I'm such a hypocrit.

[eriksoln]

Huh. I remember a long time ago, when I was new to this site, argueing about leaving the floor to smoke. I was a smoker then, saw nothing wrong with it.

Now, I'm one year into being a non-smoker and when someone leaves the unit to smoke and wants to give me report on their patients, I give'em attitude. I pretty much warn them I won't be doing anything with their patients while they are gone soooo............no need to give me report.

Gee, wonder if people were this way to me when it was reversed? I can't remember. I have to go back and read the posts I made. If I can.

[eriksoln, BSN, RN]

The thing that irritates me about smokers - and I'm not one and don't have that addiction issue - but because it IS a physiological addiction for most people - it seems as though smokers NEED a break because they'll go into withdrawal or something. I can't leave the unit to get my caffeine fix - I drink my coffee or mtn dew at the desk!

Well, it is physical too. Yes, you do actually start going through withdraw when you've gone to long without one. You get.....tunnel vision, it clouds your mind.

Actually, you don't have to leave the unit for a caffeine fix. You can have a soda on your med cart or at the nurses station and take a gulp before going in a room. Most nursing units have some sort of coffee machine too. No smoke rooms though.

I've worked with some nurses who have been around a long long time. They remember when you could smoke INSIDE the hospital. Doctors would walk on the unit, lig cig in mouth, go in a COPD pt's room and tell them to quit smoking . LMAO.

Now, if thats not a "clouded mind" from addiction, nothing is.

[lifelearningrn, BSN, RN]

The thing that irritates me about smokers - and I'm not one and don't have that addiction issue - but because it IS a physiological addiction for most people - it seems as though smokers NEED a break because they'll go into withdrawal or something. I can't leave the unit to get my caffeine fix - I drink my coffee or mtn dew at the desk!

It's really not the same... drinking coffee, tea or soda while you're at work is completely acceptable. A smoker can't just light up while they are at the station charting. I think everyone should get a break or two during a shift whether they smoke or not. What you do on that break is up to you. I do think that a nurse should be extra careful not to return to her patients smelling like smoke though..

The 'break' complaint bothers me because if an employee is entitled to a break and they make sure they get that break (like a smoker WILL- because they are extra motivated ) it's really not their problem a non-smoker doesn't demand their own break to decompress as well.

Of course, smoking is being banned more and more so it likely won't be an issue in a few more years....