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| No. 10 | 
Jul 01, 2007, 02:19 PM
 Re: Cleveland Clinic will not Hire Smokers
I am not a smoker either, but I find this disturbing.
On the surface, it seems as if it makes sense to eliminate smokers from the ranks of healthcare workers. After all, shouldn't we set a good example for our patients? But smokers are one of the few remaining groups that it is politically correct to bash, which is why they are the target here. Smoking is certainly an undesirable habit, but it is a LEGAL one. I agree that hospitals have every right to control employees' behavior on the job, but not off. If an employee smokes on hospital grounds against policy, discipline him. If an employee reeks of cigarette smoke when he arrives at work, that would constitute a dress code violation, and he should be disciplined. But to refuse to hire an employee who engages in a LEGAL activity on his own time that doesn't affect his work is wrong.
Next it WILL be employees who drink alcohol off duty, those who are overweight, those who engage in dangerous hobbies, etc. This is not about caring for patients. If it was, smoking would be addressed as it pertains to patient care. It is about controlling employees lives. Those who applaud this step will stop clapping when their legal habit is targeted.
 | | Advertisement Sponsored Links | | | | No. 11 |
Jul 01, 2007, 02:29 PM
Re: Cleveland Clinic will not Hire Smokers Originally Posted by Jolie  I am not a smoker either, but I find this disturbing.
On the surface, it seems as if it makes sense to eliminate smokers from the ranks of healthcare workers. After all, shouldn't we set a good example for our patients? But smokers are one of the few remaining groups that it is politically correct to bash, which is why they are the target here. Smoking is certainly an undesirable habit, but it is a LEGAL one. I agree that hospitals have every right to control employees' behavior on the job, but not off. If an employee smokes on hospital grounds against policy, discipline him. If an employee reeks of cigarette smoke when he arrives at work, that would constitute a dress code violation, and he should be disciplined. But to refuse to hire an employee who engages in a LEGAL activity on his own time that doesn't affect his work is wrong.
Next it WILL be employees who drink alcohol off duty, those who are overweight, those who engage in dangerous hobbies, etc. This is not about caring for patients. If it was, smoking would be addressed as it pertains to patient care. It is about controlling employees lives. Those who applaud this step will stop clapping when their legal habit is targeted.
I don't think it is possible for smokers to ever not smell like smoke. I know lots of smokers who insist they take all kinds of steps to get rid of the odor but I can still smell it and I know lots of other people who are sensitive to it do as well. I also am against people who show up to work reeking of perfume or not wearing deodorant, but that's much easier to fix than ridding oneself of the odor a body takes on over time. It is unfair to the patients. These people would be in constant violation of the dress code with no way to correct it.
| | No. 12 |
Jul 01, 2007, 03:56 PM
Re: Cleveland Clinic will not Hire Smokers
On a personal (read, idealistic) level, I applaud Cleveland Clinic. Should they extend that policy to also include not hiring obese nurses, I would applaud them still more.
Aren't nurses not only supposed to care for the sick but also to promote positive health practices? I have always been amazed when I encountered significantly overweight and/or smoking nurses....it just screams "double-standard" to me. And can you imagine being advised to cease smoking when your nurse reeks of cigarette smoke, or being advised to lose weight when your nurse is 5'2" and weighs 160 lbs? It just places nurses in the position of being a hypocrite when their job entails giving recommendations with which they themselves cannot or do not comply.
Please don't flame me...I realize that smoking is addictive and that it is difficult to quit. I also realize that weight loss is difficult too, and that there are medical reasons why some folks out there are not at their ideal weight. But looking simply from a patient perspective, I can and do understand why some institutions would not hire nurses with obvious poor health-maintenance practices.
That is my idealistic take on the issue. On a practical, real-world level, however, I wonder how long it will take before a discrimination suit is filed.
| | No. 13 |
Jul 01, 2007, 04:36 PM
Re: Cleveland Clinic will not Hire Smokers
Discriminatory.
BTW, I am not a smoker.
And they are not doing this because of patient complaint, they are doing this for employee wellness reasons. Presumably, a non-smoker will be more productive and more affordable to insure. There is no epidemic of patients experiencing unhealthy side effects or untoward responses to employees who smoke.
