Smoking

Ruby Vee, BSN · Jun 30, 2017

Hey Everyone,
I just wanted to ask your opinion on nursing students smoking cigarettes. Not from a medical or nursing standpoint but from a personal viewpoint. I smoke cigarettes, I had successfully quit a few years ago but once I started nursing school I started again due to stress. It is my vice and my stress reliever. And I know its bad for you, spare me the lecture but its what is getting me through the day. So I recently I was in lab. During lunch I went to the parking lot to smoke. (my university is on a "non-smoking" campus). I realize i was technically in violation of the rules but I didn't figure I was hurting anyone, but ultimately I was in the wrong and I understand that. While this happened one of my instructors saw me and scolded me during class. So my question is, obviously smoking is bad, but as nurses we also advocate for patients to make their own decisions. We discourage unhealthy behaviors but in the end it is the patients decision. How do you all feel about a nursing student going out for a smoke during their break? (I was in a secluded area. Not exposing anyone to second hand smoke and I would never do this on a clinical site.) Whats your opinion?

Your school has a non-smoking campus. That in itself is enough of a reason not to smoke on school grounds and yes, the parking lot can be considered school grounds. Your instructor saw you and scolded you -- that's another reason. You don't want to be calling negative attention to yourself. It may be your right to poison your own lungs and all that, but an instructor who has already formed a negative opinion about you is unlikely to be one who will go an extra mile for you at some future date when (not if) you need it.

direw0lf, BSN · Jul 7, 2017

I'm a non-smoker. Yes, smoking is unhealthy, but the moral crusade of the anti-smoking people has gotten out of hand. I'll bet your university doesn't ban unhealthy foods from the cafeteria or vending machines.
Why not provide an outdoor, designated area for those who smoke? Probably because the morality police have made smoking the unpardonable sin...

Unhealthy foods aren't exactly linked to cancer and asthma exasperation as solidly as tobacco products are. I just don't want to be around it because of the risk to my health, no morality about it, I'm probably more selfish because I'll care about my health over your struggle with addiction. But dangs there's enough things in this world to cause disease, I don't need to second hand smoke to add to it.

Well about the OP's question asking for opinions on what we think of nurses who smoke. I think it is a bad image to the public. Sometimes they watch nurses and other medical staff like a hawk. I was in a patient's room with his family the other day and the family said annoyingly "Do you hear the nurses out there saying 'omg'? They sound like a bunch of teenagers" Maybe to some patients nothing nurses do would matter but to others they see and it effects them one way or the other. Even something like nurses acting loud at the station saying "omg" influences opinions. (not saying that is right or wrong just that it influences them). I feel like the kind of nurse I want to be is one who always tries to be for health promotion, and I just think that smoking is so negative that I don't wish for nurses to do it publicly.

ArrowRN, BSN, RN · Jul 7, 2017

Hey Everyone,
I just wanted to ask your opinion on nursing students smoking cigarettes. Not from a medical or nursing standpoint but from a personal viewpoint. I smoke cigarettes, I had successfully quit a few years ago but once I started nursing school I started again due to stress. It is my vice and my stress reliever. And I know its bad for you, spare me the lecture but its what is getting me through the day. So I recently I was in lab. During lunch I went to the parking lot to smoke. (my university is on a "non-smoking" campus). I realize i was technically in violation of the rules but I didn't figure I was hurting anyone, but ultimately I was in the wrong and I understand that. While this happened one of my instructors saw me and scolded me during class. So my question is, obviously smoking is bad, but as nurses we also advocate for patients to make their own decisions. We discourage unhealthy behaviors but in the end it is the patients decision. How do you all feel about a nursing student going out for a smoke during their break? (I was in a secluded area. Not exposing anyone to second hand smoke and I would never do this on a clinical site.) Whats your opinion?

Not exposing anyone to second hand smoke? Where do you think smoke goes? Its in the air in some diluted form or the other be it a minute amount. What you do is your business. But just FYI some hospitals have added nicotine testing to their drug test requirements and some don't hire smokers period.

As for your instructors approach? That's of bad taste and not something I would bring up with the whole class. That instructor was unprofessional and should have had a private conversation with you.