NICOTINE TAR CONTAINS OVER 4000 CHEMICALS including ammonia, formaldehyde, orificenic, butane, hydrogen cyanide, lead, mercury, vinyl chloride, methane AND vast quantities of carbon monoxide.
Nicotine is a colorless, odorless, organic-based alkaloid in the same family as cocaine, morphine, quinine and strychnine. It is a super toxin. Now I know it is legal and so is alcohol, but how can this be allowed in the workplace. It has to effect judgement. please I need feedback, because I have a hard time with this at work.
Yea I meant the chemicals don't impair a person's judgement in the sense that alcohol does, but obviously deciding to go outside and have a smoke break when you have patients (and other nurses) depending on you to do your job is poor judgement. I have nothing against smokers but anyone who puts their work off on other people is not someone I'd want to work with.
Yes, but the person I quoted said "30 mins, 3xs a shift" which seems a bit excessive.
I'm an ex-smoker and its not my goal in life to make smokers feel guilty about their choices (SO still smokes, no biggie). Everyone has their own opinions on this topic, and my opinion is that it is okay to smoke if your smoking doesn't negatively affect others. If someone is taking extra breaks and that in turn negatively affects the other nurses and patients, then that's when its an issue. At least, that was the original issue presented in the post I quoted. I've worked with people who took extra breaks who didn't even smoke, they were just looking for an excuse to not work. The fact that someone smokes or not isn't even the real issue, the point is that we should work together and hopefully make sure we are helping each other out equally (no one should feel like they are always picking up so-and-so's slack).
Sorry, not trying to be overly defensive or argumentative, I just wanted to clarify where I'm coming from here.
I don't think health care providers should be allowed to smoke while on the clock b/c of the offensive smell to their sick patients.
I guess that they shouldn't be allowed to eat garlic or onions either. And I think they should only be allowed to use certain types of hairspray, deordorant, soap, etc. - something that won't offend the patients.
And while we're at it, certain patterns for scrubs should be off limits because they may increase nausea in certain patients.
And no more fat or old nurses, patients just shouldn't have to put up with those. In fact, ALL nurses should have to be at least an 8 out of 10 so as not upset any patients.
And to tell you the truth, I'm not too partial to East coast accents. They kind of grate on my nerves. So could we please eliminate those also?
Now that I think about it, there's SOMETHING about EVERYBODY that just tics me off, so I guess that if I'm a patient, I'll just have to do my own damn care.
jojotoo makes an excellent point, you can't please everyone. At my work there are nurses whose perfume is strong, and others whom you can tell they just stepped out to smoke, and yet others who are wearing the ugliest scrubs I've ever seen, and others whose hair looks like they are hitting the dance clubs after work, blah blah blah, I guess the important thing is that we all have a common goal at the work place and that should be our primary concern.
My state has recently gone smoke-free. How nice it is not to have the smell of smoke surrounding me when I'm trying to enjoy a nice meal.
The hospital I work for will go smoke-free 6-1-08. No smoking will be allowed anywhere on campus nor in the employees personal car. I am interested to see how this is going to work. Some of the smokers are already on Chantix (which the hosp is helping to pay for) and doing well. Others say they won't quit smoking. We'll see....:icon_roll
Dutch, I fully agree about eating a meal without smoke surrounding you. And i'm a smoker! Scotland has had the smoking ban for a while now, can't do it anywhere indoors, and it works well. Our hospital too has the smoking ban on the premises, that, however, does not work. There are notices up everywhere in the grounds, saying it's illegal to smoke anywhere around the hospital, but still, patients and visitors are crowded around the exits, puffing away. It still stinks.
As for me being a smoker, I'm paranoid that anyone would find out that I do it, I'm not proud of my addiction. So I just don't do it at work full stop. By the time I've been there for nigh on 13 hours though, I'm crabby and jumping to get out of the gate at my shift end, into my car and have one of the stinky sticks. Wish i had willpower...
My mother was a patient at Pitt Memorial (NC) last year and that hospital is smoke free for their entire campus including employee cars on the campus. The smokers would have to walk off the campus and stand near the road to smoke and I would see several huddled under umbrellas during the rain taking their breaks. Pitt Memorial is a pretty big hospital and it would take me 10- 15 minutes to get from my car to my mothers room depending on the elevator traffic etc, there is no way any nurse took only a 5 minute break to smoke.
