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.

[TessaMae]

I do not smoke but I find this crazy! I goggled it and found out that only 28 states have laws against firing smokers or those who might be in contact with second hand smoke. I do not think that people should be able to go to work smelling like a cig but I think this is going a bit far.

[Nepenthe Sea]

Here's what we were told. Our hospitals don't allow smoking AT ALL. I don't know to what extent they will go with the employees, but we were told that if we, as students, are caught smoking on hospital grounds at all, we will be banned from the facility, which will ensure our dismissal from the program.

Alot of people here are p.o.'ed about it, but accoring to our clinical rules, we can't even wear perfume or cologne, or heavily scented toiletries. The rationale being, of course, that alot of patients, esp. respiratory patients, are sensitive to these things. They can even send us home from clinicals if we arrive smelling like smoke from smoking before clinicals. We were told that a few semesters ago, a student smoked a cigarette on his break. He went back in to tend to his PEDIATRIC patient, who had ASTHMA. The kid had an asthma attack from the smoke, and had to be intubated.

I have never been a smoker, but I don't care if other people smoke. I do think that what you do at home is your own business. The problem is that smoke tends to linger. My ex swore that as long as he smoked outside and aired out, then his smoke wouldn't bother our preemie daughters' immature lungs. But it's still there, even if you air out and you can't smell it. I can see where the facilities are coming from. But hair testing??

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

I am biased, I am for this but for personal reasons, since it's personal though I wouldn't support something like this, just because I can't stand the smell doesn't mean others can't smoke, I was a smoker for 9 years. I can understand though why a health care facility would be for this. Doesn't make it right but I can understand.

Anyway, they have urine tests for nicotine I would think this would be cheaper. I wonder if it can be told longer in hair and that is why they are doing that method, sort of like a length of orificenic poisoning can be found in hair?? I dunno.

[TessaMae]

All sorts of businesses are doing this, not just healthcare. They are saying it is to reduce healthcare costs because the cost of insurance is rising and smokers have more health problems.

I am biased, I am for this but for personal reasons, since it's personal though I wouldn't support something like this, just because I can't stand the smell doesn't mean others can't smoke, I was a smoker for 9 years. I can understand though why a health care facility would be for this. Doesn't make it right but I can understand.

Anyway, they have urine tests for nicotine I would think this would be cheaper. I wonder if it can be told longer in hair and that is why they are doing that method, sort of like a length of orificenic poisoning can be found in hair?? I dunno.

[morte, LPN, LVN]

All sorts of businesses are doing this, not just healthcare. They are saying it is to reduce healthcare costs because the cost of insurance is rising and smokers have more health problems.

exactly, as i already stated in an earlier response...money, the bottom line

[newbebop, ADN, BSN, MSN]

There are lots of things that are "legal" that are still not allowed in many nursing programs, or to get a job. It is a choice you make based on what you want.

Our program has strict rules on not smoking. They haven't gone so far as to ban it completely, (although they are working on it) but you cannot smoke in your uniform and will be sent home if you come to clinicals smelling of smoke.

[nightshiftnut]

shave your head...problem solved.

[paynck]

I'm going to have to agree on what everyone is saying. It isn't fair for the OP either, her husband's family smokes together, so is she going to have to avoid family gatherings? Smoking cigarettes isn't illegal, so at one time or another everyone is going to have traces of secondhand smoke in their hair...

[FLmomof5]

All sorts of businesses are doing this, not just healthcare. They are saying it is to reduce healthcare costs because the cost of insurance is rising and smokers have more health problems.

I have seen this too......

Now the interesting part comes......

Overweight people cost 9X what a smoker does in medical costs........

So by that theory, you shouldn't be allowed to be overweight either!

[Brikkz]

I am sorry haven't been back. I have been busy as a bee studying for a test. Anyway I know I don't need to worry about it yet it won't be until 2011 when I graduate but my problem is the instructor said if they do a hair analysis even if you have second hand smoke around you then you can still fail the hair analysis test.

So I will have to miss family gatherings and tell my husband to smoke outside which is cool but in the winter when its snowing like hell he will have to go into our attic. That's all I can say. Jobs are hard enough to come by without other distractions.

[locolorenzo22, BSN, RN]

you know, I understand it....I have a REAL problem with people who smoke at the LTC and come back in and they REEK of it. However, to tell someone that they won't be hired over it....hmmmmm...Big brother anyone?

[ohmeowzer RN, RN]

what a buch of hogwash... they must be kidding... that is not even reasonable... what a waste of time and money....