Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at risk for exposure to serious, and sometimes deadly, diseases. If you work directly with patients or handle material that could spread infection, you should get appropriate vaccines to reduce the chance that you will get or spread vaccine-preventable diseases. Protect yourself, your patients, and your family members. Make sure you are up-to-date with recommended vaccines.
Healthcare workers include physicians, nurses, emergency medical personnel, dental professionals and students, medical and nursing students, laboratory technicians, pharmacists, hospital volunteers, and administrative staff.
If you don't have documented evidence of a complete hepB vaccine series, or if you don't have an up-to-date blood test that shows you are immune to hepatitis B (i.e., no serologic evidence of immunity or prior vaccination) then you should
Get the 3-dose series (dose #1 now, #2 in 1 month, #3 approximately 5 months after #2).
Get anti-HBs serologic tested 1–2 months after dose #3.
If you were born in 1957 or later and have not had the MMR vaccine, or if you don't have an up-to-date blood test that shows you are immune to measles or mumps (i.e., no serologic evidence of immunity or prior vaccination), get 2 doses of MMR (1 dose now and the 2nd dose at least 28 days later). If you were born in 1957 or later and have not had the MMR vaccine, or if you don't have an up-to-date blood test that shows you are immune to rubella, only 1 dose of MMR is recommended. However, you may end up receiving 2 doses, because the rubella component is in the combination vaccine with measles and mumps.
If you have not had chickenpox (varicella), if you haven't had varicella vaccine, or if you don't have an up-to-date blood test that shows you are immune to varicella (i.e., no serologic evidence of immunity or prior vaccination) get 2 doses of varicella vaccine, 4 weeks apart.
State Immunization Laws for Healthcare Workers and Patients Summarizes state immunization laws for healthcare workers, correctional inmates/residents, hospital inpatients, and developmentally disabled facility residents; search for information on vaccine administration, assessment, and Hepatitis B reporting.
Flu: Protect Your Patients. Protect Yourself Toolkit features a variety of helpful resource materials for healthcare institutions to implement or expand their healthcare worker immunization programs (from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).
Increasing Flu Vaccination Rates among Healthcare Workers Position statements from professional organizations, mandatory influenza vaccination policies, and many helpful resources from the National Influenza Vaccine Summit's website.
