Since having been a patient in the past few years, I have firsthand experience with the importance of skill, empathy, and vigilance of clinical staff. However, I never considered myself a patient during FIT testing and vaccination through our Occupational Healthcare Department. I have been pleasantly inspired by our Occupational Healthcare Registered Nurse at Martin Health, Erika Ullman.

On this day of vaccine hesitancy, I found myself a bit hesitant to receive a vaccine since I have a history of lymphadenopathy and shoulder pain involving alternate arms. I presented my case to Erika, and she was very sympathetic and diligent in her evaluation and response. She consulted with her Nurse Practitioner and relayed to me that I would need to obtain a letter of approval from my Provider in order to receive a vaccine, and the letter needed to indicate which arm the vaccine should be administered in. I felt this was a bit much, and I was willing to choose and receive the vaccination in the arm which had shoulder pain. Erika remained a strong patient advocate and insisted that I needed to seek further medical advice. I did pursue the letter and my Practitioner agreed that the arm which had shoulder pain would be more appropriate. Upon further deliberation of Erika's expressed concern, I reached out to Orthopedics, and he ordered an MRI. Surprisingly, this revealed a tear in the rotator cuff tendon. Having this more detailed information, my Practitioner then said I should not have the vaccine in that arm because it was contraindicated with a tear to the tendon. This was a near miss.

After working for thirty years as a Registered Nurse, it is inspiring to still be learning about safety and patient advocacy, especially in such an unexpected environment. In addition, it gives me confidence in Stand Up For Safety.