirements of their course and being unvaccinated could place them, or patients with whom they have contact, at risk. Nurses who are already registered or enrolled may conscientiously object but may not be permitted to work in certain, high risk, areas at the discretion of the employer.

My understanding is that this is not considered discrimination on the basis of religion because there is no religious group which objects to vaccination per se.

HMMM I would love to know what high risk areas nurses work in that put them at risk for contracting tetanus. Perhaps it's all the sterile medical equipment they handle?? Since it is not a communicable disease and cannot be spread to others I am unsure how, if they were unvaccinated, they would put their patients at risk.

As for religions that object to vaccination. not sure about Australia, but there are a few here in the USA.

[runes]

Originally Posted by Marnica

HMMM I would love to know what high risk areas nurses work in that put them at risk for contracting tetanus. Perhaps it's all the sterile medical equipment they handle?? Since it is not a communicable disease and cannot be spread to others I am unsure how, if they were unvaccinated, they would put their patients at risk.

Yes, is there any way that you can press them on WHY they are requiring a tetanus shot of all things? It's not like it's protecting the patients at all. Also, there is the tetanus immunoglobulin, which you can opt to take if you sustain an injury that has been determined to be greatly at risk for tetanus.

It truly makes no sense that they are insisting on this one shot.

[katelove]

Originally Posted by Marnica

HMMM I would love to know what high risk areas nurses work in that put them at risk for contracting tetanus. Perhaps it's all the sterile medical equipment they handle?? Since it is not a communicable disease and cannot be spread to others I am unsure how, if they were unvaccinated, they would put their patients at risk.

As for religions that object to vaccination. not sure about Australia, but there are a few here in the USA.

I don't think tetanus *is* a high risk for nurses at work. The policy just doesn't allow for people to selectively vax, it requires a full schedule. I was really commenting on the discrimination issue rather than the individual vax. Sorry, I might not have been too clear on that.

Out of interest, which religious groups in the US are opposed to vaccination?

[kiara7]

Originally Posted by katelove

Out of interest, which religious groups in the US are opposed to vaccination?

Church of Scientology at least. But it doesn't matter since exemptions are based on personal religious beliefs and don't have to be approved by any church to be valid.

[geekgolightly]

See if they will accept a titer. I doubt they will budge, as although you don't think of hospital equipment as dirty, it is. And you do get stuck, poked, scratched etc. What they are trying to do is protect the patient.

[runes]

Originally Posted by geekgolightly

What they are trying to do is protect the patient.

That's the whole thing, though. Tetanus is not communicable. The tetanus vaccine will do NOTHING to protect the patient.

[Sileree]

I am sorry to hear that they are pushing unnecessary vaxes on you.

I have been lucky, my school requires only MMR or "immune" titer levels to measles and rubella. Hepatitis B is optional.

At my school you have to be vaccinated if you want to get signed off on things by the instructor when the class is at the usual clinical sites. But if you refuse, it is possible to pay extra for your instructor to come to a different hospital that doesn't care about unvaccinated students.

Maybe that would be possible for you? Or could you go to a different school? Or as a last resort forge something?

[Marnica]

Originally Posted by katelove

Out of interest, which religious groups in the US are opposed to vaccination?

Christian Scientists

[Marnica]

Originally Posted by kiara7

Church of Scientology at least. But it doesn't matter since exemptions are based on personal religious beliefs and don't have to be approved by any church to be valid.

Actually this is not the case. There is nothing specific in the writings of L Ron Hubbard about vaccination. Scientologists usually shun psychiatry and psychiatric drugs, and I don't think they agree with the current vaccine schedule, but they are not totally anti-vax I don't think. John Travolta who is a big time Scientologist has donated a bunch of vaccines to rescue workers
after hurricaine Katrina.

http://www.scientology.org/news-medi...na/050906.html

[ZoeyZoo]

Originally Posted by katelove

Out of interest, which religious groups in the US are opposed to vaccination?

In addition to the ones mentioned above I know the most Amish communities are religiously opposed too. The chiro association has registered a religion that is against vax too and will write a letter on your behalf for a fee.

[claddaghmom]

Good luck! This is one of the biggest reasons I didn't go straight into med school.


:::

They laughed at me when I said I had a medical exemp. And it doesn't quite matter if the law is theoretically on my side...the competition to get into a tier one school is such that I wouldn't have a chance.

Heck, even my local com. college has a 1yr wait list just for nursing school.

[Sileree]

Originally Posted by claddaghmom

Heck, even my local com. college has a 1yr wait list just for nursing school.

My school has a two-year waiting list!

[AnnieMarie]

Originally Posted by ZoeyZoo

In addition to the ones mentioned above I know the most Amish communities are religiously opposed too. The chiro association has registered a religion that is against vax too and will write a letter on your behalf for a fee.

Zoey please can you post about the religion that the chiro assoc registered
SORRY for OT post....

[NYCVeg]

Originally Posted by Marnica

Actually this is not the case. There is nothing specific in the writings of L Ron Hubbard about vaccination. Scientologists usually shun psychiatry and psychiatric drugs, and I don't think they agree with the current vaccine schedule, but they are not totally anti-vax I don't think. John Travolta who is a big time Scientologist has donated a bunch of vaccines to rescue workers
after hurricaine Katrina.

http://www.scientology.org/news-medi...na/050906.html

Christian Science is NOT Scientology.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_science

[Marnica]

Originally Posted by NYCVeg

Christian Science is NOT Scientology.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_science

UM, nowhere did I imply that it was...the poster asked which religions were opposed to vaccinations...I said Christian scientists. Another poster said Scientologists and I was posting (in a totally separate post) that in fact scientologists are NOT opposed to vaccinations.