smoking?

[ErinCooley]

I am just over 8 months smoke-free.

 

[milhouse]

in our state it is illegal to smoke on hospital property, its something like a 500,000 fine to the hospital and some sort of fine to the person breaking the law. i now work for a hospital service, and they just recently came up with a new policy that says the only way you can smoke is by stepping off of hospital property. but if you do that you have to clock out. well with EMS you cant clock out you have to be availible 24/7 as we all know. so they came out with a new policy that says that we cant smoke while on the duty, and if caught you will be fired on the spot. now thankfully i dont smoke, but i dont think its fair because nurse's and other hospital staff are allowed to "clock out" and smoke. they dont have to worry about being on duty for 24 to 72 hours so it really sucks for the people that may work a 72 hour shift.

 

[LucidResq]

I am just over 8 months smoke-free.

Congrats. Keep up the good work.

 

[VentMedic]

being on duty for 24 to 72 hours so it really sucks for the people that may work a 72 hour shift.

Smoking and working 72 hour shifts? I can not imagine anything more unhealthy as far as risk factors for CAD and HTN to set a person up for a CVA or MI.

Hopefully the turnover is high for the people that fall into this group so they will move on before getting too sick to keep the insurance rates down for others.

 

[tydek07]

From what I am reading so far, I see that there are many opinions on this topic. I, myself, feel that it is not professional to smoke in between calls. There is always going to be someone that will complain about the smell of smoke on us. It may or may not be the patient ---It could be a family member of the patient, it could be a coworker of the patient, or it could be just any person off the street. It does not take long for word to get around that we are not professional. How do you think it looks seeing a FR/EMT/Medic standing outside of their truck smoking, in the publics eye?

If we want to be known as professionals to the public, we got to act like professionals!

 

[CFRBryan347768]

I think id die i smoke a pack a day, i do not know how i would function.

 

[scars87]

I don't think it's just the smell that gets to people, but also the health risks that come with it. I personally hate smoke. I also have asthma and bad allergies that cigarette smoke aggravates. In Louisiana, it's now illegal to smoke in restaurants and most work places which is good to me. I could not stand trying to go eat while inhaling someone else's smoke from across the restaurant. I agree people should be able decide if they want to smoke their lungs away and should not be banned from smoking, but I think they should do it inside their home/vehicle and not in public exposing everyone around them. To me it does not look good when you see any healthcare professional light up at work while some of them are taking care of patients who are in the hospital due to their smoking.

 

[CFRBryan347768]

smoker or not, :censored::censored::censored::censored: it, as long as you know your :censored::censored::censored::censored: and can perform your job well, what does it matter?

I agree, minus all the profane language=]

 

[crash_cart]

smoker or not, :censored::censored::censored::censored: it, as long as you know your :censored::censored::censored::censored: and can perform your job well, what does it matter?

Have one on me.

B)

 

[VentMedic]

smoker or not, :censored::censored::censored::censored: it, as long as you know your :censored::censored::censored::censored: and can perform your job well, what does it matter?

It is very difficult to promote the health profession when you yourself are at risk for many of the major diseases that you are trained to treat. And, it is not always a good thing when the health provider also becomes a patient at scene due to shortness of breath or chest pain. If you are also inducing more discomfort to the asthmatic child or making a cancer patient nauseous by your odor, than no, you are not doing your job.

When you add smoking to long hours and a stressful job, you are setting yourself up for health failure especially if your diet is also as not good as it should be. Eventually your work performance will decline either due to lack of physical stamina or sluggish mental fitness.

 

[Airwaygoddess]

Smoking...watch the friend and family history....

Well said Vent, as for myself I am caring for my mom that has COPD. Besides watching this horrible disease process, and knowing my mom is going to die a slow cruel death, it breaks my heart.... My mom was a registered nurse.....-_-

 

[BossyCow]

So, anyone see that study linking tobacco addiction to a particular gene?

 

[MSDeltaFlt]

Well, there are many opinions being voiced hear. I think it right I should voice an opinion from a slightly different point of view.

As a resp therapist who became a smoker and enjoyed it then who became a former smoker after the helicopter crash where I broke my neck in two places requiring a halo, shattered L3 requiring a vertebrectomy (pulled L3 out in pieces) and anterior/posterior fixation and fusion. I quit smoking on that day because smoking impedes bone qrowth. I also enjoy not smoking. My brand new L3 thanks me, too.

