What are the requirements for a nurse to give flu injections?
The laws regarding immunizations are not within the BON’s authority. With regard to vaccines of any kind, an Attorney General opinion in 1981 (MW-318) determined that immunizations are preventative, thus no medical diagnosis is required or made when a person receives an immunization. Board staff recommends that a facility have standing physician delegation orders that guide the nurse when to give pneumococcal or influenza vaccines. Position Statement 15.5, Nurses with Responsibility for Initiating Physician Standing Orders, references the Texas Medical Board rules applicable to these types of orders, and provides guidance to nurses and employers on important components to include in standing delegation orders. Board staff recommends review of documents located on our web page in “Nursing Practice” then “Scope of Practice.” Among the documents in this section are rule 217.11, Standards of Nursing Practice, the Interpretive Guideline for LVN Scope of Practice Under Rule 217.11, several F
