: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).
You are quite right, smoking does stink... but so does turd... I don't think my patients should have to smell it eminating in the halls in my unit. No way around it... it has to turn in to a personal rights debate (for it to be interesting anyway.)
BMs do smell bad, but it also is a part of normal health to have them.
Smoking is not a part of normal health.
One's health is to a certain extent, dependant on having a BM.
One's health is harmed by smoking and it has no healthful benefits.
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
Very few health choices made by others affect SO MANY as smoking does. Breathing second hand smoke can/will kill others, if they are around it long enough....in my family it, even smoke residue triggers asthma attacks. Therefore, smoking should not be allowed when doing patient care; I believe this with all my heart. I also believe perfume should be disallowed for the same reason, but this is another thread.
I can see the point people make about companies trying to control habits/practices and using medical conditions to disallow coverage. But this is has been done a LONG time already. My mother, who has severe asthma, has for YEARS, had all she could to do GET ANY coverage at all---and is too young to qualify for medicare. Why should SHE do without, when others, who knowingly and often willfully ruin their health with horrible habits continue w/coverage? Answer; Maybe they SHOULD NOT. It's a choice we can make---whether to be morbidly obese or smoke. Many others, born with conditions they can't get covered already feel the pain of lack of sufficient medical insurance/coverage.
I will say this: I think SOMETHING has to be done before NOBODY has any coverage at all---that is where we are headed, as I see it.
I can see this being used toward woman...once a woman has a high risk pregnancy her chances of having another goes threw the roof.....so can a employer threaten women with termination if they get pregnant again with a high risk pregnancy? Or maybe not hire women that are in the risk groups for having high risk pregnancies. That will save a TON of ins monies. This country is turning it's back on employees. Who cares of you are slowly losing your rights...at least you have a job....and if you don't like it go find another one....that will be hard to to if ALL employers had the same policies.
]People who smoke are not in a protected group.
]Protected groups include people who use wheelchairs, people who are members of a particular nationality, ethic group or gender, or people with children. Also, people federal disability rights laws. ]The above post is moot.
I am a nursing student and a longtime, heavily addicted smoker. However, I wear the patch on school days and on my clinical days because I do not want to be the student standing out in front of the school smoking - or god forbid at my clinical site smelling like an ashtray! I am hooked, however, and do continue to smoke in the evenings and on the weekends:o Hopefully, I will kick this awful habit someday - but for now, I can at least control it with the patch.
Specializes in Education, Acute, Med/Surg, Tele, etc.
I'm a smoker. And, I agree with you.
Thank God I don't have the need to have a smoke every hour or so... I can make it 4+ hours before I HAVE to have a cigarette. I really "stinks" for a co-worker to stick you with their work so they can feed their addiction. I also think it is unprofessional for a healthcare worker to reek of cigarette smoke when tending to patients, and I always have.
I carry breath mints in my pocket, along with a small spray bottle filled with Fabreeze: I treat my breath and clothing after a cigarette, and thoroughly scrub my hands before returning to patient care. This is not 100% effective, but it does cut the reek down substantially. I wish others would do likewise.
Totally agree...I also 'dress down' really quick (like take my scrub jacket off, or my scrub top [i usually wear an undershirt and have a jacket for outside) and leave my scrubs inside hung up so they don't reek also! I fabreeze myself, breath mints or brush teeth (dependant on time)...and most people don't even know I smoke!
The biggie is hair! So I have some body spritz (light scent like fabreeze...over perfume is just as overwhelming as smoke smell!) that can go into my hair and not make it look bad. Hair really retains that smoke smell!
But like the above poster, I can go on 4-5 hours without a smoke...and getting better all the time (I am down to 5 cigs a day from 1 pack three months ago! YEAH!). I changed my habits by making myself go outside, watching my coffee intake (always had a smoke with my coffee...now I do tea, and for some reason that helps, sucking mints like no ones business (LOL, it really works for me!) and giving myself a tight budget on money for smokes...and boy oh boy, it isn't as stressful as I thought to cut down as long as I just changed habits and not really focused on 'quitting'...I am just quitting by changing habits (I mean, how much I spend in money, health and heck...break time with my routine...sometimes I just don't bother with the smoke break!!! YEAH!!!).
]Protected groups include people who use wheelchairs, people who are members of a particular nationality, ethic group or gender, or people with children. Also, people federal disability rights laws. ]The above post is moot.
You keep reitterating this same verbage. This applies to people who smoke in public. It does not apply to people who smoke in their own homes or on their own property.
Actually, it just refers in general to anyone who smokes. Your addiction is not a protected group.
When my eating a big mac gives YOU a coronary, then we can compare smoking and eating high fat food. There are situations in which high fat diets are not harmful, and it is possible to have a well balanced diet, with the occasional fried food.
I am starting clinicals on Thursday and am wondering what the smokers in our group are going to do, 5 of them out of 10. This hospital is a completely non-smoking campus. You would have a good walk to get to be able to smoke. Time will tell.
Smoking continues to be referred to in this thread as a "legal activity". THERE is where the change will be; sooner or later. My 85 year old aunt said that she NEVER would have thought to see the day when you couldn't smoke wherever you pleased, including a hospital. Btw, I am an ex-smoker, clean(:chuckle ) for 14 years now, but I have zero tolerance for the smell. Makes me gag! Hey! I DO have an idea, those of us who don't take smoke breaks should get to take computer breaks!!!!
You know this is starting to remind me of the movie "Demolition Man" where everything that was not good for you was illegal. We are allowing the gov't to take away so many of our personal freedoms for our "own good" that if this keeps up we won't have any left to defend. At that point we may as well live in Iraq.
Actually, it just refers in general to anyone who smokes. Your addiction is not a protected group.
When my eating a big mac gives YOU a coronary, then we can compare smoking and eating high fat food. There are situations in which high fat diets are not harmful, and it is possible to have a well balanced diet, with the occasional fried food.
It is NEVER harmless to smoke.
But if you're talking about health insurance then the analogy applys.
caroladybelle, BSN, RN
5,486 Posts
BMs do smell bad, but it also is a part of normal health to have them.
Smoking is not a part of normal health.
One's health is to a certain extent, dependant on having a BM.
One's health is harmed by smoking and it has no healthful benefits.
Therefore the comparison is moot.