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It sounds corny, but when you're a new mom, all you need is love. All you need is care. All you need is compassion. The early throes of parenthood are hard, and what you definitely don't need is a nurse in a hospital calling you a "loser" because you haven't vaccinated your child. Oh, yes, this actually happened.
Katie Smart of South Carolina took her 9-month-old to the Palmetto Health's Children's Hospital after she saw him twist his ankle. He also had a fever, so just to be on the safe side, Smart took her son to be checked out. But when her son was being examined, she saw a note that was left behind by a nurse that read: "need to fx fever; 0 immunizations ... Loser!" with a sad face drawn underneath.
Classy, right? Isn't this exactly how you'd want to be treated at a hospital when you're there with your sick child? Asked no one ever.
Smart says that she felt "judged" after seeing the note. And with good reason -- she totally was! Doesn't get much more judgey than the word "loser," does it? "For her to say that, she doesn't know why I choose not to vaccinate," Katie said. She added that she and her husband chose not to vaccinate two of their three children after researching the ingredients of vaccinations. Now, think what you want about vaccinations, but a mom who researches something and then chooses not to do it because she wants to protect her child how she sees fit certainly doesn't sound like a loser to me. The real issue here is the fact that the nurse -- you know, the person whose job is centered around around helping people -- clearly still has a high-school mentality and doesn't know how to be professional. I mean, who does that?
To vax or not to vax is a controversial topic, and people from both camps tend to have extremely strong opinions. But it isn't a nurse's job to judge a parent for their decision. It's the Internet's. Just kidding. Doctors and nurses should inform their patients of their options, and that's that. If they want to offer their opinions, great. But no need to call someone a name if their opinion differs -- especially if it's the parent of a child who just twisted his ankle.
The nurse responsible for the note has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation, and a hospital spokesperson said: "Along with taking quick and appropriate disciplinary action with the team member involved, we are using this as a real-time learning opportunity to ensure every Palmetto Health team member clearly understands and reflects our standards of behavior with every patient, every time." Let's just hope their standards of behavior don't include calling patients schoolyard names.
What do you think of this? Are you pro or anti vax?
See this video on The Stir by CafeMom.
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