Smokers need not apply?

Nurses Professionalism

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So I've reached my 2 year mark & getting a little restless, toying with the idea of moving into a different dept or facility. I was looking at a website for another hospital & they have posted that they will no longer hire anyone that uses nicotine which will be screened for during the employment physical. Not an issue for me, but I found the bold underlined statement a little jarring. I understand that in healthcare we want to promote healthy lifestyles, but dictating personal legal habits to employees is a bit of a push don't you think? Is this common in other areas & just reaching my neck of the woods?

Funny how addiction is a DISEASE when it comes to alcoholics and junkies, but NOT when it comes to smokers!!! Last time I read the Americans With Disabilities Act, it is illegal to discriminate against a potential employee based on medical condition!!

If you had actually read the ADA, instead of relying upon the latest episode of Cop Drama for the legal information, you would know that the ADA only applies to certain people with certain conditions for certain employers. The ADA clearly and explicitly states that employers have not only the right, but the DUTY to test for and exclude employment for chemical abusers. However, some employers may not exclude employment for certain positions if the applicant is a former user.

Just try to get a CDL with diabetes, an amputation, deafness, history of MI or stroke, or a whole host of other medical conditions. Let me know how easy that process is.

Even if nicotine addiction was a protected medical condition it would still not protect smoking. The act of taking a plant biomass, combusting it, and then inhaling the partially combusted material and vapor is not a medical condition. They would say put on a patch and be quiet.

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Just try to get a CDL with diabetes, an amputation, deafness, history of MI or stroke, or a whole host of other medical conditions. Let me know how easy that process is.

If you had actually read the FMCSR, instead of relying upon old episodes of BJ And The Bear for the legal information, you would know that diabetes is not a disqualifier as long as you are not on insulin, both amputation and partial deafness or deafness in only one ear can be taken care of with a waiver. As far as an MI, I have had three and I am still a fully licensed Class A CDL truck driver with a fully legal D.O.T. Medical Card and 20 years of over-the-road experience in 48 states and 5 provinces of Canada and over 2 million miles without an accident who retired a year ago to take my seat in nursing school.

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We should as nurses try to stay as healthy as possible in order to be an example to our patients.
I think that's ridiculous. People do what they're going to do irrespective of whatever lifestyle choices and/or addictions nurses choose/cope with.
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Specializes in Anesthesia, ICU, PCU.

Going against my instincts on this one, as its pretty indefensible, but it is my opinion that

1.) people are too tough on smokers, especially people with no/limited experience with addiction, and

2.) too sensitive to the odor.

1.) You can rattle "you have free will!" against my head all day and the only thing you're going to prove is your own lack of understanding. It isn't just a matter of deciding for some people. Not everybody has iron will power, and there are physical and psychological consequences when quitting smoking. There are these medications that will help you quit, and even THOSE have physical and psychological consequences. I'm happy for the people who have managed to quit, or at least make do with something like an e-cig, but now it seems like people are taking issue with the vapor from those too. Apparently minute amounts of nicotine in exhaled vapor is getting treated the same as the various tar and chemicals in tobacco smoke... Way too hard on the poor people. Maybe hospitals should hold the obese to the same Draconian regulations they are the smokers.

2.) I have parents who smoke so maybe I'm desensitized to the smell, but I can always tell when somebody comes from a non-smoking household. People would get into my car when I was borrowing it from the parents and instantly complain about the odor and need the window down. Really though? Having physical reactions to something as small as the odor on fabric or somebody's clothing? That's how sensitive non-smokers are to it? If that's the case maybe we've made matters worse by banning it in pretty much every public place. Can you not have a campfire? Would you just collapse and burn if, God forbid, your house caught on fire? How do you handle bus/truck exhaust when it blows into your car window? It's hard to say because smoking actually is bad for you, but what happens when somebody has to go somewhere that doesn't have the first world comfort and privilege of smoking bans literally everywhere?

Not saying it's right or wrong to pre-screen for smoking or nicotine when hiring. Just an opinion.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
Mandated flu vaccines and smoking are not comparable. Flu vaccines are to prevent the spread of the flu to the residents and other staff. My smoking off campus does not affect my patients or other staff.

