Declining the Flu Shot

I have my 2nd observation with my advisor tomorrow, so I'll keep this entry short so I can get prepared...

I went to the doctor for a check-up today and part of the usual "anything the doctor should know since last year" type questions, was the question, "do you want a flu shot?"

I thought briefly about getting the flu shot when I first started student teaching, but have heard a lot of horror stories since then (thanks Dean and Beth!) and changed my mind. I also sometimes wonder about the whole "choosing a strain that's going to be 'popular' this season". I mean, how do they really know which strain is going to rear its ugly head?

So when the nurse asked the question, I instantly said no. And then she said, "Well, I'll give you the form to sign that says that you declined the shot." I said okay, and then when she left the room, I thought, wait, what? Sure enough, she came back shortly after with a green colored form that had the words "decline" and "accept", both with lines next to them for a signature. I signed where she put an x next to decline and returned it to the receptionist when I left.

Okay, maybe someone out there knows the reason why they do this. Is it because in our "sue everybody" society someone is going to sue U of M Medical Center because he/she got the flu and "was never offered the shot"? I don't know. Strange.