Smoking

november17, ASN, RN · Mar 1, 2008

It's funny that smoking is a major cause of heart disease, but so is being fat. I don't see anyone discriminating against fat people.

rn/writer, RN · Mar 1, 2008

It's funny that smoking is a major cause of heart disease, but so is being fat. I don't see anyone discriminating against fat people.

Let's not even go there.

People are overweight for many reasons, some of which have nothing to do with willpower or addiction. Overeating can be thought of as "too much of a good thing," while smoking is just plain bad for you. Smoking can affect everyone in the vicinity with the smell and the ability to trigger asthma. What people eat is a little more contained and private.

No one should be discriminating against smokers, but smoking is fair game.

dutch_girl14 · Mar 9, 2008

So do you think that all nurses and hospital personal should be required to stop smoking and go through smoking cessation classes?

Ms Kylee · Mar 9, 2008

We're not allowed to smoke anywhere on hospital grounds.. and the patients aren't permitted to either. However, I've busted my share that think they can get away with smoking in the bathroom. *rolls eyes*

MrsCaseyRN · Mar 9, 2008

Our campus is about to go smoke free, this encludes the hospital, rehab/nursing home, and I believe other medical offices; we're all within one huge parking lot. I am a nonsmoker, and my husband is a severe asthmatic (acolate&advair BID,has been intubated,rescue inhaler) and I do find it unprofessional and just plain gross that anyone (nurses,wait staff, any one invovled in customer service) smell like smoke. However, with this smoke free campus being in place I believe 3 things will happen.

#1 Visitors and pts will ignore this policy anyway. (After all, why would anything like that apply to them?) :icon_roll

#2 Some staff will smoke in their cars, which we know will make them smell 100x worse. Actually, the staff I work with that smokes, doesn't smell now, but any smoker knows that smoking in an inclosed area leaves you smelling.

#3 Some staff will drive off campus. Even if that means taking 20 min "10min" breaks. So when the take their 10 mins, we should expect them to be gone a lot longer.

Basically, staff that's not ready to quit, will find a way to smoke. :smokin: Even if that means taking longer breaks (and in our facility or DON smokes, so they won't be getting written up!) Really, as a non smoker, I don't mind the smokers being outside. They go around back and there's no cloud of smoke for people to walk through to get in the building. I think that the staff should have the right to smoke in a descrete (sp?) way and wash their hands/use lotion to cover the smell. I realize we are health care professionals and we are suppose to set an example, but we are also people. What's next, they tell us we can't bring certain foods from home for our lunch because its not healthy, and we are suppose to be setting an example? What about all the unhealthy food often found at the nurses station? Is it in view of the same pts we teach not to eat that stuff?

Just a thought...

DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN · Mar 9, 2008

I am in a smoke-free state :yeah:No smoking is allowed anywhere on the hospital property. When outpatients come for scans they want to go out to smoke and get upset when they find out that they cannot go out and smoke, not even in their cars.

dutch_girl14 · Mar 11, 2008

Well I do not think that it's fair that smokers get a special break just to go outside and smoke. The campus that I am at just went smoke free at the beginning of the year and the staff that still smoke leave for an hour at a time to go on their "break". And everyone else ends up watching their patients! Talk about comprimising patient care! I mean, as a non-smoker, I don't get a paid "leave the hospital" break every hour.

rn/writer, RN · Mar 11, 2008

Are these people being reported or written up? If everyone just looks the other way (complaining all the way) and the folks with clout aren't informed that this is going on, it makes the rules hard to enforce.

If your unit manager knows this is happening and does nothing, you may need to gather a group of disgruntled workers and take it to the next level.

I'm guessing the toughest enforcement situation would be if the unit manager is one of the offenders. I ran into that at an old job. Even so, there are higher levels of management that ought to be able to get tough with those who need it.

I wish you the best.

BigMack · Mar 11, 2008

I smoke and agree that its unprofessional that one comes into work smelling like smoke. Smoking is part of the american culture and has been for quite some time. Not to say its ok... but Febreeze anyone? =)

DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN · Mar 11, 2008

well i do not think that it's fair that smokers get a special break just to go outside and smoke. the campus that i am at just went smoke free at the beginning of the year and the staff that still smoke leave for an hour at a time to go on their "break". and everyone else ends up watching their patients! talk about comprimising patient care!

omg! say it ain't so. leave for an hour? i would totally refuse to care for their patients while they are away. i would be on the phone with the super or whomever is responsible and ask them to come and cover their patients so you can continue to care for your own. that is totally absurd!!!!!

jmgrn65, RN · Mar 11, 2008

I too live in IL and we are a smoke-free state! The hospitals mandate that employees go completely off campus to smoke - can't even smoke in the parking decks! So...here it is 10 degrees and snowing and the employees are on the freeway overpasses smoking!!! Talk about dedication.
The pts sign a paper when they go to the hospital and they know its non-smoking. It helps that it is a statewide law.

Is this a recent law? when we were in IL for my husbands grandmaothers funeral they were smoking in restaruants.

jmgrn65, RN · Mar 11, 2008

It's funny that smoking is a major cause of heart disease, but so is being fat. I don't see anyone discriminating against fat people.

You don't, people have gotten fired for being fat. One lady was fired from applebees for being fat. Airlines charge for 2 seats. Second hand fat doesn't kill, second hand smoke does.