It could affect others. Smoking gets into your clothes and hair. Some people can't even handle that around them.

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I have mixed feelings about this. I have a glass of red wine once in a while and wouldn't appreciate if someone told me not to, but then again, I HATE that our campus is non smoking and I find nurses smoking right outside the door. Just enough so that I can get caught in their cloud of smoke as I walk in. By the way - Our entire hospital campus is not smoking.

So, I have mixed feelings. I hate when staff ignore the rules and smoke right outside the building even though we wouldn't let patients/visitors do the same. I don't smoke, I don't wanna smell like smoke, and as a past smoker (quit >7 years ago) I don't really need/want to be around that. If you smoke at home, in your car, at a park where it's not making me smell, anywhere I am not affected, then in my opinion it's your own health, your life, don't see why it affects me.

Now, if you're like my stupid upstairs neighbor and you smoke right outside your door of our duplex house and make my bedroom smell like smoke at 2am and wake me up, I'm gonna be ****** =p I get what you're concerned about it, I agree with you, but also I guess needed a little rant space! I dunno, I can see both your and the hospital's point of view. It's a difficult issue.

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Specializes in Transitional Nursing.
Since this thread has been rehashed I want to address this post... this is a joke, right? CPS in my state can't even keep track of if a kid with an open case (due to physical abuse) is alive or not, they wouldn't even open an investigation if someone called to report that a kid's parents smoke. Smoking is legal. Heck, I've had a few cases recently where the mother smoked marijuana while pregnant and they still didn't do anything. More than 10% of my current patients have open cases with CPS- some of them have parents who don't feed them or give their meds and these kids are STILL in their parents' custody. They would never take custody away from a parent for having a legal habit.

IF you are in MA, then, ohhh yeaaa CPS is a JOKE, JOKE, JOKE. They take 3 years+ to remove babies who are being neglected and god knows what else. Bad, bad, bad. :(

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
IF you are in MA, then, ohhh yeaaa CPS is a JOKE, JOKE, JOKE. They take 3 years+ to remove babies who are being neglected and god knows what else. Bad, bad, bad. :(
but they won't let a teen go home for having a legal diagnosis....abuse of power.
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Specializes in Transitional Nursing.

I know. It's insane. I have NO idea what the whole Justina thing is about. Seriously? The kid is LOVED by her parents, and the state is making her waste away in a nursing home. I've written the Governor about it, not that it will do anything.

I've never been ashamed to be from Ma.....until now.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.
Funny how addiction is a DISEASE when it comes to alcoholics and junkies, but NOT when it comes to smokers!!! Last time I read the Americans With Disabilities Act, it is illegal to discriminate against a potential employee based on medical condition!!

This response is a joke, right?! :cheeky:

No one who has read the ADA would even try to invoke it in the name of smoking.

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This response is a joke, right?! :cheeky:

No one who has read the ADA would even try to invoke it in the name of smoking.

I'm not saying it SHOULD apply to smokers, It just ****** me off that it applies to alcoholics and drug addicts (and sex addicts and food addicts and gambling addicts and...and...and....) but NOT smokers. Either addiction is a disease or it is not, you don't get to pick and chose WHICH addictions are a disease and which are not. If an alcoholic or drug addict comes to their employer and tells them that they are addicted and want help it is ILLEGAL for that employer to fire them. The most that they can do is to move them laterally into another position that is not financially/legally/security sensitive until they get "clean".

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Specializes in Med Surg.

That's a good point, Caribbean character. I'm not a smoker, so it doesn't apply to me, but it's always struck me as odd that some addictions are tolerated and excused (to a degree) while others are vilified. I disagree with facilities not hiring smokers, but more because their rationale seems like a lie. We have a local hospital that recently announced they would no longer hire smokers. Supposedly it was to promote community and employee health. I'm probably too cynical for my own good, but I think it has very little to do with health and whole lot to do with the insurance rates smokers pay. It's all about the dollar.

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