Nurses who smoke

Nurses Safety

Published

i would like to know anyone's opinion on nurses who smoke. i know someone who works in an outpatient cancer center, and on her breaks she smokes outside while patients are going in and out of the building (and they see her smoking). do you think it is positive for a nurse to smoke, and then educate her patients about not smoking? especially infront of a lung cancer pt??? :stone

this post is just for your view on this issue, and i am a neutral. i have been a smoker for several years, and i will be graduating from nursing school in the spring. many people including my instructors have been so negative towards my smoking, i just want to know what to expect when i get into the work place. are nurses ok with this? i know that its bad for me, and i know i should quit, but thats easier said then done. any suggestions???

sorry for the original typo's, you guys can be harsh on the spelling errors :imbar

Specializes in Emergency/Anaesthetics/PACU.
i would like to no anyones oppinion on nurses who smoke. i know someone who works in an outpatient cancer center, and on her breaks she smokes outside while her pts are going in and out of the building, and they see her smoking. do you think it is positive for a nurse to smoke, and then educate her pts about not smoking? especially infront of a lung cancer pt??? :stone

i don't think it's positive for a nurse to smoke... but each to then own.

i have looked after numerous patients who have smoked heavily... one lady i remember vividly was 96, living independently at home until she had a fall and couldnt wait for her ankle fraction to heal so she could "go downstairs for a damn cigarette!". i also remember caring for a lady in her early 40's who had never smoked in her life and was recently diagnosed with advanced lung cancer after be investigated for ongoing shoulder-blade pain.

i think being a nurse gives yourself a bit more perspective on life and health and whats important.

what irritates me (in addition to the longer/numerous breaks for smokers) is walking into the hospital to start a shift through the cloud of smoke produced by the huge number of patients and staff chuffing away on their cigarettes.....ick.... it makes me feel sick just thinking about it.... :rolleyes:

0 Votes
Specializes in ER/Trauma, research, OR.

I am a new garad and am disgusted by any nurse who will sit and preach to a poor patient who is not aloud to go out and smoke while their close reak of the odor. I as a nurse and patient find the stench to be disgusting and repulsive these patients are nauseous enough without our help. If you must smoke shower afterwards. Try patches at work or the gum. Just don't bring that stentch into or around the hospitals!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

0 Votes
Specializes in Emergency.

In nursing part of our job is educator. so we must educate smoking cessation.

we can also document that a client has declined smoking cessation teaching. This is part of jacho requirements.

As far as nurses smoking...... alot of nurses in my ER take the full 1/2 hour lunch. I prefer to take my one 15 min smoke break.

Do i feel guilty when teaching smoking cessation? of course I do. but it's in my scope to do so. do i teach it with a cig in hand???? NO.

0 Votes
i would like to no anyones oppinion on nurses who smoke. i know someone who works in an outpatient cancer center, and on her breaks she smokes outside while her pts are going in and out of the building, and they see her smoking. do you think it is positive for a nurse to smoke, and then educate her pts about not smoking? especially infront of a lung cancer pt??? :stone

i'm a nurse who smokes. is it healthy for me? nope. i'm also overweight. is it healthy for me? nope. however, i'm not perfect, and i don't expect anyone to think i am. if i need to do smoking cessation education for a patient, i do it. i wish them luck, and believe it or not, they are usually more receptive to me than to my nonsmoking collegues because i can empathize with them.

like has already been said, it's not positive for anyone to smoke. too bad we're not all as great as those nurses who are smokers who can refrain from smoking at work. more power to them if they can, but if i could do that then i'd quit completely. but just because some nurses smoke doesn't mean they are less competent or compassionate. i'm not even going to go into the argument that smokers get more breaks.

0 Votes
I'm a nurse who smokes. Is it healthy for me? Nope. I'm also overweight. Is it healthy for me? Nope. However, I'm not perfect, and I don't expect anyone to think I am.

Well said.

0 Votes
It does not matter how a person spends thier 15 minute break. Anyone can leave the floor so to say, you do not get to leave is not true, you choose to stay on your floor and use the excuse that "smokers get to leave" I have many times watched other nurses patients so they could get off the floor and go shopping in the gift shop, oh and by the way most stay much longer then 15 minutes! Smoking is bad for everyone, but I feel it might be time that nonsmokers stop using it as an excuse.

I hear what you're saying..... but I have to be honest and tell you that where I work... we have a gang of smokers who take EXTRA breaks or LONG breaks while the rest of us cover patients for them. I try to be considerate of others (co-workers, patients etc) when I take my breaks -- it is not only kind, but it is a RULE!! We get our 15 minute break and our lunch -- these gals eat lunch and sit and chat with us while we take our 1/2 hour lunch and THEN they take 5 - 15 mins AFTER that to have a "breathing treatment" AND they take at least 2 other breaks during the shift. Now I know that not all smokers are rude like that -- so it isn't the smoking issue I hate as much as it is the "taking advantage of an addiction to misuse your co-workers issue"

0 Votes

:imbar i am a nurse of 18 years i smoke, and have smoked for over 20 years. lets look at the situation, when taking care of an alcoholic do you have problems going out and having a drink after work, at home or at the bar, ect...

