WE ARE STRONGER TOGETHER WITH THE FLU VACCINE
Longtime Occupational Health Services employees to talk about the upcoming flu season
Holly Nelson, RN, and Shannon Robinson, BSN, RN are part of the Occupational Health Services team that administers around 15,000 flu vaccines each year.
The start of the school year, cooler weather and autumn-themed decorations seem to be top-of-mind when entering into the fall season. As most people look forward to the new possibilities another time of year can bring, our UF Health Shands Occupational Health Services colleagues usually think in a different direction — flu season.
Whether it’s administering vaccines in the UF Health Shands Atrium or at the 40-plus off-site locations, the Occupational Health Services, or OHS, team works diligently to order vaccines, prepare schedules and ensure the safety of our employees.
With a combined 31 years of experience working in OHS as nurses, Shannon Robinson, BSN, RN; Holly Nelson, RN; Beverly Hernandez, RN; Carla Lofthouse, RN; and their small team administer around 15,000 flu vaccines per year. Hear from these four employees about the details that go into flu season planning and why they believe we can all be “Stronger Together” as a community when we get our vaccine for the 2022-23 flu season.
Why is getting your flu vaccine important?
Robinson: It’s important that we protect our employees and our patients as best we can. As employees, if we opt not to get the vaccine, we’re risking coming to work sick and spreading the flu to others. This will affect who we’re caring for. Ultimately, that’s why we’re all here — to care for patients.
Nelson: I know a friend who lost her father to the flu. Her father was healthy and young. Even though I give flu vaccinations to employees, I always hold this story close to my heart because it’s personal to me. When employees ask why they should get their flu vaccine, I always talk about how getting severely sick from the flu is mostly preventable with this powerful tool. It’s our job to spread this message.
What do you find personally fulfilling about helping to administer flu vaccines every year?
Lofthouse: Administering vaccines is always social — talking with the staff all day, interacting with employees that you don’t see all of the time and meeting new people. Personally, I even pack a small case of vaccines and go around to various units to vaccinate employees when they don’t have time to come to the UF Health Shands Atrium.
Nelson: When you go to some off-site locations, like the Florida Recovery Center, for example, they’ve been doing flu season with us for so long that they have the protocol down to a science. They let us in one door, have our station area cleared out and they give out T-shirts to employees as they receive their flu vaccines. It’s always fun to see our off-site locations and the creative ways they encourage their employees to get a flu vaccine.
What are some of the logistical challenges during flu vaccine season?
Hernandez: Our days are much longer during flu season because our mornings start earlier to pre-pack vaccines and set up stations in the UF Health Shands Atrium. Everyone has to work a few night shifts as well, depending on the schedule. Also, there’s always one-to-two new members that join our team during flu season, and that comes with a learning curve. On top of the long days, there are hours and hours of pre-planning schedules, packing cases of vaccines for off-site locations and making sure work outages are covered. The hardest part is administering vaccines in addition to all of our other everyday tasks.
Nelson: A flu vaccine happens every 10 seconds or so. Although technical difficulties happen, our system is like a well-oiled machine. Everyone is always where they need to be. We have staff opening Band-Aids at certain times, fulfilling orders of syringes and needles, gathering additional supplies, moving into off-site areas and so on. It’s really fascinating to see the system come together.
How does receiving a flu vaccine reinforce the idea of being “Stronger Together” as a health care system and community?
Lofthouse: The flu vaccine is the best tool we have to help mitigate illness, prevent the flu and lessen complications. This vaccine could save your life. If everyone chose to get the flu vaccine, we could create a community where we make a commitment to our health. We’re all pushing forward to be healthier and make a stronger team for our well-being, the well-being of our patients and the well-being of our community.
Nelson: Flu season makes our Occupational Health Services staff stronger in a different way as we push through the long days of administering vaccines. I’ve known Bev, Shannon and Carla for many years and it’s always a joy to look back on previous flu vaccine seasons and see how much we’ve grown as a team.
Get Vaccinated!
The following employees are eligible to get no-cost flu vaccinations with their employee ID badge:
- UF Health Shands employees and volunteers
- UF Health Physicians employees and volunteers
- UF Health Shands medical staff and providers
- UF College of Medicine faculty physicians, residents and fellows
- Credentialed APRNs
- Credentialed physician assistants
- Credentialed medical staff
Visit Flu Central at Bridge.UFHealth.org/flu to learn more about our policies and how to get your no-cost vaccination through UF Health Shands Occupational Health Services and the UF Student Health Care Center.
Visit www.cdc.gov/flu/season for more resources about the 2022-23 flu season.
