Report: More Than One-Third of Physicians Disagree with COVID Vaccine Mandates

A recent survey shows that more than one-third of physicians and clinicians disagree with COVID vaccine mandates, including the federal government’s COVID vaccine policy for employers.

National healthcare recruiting firm Adaptive Medical Partners conducted the survey to better understand the potential effects and unintended consequences of COVID vaccine mandates in the healthcare workforce.

“The survey, conducted in October of 2021, was not intended to assess physicians’ opinions about vaccines, as much as it was designed to measure physicians’ insights about the impact of vaccine mandates, particularly the Federal employee policy requiring Covid vaccines, and how physicians feel this may impact their careers, employee morale, and turnover among their colleagues,” the website states.

President Joe Biden announced the federal vaccine mandate in September and it requires vaccination or regular COVID testing for all workers employed by companies with 100 or more employees.

“This Federal mandate was announced after some U.S. health systems had already implemented their own vaccine mandates, many of which did not allow for a testing option as it is likely administratively and financially prohibitive for many employers to reasonably implement,” the survey reads.

When asked their overall opinion of the federal vaccine mandate and whether they agree or disagree with the federal government mandating COVID vaccines for employees:

• 66% of physicians and clinicians surveyed said they agree with the Federal vaccine mandate to some extent, most of whom indicated that they “strongly” agree with the vaccine mandate;
• 28% of physicians and clinicians surveyed “strongly disagree” with the Federal vaccine mandate; plus another
• 4% of participants who “somewhat disagree”;
• Only 8% of respondents were neutral or had no opinion on the topic.

Among the 1,049 total survey respondents, 72% are physicians — MDs or DOs — and 12% are advanced practice clinicians — NPs, PAs, or CRNAs.

Of the total respondents, 53% said they are covered by the federal vaccine policy for employers with more than 100 employees, and 28% said they are not covered by the federal policy — 11% said they are employed by practices that are not covered by the federal vaccine policy, but that their employer had already enforced a vaccine mandate independently of the federal government’s policy, according to the survey.

Impact of Federal Vaccine Mandate on Employee Morale
Respondents were asked their opinion about how they think the federal vaccine mandate will impact employee morale where they work currently.

• 43% of respondents feel that the federal vaccine mandates will have a positive or significantly positive impact on employee morale among their colleagues;
• Nearly 12% feel that the vaccine mandate will have no impact on employee morale either way; and
• 35% of clinicians surveyed said that they think vaccine mandates will have a negative impact on employee morale.

The AMP leadership included parts of the survey in which they found interesting:

“While physicians and clinicians are clearly largely in favor of vaccines in general, including the Covid vaccinations in most cases it seems, there are many clinicians who remain anti-mandate despite being pro-vaccine. Many indicated a preference for there to be some allowances for their individual medical needs, and those of their patients who are facing mandates, rather than requiring any medication or medical treatment across the board,” AMP leadership wrote in the survey. Additionally, “the mandates are adding yet another stressful challenge to an already overworked, understaffed healthcare labor force, which is concerning.”

The full survey can be read here.

Just after the Biden administration announced that it will delay requiring jabs until Jan. 4, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit assessed that the mandate posed “grave statutory and constitutional issues” and temporarily blocked the action.

Check back with OutKick for updates.

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