“There are so many” what if? “Out there,” said a nurse, who wished to remain anonymous. June 7 is the deadline. It’s ‘take the vaccine’ or ‘pack your bags.’ ‘
The nurse started a petition hoping to waive the mandatory vaccination requirement to all Houston Methodist employees.
“We’re not saying we’ll never get it, we just want more time,” the nurse said. ‘We want more research. We want it to be thoroughly approved by the FDA before we actually put it in our bodies. ‘
She said at this point that a group of employees at her hospital are too scared to receive the vaccine, but they are even more concerned about losing their jobs. They believe it should be a choice to get the vaccine.
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“I’m actually fighting for anyone who’s too scared to say anything right now,” she said.
Meanwhile, legal analyst Steve Shellist said frankly that the nurses don’t have many rights, especially during a pandemic. He said the law is pretty clear, and the only exceptions include religious or health reasons.
“The hospital has the right to say, ‘If you want to be in close contact with patients and other medical providers, you need to get a vaccine, and if that doesn’t work, you’re not going to work here,’” he explained.
Houston Methodist president and CEO Dr. Marc Boom, said they owe it to their patients to put them first and make them feel safe, so the vaccine is 100% mandatory. Boom said the hospital stands by its decision and believes it is 100% safe and the best option.
Houston Methodist recently ceased a town hall for its employees to ease fears and answer questions
“Working in healthcare is a privilege,” says Boom. “With privilege comes responsibility.”
As for the nurse, she said she takes her job seriously, but she just wants to take the vaccine on her own terms when she’s ready.
“If anyone would like to hire a good nurse, I would be happy to take another job,” she said.
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