Smoking coworkers and fair breaks

Nurses Relations

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I just need to rant and see if anyone else if having this issue. I work in dialysis as a RN; I find that a lot of my fellow coworkers smoke.:smokin: The issue I'm having is that we are allotted 2 fifteen minutes breaks and 1 half-hour meal break. I am finding that my fellow coworkers are spending 15min at a time smoking then they complain that they didn't get a break or that they are having a meal break late (they take 45 min by the way, because they have to have a smoke before returning to the unit). I expressed my concern for the patients (with almost everyone smoking, there isn't that many of us taking care of the patients) to my boss, but she is a smoker. I notice one coworker was only in the unit for 45 min in a two hour time frame. :mad::mad:I think its unfair to the nonsmokers who aren't taking 4-5 fifteen min breaks plus a extra long meal break. Lets just say my fellow coworkers are not happy when I hold them to this rule and remind them that they have coworkers who may want to take a break too. :mad: Am i wrong for this?? has anyone had issues concerning smoking and breaks??

Specializes in TSICU, Renal Transplant, IR, Cath Lab.

Even better -- if you're a non-smoker, bring a toy bubble-blowing pipe to work, and go out with the smokers on their frequent dodges. Then blow bubbles as they do their thing. Sauce for the goose, eh?

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Even better -- if you're a non-smoker, bring a toy bubble-blowing pipe to work, and go out with the smokers on their frequent dodges. Then blow bubbles as they do their thing. Sauce for the goose, eh?

Love it, love it, love it! :smokin:

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I think this is an issue at any workplace. However it is just that much more dangerous when you are in a position where you need to take care of other people.

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Specializes in ER/Ortho.

I work at big hospital with a 0 smoking policy. No smoking on the property at all and that includes inside your car. This is the mothership of the entire hospital system, and is gigantic. It takes 10 minutes to get down the elevator, and outside the hospital. I have to take a shuttle to my car because my parking area is several blocks away. Its a good 10-15 min walk off the hospital property at least in all directions. In order to take a lunch or break you must have someone cover for you..which means you are accountable for coming back on time. There is no way you can get off the campus, smoke and get back even in your 30 minute lunch.

We are allowed to take 2 15 minute breaks, but we rarely take them because there is never time. There is no a problem with people leaving to smoke...its just not possible. If your caught smoking on campus you can be fined $500 and fired. I bring an electronic cigarette which is tobacco free. You inhale nicotine, and steam. There is no odor, and you can do it anywhere. This way I can smoke in the breakroom during lunch or when I duck in for a drink of water. I even have a drag or two when I use the restroom. Problem solved.

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Specializes in LDRP.

I also worked at a large " mothership" hospital. Used to have a smoking area off to the side of the building somewhere. ( I don't smoke and never actually saw it-so it wasn't that obvious. ) patients and staff went there.

Hospital then went no smoking over the whole campus, your car and parking garage included.

The "solution"? Everyone now goes to an overpass in front of the hospital, that is on city property. The parking garages are to the side of the building, so this area is close to and visible from the front doors.

So, everyone smokes under the bridge. So instead of a secluded smoking area, it is now visible to people driving up to the hospital. Patients still go--it's not jail and they can't be forced to stay. We just had to tell them thy were going AMA, blah blah blah, can't sue us. One patient even had the insulin bag come un-spiked when he wind knocked IV pole over. Her solution? Pick it up and re-spike the bag.

Anyhow, just a side note that non smoking campuses don't always prevent smoking at all

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Specializes in LDRP.

Oh, when I worked in the hospital, there was one smoker nurse in particular who used to bring a camping chair so she could sit down and relax on her smoke break! I occasionally watched patients for smoke breaks is I had the time and they didn't abuse the time. Most ran in and ran out.

Current RN job involves lots of driving, and lots of unsupervised time. No smoke break needed, they can do it in the car if necessary. I do t even know who smokes.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Home Health.

At my old job, I was literally the only nonsmoker on my shift. Everyone else took smoke breaks together, which left me alone with 60+ patients. I handled a lot of falls by myself because I was the only employee in the building. I hated it.

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At my job, these are the nurses that make the extra time to take numerous breaks and they are the ones always complaining about never getting their charting done and staying after shift to finish charting which = OT....but you let a tech or HUC stay 30 mins over to finish work and they get chewed out for "incremental" overtime...

Its these same nurses who will sit at the nurses' station and if their patient calls for ice and juice or a coke, they will see the tech sitting there and ask them to do it....but in that few seconds of asking the tech or HUC to do it, it could have been done by the nurse already....

I could go on and on and on....but I'll leave it for another thread! :D

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Specializes in Dialysis.

thanks everyone. i'm sure it does happen everywhere, again i think its unsafe when so many are leaving the unit to smoke. the patient ratio triples at least when they leave to smoke. thanks again.

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Specializes in Health Information Management.
thanks everyone. i'm sure it does happen everywhere, again i think its unsafe when so many are leaving the unit to smoke. the patient ratio triples at least when they leave to smoke. thanks again.

You know, one thing you actually could try if everyone goes out at once (or in large groups) for smoke breaks is documenting on each shift for which you happen to be present how many RNs/LPNs(if applicable)/CNAs are actually present during those breaks, as well as the number of patients at that time. If you have one or two non-smoking coworkers who are also fed up and very trustworthy, you might consider teaming up with them so you can all gather as much data as possible. Now, I'm not sure everyone at your facility is disappearing at the same time or in sizable groups, so that might not work. However, if they do go smoke together, keeping those kinds of stats for two weeks or a month might shock your manager into change. It's a lot harder to dismiss a problem as vague and negligible when the black-and-white numerical reality of it is being thrust into your face.

If your coworkers aren't disappearing all at once, the only other thing I can think of that might help is to notify your risk management officer. If you leave an anonymous note outlining the problem and explaining that you believe the potential for harm and/or errors is going up significantly as a result, perhaps things might change for the better.

Obviously, both suggestions carry some risk to you as an employee. I hope conditions at your facility improve soon!

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I don't think it's acceptable. Two employers I worked for (1 retail, 1 health insurance) and NONE of the smokers got extra breaks. They had to smoke on their two 15 minute breaks or their 45 minute lunch. They did not get extra time.

I don't think any of the nurses I work with take smoke breaks. They have to leave campus to do it. And that is a far walk. Believe me. I've had to chase visitors down there.

My concern is, what about the smell? Do they change their scrubs when they come back in? The slightest smoke smell gives me a headache, and sometimes make me nauseous. I would not be happy if my nurse was smelling like smoke.

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Specializes in ER.
Yes, 7am-9.30pm, if we work a "long" shift. We can do 7am-3pm or 1pm-9.30 if we want, though. We don't have to do the long shift, it's more of a personal choice if we want more days off than on. Most people do it because of childcare or other issues that make it easier to just work 2 or 3 days a week.

I work 3 days a week, doing 12 hour shifts. When did the requirement go to 14 hour shifts??? 12 hours is long.... I would never agree to 14 hours unless there was some serious shift in pay, or some other incentive. If you could do 2 or 3 of those 14 hour shifts and get an extra day off, that would be worth it, I suppose.

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