smoking students

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It seems like we have more students than ever who are smokers. This always becomes an issues during clinicals when they want to go on a "smoking break". Naturally the non-smokers become resentful of all the extra break time they get. How do others handle this situation?

:crying2: :uhoh3: i started smoking in school for lpn and drug calculations drove me to smoke ciggraettes! does anyone have any tips i need anything! how did you understand?
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:crying2: :uhoh3: i started smoking in school for lpn and drug calculations drove me to smoke ciggraettes! does anyone have any tips i need anything! how did you understand?

Yes! I have a good idea, with all respect for the living and dead person:

Attend a canser hospital and an authopsy of canser pulm c.met., and read the journal and let the pathologist to explain what you see, smell, the gaz, and where the canser started, and the way the canser-cell spread, -true the liver, brain, kidney, and bone. Look at the journal and note all the pain the patient has gone thrue.

I am not - and I am saying NOT a fundamentalist regarded to smoking. I am a party-smoker myself. Actually I enjoy the smell when you have taken the first sigarett and a glase of wine. I have some good memories from childhood: my father was - and I am saying was- a smoker. He was (and still is) a lovely father, but in the -60 ies "everyone was smoking". Those memory: a lovely father and the tobacco smell- yes, I think it was good.

But for about 25 years I have seen so much pain that the sigarette create, so if you have the opportunity to do attend an authopsy, DO IT! AND TAKE SOME CALLS IN A CANSER HOSPITAL LUNG DEP. That was a wakeup for me.

Best wishes and certainly; I can see that some sigarettes in a party never will hurt you, but maybe you well be addicted....

Florry :)

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Specializes in hospice.

I never went on a smoke break as a student and even now as an RN......who needs to smell that? not the patiets thats for sure.

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Amen...

I can't count how many times nurses would sneak off the floor to grab a smoke. I also used to smoke but being "AR" I would never leave my patients long enought to endulge

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Specializes in Emergency room, med/surg, UR/CSR.
I think this policy sucks. Smoking may not be what some agree with, but it is not illegal. If you are over 18, and you choose to smoke, you should be able to do so in designated areas. If I was in this class, I would just go out to lunch and smoke off of hospital grounds, or just walk off of the hospital campus. That is not under your jursidiction, and you cannot penalize someone for doing that (as long as its on break time, and they are back in time). I would love to see someone bring a lawsuit against this..i bet they would win.

With the waiting list to get into nursing school, all they have to do is make sure that accepted students understand and agree to adhere to the policy upfront. I doubt there would be any shortage of candidates for their program. If students know upfront what the policy is, and break it, then they should face the consequences, just like breaking any other policy of the school, such as cheating. If you were in that class, I'm sure they would have no qualms about booting you out; they have plenty more candidates waiting and I really doubt a lawsuit would be successful if the student knew upfront the policy and the consequences of breaking it. In that vein, there are plenty of schools out there, and students can ask upfront what their policy about smoking is and choose the program based on that. I don't think the policy sucks BTW, but then I'm not a smoker and I have always had issues with "smokers break." :angryfire

JMHO,

Pam

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Cigarette smells make me sick, even after the person tries to mask it. They literally make me feel ill. At the hospital I volunteer at, you're not allowed to wear perfume or hair products with a smell out of respect for patients who are sensitive to that. But you can go out and smoke and try to mask the smell (which doesn't work). I'm sure cigarette smells are odors more people would be sensitive to and find offensive.

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Cigarette smells make me sick, even after the person tries to mask it. They literally make me feel ill. At the hospital I volunteer at, you're not allowed to wear perfume or hair products with a smell out of respect for patients who are sensitive to that. But you can go out and smoke and try to mask the smell (which doesn't work). I'm sure cigarette smells are odors more people would be sensitive to and find offensive.

I really agree to the strange rules at your hospital! In Norway: every hospital are smokefree: you have to go out as a patient, even if you have fever or what ever, if you have to have your smoke. I have been working with young adults with sarcoma in a sarcoma unit: We offered them nicotin-pads. All the staff are offered free smoking quit program AND nicorette or synonymes to that: for FREE!! We have no excuse for smoking at work, at least. The staff are not allowed to smoke during the shift, neither use perfume or garlic-food or anything that can make the pt sick. We are promoting health for God sake!!! The only place I know its allowed to smoke for the pt is in wards with palliative care: lung canser with a bad prognosis. Its an etical dillemma to forbidden those pts their "last sigarette". I have been helping pt with thracheostomi and "learning them" how to inhale thrue their t.stomi. Also I have been given sigarettes and hold them during smoking to totally paralysed pt. I think this has to do with power: I cant decide that you are not allowed to smoke, because you "should do"- you are paralysed or you have canser pulm. But my duty is to not doing smoking sigarettes during my shift, and maybe- I say maybe- give advise to people with good prognosis relating to their smoking habits. I know the etical principle "do not harm", but I also know the etical principle "authonomy". I have to use them, discuss them and at least make my decition.

I've notised that you have written about the staff, - but I had to also mention the pt. here.

Anyone who disagree about my point of view?

:)

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In our program, we only take breaks when they allow them during lectures. When Clinicals start, there are very clear rules about no smoking in uniform. If they smell it on us, we are gone for the day and will have to make it up. There are only so many make ups allowed so I don't think anyone would be stupid enough to smoke in uniform.

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

In my clinicals, if you even came in smelling like smoke or perfume, you were told to leave.

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I have to say that I have never understood the resentment that non-smokers have toward smokers "getting extra breaks." I currently smoke, and am working on quitting, but fully intend to continue taking a couple of 5-7 minute breaks even after I don't smoke anymore. Just to get outside, in fresh air and (hopefully)sunshine, a few minutes alone--is a great refreshener. Anyone can do this, whether they smoke or not. As for not having time, sometimes you don't; but when you do, take a break! Smoker or not--you deserve it.

I do realize that there are smokers that abuse this, and go smoke almost every hour. These people need to be spoken to anyway, regardless of whether they are smoking or just going for soda. No one should get that many breaks; but I think it is reasonable for all of us to have a few minutes, in addition to our lunch break, to ourselves.

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Seems like everyone should get the same breaks - and for the same amounts of time. Smokers should not have more "free time". However, if the break is scheduled - the person should be able to do with it what they please.

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

If they come back stinking of cigs, it's pretty obvious what some did on their breaks, though.

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