Survey Shows NC Nurses Ready to be Vaccinated

RALEIGH, N.C. - Dec. 16, 2020 - PRLog -- The North Carolina Nurses Association (NCNA) surveyed members and found most respondents are willing to be vaccinated and are comfortable talking with patients about coronavirus vaccine options.

"I am encouraged by what I see here. It is critical that nurses take a leadership role in the deployment of the vaccine because patients look to us. They trust our motives and our advice," said NCNA President Dennis Taylor. "I urge all nurses to follow the science behind vaccinations as we have with masks."

While not a scientific survey, the results give a good indication for how nurses are feeling. NCNA had 430 members respond to the survey conducted December 10-14.

• 57% said they were willing to take the vaccine themselves; 17% said they were not willing; 27% said they were unsure
• 60% said they were comfortable talking with their patients about the COVID-19 vaccine; 22% said they were not comfortable talking with their patients about the vaccine; 18% said they were unsure
• 61% said they believe hospitals should be doing weekly COVID-19 testing for healthcare staff, including nurses; 25% said they do not believe hospitals should be doing weekly tests; 15% said they were unsure

These numbers show there is still work to do convincing some nurses of the safety and efficacy of the vaccine. Notably, these numbers are significantly different from a national survey conducted by the American Nurses Association (https://www.nursingworld.org/news/news-releases/2020/new-...) in October showing only 34 percent of nurses would be willing to be vaccinated and even more – 36 percent – would have been unwilling to be vaccinated at that point.

Many nurses are ready to advocate for the vaccine. "Community stakeholders have got to be selling the public. Nurses can't be neutral or against this," one respondent said. "NCNA has to come out in favor and do everything possible to sell the public and others on this vaccine."

Of the NCNA members who say they are unwilling to be vaccinated, the vast majority of respondents appear to be taking a wait-and-see approach, rather than objecting to the vaccine outright.

Some nurses are concerned about misinformation and disinformation. "I'm comfortable talking with my patients about the vaccine and COVID-19. I'm uncomfortable talking about them with others due to the association with politics and conspiracy theories," one respondent said.

Another important aspect of the survey was an open-comment section about what NCNA members need right now. The results make clear that nurses across the state are overworked, concerned about their own safety and that of their families, and they need more support as coronavirus cases continue to rise. "Too many nurses are overwhelmed and burned out," said one respondent.