No Nicotine!

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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.

I don't know what to say. Its such a tough job market in the nursing field I guess they are trying to say "If you really want this you won't smoke" I honestly don't know what its about.

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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.

BTW..... lived all over this country. We have MANY beautiful places to be.

That being said.... ** the northeast (libs) and far west (ca-libs).....move to the wonderfully warm climate in tobacco country where they DON'T tell you what to do in your private life...... :D :yeah:

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Specializes in PICU/Pedi.
BTW..... lived all over this country. We have MANY beautiful places to be.

That being said.... ** the northeast (libs) and far west (ca-libs).....move to the wonderfully warm climate in tobacco country where they DON'T tell you what to do in your private life...... :D :yeah:

Ha! I live in West Texas, which is one of the most conservative places in the country. And one of our hospitals fired the nurses that work there that smoke. I don't know the particulars...whether they were doing it while at work , or if they did it at home or what. But I know alot of people around here are really mad about it. And I know that we will be sent home from clinicals if we show up smelling like smoke, if we smoke before we get there.

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.

Hospitals have every right to ban cigarettes anywhere and any time they choose to. I'm sure that makes a more healthful and pleasant environment for everyone.

They can test people for nicotine in hopes of never accidently hiring a smoker. Certainly they can send home a person who reeks of cigs.

I have a real problem with the second-hand smoke aspect of this, though. You can't go to a family gathering? I can think of a myriad of things that could cause exposure to second-hand smoke! That just seems intrusive beyond belief. Ah, well. It's a trend that's gathering steam. I'm having trouble adjusting to employers micro-managing your life away from work.

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Specializes in EMS, ER, GI, PCU/Telemetry.
BTW..... lived all over this country. We have MANY beautiful places to be.

That being said.... ** the northeast (libs) and far west (ca-libs).....move to the wonderfully warm climate in tobacco country where they DON'T tell you what to do in your private life...... :D :yeah:

oh yes, they do.

i just moved from north carolina. worked at two different facilties in the raleigh/durham area. smoke free hospital campuses with same rules, you get caught smoking at work on hospital grounds and you get fired. not sure where in FL you are, but here in south FL, all hospitals are smoke free too.

i could care less if people smoke, but please don't do it around me. i was a smoker for a long time. but after i quit (one year and 8 months now yah!!) i realized how bad i smelled and how offensive i must have been to other people who didn't smoke, esp my patients who were respiratory compromised.

yes, i think hair testing for nicotine for employment is drastic and stupid... it's not like cigarettes are illegal.... but it has nothing to do with being liberal.... i think it has more to do with common courtesy and setting a good example, oh, and keeping those insurance premiums for employees lower. :)

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

OK guys getting a bit off topic here on where to move and which area is better than the other. Can we please keep to topic of the thread

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I can see why they'd want to avoid smokers. Not only is it a health thing, but if your concern changes from your combative patient's health to your need for a cigarette... Eek? Speaking as an ex-smoker here.

Not to mention, it freaking stinks. No matter how you try to hide it, we can tell.

Edited to add: If your husband is smoking around you, that's an issue. If your family is smoking around you, that's an issue. There is no reason that he should be putting your health in danger for his own self destructive habit.

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Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.

So I guess that they will bar the President from visiting..... And hopefully he does not smoke around the kids.

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Specializes in Case management, occupational health.

We do hair drug screens where I work for many different companies, and we are seeing more and more companies adding nicotine as one of the drugs they test for.

I think it is a great thing, it is pretty disgusting when you are sick to walk to have your nurse or doctor stinking of cigarette smoke

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Wow! I guess those of us that quit but are having trouble saying "bye-bye" to nicotine lozenges would be out of luck too. :uhoh3: I can see banning smoking on the premises and even sending someone home from clinical who smells of smoke, but this is getting way too intrusive, in my opinion. Isn't this supposed to be the land of the free? :sofahider

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Wow I never thought of the lozenges or the patches people need. I wonder if there would be a way to tell an employer you know just be up front and honest and say "I don't smoke but I am an ex smoker who uses nicotine gum to quit if I test positive that's why."

Maybe you'd still have a chance?

Anyway I am just not going to worry about it till I graduate anyway. We'll see how the job market looks then.

Which reminds me my stupid brother in law smokes a lot of pot and stinks up the whole house. :( It makes me sick.

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

We're going totally smoke-free at my NH campus on October 1st. While it's certainly no skin off my nose (I quit 19 years ago), I'm afraid we're going to wind up with staff who are surly and unproductive, or no staff at all!

On the other hand, I won't miss having CNAs ask me during busy times if they can "just grab 5 minutes":icon_roll Hey, I don't get to take frequent breaks, and neither do the non-smoking aides.......and that's not fair to us OR the residents. Nope, can't say I'm unhappy about this development at all.

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