Smoking Nurses

I think nurses are no different than the rest of the population. Everyone knows how awful smoking is for you. Everyone knows it can lead to lung cancer. Sure nurses may have a more in depth knowledge, but so do other healthcare providers like MD's and plenty of them smoke.

My biggest issue is when the number/length of the smoke breaks leaves me making up for other's time away.

What are your thoughts? We'd like to see you start the discussion if you're going to ask a question.

I agree. Is this a homework question?

As someone else said, nurses are just like anyone else who smokes. I do not currently work in a healthcare setting, but I do work in a business park that is mostly healthcare offices and I see a LOT of smokers hanging around the building that aren't patients.

It does make me sad, I hate to see anyone smoking in this day and age. My mother was a CNA and smoked (she knew how bad it was for her) and I know she took frequent breaks with how much she had to smoke. She now has a chronic cough and it breaks my heart. She's still young.

I like to think people lead by example, but I work with plenty of accountants who clearly are a mess with their personal finances. I suppose this is really no different (other than one can probably kill you much faster). Nurses are still human in that they can get addicted, but it doesn't stop me from being sad about it. Plenty of healthcare providers are overweight/obese, which we could put in the same category (I know there are lots of reasons for this, as well).

I think it's not any of my business.

You are exactly right, it is not anyone's business but the person doing it. The only exception to that is I don't agree with the "Smoke Break". I don't care what anyone does on a break, smoke or otherwise; but you don't get extra breaks because of your addiction.

To the people who like to get holier than though about this kind of thing; I will match my health against anyone's and if they don't have the freedom to smoke than you should be forced to go to a gym 2 hours a day, 4 days a week because that is what I do. Just about every single health argument against smoking can be made against a sedentary lifestyle.

I think the really sick thing is that the government has turned into a bunch of drug dealers. The government will never make smoking illegal, because that is like a crack dealer not being able to sell crack. What a crack dealer does is raise the price, and that is what the government does through taxes. And to the people who say "Well, they should; smoking is bad for you"... You just opened the door for the government to tax a Twinkee 500% (or whatever health vice you may have that effects you).

So unless you are prepared to have a Jack Llane lifestyle, those in glass houses should not throw stones.

Yes it is a homework question. I just wanted to see opinions I personally do not smoke, but I do not like how some smokers take smoke breaks through the shift some up to several breaks.

What are they smoking? Where are they smoking?

Currently, nurses have the right to smoke. I agree that they shouldn't get extra breaks. I could understand if it was highly discouraged because some people are sensitive to the smell. Just like it is discouraged or against policy to wear perfume/other highly scented things.

the smell thing gets me. i find it really distracting and disrespectful to the patient when I'm working with someone who smells like a cloud of cigarette smoke. healthcare workers should present themselves as professionals, and part of that is not smelling strongly of anything good or bad.