No Nicotine!

[Brikkz]

I start school next Wednesday and at orientation we were told that before you get hired at many of the hospitals you get your hair cut and checked for drugs including nicotine because they wont hire cigarette smokers. I don't smoke so it isn't a big deal for me but my husband smokes around me. I asked about second hand smoke and the insstructors doing the orientation said even second hand smoke can prevent you from getting hired if they find tracdes of it in your hair. So my husband is going to have to smoke away from me when I get close to graduation. I guess you'd want to quit out here because you can't smoke within so many blocks of a hospital out here anyway.

I was just wondering if anyone else was informed that they'd have to quit smoking in order to get a job where they live? I don't have to quit because I don't but my husband is going to either have to quit or just not smoke around me.

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

This is absurd. I have never heard of anything beyond a blood draw, and if they didn't hire nurses who smoke my last facility would have had 2.

[Brikkz]

I actually talked to an ER nurse at a hospital while my niece was getting checked out after having a cop physically assault her (she was unarmed) and she said the same thing "You can't be a smoker if you work in a lot of these area hospitals." And we both looked at each other and her and I said "I don't smoke at all." And my niece said "All I smoke are cigarettes." And the nurse said "Not even allowed to smoke cigarettes if they decide to hire you."

We were in shock but the orientation instructor confirmed it yesterday when she said that if we smoke now we might want to consider quitting at the end of the program because they won't hire anyone and she listed like most of the hospitals in the area and said Cleveland Clinic isn't far behind with the drug testing for nicotine.

They said its not against the law to deny a smoker employment because its not discrimination. So a lot of girls said "Dang and I smoke." My husband smokes and I can merely choose not to be around him but his whole family smokes and they have family get togethers where I'd be surrounded by smokers but I guess at the end of the program when I am looking for work.....I can just let them know I cannot attend any get together type deals.

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

I wouldn't worry about the end of the program yet. And I wouldn't worry about second hand smoke showing up in a hair analysis.

[Butterfliesnroses]

Wow. Right now on my shift only one aide smokes, but in the past I've been the only non-smoker, so I can only imagine! Also will they do follow up "nicotine" tests, meaning you can't be around smoking at all, even after your hired? Seems a little over-kill especially since nicotine is legal.

[CrunchyMama, ASN, RN]

WOW! I've never smoked before and I'm grossed out whenever I see someone smoking but this is so stupid!! How can this not be discrimination? Looks like someone or a group of people have to speak up. As unhealthy and disgusting as smoking is....people have the right to do it, it's not illegal. I can of course understand drug testing but this is crazy!

[flightnurse2b, LPN]

wow that's crazy. i don't smoke but probably 85% of the nurses on my floor do. we are a smoke free facility and we do not have a smoking patio or area anymore, so the rule is that if you are an employee and get caught smoking on hospital grounds you get fired. they will walk accross the street, sit in their cars or hide in the woods to get their smoke breaks.

but since cigarette smoking is not illegal, i don't understand how they can insist you subject to hair analysis? that's kind of drastic.

[morte, LPN, LVN]

money, plain and simple.....ins rates, and efficiency

[Hyper_toph_emia]

I heard that hair analysis drug tests are extremely expensive. Why would a hospital spend that kind of money for that?

[Commanderzoom]

What a freaking waste of money on the hospital's part. Hair analysis isn't cheap. Why ban something that isn't illegal?

[locolorenzo22, BSN, RN]

I wouldn't worry about it. I wonder what would happen if you were found with the nicotine in your hair and you said "well, I do have a family member who smokes, but I don't," and they refused to hire you.....waiting for someone to challenge the legality of that move.....

[missy--kay]

I don't know why anybody is surprised, or why all hospitals should not do this.

~ Smoke is harmful. Walking into a patients room reaking of smoke is not therapeutic.