Take the Shot or Wear the Mask?

It’s flu season again—and hospitals are repeating the same ultimatum: take the shot or wear the mask. But where do these rules actually come from, and are they based on science or control?
In this powerful episode of Nurses Out Loud, host Jodi O’Malley, MSN, RN is joined by Kristen Meghan, a senior Industrial Hygienist with 20 years of experience in occupational and environmental toxicology. Together they expose how flu season policies, mask mandates, and vaccine requirements are often driven by optics—not evidence.
Kristen breaks down OSHA standards, the hierarchy of safety controls, and why surgical masks fail basic respiratory protection requirements. They also unpack the psychological toll on nurses, the ethics of coercion in healthcare, and how OSHA quietly told employers not to record vaccine injuries.
This episode challenges the “one-size-fits-all” narrative and calls nurses to stand up for ethics, transparency, and true workplace safety.

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