Nurses and other healthcare staff smoking alongside patients!?!

Nurses Relations

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  1. How concerned are you with co-workers who smoke?

    • 15
      Highly Concerned
    • 7
      Somewhat Concerned
    • 8
      Minimally Concerned
    • 33
      Don't Care

63 members have participated

:banghead: I Just have a rant...

I am sick and tired of having to be bombarded with the scent of smoke in the psychiatric facility I currently work at. Where used to work, granted it was a med-psych unit and not an entire facility, no smoking was allowed... period. Not by the patients and definitely not by the staff. In fact, if staff member did smoke, they had to walk to a designated unsheltered area that was about 200 feet away from the building. Patients got the patch, but nothing more.

Now I work in a behavioral health hospital and which treats children all the way to the geriatric population. Everyone besides those on the child/adolescent units are allowed to smoke. We don't have designated smoking times and it is really up to staff deiscretion how often and when they let patients smoke in the designated patio areas. My issue is that I am subjected to the smell all the time and on one unit there is a backdraft that they say they are working on and I literally feel like I'm smoking.

My charge nurse got upset with me one day because we had a patient with severe muscular dystrophy who would have had a hard time holding her cigarette on her own. The charge asked me to sit out on the patio with her and assist because she feared this patient would burn herself. I respectfully refused. She was surprised, especially because I am usually very helpful. I simply told her that it was not part of my job description to cause harm to my lungs, especially considering I have asthma, just because a patient needed to smoke. I don't understand why this patient could not have had a doctors order for a nicotine patch when smoking was not something she could do without the assistance of staff. She couldn't argue with me and she didn't.

Then the other problem is that at least 60-70% of all the nurses in the facility smoke. This does NOT include other healthcare staff. I think this is ridiculous. Don't get me wrong, there are many bad vices we all have that really shouldn't be since we are in the business of health promotion, but to me smoking really stands out because it affects everyone around you. It is quite unfair that I have to be prepared to use my pump at work because of the smoking. My asthma is usually not that bad and it only really affects me during spring time. I am in the process of filing a complaint because at the end of the day as I see it, If i do get an asthma attack related to the smoking that is an on the job injury...

That's my rant...:madface:

Specializes in Hospice / Ambulatory Clinic.

Question what is your position at this hospital? I find it surprising that a psych nurse would prefer a patient with MD sit outside and risk burning her self than sit and help her hold the cigarette. You didn't need to light up and could have easily stood downwind. Been there done that. Many dying patients want nothing more than one last cigarette.

Change can occur if enough people want it

Bingo. Obviously, not enough people at your facility want it. Choose battles that offer a reasonable chance of precipitating change. Doesn't sound like this is it. At least for now.

I couldn't help but notice that your avatar was Mickey Mouse in a nursing outfit. The two really don't mix. Disney is make-believe. Nursing is real life. Tolerance and a non- judgemental attitude are necessary. It's not the perfect world of Disney pixie dust, sunshine and rainbows and everyone catering to your needs.

Specializes in (Nursing Support) Psych and rehab.
You seem like you want to change everyone and everything about you instead of taking the sensible part and changing your place of employment ( or opinion on the matter ) You seem to be taking the role of advocate a step too far. If your miserable at work with your asthma leave but don't count on getting radical change just for you. I'm sure your smoking coworkers are happy with the situation. Right or wrong that's the way it is.

I'm not at all miserable. I am also not asking for radical change. I am also not trying to change anyone. Neither should anyone try to convince me that I should hold a cigarette for a smoker downwind or not. I'm simply venting about my particular situation at work and trying to see how many healthcare workers are affected by other healthcare workers who smoke. If you smoke or if you don't care that your coworkers do, then by all means post that. Please refrain from assuming I want to change anyone.

Specializes in (Nursing Support) Psych and rehab.

Please read carefully. No one would ever allow any patient to hold a lit cigarette if the were unable to. There are many staff members available who would be willing to assist. I just would not be the one because I an negatively affected by smoking.

If the poll had been about the situation where you were asked to hold a cig for a patient who could not hold one, I'd say I was highly concerned. But in thinking about my facility, I'm moderately concerned.

I would not hold a cig for someone. I hate walking through the smokers who sit at the doorway to the cafeteria but I don't say anything. I work hospice and I've asked some families not to smoke while I'm there. I also let one man and his family smoke because he was so close to death and the family was so stressed. I saved him for last if I could - then I went home and showered.

I understand venting and see nothing wrong with your original post.

However, I would probably look for another job as RN-Writer mentioned if there were a majority of staff who smoked. I'd say most of the CNA's smoke where I work. And the cafeteria folks.

The staff sits with the patients outside and smokes - I actually thought that was going to be the subject. Is it professional for staff to sit and smoke with patients? I'd say no to that.

I came from a family of "rabid" smokers :coollook: Fortunately I hated it so much that I determined at age 9 that I would never even try it. I know it would be very difficult to quit.

Specializes in (Nursing Support) Psych and rehab.