i don't think so. it is our god given right to have a choice. what i choose effects myself. i as grown-up i made the choice to smoke as do others choose to drink and enjoy other things that are not healthy for us, the could be over eating, smoking, drinking, drugs ect...

i take my breaks when i have time if i don't, i smoke when i get off.

when are we going to stop being every-ones judge and jury?

i have other things to worry about, whether someone is driving drunk while my childern are out at the mall catching the bus home! :imbar

not all lung cancer is from smoking!

we are all as nurses educated on a vast realm of things we still do what we do, and you know what i mean.

we all have a vice maybe you have not figured out what it is, maybe it is spelling, so that is why we have dictionaries :)

blessed are the pure in heart

i would like to no anyones oppinion on nurses who smoke. i know someone who works in an outpatient cancer center, and on her breaks she smokes outside while her pts are going in and out of the building, and they see her smoking. do you think it is positive for a nurse to smoke, and then educate her pts about not smoking? especially infront of a lung cancer pt??? :stone
0 Votes

undefined amen you are very right i have seen the same.

it does not matter how a person spends thier 15 minute break. anyone can leave the floor so to say, you do not get to leave is not true, you choose to stay on your floor and use the excuse that "smokers get to leave" i have many times watched other nurses patients so they could get off the floor and go shopping in the gift shop, oh and by the way most stay much longer then 15 minutes! smoking is bad for everyone, but i feel it might be time that nonsmokers stop using it as an excuse.
0 Votes

so do u think nurses should drink at all, after all we look after alcoholics, should we not go just that little bit over the speed limit when we're running late, after all we look after mva's. I mean please why dont we just choose the "perfect people" to become nurses!. If u ask me it can sometimes help if a nurse is a current or previous smoker as she can understand how the patient feels.We're all just humans, and our chosen profession should not exclude us from making the same life choices as non nursing individuals. When it does thats when I get out of the maddness!

0 Votes

The question was "I would like to no anyones oppinion on nurses who smoke". Personally I don't like smoking of any kind. How ever they have the right to make the decision to do it or not. I am one how ever who thinks that smokers should take their polution away from any public entrance to any hospital ro health care facility. I will not condem smokers because I used to dip snuff (just as bad) and kept it away from those who didn't like it.

0 Votes
Specializes in Gerontological Nursing, Acute Rehab.
I'm a nurse who smokes. Is it healthy for me? Nope. I'm also overweight. Is it healthy for me? Nope. However, I'm not perfect, and I don't expect anyone to think I am. If I need to do smoking cessation education for a patient, I do it. I wish them luck, and believe it or not, they are usually more receptive to me than to my nonsmoking collegues because I can empathize with them.

Like has already been said, it's not positive for anyone to smoke. Too bad we're not all as great as those nurses who are smokers who can refrain from smoking at work. More power to them if they can, but if I could do that then I'd quit completely. But just because some nurses smoke doesn't mean they are less competent or compassionate. I'm not even going to go into the argument that smokers get more breaks.

Very well said....unfortunately, I took up smoking in college (my dorm had a smoking room, you weren't allowed to smoke in your rooms, so guess where everyone hung out??) and my best friend and I are setting a quit date soon (everyone wish me luck, tried before with no success). Do I think it makes me less of a nurse? Of course not. Do I stink? Probably, but so does that nurse who wears way to much Chanel No. 5. Do I take more breaks? Nope. I take what's allotted to me. Then again, I see nonsmokers on the phone making personal calls, and I rarely use the phone for calling home. Is it a bad example? Well, in my field (geriatrics) it's not really an issue, since we don't allow our residents to smoke (which to me is SO unfair). But, as a general rule, yes it is a bad example. But we are all adults and free to make our own choices.

I don't smoke in my house, I don't take extra breaks, I don't smoke in front of doorways to my facility, and I certainly don't anyone else I work with to "cover" for me so I can go smoke 10 times a night. Therefore, what business is it of yours if I smoke? We already had a thread about overweight nurses and the "example" they set.....we all have to realize that we are not perfect, we are not robots, we are human, and we all have flaws or issues that may not make us the "perfect example". I don't think that was a pre-requisite to get into nursing school.

IMHO

0 Votes

I think its wonderful to have an opinion. I didn't mean to make anyone hot :angryfire I was just looking for different views. Sorry about the typo's in the original message, it was a late, drunken (vice) night.

P.S I smoke too.

:imbar I am a nurse of 18 years I smoke, and have smoked for over 20 years. Lets look at the situation, WHEN taking care of an alcoholic do you have problems going out and having a drink after work, at home or at the bar, ect...

I don't think so. It is our God given right to have a choice. What i choose effects myself. I as grown-up I made the choice to smoke as do others choose to drink and enjoy other things that are not healthy for us, the could be over eating, smoking, drinking, drugs ect...

I take my breaks when I have time if I don't, I smoke when I get off.

When are we going to stop being every-ones judge and jury?

I have other things to worry about, whether someone is driving drunk while my childern are out at the mall catching the bus home! :imbar

Not all lung cancer is from smoking!

We are all as nurses educated on a vast realm of things we still do what we do, and you know what I mean.

We all have a vice maybe you have not figured out what it is, maybe it is spelling, so that is why we have dictionaries :)

Blessed are the pure in heart

0 Votes
+ Add a Comment