:angryfire Is there anyone out there who agrees with me?
I work on a ward where we frequently provide palliative care for patients with cancer (amongst other things). I cannot stress how much it infuriates me when nurses who are smokers go into a dying cancer patient's room stinking of cigarette smoke.
In my opinion this is so morally and ethically wrong that I took my concerns to our unit manager after a patient's family made a complaint to me about another nurse. Unfortunately the NUM also smokes like a chimney and bla bla bla bla nothing was done.
Now that I have unloaded I feel more able to look at the situation objectively and decide on a course of action through appropriate channels.
I would welcome any and all opinions on smoking in the workplace.
(Please let it be known that I do not object to any person's right to smoke off the ward if they wish, only in the circumstances descibed above).
In one of the private duty cases I work one of the nurses has started smoking in the patient's home, even though this is a big no-no (the patient tells the nurses to smoke in her house--still supposed to be a no-no, but oh well...) When she lights up in front of me it is terribly annoying and inevitably the smell sinks into my clothes and hair and gives me a headache.
i saw this thread and just had to had to comment- i feel that is my right to smoke on my brakes and if that offends people i am sorry but you dont here me complaining when i see some over weight nurse gobbling down fries and a big mac now do you? no of course not because if i did that would be discrimination and with obesity becoming such an epedimic why don't we ban fast food from being served in hospitals, and what message are we sending when an obese nurse can barley walk down the hallway but this is the same nurse that we send in to do pt. teaching about diet and exercise, talk about being a hipocrit. you can say that obesity is not affecting anyone else but what about the children of parents that are obese who are of course eating the same foods and becoming obese or what about the family members who have to take care of these people once they have to heart surgery- obesity can cause a whole slue of health problems down the line and we all see them so lets get real- everyone has there vices even nurses and i will keep mine thankyou very much.
i am a nurse not a super human[:angryfire /i]
this is a classic case of denial. we are not talking about fat nurses we are talking about nurses who reek of cigarettes, and it is not up for debate which is worse. give me a room full of fatties over a room full of smokers anyday. fat people may die of a heart attack but that is a lot less suffering than the smoker with emphysema who dies with their eyes wide open gasping for air.
and for the record, fat nurses are not superhuman, either. taking out your frustrations on a certain group of people doesn't help prove your point. quite the contrary.
I truly cannot believe the amount of NURSES who do not understand addiction. If this thread is any indication of it God help us.
we're not talking oranges to oranges here when you speak of addiction.
we're talking about a nurse's responsibility to his/her pts. when they reek of smoke. there are a notable amt of pts who genuinely cannot handle the stench.
Honestly, if I were a patient of a smoking nurse (who smoked on the job and reeked of smoke), I would request a new nurse. I cannot tolerate the smell; it makes me sick. I can't understand why nurses would subject their patients to this.
Specializes in Education, Acute, Med/Surg, Tele, etc.
Hey, this makes me think of the 'back in the days' thing, and how lucky we are to be able to have this conversation about nurses and MD's going OUTSIDE to smoke! It wasn't that very long ago MD's and Nurses smoked IN the hospital, even at the nurses desk!!!!!!!
Some healthcare workers are considerate when it comes to smoking and the smell. Heck, like I said...no one knew I smoked for over 2 years at one facility and they were shocked when they found out! LOL! But I would sure notice when a CNA/LPN/RT/PT/OT/MD came in with the smell of cigs!
And did I complain at them...no, I let them know and had them use some of my fabreeze and mints (or get a toothbrush and paste for them). Once they found out that I was a smoker too...they weren't offended by my help at all! (well I was nice about it with no lectures!).
Another positive was the fact that in the last facility I worked, several of us wanted to quit...so we formed a group and during breaks would share healthy foods (kinda like a little potluck) so we wouldn't go outside. Plus, being outside alone in the cold smoking wasn't as good as being with others, so having us all inside and not smoking was breaking one of the many cycles of social smoking! It helped to be in a group all doing this together...another reason why I have cut down and don't need one at work! We discussed the things we could change that were part of the habit and changed them!
