Got a guy on my clinic schedule for today who wants an exemption for the flu and COVID vaccine.

[Aristus]

When my scheduler gets here, I'm going to have him call the patient and tell him no. Not just no, but FUCK NO!

This is the first request, but I doubt it will be the last.

God, get me through today...

[greymattermom]

1. Fire him if you can

You don't need disease spreaders at your clinic.

[Aristus]

2. I'm not allowed to fire patients.

But if I refuse his idiotic request, maybe he'll go away of his own accord...

[mitch96]

13. He will probably find a sympathetic chiropractor to give him his hall pass...nt

[Aristus]

14. As long as he doesn't darken my doorway.

They just added another patient to today's schedule. My clinic schedule is now so dense and heavy, it's in danger of becoming a black hole...

[mitch96]

17. " They just added another patient to today's schedule." I remember days like that...

10 pounds of patients in a 5 pound scanner... I don't miss it..
m

[House of Roberts]

3. Aristus is referring to a patient,

but your second line is correct. Aristus doesn't need disease spreaders at the clinic, especially in the waiting room.

[MissMillie]

4. He'll keep looking for one

I imagine it's possible some healthcare professional might accommodate him, but I hope not.

[Aristus]

6. I can't prevent that.

All I can do is refuse to put my name on the idiocy making this sick country sicker...

[luckone]

15. Thank you!

[Botany]

5. Good Answer! "I'm going to have him call the patient and tell him no. Not just no, but FUCK NO!"

Joe B reflected many of our feelings of anger and frustration at these willfully ignorant people
who are putting all of us at risk.

BTW i know that medical professionals are supposed to help people but I think the best thing is
to have more medical professionals to put their foot down.

Thank You!

[Aristus]

7. Well, it doesn't take a lot of medical resolve to refuse the muttonheaded request of some

shit-for-brains whose reason is "Cuz, cuz, cuz Alex Jones sez vaccines s a Commie plot to turn Uh-murricans into socialist zombies!..."

[Botany]

9. A good friend who was and still is an attorney and he went back and got his R.N. has ...

... told me of patients in his ward at the hospital who will deign that they have C-19 and
he will show them their O2 levels but he doesn't debate them if or if not they have the
disease but he says that a lot of time "these people" wind up going to the ICU, getting
intubated, and then dying.

BTW I think we should withdraw any advance medical care for the unvaccinated and
stick their asses in wall tents and just them give food, water, palliative care, and all the
pain killers they want.

[Scrivener7]

8. I could be wrong, but when I was working with patients for my state and I had to show annual

proof of TB test, etc, I don't remember proof of flu shot ever being required. Again, I could be wrong, and I got it anyway because I was working with medically fragile people, but it was never part of the deal.

If I am right about that, the fact that this guy added "flu shot" to his request suggests to me that he is really hurting for attention and a fight.

"Just no" is the right way to go.

[Aristus]

10. This is a new patient.

Which means he is not aware, as my other patients are, that my policy regarding vaccines is 'Get your immunizations or get out.'

Well, he'll get an education today...

[zeusdogmom]

20. I have to show proof of a negative TB test every year just to volunteer at the zoo.

It is to protect the animals. Wonder if Covid vaccine will be mandated now, too. I have zero problem with that. We are back to required masking if in a building.

Vaccines and the sometimes required proof of no illness are a no brainer. Part of being a member of a civilized society.

[piddyprints]

11. Good for you!

Can’t wait to hear how this turns out. Don’t forget to update us!

[Aristus]

12. My Medical Assistant is on the job.

I told her to call the guy and say not a chance; don't even hope.

We've got a hella busy day today. I'm not going to waste time on anti-vaxxer boy...

[thucythucy]

16. One suggestion I've read recently is that a doctor can urge a patient

or prospective patient get vaccinated as prescribed medical advice.

If and when the patient refuses, you can say, "Well, I can't help you if you refuse to follow my advice, and therefore I can't take you on as a new patient (or continue to see you&quot if this is someone with whom you already have a relationshp.

