Do You take your patients out for smoke breaks?

julia1 · Jan 19, 2007

Just to let you know I do smoke but because the new facility I work for is non smoking I don't smoke during my shifts. However I will also tell you that I have become a nervous weak since cutting down on smoking. So I too am doing it the old fashioned way but it is way hard man.

deehaverrn · Feb 2, 2007

our facility is going smoke free, i can't wait, somehow the people who smoke always take the longest breaks..and are the only ones who go far enough away so that they don't get called for phone calls or lights.

i refuse to take anyone out to smoke, was once ordered to by a doc (who smoked) and he had promised a pt that she would be allowed to go out to smoke once a shift (i worked nights), i told him he should plan to come by to take her himself since it was his promise (and he actually did)

last year our hospital changed its policy which had required a docs order permitting a pt to go out to smoke to an Rn must assess the pt each and every time they wanted to go out and chart of course, this was because the docs didn't want to take the responsiblity in case something happened ( and they think I do?), so when a pt asks me I say and chart " pt requests to go out and smoke ,made aware of health hazard associated with smoking, pt instructed to remain on unit for her own health" Then if she goes out anyway i simply chart that she left the unit without permission...she's not my prisoner or anything, but I'm not going to help OR put myself in danger. I do think we will have a lot more bathroom smokers after the ban starts, but I plan to call security for that.

Christie RN2006 · Feb 2, 2007

Well, in Ohio we have a no smoking ban now, so obviously no smoke breaks for our patients... Plus, I work in the ICU, so there is no way they are leaving their rooms for something like.