stinking of cigarette smoke

[sisterfaye]

: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).

[SmilingBluEyes]

Thread reopened after cleanup.

Keep the thread on the topic and not individual posters innapropriate content. Use the report triangle in left corner of post so Mod Team can review and handle...save yourself from wasting energy!

Well said. We have done tons of "smoker versus non-smoker" threads here before. They always seem to get quite heated, not surprisingly. No one seems to feel indifferently on this topic.

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

Yes, it does stink.

(I give it a day before this thread gets the whack again)

[furgas]

My wife and I smoked many years. 18 mo's ago she was hit by a drunk driver, resulting in a TBI. When she was released from rehab and came home she was no longer smoking. I would go outside, out of site and smoke. I tried not to smoke at work, not always successful. I began to look around me, none of my family or friends, very little coworkers, smoked. I felt very self concious after I smoked, and it seems no matter what you do to cover it up, it just doesnt work. So, I just put them down, after more than 20 years, I just quit cold turkey. It's been 14 mo's now, and I feel great and surprised at how easy it was to quit.

[xxAmyxx]

It will be interesting when being overweight becomes looked at as a criminal act in the workplace. The 20+ pounds I see nurses carrying around is certainly an unhealthy example.

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

It will be interesting when being overweight becomes looked at as a criminal act in the workplace. The 20+ pounds I see nurses carrying around is certainly an unhealthy example.

(Sigh)

Someone can be 20 pounds overweight and STILL be healthier than someone at average weight or underweight.

[rpv_rn]

Thank goodness I live in California.

"No Smoking" policies in public buildings are increasing.

We have no smoking laws in restaurants and bars, groceries, etc.

Many of our health care facilities (acute and ambulatory) also have No Smoking policies. In hospitals I have worked, employees are not allowed to smoke on "campus." They must be off hospital property if they want to light up.

It seems strange to me now to travel to another state and be asked, "smoking or non-smoking?"

[truern]

The hospital where I've done most of my clinicals is non-smoking......patients that smoke are given the patch, and it seems to work well.

I'm sorry, but no matter *what* you do to cover up the odor, a nonsmoker can smell it

[CuriousMe]

It will be interesting when being overweight becomes looked at as a criminal act in the workplace. The 20+ pounds I see nurses carrying around is certainly an unhealthy example.

It may or may not be an unhealthy example....but it's not one that I'm forced to share when the nurse is treating me. Smoking can be if the nurse has smoked recently.

I stand by the statement that I made on the other smoking thread.....I really don't much care if health care professionals smoke. I only care once my asthmatic lungs get a whif of it off of someone who's smoked recently as they're caring for me.

Spray on chemicals (perfume, Fabreeze, whatever) don't help....the problem isn't the smell, it's the chemicals that cause the smell that my lungs object strongly to....covering the smell up doesn't make the chemicals go away.

Peace,

Cathie

[grimmy, RN]

[color=darkslategray]i remember being a teenager going to visit my mom in cicu (in 1990) after she'd had a triple bypass. most of the nurses (right off the boat from ireland) would come back from their breaks smelling heavily of smoke. i did ask one of them to leave the room because the smell was making my mom (and me) nauseous. she looked at us like we were insane. at the time i was so protective of my mom, i repeated my request more emphatically, and she got the message, but the charge nurse came to talk to me - the rn i asked to leave felt "abused." i told her that i did not raise my voice, or use impolite language at all - but that the nurse stank of cigarette smoke, and it was revolting. she left without another word. i mentioned this incident to the surgeon later, and he said it had been a continuing battle among the management and the "irish" nurses. being of irish descent, i have nothing against all irish nurses - please understand. but the cigarette smoke smell was beyond belief. :barf01:

[clee1]

I don't even think they should have to be put in the position to "opt out". Whats next? If you have a drink at home your fired? How about if you eat too much bacon?

Agreed. This is the "slippery slope" everyone is always worried about.

However, health insurance is not a "right"; it's a benefit.

A long time ago, businesses found that they could offer insurance as a benefit that cost them less than a salary increase, and thereby retain workers. Those days are long gone. Look for a time in the not too distant future where companies quit offering employer-paid insurance alltogether.

When people have to pay for their own healthcare again, market forces will force the healthcare industry to become more competetive; driveing the costs down. My only hope is that patient care doesn't suffer further in the drive to maintain record profits.

Call your congresscritter.

[ICURN_NC]

Actually, I can only think of 2 RN's in my unit who smoke... but most of the RT's smoke. geez! Who would've thought!

Personally, it bothers me to smell them after they come back; I imagine it's not much of a picnic for the pts, either. I don't care if you smoke @ home. I hope we do become a non-smoking campus someday, but I doubt it will happen down here on Tobacco Road.

Peace.

[LisaRn21]

I am not entirely sure I understand, but could you explain why someone has to accompany a pt. who wishes to smoke? Is this policy? If our pts. want to smoke, out the door they go...to the designated smoking area, and then come back in. But the nursing staff do not escort them. it seems things are a little different at your facility.

I work for peds now but when I did adults, you weren't allowed to leave the floor to smoke (did people? sure) but if you were gone more than a half hour your bed was given away! People who smoked got the patch during their stay.