Where there is smoke ... there is usually a cigarette

[Brian, ASN, RN]

It's been years since smoking has been allowed in public places.....including hospitals. But this doesn't deter some patients. They will go to all lengths to get their nicotine fix. Have you had encounters with smokers who try to bend and break the rules?

[kbrn2002, ADN, RN]

oh yeah, even in LTC there's always a resident [or more] that gets caught smoking in their room. We've even had a few get caught smoking the not legal in my state stuff, the smell is a dead giveaway.

[NYbabyRN, BSN, RN]

There was once a patient on my unit who locked herself in her bathroom to smoke. She was soon discovered by the smell and tried to get us to believe that she was showering and the smoke was actually steam coming from her feet...

[bagladyrn, RN]

Back in the days when smoking was allowed in the hospital (yes, I'm THAT old) I was receiving report on a patient when the smoke detector alarmed in that room. The off-going nurse and I ran down the hall to see this patient standing beside his bed attempting to beat out the fire with a pillow.

He had a fracture of his elbow, with his arm suspended in a sling from the ceiling. It seems that in trying to light his cigarette he stuck the cigarette between the fingers of the hand in the sling and then brought the lighter to it. In doing so he caught the nylon webbing of the sling on fire. Melting nylon dripped from the flaming webbing onto the bed, catching the mattress as well.

First time I ever got to see a fire extinguisher in real use!

[No Stars In My Eyes]

Yep, I am also from the days when you could buy cigts from a machine-dispenser in the hospital lobby. Nurses and Dr's smoked in the nurse's station and lounge. And patients could smoke in their rooms. Never had a fires from that, but once we had electrical smoke coming from a room and I got to pull the red alarm system which broke the little glass tube and rang directly at the fire dept. I always had wanted to pull one of those alarms, and I got to do it legally!

When I worked at MGH in the early 70's, the quads and paras would gang up and wheelchair themselves to the attached building that was undergoing renovation, in the evening when no one was around, and smoke pot. A blind eye was turned from this activity, as long as they weren't caught-in-the-act. The rationale being that they were in the hosp. for MONTHS and weren't harming anybody by acting out in this way. Only one time they were observed by a security guard, who very calmly walked by, said ,"Put it out." and he kept walking. They thought that was mighty "cool" of the guard. And they were so mellow when they arrived back on the floor and went to their rooms.

Not condoning this, just telling of days gone by.....

[beckyboo1, BSN, RN]

Always amazes me the things ppl will do thinking it will hide the cigarette smoke smell. We had a lady close her door and open the window and hang out the window smoking. We could smell it halfway up the hall. When I went in she said "shhh don't tell anyone", like everyone didn't know already.

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

we had a visitor smoking pot. She saw the no smoking signs but assumed they referred only to cigarettes.

[SoaringOwl]

We confiscated crack pipes, bongs, etc. Cigarettes are nothing! I'm so glad I'm not at that hospital anymore.

[BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN]

Had a woman admitted for "rehab" for a bad back (A complete joke, but not pertinent to the topic!) who used to block her door with her O2 tank so she could smoke in her room. She knew that maintanence had said not to push her door open when she did that so that the tank wouldn't get knocked over and become a potential missile.

While a nursing student, doing a rotation in an LTC, there were a few residents who could/would go outside to smoke. One gentleman wore a VERY dapper looking cap when he would go out for his smokes and we were told we had to search his hat when he'd come back in. You could see from a distance several perfectly circular holes in the fabric---where he would stick still-lit cigarettes of trips past that he'd save to smoke in his room later. It was, at times LITERALLY a smoking hat!!! He was very good-natured about the required searches =)

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

the above stories indicate what an addiction nicotine really is.

[SoaringOwl]

the above stories indicate what an addiction nicotine really is.

And yet it's legal. Go figure.

[CalicoKitty, BSN, MSN, RN]

There was one patient (not mine) with visitors that came in and smelled "very" smokey. I asked if they were smoking in the room. They denied it (I can't tell for sure). I think the patient was upset that I'd even think to accuse him of that.

Another patient (again not mine that shift) that snuck himself into the back of a room we don't use to smoke (the front room is used for stinky stuff). Took a few times before we realized what was going on.

I think I recall hearing about 1 or 2 other patients that were caught smoking in their rooms.

We've had 2 patients that I can remember that had visitors bringing in more than cigarettes. (One patient would become very "happy" after some visitors). Another (young female) patient seemed to be suffering withdraw (and had illegal stuff removed when belongings were inventoried). She had a gentleman (ahem) visit that was asked to leave (and I believe possibly seen by security or police right outside of our doors). I believe she left AMA shortly after (same day?)