The same folks who advocate this kind of policy would probably break the world record in hackling in this policy were to include a refusal to hire people who have had a previous abortion, and they could just as easily do this based on "wellness" concerns. Previous abortions are statistically shown to increase the risk of recurrent abortions, suicide, premature birth, cancer, and placenta previa, and yet I expect the ACLU to exhibit selective concern when it comes to this issue.
| | No. 14 |
Jul 01, 2007, 04:51 PM
Re: Cleveland Clinic will not Hire Smokers
[quote=Trophywife81;2277091]On a personal (read, idealistic) level, I applaud Cleveland Clinic. Should they extend that policy to also include not hiring obese nurses, I would applaud them still more.
Aren't nurses not only supposed to care for the sick but also to promote positive health practices?
I suspect that this new policy has little to do with positive health practices per se; rather it's all about reduced employee insurance cost for Cleveland Clinic which translates to increased profits.
And the problem I have with that is the slippery slope such policies invite. Next it will be no hiring of those with a too high BMI. Then a high cholesterol. And so on. And then they will insist that current employees fall in certain ranges to retain employment.
Unfortunately, we have an employment-based health care insurance system for those below medicare age in this country. Permitting large employers to cherry pick employees based on health factors will doom anyone with health problems and/or older workers to unemployment, or to employers who do not offer affordable health insurance. Those marginalized individuals will, of course, eventually end up broke after their inevitable uncovered illness episode occurs.
We MUST take the profit motive out of health care.
| | No. 15 |
Jul 01, 2007, 06:00 PM
Updated
Jul 01, 2007 at 06:04 PM by mercyteapot
Re: Cleveland Clinic will not Hire Smokers Originally Posted by DarrenWright Discriminatory.
BTW, I am not a smoker.
And they are not doing this because of patient complaint, they are doing this for employee wellness reasons. Presumably, a non-smoker will be more productive and more affordable to insure. There is no epidemic of patients experiencing unhealthy side effects or untoward responses to employees who smoke.
The same folks who advocate this kind of policy would probably break the world record in hackling in this policy were to include a refusal to hire people who have had a previous abortion, and they could just as easily do this based on "wellness" concerns. Previous abortions are statistically shown to increase the risk of recurrent abortions, suicide, premature birth, cancer, and placenta previa, and yet I expect the ACLU to exhibit selective concern when it comes to this issue.
Wow, I applaud you. I knew when I read the OP that the issue of overweight nurses would arise, but never did I dream that someone was going to find a way to stretch this to include a woman's constitutionally protected right to choose. There is no such protection extended to smokers.
The fact is that there are all kinds of private unhealthy behaviors in which nurses may engage. How do you suppose Cleveland Clinic is going to ascertain who has had an abortion? Are we now going to ignore HIPAA, too? Maybe all women should have mandated quarterly testing to ensure that they are complying with such a policy. And what about men and the risks STDs pose to their health? How often should they be tested?
Talk about banging a square peg into a round hole...
| | No. 16 |
Jul 01, 2007, 06:06 PM
Re: Cleveland Clinic will not Hire Smokers Originally Posted by DarrenWright Previous abortions are statistically shown to increase the risk of recurrent abortions, suicide, premature birth, cancer, and placenta previa, and yet I expect the ACLU to exhibit selective concern when it comes to this issue.
What peer-reviewed, non-biased studies have concluded the above?
I know of none.
| | No. 17 |
Jul 01, 2007, 07:31 PM
Re: Cleveland Clinic will not Hire Smokers
IMO it comes down to money, not "patient satisfaction". Yes, smoking is bad for you, yes each one takes a supposed 7 minuets off your lifespan, anyone who has ever watched tv or picked up a newspaper is aware of this. But the "smell" that smokers have are in many cases the least of the odors one encounters. Some doctors baste in cologne, some nurses in perfume, and dont even get me started on the halitosis i have encountered from some who seem to love to dine on spicy foods but wont touch a tic tac to save their (or my) life, the chemicals used in hospitals, or the wax remover and wax itself used on the floors that are enough to send even the healthiest person into a full blown asthma attack. Bottom line, the company wants to save money, and since its politcally correct to bash smokers, they are the first (but not likely the last) to be targeted.
| | No. 19 |
Jul 01, 2007, 07:48 PM
Re: Cleveland Clinic will not Hire Smokers
I agree 100% with your ideal take on the cleveland clinic issue. I am a non-smoking, nurse who takes my health seriously. I do think of how my role as a nurse will be viewed if I am not "walking the talk" therefore I think even if this decision is based on saving money, it will make a statement.
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