I passed!

Last year, I decided to do something I haven't done since finishing University 8 years ago..... take on some formal study! My excuse was that I was learning so much on the job so why would I bother taking on any more study. I also was so glad when I had finished Uni that there would be no other assignments or exams to do.

After talking to a fellow work colleague about doing volunteer work, we decided that the immunisation for registered nurses course would be a good start..... So I applied for this 12 week on line course - and loved it. I actually thought this course would open my eyes a little as I didn't really know much about vaccines and how they work and thought I could be more open to the reasons why people choose NOT to vaccinate. I also wanted a more informed decision as I vaccinate my own kids a just trusted my instincts that it was the right thing to do. I did always think, well it IS a choice, as long as the parents live with the fact that if their child becomes sick or dies from a vaccine preventable disease that they take responsibility for that choice and that they provide alternative protection from those diseases.

Boy was I wrong!!!! I could not advocate more more vaccination. And I find it more difficult now to see any reason why parents would not vaccinate their children. And it does not only affect that child.... it is seen in Australia now with the increase prevalence of whooping cough and the number of babies that have died from it in the last couple of years shows it is on the rise. In most cases the babies have contracted it from an un-vaccinated/unprotected older child or adult that has the virus - it is the poor babies that suffer..... quite sad really :(

Anyway I won't go on as I may offend some people - but hopefully more to the point I might actually get people thinking about the choice that has to be made for their child and that people might actually seek to find evidence based research in helping them make the decision and not believe the made up THEORIES of anti-vaccine groups.

The only thing that this course allows me to do any differently really is that I can administer vaccines without a doctors order, and give adrenaline in the case of an anaphylactic reaction(which, by the way, is way more rare than having an adverse affect from the diseases they prevent!). This doesn't really affect me at the moment due to the area I work in, but I have become so passionate about it and look to pursue a career in this area - or even go back to the original idea and go and do some volunteer work in countries where communities get wiped out because they don't have access to this simple service......