Smoking coworkers and fair breaks

[vlomankill]

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. 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: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. Am i wrong for this?? has anyone had issues concerning smoking and breaks??

[MassED, BSN, RN]

My facility has banned all tobacco products, period, on facility property. You have to leave the premises. I don't know of anyone that still tries to take a smoke break. I've seen some people with patches.

or some Nicorette or other nicotine chewing gum. It should be provided by facilities that enforce no smoking on hospital premises.

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

Tell them when you need a break and take it. Or if you need longer time for your break/lunch, let them know and take it.

I smoke as well, but work in a clinic, where it could be a bit different. There are 'slow points' or down time in our clinics where it is completely slow, and that would be the time that I take the break...not when it is busy. And, I make rounds to each station before I make that announcement to see if there are any lingering situations where another nurse needs assistance before I go.

Those same nurses will also let me know if they have to take an extra break to get coffee, take a breather, need to pay a bill and may need a longer lunch break, etc... and we've always worked it out where everyone gets their bit of downtime if needed or even just desired. Not sure what can be done to change their habit, but I'd make sure that they work with you, too.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

My hospital went smoke free about 2 years ago. In order to help employees, who have to walk a minimum of 500 feet from the property (and my hospital owns not only the block the hospital is on but practically every block around it too!), and they gave smokers plenty of warning, offered smoking cessation classes, and even stocked kits with nicorette and patches for patients, visitors, and staff. Basically, they follow the 3 strikes and you're out rule. Get busted 3 times, get terminated.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

i work in a very busy surgical icu. several times a shift, the smokers all disappear for a smoke break -- together. that often leaves just a bare bones staff to watch all of the critically ill patients. no one actually asks for a break -- they just appear in your room and announce "i'm stepping outside for a minute -- watch my patients, will ya?" then they disappear before you can respond. one night not too long ago, there were 13 assignments and 8 of the nurses and both rts were outside smoking. one of the smokers' patients wasn't doing well and had to be intubated . . . no rts on the unit and most of the nurses were outside.

it irritates the crap out of me that smokers never seem to miss their smoke breaks, but if anyone else sits in the break room for an equal amount of time, someone -- usually a smoker -- comes to get them because "your patient wants his channel changed."

[klone, MSN, RN]

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.

Wow, that really sucks.

Where I work, I don't think there are more than one or two people who smoke, one of whom is an RN. For some reason, it always surprises me when I learn someone DOES smoke, because it just seems so unusual nowadays. I imagine a lot depends on where you live.