Nurses Need to Lead the Way When It Comes to Flu Shots

In recognition of National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW) Nurses Who Vaccinate is participating in a blog relay as part of a countdown to the first day of NIVW. 

Each day, a different Flu Vaccination Digital Ambassador will post about the importance of flu vaccination as it relates to their readers. You can follow the NIVW conversation on Twitter using hashtag #NIVW2014 and stay tuned as each Digital Ambassador shares who will be posting next.

-NIVW Blog Relay Schedule-

• Monday, December 1  –     A Place for Mom – adults 65 years and older
• Tuesday, December 2 –      Nurses Who Vaccinate – health care professionals
• Wednesday, December 3  - Voices for Vaccines – parents and caregivers of young children
• Thursday, December 4  –   Shot of Prevention – pregnant women and parents
• Friday, December 5  –       Healtheo360 – people with a chronic illness, like heart disease or diabetes
• Saturday, December 6 –    HealthCentral – people with asthma 
• Sunday, December 7 –      About.com Cold & Flu – people at any age or stage of life



Nurses Who Vaccinate are proud to be partnering with our fellow Digital Ambassadors in sharing the importance of influenza vaccines in the week preceding National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW). Initiated by the CDC in 2005 to highlight the importance of continuing flu vaccination through the holiday season and beyond, this year's NIVW is scheduled for December 7-13, 2014.

Nurses are the leading teachers of health care.

Nurses are the main health care workers responsible for educating patients and communities. Like many public health initiatives, the best way to educate our patients about vaccines is to lead by example.

We can only expect our patients to follow our medical advice when we implement it ourselves. We need to walk the walk if we're going to talk the talk. A nurses' role is not limited to administering vaccinations.  It is a nurses' responsibility to be vaccinated and, importantly, do so publicly.

Many nurses and doctors have taken to social media to share that they've received their influenza vaccines. Many of our Nurses Who Vaccinate members have done just that!

Another way to demonstrate the evidence-based side of nursing is by taking the CDC Flu Vaccination Pledge for the 2014-2015 Season. Nurses are also encouraged to participate the  CDC-hosted Twitter chat on Tuesday, December 9 from 1­2pm EST. Nurses can follow this event on Twitter at  @CDCFlu, and with the hashtag #NIVW2014.
The chat will:
o Emphasize that getting vaccinated in December, January and beyond may still provide protective
benefit against influenza.
o Remind parents and providers of the need for certain children to receive a second dose of flu vaccine for optimal protection.
o Provide an opportunity for people to ask questions about the flu and flu vaccination.


The influenza vaccine is safe and effective.

Vaccinating nurses and health care workers has been proven to be effective in protecting patients from influenza. Several studies have shown that vaccination of health care workers protect elderly patients in long-term care. One analysis predicted that if all health care workers in a facility were vaccinated, then approximately 60% of patient influenza infections could be prevented.

Yet, the final numbers for last flu season reported that health care worker influenza vaccination coverage was only 75.2% , similar to coverage of 72.0% in the 2012-13 season. We need to do better.

According to the American Public Health Association, "Influenza vaccination of health care workers is the single most important measure for preventing occupation-acquired and nosocomial influenza from both known and unexpected sources. Other measures, such as hand hygiene and barrier precautions, are additional protective steps, not alternatives. Masks or respirators, whether worn by people with influenza-like illness (ILI) symptoms or those who are in proximity to them, are not as protective as preexposure immunization, especially given the high proportion of asymptomatic infectious people."




You can join the growing number of nurses who are getting their influenza vaccine. Be one of the main pro-science nurses proudly saying, "I won't spread the flu to my patients or my family this year!"




If you've already received your yearly influenza vaccine for this flu season-- kudos and THANK YOU! You're setting a positive example among your co-workers and patients.

Are you encountering questions and concerns from others who are flu vaccine hesitant? Seeing a large number of flu-refusing, mask-wearing co-workers? The CDC has complied common questions and misconceptions about influenza vaccines and answered them on this page. Feel free to print it out for educational handout material and even post it in the break room! Looking for more influenza information to help encourage colleagues to get their flu shots? Check out the CDC Flu campaign for healthcare workers. If you're uncomfortable answering questions personally, send them our way via email- NursesWhoVaccinate@gmail.com.


Remember: CDC says an annual flu vaccination is the best protection against flu. Nurses get your flu vaccine and encourage other healthcare workers to do the same by sharing your flu vaccine selfies (#vaxselfies) on social media using the #VaxWithMe tag! Be sure to stop by the other NIVW relay participants’ blogs to learn about flu vaccination for everyone – tomorrow’s post will be hosted by our friends over at Voices for Vaccines.

Nurses Who Vaccinate are nurses and health care workers who care about themselves, patients and communities. Are you a pro-science nurse? Supporter of evidence-based nurses? Become a member-http://www.nurseswhovaccinate.org/become-a-member-.html