Impact on Nursing

         

           As with any mediation, there are benefits and risks to vaccinations. Nurses are trained to educate patients of the pros and cons of every intervention and vaccines are no exception. A population of unvaccinated people puts nurses, their families, and any one they come in contact with at an even greater risk for disease. Is it within the nurse’s rights to refuse to care for a patient who refuses to vaccinate themselves and their family? What of patients who contract preventable diseases after their refusal or failure to vaccination—should hospitals risk the health of all their patients, staff, and visitors to care for someone with the communicable disease?