As a travel nurse, you may be at the front line when it comes to ensuring that infants are getting the vaccinations they need to live happy and healthy lives. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 14 different vaccinations that children should get by age 2 to help prevent an array of diseases. These include:
- Chickenpox
- Diphtheria
- Hib
- Hepatitis A and B
- Flu
- Measles
- Mumps
- Pertussis
- Polio
- Pneumococcal
- Rotavirus
- Rubella
- Tetanus
However, as you may have heard in the news, many new parents are opting not to have their kids vaccinated for these serious diseases. Steve Calandrillo from the University of Washington School of Law published his findings as to why vaccinations are vanishing in America in the 2004 winter issue of the University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform. At the time of Calandrillo's research, many moms and dads were avoiding vaccination due to the belief it was somehow linked to autism. In the last 10 years, however, that myth has been debunked on numerous occasions. Yet, still, children aren't getting vaccinated – and that's where you come in as a travel nursing professional.
Making the difference
As a nurse, you are often seen as the face of health care. This means that more than most in the industry, you get to talk face-to-face with clients on a regular basis. As a result, you are in the perfect position to share the facts with moms and dads who may be debating over whether or not to vaccinate their newborns.
Healthcare Traveler advises that you explain to those who are on the fence that there has yet to be a definitive link to autism. In fact, it is likely that the link between autism and vaccinations was created due to the fact that diagnosis happens around the same time kids are getting their shots.
In addition to encouraging the vaccination of kids, it's important that healthcare staffing professionals are vaccinated themselves in order to prevent the spread of infection. According to the source, it is best to get shots to prevent against influenza. However, there's a good chance that travel nursing jobs are located within facilities requiring these vaccinations prior to starting employment. This goes above and beyond current regulations in place by the American Nurses Association, which supports state laws requiring vaccinations but does not support that they are mandatory across the healthcare profession.