Nurses and other UMass Memorial Medical Center staff members who have not been vaccinated against the flu were told this week that they must wear a mask on the job to protect patients from being infected during a hospital stay. Similar or even more stringent policies are in place at some other Massachusetts hospitals, but the change at UMass Memorial has angered some nurses who say the hospital is trying to shame them into getting a flu shot.
“They’re just bullying people,” said Ellen Smith, who works in intensive care at the health system’s university campus. Smith, who was wearing a mask Friday, said she has not received a flu shot during 20 years as a nurse.
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So either the nurses at this hospital are afraid of vaccines or they place their autonomy above patient safety. Which is worse?
The nurses should stop worrying about being humiliated or "bullied" and show a little more concern for their patients. Just unbelievable. Maybe they should consider a different profession.