Working with the VA is always....interesting. It is a wonderful service that has made an amazing difference in the lives of literally millions of vets. In our own family it has been a great blessing. They bent over backwards for Karyn's pregnancy. They expedited my claim for my hands so that I wouldn't have to pay for my treatments. All in all, they do a pretty good job...eventually.
But then you have days like yesterday. I start EMT school next week, and as a healthcare worker, I am required to be fully immunized. Well, I was overseas with the military, so I've been immunized for EVERYTHING.....THRICE. (The Army lost my medical records twice.) So I have to have proof of vaccination or a positive titer for chicken pox, mumps, rubeola, rebella, Hep B, and current DTAP and TB tests. Now, I got a DTAP when I cut the end of my finger off two years ago (long story). And I was required to get a TB test before the dermatologist could give me my meds. VA is going to do a titer for chicken pox, which I definitely had. We have records for MMR, but I had no idea what Rubeola was. Apparently, neither did my nurse...or my DOCTOR! They checked with the CDC and there is apparently no vaccination for the disease of Rubeola. But, there is a titer.
So now, I'm wondering how I can possibly get a positive titer for a vaccine that doesn't exist. A titer is when they draw blood and check it for antibodies. However, it is required by the State for all healthcare professionals. When we got home, my wife did some research....for about 45 seconds. Rubeola isn't a disease. It is the name of the vaccine for MEASLES. So it is a part of the MMR. I'm slightly concerned that no one in my healthcare team picked up on that. I love my doc and his nurse. They are wonderful people who have taken great care of me. But, I guess it's good to know I will never die of the dreaded Rubeola.
No comments:
Post a Comment