Smoking

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What is everyone's opinion on healthcare workers smoking? I feel that we preach to patients to not smoke or to stop smoking but yet I see so many healthcare professionals smoke even though they know that harm that is causes. Any thoughts?

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It is how some people deal with stress. Some have difficulty quitting or have tried and fall back into the habit. However, I don't think that they should bring that into the workplace. If you have a patient who's trying to quit smoking for their health and you come in smelling like smoke, what kind of message does that send? But that's just my opinion. I'm sure there are many viewpoints.

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I think their health is their business

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My first thought is this sounds like a homework assignment? Is it? If it IS, you can give us your thoughts, and we can help you decide how to best work it out for your paper.

If it's really just curiosity, I can tell you there are LOTS of threads on this very topic....seems like people nevrer tire of discussing :)

Upper right hand corner of the page you'll find a search bar; typing in key words will get you more information than you could hope to have.

Good luck! :)

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Professional nurses do not preach; they educate.

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You could say the same thing about overweight nurses.

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Specializes in Gerontology.

Here we go again

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Here we go again
sigh.......
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Specializes in Critical Care/Vascular Access.

Yes, this has all been discussed in other threads, but just to bring it back up.....

There are so many toxic things we all regularly do to our body in this society and smoking is just a drop in the bucket. Our personal health is our personal business. If someone wants to jump on smoking nurses then they also need to equally criticize obese nurses, and a number of other bad habits that are detrimental to your health but are overshadowed by the unforgivable no-no that is smoking. I see FAR more morbidities from other poor lifestyle choices than smoking (namely obesity and poor eating habits), but those people are defended, sympathized with, or even condoned and not nearly as criticized as smokers. Sometimes the cafeterias at hospitals surprise me by some of the crap they'll provide for patients, may as well put a cigarette on the tray too.

Sure, I agree nurses should not be coming in and giving patient care while smelling like a cigarette, but what you do in your own time is your business.

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I was a smoker (as a nurse) for a few years. It wasn't until recently when my SO started having chest pains caused by "panic attacks" that I quit smoking. Her being admitted to the hospital without my knowing (asleep after a night shift, I wasn't answering my phone) and fearing the unknown (once I woke up to missed calls and hundreds of texts)made me realize that we needed to start caring more about our health.. So we can raise our non existent children , grow old and grumpy together.

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Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

the negatives of overeating, smoking and other threats to our health is still the truth, whether the nurse agrees with them or not. I believe the adult has the right to make choices as long as they do not threaten others.

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To me, nurses that smoke are like overweight nurses... If you work in a field where you deal with the health of others and see the repercussions with a certain lifestyle, WHY would you portray that to others? I will never forget what I had a patient ask me, "Why do you have so many fat nurses working here?" I had no answer... (By the way, the patient was old and senile and probably said whatever they wanted all the time.) I've had others comment on the same, just a little more eloquently.

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