The down side I heard from the nurses there, were the hazzards of standing next to an extremely busy highway. I think some nurses were actively trying to change policy after a couple of nurses were killed by cars. I am not sure if the nurses that smoke have to clock out since they are leaving campus, making the risk all theirs or if the hospital is deemed responsible. Either way its a tradgedy. I do think hospitals should provide the counseling and medications to quit when they mandate no smoke policies.
Specializes in Happily semi-retired; excited for the whole whammy.
I guess that they shouldn't be allowed to eat garlic or onions either. And I think they should only be allowed to use certain types of hairspray, deordorant, soap, etc. - something that won't offend the patients.
And while we're at it, certain patterns for scrubs should be off limits because they may increase nausea in certain patients.
And no more fat or old nurses, patients just shouldn't have to put up with those. In fact, ALL nurses should have to be at least an 8 out of 10 so as not upset any patients.
And to tell you the truth, I'm not too partial to East coast accents. They kind of grate on my nerves. So could we please eliminate those also?
Now that I think about it, there's SOMETHING about EVERYBODY that just tics me off, so I guess that if I'm a patient, I'll just have to do my own damn care.
It isn't a matter of being ticked off, it is a matter of strong odors making sick patients feel sicker. And as far as I know, most workplaces do have a general statement about "strong odors", which would include coming to work smelling like onion, garlic, or strong perfume.
I guess that they shouldn't be allowed to eat garlic or onions either. And I think they should only be allowed to use certain types of hairspray, deordorant, soap, etc. - something that won't offend the patients.
And while we're at it, certain patterns for scrubs should be off limits because they may increase nausea in certain patients.
And no more fat or old nurses, patients just shouldn't have to put up with those. In fact, ALL nurses should have to be at least an 8 out of 10 so as not upset any patients.
And to tell you the truth, I'm not too partial to East coast accents. They kind of grate on my nerves. So could we please eliminate those also?
Now that I think about it, there's SOMETHING about EVERYBODY that just tics me off, so I guess that if I'm a patient, I'll just have to do my own damn care.
It's not about "offending" others, it's about the fact that cigarette smoke smell can trigger migraines and asthma attacks in some individuals.
For me, cigarette smoke smell on an individual is gross, but I do not suffer from migraines or asthma, so it's just something I dislike, not a health hazard. However, second hand smoke does trigger upper respiratory allergy-like symptoms that last several hours, so I make efforts to avoid it. And yes, if I feel that a smoker is being inconsiderate of others in their choice of location (right near an entrance to a public facility, etc.), I will give them a "look". An individual has a right to choose what they put into their body, but they have no right to impose it upon me.
I don't think health care providers should be allowed to smoke while on the clock b/c of the offensive smell to their sick patients. I do, however, feel there should be somewhere on every hospital campus for the family members to smoke, as long as it is well out of reach of any nonsmoker's lungs. If your relative is dying and you refuse to leave the hospital, and you are a heavy smoker... it will just make coping that much more difficult to be denied your unhealthy vice. I just don't think it's right to make relatives suffer just b/c the hospital doesn't enforce the no smoking except in designated areas policy. That has always bothered me.
My mother worries about this all the time. Why make a stressfull situation worse, by not allowing families to smoke on campus? To be sure, there is one place on campus somewhere, where family members could smoke without offending anyone.
Dutch, I fully agree about eating a meal without smoke surrounding you. And i'm a smoker! Scotland has had the smoking ban for a while now, can't do it anywhere indoors, and it works well. Our hospital too has the smoking ban on the premises, that, however, does not work. There are notices up everywhere in the grounds, saying it's illegal to smoke anywhere around the hospital, but still, patients and visitors are crowded around the exits, puffing away. It still stinks.
As for me being a smoker, I'm paranoid that anyone would find out that I do it, I'm not proud of my addiction. So I just don't do it at work full stop. By the time I've been there for nigh on 13 hours though, I'm crabby and jumping to get out of the gate at my shift end, into my car and have one of the stinky sticks. Wish i had willpower...
I hear that Chantix really works wonders! Maybe you could get it in Scotland?
Chantix gave me the worst GI issues I have ever had. It has also been linked to suicidal thinking and risk recently. Not to mention the weird dreams that many people have- almost psychotic. This stuff changes your brain chemistry.
despite my problems with it, I would still recommend trying it but only under close medical supervision with the knowledge of warnings to report immediately to the doctor.
DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN
3,932 Posts
ewwwww!!!
I don't use any sprays period. I know I'm inhailing the stuff and would rather not take any chances. Same with powders.