cigarette breaks

Mr Ian · Jan 17, 2009

If she gets one hour in breaks for the day - I'd not object to her using them anyway she wanted as long as it fitted in with the work that had to be done.

@ 7 minutes/cigarette = 8 breaks.

I'd set her a time tally chart - clock off and clock on then when her 90 minutes is gone every smoke after that is fraud (as she's getting paid for the time she 'works' not smokes).

I'm a smoker and I take 'extra' number of breaks but I don't have the other breaks as well. My total time is probably the same as those who don't but if someone thinks I'm over doing it I don't object to being told.

My smokes vary from 7 minutes to 3½ minutes on a busy day.

NrsheartTS · Jan 17, 2009

There are other smokers on the unit and they are usally gone no more than ten minutes no matter how many cigarette breaks they take, but for anyone to be gone off the unit for 45 mins (cigarette break or not) is a little unsafe especially if they do it 5 or 6 times in a shift

eriksoln, BSN, RN · Jan 17, 2009

I'm a smoker and I use my lunch break to satisfy that urge and thats the only time. I used to take breaks when I worked the midnight shift, but I'd only be gone 10 min. I didnt do that too often either cause, well, I dont want to stay late just cause I couldnt resist the urge to smoke.

As far as you not being a team member cause you wont cover these breaks of your co-workers, thats pure spunk. Go up the latter of authority, let the DON know about the breaks and that the charge nurse not only allows it but encourages it. First and foremost though, stop answering that person's call bells. Let them all be going off at once when she arrives back. She'll get tired of that.

Neveranurseagain, RN · Jan 17, 2009

Encourage her to smoke more--it's job security for nurses! If people didn't smoke, we wouldn't have as much lung cancer and COPD, and we'd all be out of a job!

eriksoln, BSN, RN · Jan 17, 2009

OMG that is funny awsmom8.

People always rib me about being a nurse who smokes. I say "Hey, I am paid to keep you healthy. Whether I'm healthy or not doesnt come up in my annual review". Obviously a bad arguement, but.............ah well.

lovehospital · Jan 17, 2009

I work on a very busy vent/trach unit with parayzed patients. There are about 4 nurses, 2 or 3 CNAs and 30 patients. I have nothing wrong with people taking cigarette breaks but we have this one nurse that takes about 4 or 5 cigarette breaks in a 12 hour shift. Each cig break she is gone off the floor about 45 mins and still has the nerve to take a 45 min lunch break. We are allowed two 15 minute break and one 30 minute lunch break. I barley get those two breaks and I dont think its fair that I have to look after that nurses patients when she is gone on one of her breaks. If I dont answer her call lights then the patient is not being attened to. The other nurses notice her behavior also. The charge nurse is aware of the situation and is always asking where that nurse is. So i tell the charge nurse that she is off the floor on her break. The charge nurse and this nurse are friends. So the charge Nurse always tells me to go see what her patient is ringing for. When I tell her no then they say that im not being a team player. Im busy taking care of my own patients and i get behind on my work when i have to pick up somebody elses slack. Im just really annoyed and just wanted to VENT!

Oh please....

BroadwayRN, ASN, RN · Jan 17, 2009

We have no smoking allowed on campus. Period. A few have been caught and terminated the 3rd time.

ZooMommyRN, ADN, RN · Jan 17, 2009

that's just plain rude and abusive, I'd never do that to my co-workers, altho sounds like it needs to be done to her in return, I take 1 maybe 2 smoke breaks a shift (12hr nights) and there some nights I take 0 breaks outside, like now for example 1) I have floated to an entirely differently facility within our group so feel funny asking someone I really don't know to watch my 6 on top of their 6 2) it is entirely too cold out there!!

lpnflorida · Jan 17, 2009

I do not think anyone should be taking a 45 min break, especially not several times a day. Now for my pet peeve.

I work with people who complain they never get to take a break yet the smokers do. However what I witness is this.

Groups of nursing sitting at the desk talking for 30 min or more, idle chatter. This goes on several times a day. Difference, the smokers leave the unit, the others chatter but do not see this as a break.

The off nursing time is much longer for the chatters than most of the smokers I work with. Drives me insane.

sissiesmama, ASN, RN · Jan 17, 2009

We have no smoking allowed on campus. Period. A few have been caught and terminated the 3rd time.

And I thought we were the only ones! Withing the last few years, our facility has gone smoke free. You can't smoke in the parking lot, the old "smoking areas", your car, nothing. On your third warning, you are terminated here also, but they have "the right" to terminate you on the first offense. My dh is a nursing supervisor working nights at this time, and the security guard calls the AOC at the time he catches the guilty party.

Of course, they do have their ways to get around it, and the director's "pets" get around it. I am a non smoker, an d when I was still working, I did start taking "smoke breaks" to go outside just to get off the unit. I did watch my time, because I was one of the nurses getting stuck watching the other nurses patients for excessive breaks.

Anne, RNC

AirforceRN, RN · Jan 17, 2009

Groups of nursing sitting at the desk talking for 30 min or more, idle chatter. This goes on several times a day. Difference, the smokers leave the unit, the others chatter but do not see this as a break.
The off nursing time is much longer for the chatters than most of the smokers I work with. Drives me insane.

I can see your point but when the poop hits the fan and two patients code and one falls to the floor, the chatting nurses are there to help...the smokers are off the floor. Its a big difference.

truern · Jan 17, 2009

Couldn't happen now that my hospital is completely smoke-free, but in the past I've been at the nurses station and my nose would start wiggling. I'd announce that some patient *must* be smoking in their room because I smelled smoke. The charge nurse and another nurse looked at me like "NO way do you smell smoke" because they'd just been out smoking and had sprayed body spray and were chewing gum. My nose can sniff out smoke like a bloodhound!! LOL

I agree with the poster that said nurses gathered around the station are on the floor and available while smokers are not. Big difference.