stinking of cigarette smoke

Nurses General Nursing

Published

:angryfire Is there anyone out there who agrees with me?

I work on a ward where we frequently provide palliative care for patients with cancer (amongst other things). I cannot stress how much it infuriates me when nurses who are smokers go into a dying cancer patient's room stinking of cigarette smoke.

In my opinion this is so morally and ethically wrong that I took my concerns to our unit manager after a patient's family made a complaint to me about another nurse. Unfortunately the NUM also smokes like a chimney and bla bla bla bla nothing was done.

Now that I have unloaded I feel more able to look at the situation objectively and decide on a course of action through appropriate channels.

I would welcome any and all opinions on smoking in the workplace.

(Please let it be known that I do not object to any person's right to smoke off the ward if they wish, only in the circumstances descibed above).

Specializes in Telemetry, OR, ICU.
Corvette Guy,

Thank you for your understanding. I applaud you and thank you for the job you did in the service. I agree that you have the right not to be around second hand smoke. I think you might be right about the forum I am sorry for the way I have stated my opion on this matter and hope that I have not played down the sacrifices made by the thoundsands of people who have died defending the freedoms we hold now.

I'm still in service [uSAR, and come April 3rd I'll be Active Duty], nonetheless I do appreciate your kind thoughts.

Please, don't worry about ruffling any feathers... and continue to express your opinion here on the best darn RN forum on the planet.

:)

No. If smoking were made illegal, dishing out the punishment for this crime is not the function or business of an employer. Obviously there are crimes that should be conditions of employment but not every crime falls into this category, nor should it.

If smoking becomes illegal, there will be a lot of taxes the states have gotten used to getting that will be transferred to non-smokers.

Specializes in Telemetry, OR, ICU.
If smoking becomes illegal, there will be a lot of taxes the states have gotten used to getting that will be transferred to non-smokers.

... maybe so, but think of the long term reduction in health insurance, and medical cost :wink2:

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