Bingo. Obviously, not enough people at your facility want it. Choose battles that offer a reasonable chance of precipitating change. Doesn't sound like this is it. At least for now.

I couldn't help but notice that your avatar was Mickey Mouse in a nursing outfit. The two really don't mix. Disney is make-believe. Nursing is real life. Tolerance and a non- judgemental attitude are necessary. It's not the perfect world of Disney pixie dust, sunshine and rainbows and everyone catering to your needs.

Well Old Timer, by all means please bash my avatar. After all when I log off, I'll be a real person in scrubs. I guess what I take from you is that I should just suck it up (literally) asthma and all. Tolerance and a non-judgmental attitude is immensely important I agree 100%. However, I can still become affected by certain things in my tolerance and non-judgment

Specializes in (Nursing Support) Psych and rehab.
If the poll had been about the situation where you were asked to hold a cig for a patient who could not hold one, I'd say I was highly concerned. But in thinking about my facility, I'm moderately concerned.

I would not hold a cig for someone. I hate walking through the smokers who sit at the doorway to the cafeteria but I don't say anything. I work hospice and I've asked some families not to smoke while I'm there. I also let one man and his family smoke because he was so close to death and the family was so stressed. I saved him for last if I could - then I went home and showered.

I understand venting and see nothing wrong with your original post.

However, I would probably look for another job as RN-Writer mentioned if there were a majority of staff who smoked. I'd say most of the CNA's smoke where I work. And the cafeteria folks.

The staff sits with the patients outside and smokes - I actually thought that was going to be the subject. Is it professional for staff to sit and smoke with patients? I'd say no to that.

I came from a family of "rabid" smokers :coollook: Fortunately I hated it so much that I determined at age 9 that I would never even try it. I know it would be very difficult to quit.

Thank you for understanding my rant. It was a situation that occurred earlier and it was the icing on top of the I smell smoke everyday situation. The reason I titled the post like that is because the staff who do smoke continuously smell like fresh smoke because they are constantly going out to smoke on the patient patio. They have to let the patients out to smoke because if they just went out by themselves that would be frowned upon, so, using it to their advantage, they leave us non smokers to continuously have to breathe in fresh smoking residue in the closed in nurses station.. This is besides their lunch and 15 minute breaks. The holding of the cig situation just did it for me today

Specializes in (Nursing Support) Psych and rehab.
.

I understand venting and see nothing wrong with your original post.

However, I would probably look for another job as RN-Writer mentioned if there were a majority of staff who smoked.

I agree with the other job part, but I want the experience this particular hospital gives. Until I find another like it my prn status with then stays. At the same time, I have the right to vent

To lighten the mood and for what it's worth, I love your avatar. ;) Very cute, and no reason not to mix something happy and make believe like minnie mouse, and something serious and real world like nursing.

As for the smoking issue...honestly, it doesn't bother me personally, but cigarette smoke has never really bothered me tremendously. In some ways, I would be glad that there were some nurses that could go out, enjoy a cigarette with those patients and bond with them so I didn't have to be out there as much. Sure, you have to deal with them smelling like smoke when they come back in, but to me, that's a small price to pay. But to each their own, and either way, I wish you the best. :)

Specializes in (Nursing Support) Psych and rehab.
To lighten the mood and for what it's worth, I love your avatar. ;) Very cute, and no reason not to mix something happy and make believe like minnie mouse, and something serious and real world like nursing.

As for the smoking issue...honestly, it doesn't bother me personally, but cigarette smoke has never really bothered me tremendously. In some ways, I would be glad that there were some nurses that could go out, enjoy a cigarette with those patients and bond with them so I didn't have to be out there as much. Sure, you have to deal with them smelling like smoke when they come back in, but to me, that's a small price to pay. But to each their own, and either way, I wish you the best. :)

Thanks for your positivity and opinion

Specializes in Hospice / Ambulatory Clinic.
Please refrain from assuming I want to change anyone.

I'll do that when you actually stop stating you want to change people. You can't have your cake and eat it to. My post was based on the following and other comments you have made.

I want to stand up for what I believe and because this is not a place that I have to depend on for income, I have nothing to lose. There are other staff members who feel the same way, but have no other options. There are patients who complain all the time, who do not smoke. I want to advocate for myself and them.

Sounds like requesting change to me. If you don't like it quit. If you want to stay for the experience stay for the whole experience and use it to open your mind. I think your attitude towards smokers closes you off to your smoking patient's somewhat. I personal am revulted by smoke and am lucky that I live in a city where smoking is uncommon but I would never express my revulsion to a smoker because it doesn't help them one little bit. I check my personal viewpoint at the door as a nurse. It's vital.

Specializes in (Nursing Support) Psych and rehab.

Not to debate over semantics but wanting change in an overall situation is not directly trying to change people. People can smoke, its their choice, but in the workspace its heaviness weighs down on people who don't. And holding a cigarette is not going to happen with this lady. If you smoke, by all means carry on, just like I carried on with my venting.

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