The hospital I work at went "Tobacco Free" on January 1, 2008. This new policy was met with a lot anger and resentment toward the system administrators by 99.99% of the smokers.
I work on a small rehab unit which employs about 20 people. Out of these 3 are smokers. I am, however, not one of them.
As a rule we are allowed 1/2 hour for lunch and one 15 minute break anywhere in between per 8 hour shift; 15 minute break X2 if working a 12 hour shift. The concern I had was the fact that if you were a smoker, you generally recieved your normal breaks during the day, plus you were able to go out 2-3 times per shift for a smoke for 5-10 minutes a time. What's worse; most of the smokers worked on the same shift and when one went outside, the other usually followed, leaving the entire patient census in the care of 1-2 people.
Now entering our 8th month of this new "Smoke Free" policy, I have noticed a few things. Most annoying of which, staff were just standing on the sidewalk boardering our facility, smoking, wearing their badges as they "light up" right beside the "Were Tobacco Free!" sign. It makes me sick.
Now I have nothing against smoking, or smokers, but, it is my opinion that when you work in a profession such as nursing, you should act in a more professional mannor. One of my charge nurses said it perfectly when she said "We don't work at Target, behavior like that should not be tolorated."
I guess what I am really asking is; Am I wrong in thinking this way? What should I do when I see a fellow staff member clearly testing the administrations limits just like a two-year-old that keeps throwing his food on the floor?
I may be in the minority, but I feel the banning of smoking, and smoking locations to be nothing less than fascist. This is a country which was created for "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". Since when is only "life" considered, and a person's right to their personal liberties or peronsal pursuit of happiness ignored.
Heart disease, not lung cancer is the number one killer of people. Will cumpulsory exercise be the next rule? And bannining the use of fossil fuels, as the potential damage being caused by them will will dwarf that of a few addicted smokers.
I am an ex smoker, who believes that smoking was something that helped me immensely in my young adulthood. I'm glad I have since quit, but I have no regrets. It was a great way for me to meet people, since I was terribly shy. And "smoke breaks" are a great way to vent.
I think the bigger issue with having people sneak off campus to smoke is the fact that they come back to the unit reeking of smoke. Most facilities discourage the use of scented lotions and perfumes because the may cause allergic reactions in sensitive patients. How is reeking of smoke any different? I think it is very unthoughtful and disrespectful of coworkers and patients to smoke while on the clock.
Not to mention the fact, like some other people mentioned, that smokers are constantly taking more breaks than non-smokers, leaving everyone else to pick up their slack.
And to those who mentioned HSV & HPV statistics: what does this have to do with patient care? It's not as though you are rubbing your lesions on your patients and coworkers! When people smoke, it affects innocent bystanders, forcing them to inhale secondhand smoke, whether they like it or not. It's assault, basically. If I drink, unless I get in my car and drive, I am not affecting anyone else. But if I smoke, I am affecting everyone around me. Smoking in public is just plain rude and inconsiderate.
Apparently you didn't read both of my posts. I stated very clearly that nobody should have to deal with my addiction except me, and that in the culture we live in, most smokers accept that we need to be conscious of the rights of others, and that I even wear a jacket and gloves when I smoke and I know that I'll be going back into an environment where the smell won't be tolerated.
So,
I was addressing the discrimination smokers deal with. Not it's effect on patient care. We're in agreement on that issue.
Seriously. I'm not 'assaulting' you in any way, shape or form. That's exactly the type of behavior that I was referencing in my earlier posts. Calm down.
I may be in the minority, but I feel the banning of smoking, and smoking locations to be nothing less than fascist. This is a country which was created for "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". Since when is only "life" considered, and a person's right to their personal liberties or peronsal pursuit of happiness ignored.
What about my "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness"? Do I not have the right to breath clean smoke-free air? Why should I have to be subjected to second-hand smoke? When I go to a restaurant I want to taste my food not someone's smoke.
What about my "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness"? Do I not have the right to breath clean smoke-free air? Why should I have to be subjected to second-hand smoke? When I go to a restaurant I want to taste my food not someone's smoke.
I suppose you should get rid of your vehicle if cigarette smoke bothers you so much. Once again, ::beats dead horse::
You inhale vehicle exhaust, live next to power lines and talk on a cell phone.
I keep my smoke away from you and I'M STILL a villain. I'm confused?
I'm not talking about you specifically, but smokers in GENERAL. Lots of smokers do not have any respect for the rights of non-smokers.
And of course, I could be wrong, but I haven't heard anything about how inhaling vehicle exhaust causes cancer (I'm not saying that it can't), while on the other hand, it is well-documented that second-hand smoke causes lung cancer; not to mention innocent bystanders actually inhale more carcinogens then the smoker actually does.
I've never had trouble breathing or had burning eyes while sitting on a patio facing a busy street with lots of cars driving by, but I've certainly had to leave places because the cigarette smoke was so bad that my eyes were watering and burning, and I couldn't stop coughing. I've had to walk down the halls of my apartment building smelling the foul smell of cigarette smoke that just permeates the place; see cigarette butts floating in the POOL, littering the parking lot, etc, etc. Maybe you do not do these things, but many smokers do.
