The University of North Florida has instituted some of the most INSANE COVID policies nationwide, especially regarding vaccine mandates.

Over the summer, now-TPUSA member Kaitlyn followed up with the UNF Nursing program that she would be approved for a previously submitted religious exemption for the vaccine in order to complete her clinical trials. Kaitlyn received a response from the UNF Nursing department stating that “we cannot mandate the vaccine, but unfortunately, we cannot place you clinically if you choose to not receive the vaccination.”

The department head continued by saying, “There may be the opportunity to submit a ‘religious exemption’ at various clinical sites, but to do so & await approval may require that you sit out the fall semester awaiting approval. As a result, this will pose a problem for you moving forward in the program.”

Turns out, the same messaging was sent to several students seeking exemptions for the COVID vaccine. One student in particular even received an email stating, “I’m sorry, but that is the reality of what we are dealing with. I don’t know what your rationale is for not getting the vaccine, but I certainly wouldn’t want to be a healthcare worker without being vaccinated.”

Talk about fear-mongering and utter disrespect for someone’s private medical decision. As nursing administrators, you would expect them to be advocates for consulting with their individual doctors and making medical decisions based on their safety and personal circumstances.

Another student received an email saying, “You will have to take an incomplete and hope to be able to complete at a later date. In addition, you can’t progress in the program until the incomplete is cleared.”

Kaitlyn has continued speaking out about the school’s policy, sharing her perspective that “as nursing students and future healthcare workers, we do not abdicate our civil and religious liberties just because we are caring for patients and I am beyond disappointed at the School of Nursing’s abuse of power and pure disregard for the law and basic nursing ethics.”

Several concerned students and parents have reached out to Kaitlyn regarding this story’s attention and even shared some of their own experiences dealing with the UNF Nursing School’s administration. One student wrote to Kaitlyn that she got the vaccine out of compliance with the program but wishes she never did.

At this time, there is an ongoing court case between Kaitlyn and UNF’s School of Nursing. A letter has been sent to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis detailing UNF’s behavior as potentially unconstitutional.

We leave this story (for now) questioning whether UNF was telling the truth about their hospital partner’s vaccine requirements at all. Kaitlyn told TPUSA, “What is even more concerning is that many of us students have personally reached out to UNF’s hospital partners asking about vaccination requirements for students, and many either do not require it or offer medical and religious exemptions.”

We’re left asking the question, why was Kaitlyn told over the summer that her “religious exemption” would not be accounted for in order to complete her clinical trials with UNF’s hospital partners if, in fact, some hospitals allowed for religious exemptions to be an exception?