April is Workplace Violence Awareness Month. While our faculty and staff do their best to give every patient the best care possible, there are times when they face assault at the workplace. Work/Life Connections-EAP offers services to assist individuals and teams who have experienced these stressful events.

​ Join SHARE Center Specialist Lauren Dattilo for a presentation on what sexual harassment is, ways bystanders can help when they witness harassment, and what steps VUMC is taking to create a safer and more equitable workplace.

What is pertussis and how is it spread? Pertussis is a bacterial infection of the respiratory tract which generally begins with mild upper respiratory symptoms and can progress to severe attacks of coughing (paroxysmal stage), often with a characteristic inspiratory whoop. It is caused by Bordetella pertussis. Transmission occurs by close contact with respiratory secretions from an infected person.

When patients are treated with radioactive iodine, their blood and body fluids such as urine and vomit can contain the radioactive drug. Caregivers should understand the risks of exposure. There are two different types of radiation risks: Thyroid exposure: Having the radioactive iodine absorbed by your thyroid gland. External beam radiation: Getting radiation exposure from the contaminated body fluids, just like you would from an X-ray. Preventing thyroid exposure

Formaldehyde is a chemical used in embalming and tissue preservation, as well as in cold sterilization. Acute exposure to formaldehyde may result in pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs), central nervous system (CNS) depression, or pneumonitis (inflammation of the lung tissue). Chronic exposure may cause irritation of the skin, mucous membranes or respiratory tract. Repeated exposure to formaldehyde may result in an allergic response. It is also a potential carcinogen. Primary exposure routes are inhalation and skin absorption.

​Chickenpox is normally a fairly mild childhood illness caused by the varicella virus. Humans are the only source of infection for this highly contagious virus. Humans are infected by person to person transmission when virus comes in contact with upper respiratory tract or eyes and by contact with lesion drainage from someone with chickenpox.

​Compliance with all applicable Vanderbilt Occupational Health medical surveillance and fitness for duty programs is required and compliance status is automatically imported into the Vanderbilt University Medical Center Performance Evaluation System (VPES).

Tuberculosis (TB) is an airborne disease which can be detected with skin testing.