It just makes sense

For years now, Dr. Robert Wakefield, medical director of residential and transitional care, has been giving himself the flu shot.

“It’s more of convenience thing for me – but I don’t charge MSP,” he says with a laugh.

Working with the elderly, who are more vulnerable to health complications caused by the flu, Dr. Wakefield says that doctors should protect themselves, the workers taking care of the elderly and the elderly themselves by getting the shot.

“I think we have a responsibility,” he says, “because we travel so much to different facilities and are potentially exposed to it more – we tend to migrate around. And with that we can spread it more to our patients.”

Earlier that morning, Dr. John Shepherd had just received his vaccination.

“I got it at 8:30 this morning, my arm doesn’t hurt and I feel fine knowing both my patients and I are protected,” says the Chair of the VCH Health Authority Medical Advisory Committee (HAMAC). “And it’s been the same for all of the past years when I got the shot – it just makes sense.”

While there are some who question the vaccine’s efficacy, Dr. Wakefield says it’s not worth putting the patient at risk.

“Some argue that the vaccine is only 50 per cent effective,” he says. “But that’s not bad and still worth it. And there’s evidence that the more you get vaccinated, the broader your immunity gets. Even if you’re healthy to fight through it, the person you pass it onto might not be strong enough.”

Dr. Patrick O’Connor, vice-president of Medicine, Quality & Safety gets vaccinated.

Dr. Shepherd says doctors owe it to their patients to get vaccinated.

“Doctors, nurses, everybody at VCH should get the flu shot,” he says. “Patients are putting their lives in our hands so we owe it to them to do something that would prevent them from getting sicker, from potentially prolonging their stay in the hospital.”

For more information on where to get the vaccine, check out the flu immunization locator.