Not to mention when we were nicking out, we had someone to talk to with an empathetic ear...unlike so many non smokers who would just remind us to quit (like we weren't???) keep up the good work (well at this time it doesn't feel too good!) or other phrases we heard a thousand times before! (not that they weren't trying to help). Having other smokers quit with you helps!
Anywhooooooo...I wonder what it was they did for patients back in the days when smoking was allowed in the hospital floors? I mean, we knew it was bad...heck healthcare hello?!?! Guess someone figured it out, and now we can complain about it outside now...
Thankyou for your honesty! It is heartening to receive so many replies, especially from smokers who also agree. Perhaps (I hope) one day smoking will be outlawed in the workplace altogether. :)
I am really suprised that smoking hasn't been banned in the workplace... It has been in the UK. My hospital has banned smoking in the hospital grounds altogether... cant even go to your car (if its in the hospital grounds) & smoke. Introduced last July & we haven't had any problems
BTW... I'm a smoker and I also HATE the smell of smoke on clothes & in hair & on breath. I smell it on a colleague who goes out of the hosital grounds at lunch-time in her car & it truly STINKS!!
I truly cannot believe the amount of NURSES who do not understand addiction. If this thread is any indication of it God help us.
We understand addiction quite well, Thank You.
But if we admit a patient with an addictive issue, it is our responsibility to treat their addiction that so threatens their health. It is not part of our duties to assist them in pursuing the addiction.
And if a coworker is practicing a dangerous deadly addiction (which smoking clearly is), it is not the employer's responsibility to make provisions for them to practice the deadly addictive behavior. In fact in health care, it is more likely their duty to have them stop it. And it is detrimental for them to expose others to their deadly addictive behavior, especially those in need of breaking their own addictive deadly behavior due to health compromises.
And before someone brings up the tired study that shows that smoking reduces stress, and therefore must be healthy, they ignore that the use of heroin can reduce stress, yet we are hardly likely to be legalising that soon. There are many other things to reduce stress the do not have the abundance of deadly effects that smoking.
i am sorry but you dont here me complaining when i see some over weight nurse gobbling down fries and a big mac now do you? no of course not because if i did that would be discrimination and with obesity becoming such an epedimic why don't we ban fast food from being served in hospitals, and what message are we sending when an obese nurse can barley walk down the hallway but this is the same nurse that we send in to do pt. teaching about diet and exercise, talk about being a hipocrit...
[:angryfire /i]
but it's not hypocritical for a nurse who smokes to counsel patients on the health hazards of smoking.
i like what you said about if the patient is healthy enough to go out and smoke then maybe they really don't need to be in the hospital at all. If the pt.'s are whining enough to go all the way outside to smoke they must be feeling pretty good to want to go out and bear the cold. I'm having pt's all the time beg to go out and smoke (the weather now is around 38 degrees in the afternoon). In the facility where I work the doctor has to write an order for the pt. to be able to go outside and smoke. Of course, most of the dr's don't write the order and tell the pt. to suffer through it. (not in those exact words, but the same concept). So here we have all these pt's wanting to go out and smoke and can't and the nurse walks in reaking of smoke telling the pt. they can't go out and smoke. something wrong here?
Why is it that nurses are allowed to have smoke breaks? doesn't it seem they are just teasing the pt's that are not allowed to smoke?
I am sorry that I didn't show better what I was commenting on when I said that I can't believe how many nurses do not understand addiction. things like if the patient is healthy enough to go out and smoke maybe they don't need to be in the hospital. An addictive person can be dying and still crave a cig. or whatever they are addicted to. If you read my earlier posts, you will know that I do not agree with smoking at work, or on the way to work , or after you have showered and dressed for work, and that as a patient or a nurse, I do not agree with nurses smoking around patients. I am only surprised at nurses in this thread and others on the topic who truly think that knowledge somehow cures addiction and that simply is not true.
Jo Dirt
3,270 Posts
In one of the private duty cases I work one of the nurses has started smoking in the patient's home, even though this is a big no-no (the patient tells the nurses to smoke in her house--still supposed to be a no-no, but oh well...) When she lights up in front of me it is terribly annoying and inevitably the smell sinks into my clothes and hair and gives me a headache.
I wish the world could be smoke-free.