can of worms-smoking

[cokie]

do smokers really take more breaks. maybe this should be a poll. seems to me that it is not really more breaks, just more smokes. i.e., when someone has to be walked out to the car, stop afterward and have a smoke. when something has to be walked down to the lab, stop afterward and have a smoke. i know that not all smokers do this, but some will make impressions for all. i know that we are all supposed to take our 15's, but on pm shift, most of us only take our dinner. smokers that i know on both of my jobs HAVE to take their 15's. everyone seems to understand this need. interested in opinions from both sides of the issue, and maybe a few x smokers can log in.

[fergus51]

Our smokers are good, but we don't have many of them. I did work at one place where the smokers severely abused breaks, but the manager put her foot down and stopped it.

[Gomer]

Originally posted by Todd SPN

Clearly, non smokers make better employees.

So do nurses who maintain the correct body weight. (Now that's a can of worms! )

[Masters]

ACK!!!!!!!!! I can't believe this is a problem in nursing. I have this problem with people at work. I work with three employees that smokes. I can't get my work done because they run outside to smoke every 30 minutes. One employee was fired for for taking too many breaks and never being at work on time. Now, my boss tries to hire people who are nonsmokers. smokers have some irriating habbits.

[Todd SPN]

Originally posted by Gomer

So do nurses who maintain the correct body weight. (Now that's a can of worms! )

Sharp...veeery sharp!

[webbiedebbie]

Okay, I smoke...but I don't feel I abuse my time. I always ask my coworker if they mind if I go out while we are not busy. I even give them my cell phone number. Nonsmokers may spend time on the phone, reading magazines, and/or visit with other departments. I don't monitor them or keep track of how many times they visit the bathroom. My work gets done and my patients are taken care of. They come first.

Granted, there are those that DO abuse, but we shouldn't all be labeled as such. If frequent smoking breaks are a problem, that person should be respected and reminded of the policy. If it continues to be a problem, ie their work is not completed or their patients are not being taken care of, then the manager should be made aware of such.

[Rustyhammer]

I used to smoke (quit now 7 months, 1 week,2 days).

Hard habit to kick and almost everyone I know that smokes would rather not.

Anyone remember when we could smoke at the nurses station?

-Russell

[night owl]

Yes Rusty, I remember...

[night owl]

Originally posted by webbiedebbie

Granted, there are those that DO abuse, but we shouldn't all be labeled as such. If frequent smoking breaks are a problem, that person should be respected and reminded of the policy. If it continues to be a problem, ie their work is not completed or their patients are not being taken care of, then the manager should be made aware of such.

ITA!

[Jen2]

I myself smoke, and am still a nursing student. I do work at a hospital as a phleb currently. If I go outside for a smoke, I have a pager that I can be reached. I do not abuse smoking, and only do it when I am not busy, however, I have seen non-smokers on the phone with children or hubby for 45 minutes at a time talking about putting the roast in for supper, or how Johnny's day at school was. Either way, no work is getting done, but it is more acceptable in some eyes to play solitare on the computer for an hour than it is for a person to run outside and smoke a cigarette for five minutes. Non-smokers abuse breaks and time just as much as smokers do, and there is always the smoker that must chain smoke 5 cigarettes at a time as well as there are non-smokers that need to go into the lounge to watch General Hospital. At my facility there are people that are guilty of time abuse whether they smoke or not. I think at times they draw attention to the smokers to keep the attention off of them. As long as my job is done, and no one has to do it for me, then thats all I care about.

[stella123 rn]

Not to be rude here...but what good does giving them your pager number? If you go outside say 6 floors to smoke, are they really going to page you to take your patient to the bathroom? I get frustrated when I am busy enough myself and then attend to other patients. This is not all the time, I AM a team player, but everyone know how it is. Sometimes you just do not have time to squeeze that in. If someone is chatting with another nurse or flipping through a magazine they are readily available (on the floor).

That said, I do not hate smokers, only when I can barely finish my own work, much less someone else's. If we are not busy, I do not care at all.

[Jen2]

I am a phleb currently and it is not in my job descirption to take a pt. to the bathroom. My timed draws are drawn on time and the floors page me for stats. I am not talking about flipping through a mag or chatting. It is when an employee is on the phone or sitting in the lounge watching TV that I'm talking about that is no different. I say this because I have been told that I was rude for trying to tell somone who was on the phone (after 40 minutes of talk about how the new puppy was) for telling them that the ER was calling because they did not answer their page. This is just my experiences. My point is that smokers and non-smokers alike are guilty of this. It all has to deal with personal work ethics and no one cares about any of it as long as their job is done.

[Sekar]

Breaks?????