If you smoke in the privacy of your own home, I really couldn't care less. But don't smoke near the air I breathe, don't leave your cigarette butts lying around, and don't ask me to watch your patients 3-4 times a day while you go on a smoke break. You know what? Knitting relieves my stress, but I'm sure I would be laughed at if I asked a coworker to relieve me while I took a 5-10 minute knitting break at regular intervals throughout the day. Why is it different for smokers?
I used to get upset about that fact that smokers got those 3-4 extra 10 minute breaks to go get their fix. Then I realized that if they don't go out and do that they have a tendancy to be foul SOBs and unpleasant to work with. I prefer not to smell the stink of smoker clothes anyway, so the longer they are away the better (we only have 2 out of about 40 staff RNs on both shifts so we are lucky). Eeeek, was that too mean? Seriously, IMO these folks need tough love, incentive, and constant reminder to quit. Most of them make a conscious effort to take their extra breaks at downtimes or when they have 'caught up' so I don't tend to get too upset. Our hospital makes them walk a LONG way though as it is banned from the campus/parking lot/and even your personal car if you are on the property. I love that policy and thank God every day that I live in a democracy!
Die smoker Die!!! jk
We have pretty muched shoved these cancer spawns into the deepest darkest holes of our society as we can, especially on the west coast where it is illegal to smoke indoors ANYWHERE including bars. Work is about the only place they can go have a smoke break anymore, can't say I blame 'em.
Besides these folks are dwindling in vast numbers. With all the anti-smoking advertising now-a-days I see way fewer smokers than I did say 10-15 years ago. Only a few wrinkly, stinky, yellow-stained hold-outs left.
It sounds like you judge quite a bit, and I take your post pretty offensively. It's ridiculous that you say that smokers need it beat in their head to quit and tough love. You can't MAKE a smoker quit, and they're sure as he!! not going to do it for somebody who judges and offends them, calls them 'cancer spawns', and 'wrinkly, stinky, yellow-stained hold-outs', and tells them to die.
My mom is a smoker, and she is just as good of a person as the next. She just hasn't had a perfect life. She isn't any of the names you have mentioned, and for her being such an 'evil smoker', she sure has a nicer way with words than you do. She never smokes in the house, and doesn't moan and groan about everything going smoke-free. She works a 12 hour job, running around in a factory on concrete, lifting 75 lb. parts, at 52. She's a single mother trying to make it on no child support. I think she's entitled to a cigarette after hard day.
I know this is your personal opinion, but you could show WAY more respect and not be so judgemental, being a non-smoker and all.
uhh..people commit suicide by concentrating vehicle exhaust and inhaling it. you can't do that with a cigarette?
no, not as quickly as asphixation but death by cigarette, definately!
i see people with ca of the lungs everyday as well as those who die of copd.
a normal city dweller's lung. the black spots noted are carbon deposits caused by pollution.
but if you continue to smoke.....
the photo on the left is a smoker's lung with lung cancer. the white areas at the top part of the lung is cancer, while the blackened area that covers the rest of the lung are tar deposits.
the photo on the right is a lung with emphysema. not only is the lung discolored, but it is out of shape causing breathing to be extremely difficult. it is a truly miserable way to live and a slow painful way to die.
Nobody denies that smoking kills or has horrid consequences. But thanks for the pics of the lungs I suppose. I guess it's easier to post pictures of diseased lungs than it is to say one word about someone who just told me to 'die'
My point? I honestly believe that none of you care whether or not I live or die. The point of that statement is that, I've reiterated about 203842384023482804280348023x that most smokers admit that what we're doing isn't o.k. by a long shot.
However, that doesn't give any one the license to verbally abuse us by telling us to die, or use the fact that people other than myself may cause you to be a part of their addiction because you happened to smell it. I'm sure you have been maligned in some way by a smoker at some point in your life. But using the fact that the smell is intolerable, or that some body took too many breaks at work as an excuse to throw out insults is pretty lame.
So, I don't really see what the excuse for being so hateful so us HERE in this particular thread is, unless you can smell my smoke through the internet?
jk
CalicoKitty, BSN, MSN, RN
1,017 Posts
I may be in the minority, but I feel the banning of smoking, and smoking locations to be nothing less than fascist. This is a country which was created for "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". Since when is only "life" considered, and a person's right to their personal liberties or peronsal pursuit of happiness ignored.
Heart disease, not lung cancer is the number one killer of people. Will cumpulsory exercise be the next rule? And bannining the use of fossil fuels, as the potential damage being caused by them will will dwarf that of a few addicted smokers.
I am an ex smoker, who believes that smoking was something that helped me immensely in my young adulthood. I'm glad I have since quit, but I have no regrets. It was a great way for me to meet people, since I was terribly shy. And "smoke breaks" are a great way to vent.