This helps to protect you from any blowback about your refusal to deal with them. Just as if a patient refuses to take his or her prescribed medication, or continually goes against medical advice.

Just a thought.

[Aristus]

18. I don't have the time or the sauce for it today.

The more intelligent people try to deal with these idiots, the more the idiots dig in their heels.

It's Friday, I've got half of Western Washington marching through my clinic today, I'm on call tonight, and I'm done with these people. He can go somewhere else...

[thucythucy]

19. I get it.

I've lost all patience with these folk, and I'm not even a clinician.

Best wishes on getting through the day.

[MichMan]

23. If it is someone who truly has an adverse reaction to it and informs you of it

Does that make it much more likely that they will win a hefty malpractice award?

[thucythucy]

26. I suppose it depends.

My SO signed a release before getting the shot. As it turns out she didn't have a reaction, but the shot was administered in a setting where she'd have had immediate emergency medical care if a reaction had started.

[MichMan]

21. A friend of mine recently received a liver transplant last week

He isn't supposed to get any vaccinations.

You would refuse him all medical treatments of any kind.

[Aristus]

22. Yeah, no.

I give my patients appropriate medical care.

I would hope that if your friend was on my schedule, the visit reason would say "Follow-up, liver transplant." These things are handled on a case-by-case basis.

You do know I get responses like this all the time, don't you? "You're not practicing medicine the way I think you're supposed to, so you must be incompetent."

I give those responses as much attention as they merit.

[MichMan]

24. In your post on another thread about this you said you didn't care what the reason is

"The schedule doesn't list the reason. But no matter the reason, I'm sending him packing. I won't have any anti-vaxxers in my clinic."

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=15841048

[Aristus]

25. The key term was 'anti-vaxxer'.

These people refuse vaccines for no sound medical reason. If I have a patient for whom the term is 'vaccines contraindicated', that is quite a different kettle of fish.

[MichMan]

27. I wouldn't want to be a client of a practice that would treat people in a vulgar manner like that

Last edited Fri Sep 10, 2021, 02:53 PM - Edit history (1)

I hope this was internet hyperbole


I would be seriously concerned about the perceived quality of care even though I am vaccinated.

[Aristus]

30. Well, I don't use vulgarity with my patients.

In fact, I tend to soft-pedal it more than I probably should. If they refuse their vaccines, I just tell them they probably won't be happy having me as their primary care provider.

I don't practice drive-through medicine; they don't get to pick and choose from the menu. They get evidence-based medical care.

[thucythucy]

28. And all the anti-vaxxers are putting your friend at additional risk.

If everyone who could get the vaccine would get it--meaning ninety eight or nine percent of adults would be at substantially less risk of keeping this pandemic going--then your friend would also be at less risk.

As it is, all that needs to happen is one anti-vaxxer coming into contact with him or her and there's a good chance your friend would be dead in a couple of weeks.

Then too, there's the situation we are now in where ICUs in red states are becoming overwhelmed by non-vaccinated Covid patients. Not only are these people draining resources and delaying treatment for others, but they're putting everyone else in those hospitals at greater risk.

[MichMan]

29. You can't be forced to get vaccinated against your will

Short of an individual mandate with criminal or civil penalties which is certainly not likely to survive legal challenges.

I'm not defending those who don't want it, but at the same time, it is their decision. I dont believe they should be arrested, asssaulted, get fined, fired or refused medical treatment for that choice.

[Aristus]

31. I don't force anti-vaxxers to get their immunizations.

I just try an appeal to logic. They walked in the door of the clinic looking for medical advice. Getting vaccinated against preventable diseases is my medical advice. If they're not going to follow the medical advice they ostensibly came to the clinic for, then why waste everyone's time?

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

32. I do immigration law

I've gotten a lot of requests for consultations from foreign nationals who are anti-vaxxers from Australia and Canada, all pissy about COVID...

Very few of them meet eligibility criteria, but I take special pleasure in informing them that the COVID vaccine is one of the vaccines required in order to obtain US permanent residence