smoking students

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Aug 30, 2003

Just thought i'd say that our clinical instructor only has the lunch break for our 10 hour day, and if you smoke, "too bad, get a patch, do you think in the real world you'll be able to smoke when the urge hits?".

memphispanda, RN · Aug 30, 2003

I'm one of those students who gets grumpy over the smokers taking breaks. It's VERY annoying to have them go in a group, and requesting us non-smoking students to watch their patients for them. I think at the very least they should go one at a time and cover each other's patients. My real preference--tell them to suck it up and wait until lunch.

PennyLane, RN · Aug 30, 2003

It was the same thing when I waited tables. It was a very busy restaurant. Many of the smokers ignored their tables to go out back to smoke. I smoked then, too, but tried not to take too many breaks.

But blech, when they (we) came back, P-U! So glad I don't smoke anymore. I'd hate for my nurse to reek of cigarettes while caring for me.

renerian, BSN, RN · Aug 30, 2003

I cannot say I ever asked for a smoking break as a student????

renerian

QUEENIERN · Aug 30, 2003

NON-SMOKERS SHOULD TAKE BREAKS TO. LIKE A "I'M GOING TO GO CHECK THE WEATHER" BREAK OR WHATEVER JUST TO GIVE YOU 5 MINUTES HERE & THERE LIKE THE SMOKERS GET. AS FAR AS THE SMELL WE HAVE A POLICY THAT A COVER-JACKET MUST BE WORN. SEPERATE JACKET FROM YOUR REGULAR LAB COATS ETC. AND YOU HAVE STRICT HANDWASHING ANYWAY. AND TO FURTHER COVER SMELL OF SMOKE I ONCE MET SOMEONE THAT ALWAYS CARRIED FABRIC SOFTNER SHEETS IN HER POCKETS AND IT TOOK THE SMELL OUT OF HER CLOTHES. PLUS WITH THE COVER GOWN AND ALL. ANYWAY WHAT I AM SAYING IT IS THE "SMOKERS" RESPONSIBILITY NOT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OTHERS HELP AND TO MAKE SURE THE SMELL IS NOT SO BAD. AND JUST BECAUSE YOU DON'T SMOKE DOESN'T MEAN YOU DON'T DESERVE A BREAK TO AND CAN TAKE ONE. EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO DARE SAY "I'M GOING TO SMOKE W/SO-N-SO. EVEN IF YOU DON'T YOU STILL GET THE BREAK!

TinyNurse, RN · Oct 16, 2003

i never asked for a smoke break as a student, even now as an er nurse, i don't smoke until i get a scheduled break.

ugg

xoxo

Jen

EastCoast · Oct 16, 2003

please...as a student i would have rather jumped off a bridge than have asked an instructor for a break to smoke or otherwise. my instructors would have told me to get my butt back to the chart or whatever i was suppossed to be doing.

as others have said you will stink, no matter how you try to cover it up . smokers just don't realize how bad the odor is.

wv_nurse 2003 · Oct 16, 2003

My policy for students who smoke is clear up front--no smoking in the view of the public, while in uniform. No breaks during the clinical to smoke, because they would be visible to the public.

I try to stress the effect that even second hand smoke and the odor can have on patients who are already ill. Not to mention those patients who smoke, who aren't able to "take a break" from their disease, to go smoke.

I know other instructors that are smokers themselves-- do give smoke breaks--its just not my policy.

live4today, RN · Oct 16, 2003

BREAKS of any kind are foreign to the world of nursing, so smoker or not.......the only "break" you may see is when you learn to "break" the habit of needing "said smoke break" because there's no time :nono: for taking breaks in the REAL world of nursing.

ChangeAgent · Oct 17, 2003

We really need to support our colleagues (students or fellow employees) so they can take a break.

Caveat: Foremost, patient care should not be compromised. The students would need to take a break within an appropriate time frame. The students should also not leave the floor "en masse."

When I worked as a staff nurse in critical care, I always took breaks with the smokers. On nightshift I needed to do this to stay awake.

I always found it interesting that the non smokers didnt seem to take breaks except to grab a meal. I have also witnessed nonsmoking staff become resentful of the smoke breaks.

Non smoker,

Jennifer - Philadelphia, PA

NYCRN16 · Oct 23, 2003

I never took smoke breaks as a student unless we were on our lunch hour. I once had I nurse I was shadowing who went for smoke breaks where I went with her (we told the instructor we were going to the pharmacy!), but I would NEVER just leave the floor I would have been in so much trouble! Even at work now (in the ER) I dont go out for smoke breaks unless we are unusually slow, or I am on a scheduled break. If I am covering 5 patients, its unfair to tell my teammembers 20 times during a shift to watch out for my patients, and if something happened to them while you were on an unscheduled break, your butt is grass.