I have a question to nurse that smoke

eriksoln, BSN, RN · Jan 26, 2011

Who fired the nurse and how did they find out about it? There might be more to it: Is smoking allowed where the cig hand-off took place? Was the nurse not on break/lunch?

I've done it. I've given patients a cig. before. They were in with things unrelated to smoking and were just between paychecks or w/e and I was outside and they asked. Some will tell you you've crossed some line, given up on your role as a "teacher", others will say the pt. is not actively seeking to quit, not the time for teaching.

I've also seen nurses refuse to give cigs to patients for fear of what you described. At the time, I didn't blame them. Certain hosp. admin. despise seeing workers lining the streets just outside the facility when they should be inside working. I picture an admin. coming to work, passing by people outside smoking, then going in their office to hear a bunch of complaints about being "short staffed". I can see where they'd be annoyed. Giving a cig to a pt. may be the last straw and make them feel its necessary to do something.

My solution to the debate was to quit smoking so, I have none to give anymore lmao.

LongislandRN23 · Jan 26, 2011

I smoke and I think it is absolutely a horrible habit. However I do not smoke a pack a day for instance I haven't a cigarette in 48 hours, i usually smoke maybe 5 or 6 a day if I'm out and about. Anyway I'm young and have been only smoking for 4 or 5 years so hopefully I will quite soon! To be able to quit you have to have the desire and passion to do it! I have really good genes, my grandfather smoked for 60 plus years and passed away at 85 from natural causes, my aunt smoked for 40 years and just recently quite and she's really healthy, I have 12 aunts and uncles and about 50 first cousins and 90% of them do not smoke and thank the lord no one has had any cancer or disease other than high cholesterol. Anyway I plan on quitting soon, but what is so hard is that smoking really does relieve tension when your stressed and makes you feel better probably because you are addicted to it.

My friend works on a psych floor at a major hospital and the residents are allowed to have 1 cigarrete a day. I dont think she hsould have fired, maybe reprimanded or given a warning I think firing for giving a patient a cigarete OUTSIDE the hospital, and may she didnt even know they were a pateint?

eriksoln, BSN, RN · Jan 26, 2011

i smoke and i think it is absolutely a horrible habit. however i do not smoke a pack a day for instance i haven't a cigarette in 48 hours, i usually smoke maybe 5 or 6 a day if i'm out and about. anyway i'm young and have been only smoking for 4 or 5 years so hopefully i will quite soon! to be able to quit you have to have the desire and passion to do it! i have really good genes, my grandfather smoked for 60 plus years and passed away at 85 from natural causes, my aunt smoked for 40 years and just recently quite and she's really healthy, i have 12 aunts and uncles and about 50 first cousins and 90% of them do not smoke and thank the lord no one has had any cancer or disease other than high cholesterol. anyway i plan on quitting soon, but what is so hard is that smoking really does relieve tension when your stressed and makes you feel better probably because you are addicted to it.
my friend works on a psych floor at a major hospital and the residents are allowed to have 1 cigarrete a day. i dont think she hsould have fired, maybe reprimanded or given a warning i think firing for giving a patient a cigarete outside the hospital, and may she didnt even know they were a pateint?

not getting on my soap box here, just pointing out something that helped me quit:

smoking is a stimulant. it awakens you and makes you more alert. it does not relax. you only get that relaxed feeling because your mind is tricked into thinking you need it. you feel relaxed the way someone very thirsty feels relaxed by water.

something a lot of "quit smoking" courses will teach you is that the idea that smoking relaxes is a farce. what they think now is that we are truly relaxed by smoking, but not by the cig.

imagine you are smoking now, take a drag. you inhale..........hold it a second or two.......breath it deep and exhale slowly. sound anything like the deep breathing tech. taught by rt and on pulmonary units?

if you are quitting smoking, take up deep breathing exercises. inhale for the count of 10, deeply, hold it, exhale for the count of 12 slowly. do this and your need to be "relaxed" by a cig. dissolves. deep breathing is essential to quitting smoking.

APRN., DNP, RN, APRN, NP · Jan 26, 2011

When you smoke, you stimulate both the nicotinic receptors in the parasympathetic and the sympathetic nervous system. Rest and Fight at the same time. You may think you're "more relaxed", but you are being misled.

joprasklpn · Jan 26, 2011

It's a stupid thing to fire someone for that. Could've just given an oral warning or something.

handyrn · Jan 26, 2011

What's next? An obese nurse getting fired for giving a french fry to a patient with high cholesterol? Isn't it about the same thing? In my opinion it is, but you would never see it happen.

handyrn · Jan 26, 2011

Ok, I just read my post and it's kinda comparing apples to oranges. What I should have said was what if an obese nurse gave an obese patient a french fry or something that was contraindicated for their condition. The point is that smoking is somehow seen as more taboo than most other unhealthy habits in nurses. Not sure why this is.

CAT-CNA · Jan 26, 2011

The last LTC I worked at I gave a resident a cig and the other CNA with me told me not to do that again 'cause if the higher ups caught me doing that I could get written up or fired. I don't remember the reason why, but I thought it was stupid.

handyrn · Jan 26, 2011

Here's another thought: Don't patients have Dr. orders that say that they can smoke? I know a lot of LTCs do this. So, if that is the case, and the patient has an order that reads "may smoke prn/one cig a day/etc" then why does it matter where they got the cig?

CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN · Jan 26, 2011

LTC that I've worked at doesn't have smoking orders from the doc.

The CNAs lend cigs to the residents all the time. The only thing I have an issue with is them taking them from the residents.

In prison cigs are a currency. LOL

time4meRN · Jan 26, 2011

I'm not a smoker but there is way too much big brother. Next thing you know a nurse will get fired for giving someone a cinnamon roll and we will have a " cholesterol hut" to eat in. Or better yet, a " sit on my butt, eat fattening food and watch bad tv hut". Oh wait, we have one of those, it's the ED waiting area. HA!