I realized this with regards to illegal immigrants, teenagers with a lot of angst, and all of the convicts we pick up in EMS. It also fits to all those who choose to violate company policy, personal/public health, and/or local/state/federal law. It's liable to piss some folks off, I hope it makes them think.

Here it is:

If you are 21 years old or older, gainfully employed and financially independent, AND a natural born or a naturalized US citizen, then you have the God given, yes I said "God given", civil right as an American citizen to @#$% your life up any way you see fit. You also have the right to pay the consequences up to and including the "Right to Remain Silent".

This is in English for a reason.

Have a nice day

 

[bled12345]

It is very difficult to promote the health profession when you yourself are at risk for many of the major diseases that you are trained to treat. And, it is not always a good thing when the health provider also becomes a patient at scene due to shortness of breath or chest pain. If you are also inducing more discomfort to the asthmatic child or making a cancer patient nauseous by your odor, than no, you are not doing your job.

When you add smoking to long hours and a stressful job, you are setting yourself up for health failure especially if your diet is also as not good as it should be. Eventually your work performance will decline either due to lack of physical stamina or sluggish mental fitness.

I'm from Canada but I did some ride alongs in louisiana. I smoke, I recently quit for 3 months but my grandma died and well smoking is one hell of a crutch lets just say that. I find it not so much hypocritical to me, but more ironic, that smoking is such a huge issue in the states, when obeisity and heart disease linked more to sedentary lifestyle and gluttonous diet run rampant in your country. People deem it ok to :censored::censored::censored::censored::censored: about the "odour" of smokers, yet no one really gives a :censored::censored::censored::censored: about living in a US city that has a dome of smog entrapping the city.


and also, since when did smoking become unprofessional? I'm kind of out to lunch on that one...

when you are a smoker you are addicted, you smoke, every day, intermittently throughout the day. We're not doing it at work to "kick back and get :censored::censored::censored::censored:ed up, or to to rebel against the man cause we're super badass"


the smell of smoke on clothes, the part where you can smell it without having to rub your face into the fabric, only lasts a few minutes anyways, get over it. Like somebody else said in this post, if your biggest concern as a patient is that I smoke, then my biggest concern is handing you off to the hospital ASAP because you are not really sick but you ARE annoying.

 

[Jon]

I was rasied by a father who never smoked (tobacco, anyway), and a mother who smoked for a few years early in her life, but quit long before I was born. I've seen 2 grandparents die of tobacco-related cancers, and I've seen lots of patients dying from the same diseases. I see no need to engage in THAT self destructive habit.

I don't smoke, or chew tobacco. I've smoked a cigar or two... but that isn't really smoking... especially if you do it in "Bill Clinton Style"

I enjoy occasionally going to bars and hanging out with friends over a few beers... but when I wake up the next morning, I am disgusted by the odor on my clothing, between the cigarette smoke that has permeated my clothing and the 1/2 a beer some *** spilled on me... so the clothing goes in the wash first thing.

I've worked with many partners who smoke, and I don't have a major issue with occasional exposure to secondhand smoke from a distance... but I get a little annoyied if the cigarette is waved around near my face.

 

[AlaskaEMT]

This thread is ridiculous. Smokers understand the risk. If all things unhealthy are considered "unprofessional" for healthcare providers, why is smoking taking precedence over overweight EMT's or driving without a seatbelt? In a 24-hour shift a smoker needs a cig or 10... big deal - if they keep it outside. A smoking medic is just as important to the team. I don't smoke but we ALL have our vices.

 

[Jon]

This thread is ridiculous. Smokers understand the risk. If all things unhealthy are considered "unprofessional" for healthcare providers, why is smoking taking precedence over overweight EMT's or driving without a seatbelt? In a 24-hour shift a smoker needs a cig or 10... big deal - if they keep it outside. A smoking medic is just as important to the team. I don't smoke but we ALL have our vices.

I agree that we all have our vices... but some of our vices impact other people (through secondhand smoke, etc)

Additionally, the big discussion point in this thead has been that many places are moving towards smoke-free workplaces.

At my work, our staff can ONLY smoke in the parking lot, in their vehicles. We aren't supposed to smoke outside ED's or in other public places, as it doesn't present the agency in a good light... especially if we are littering with our butts.

The hospital I used to work security at is going to a smoke-free campus this fall, on the day of the "Great American Smokeout" (I think). Many of the other area hospitals are moving in this direction.

The corporate campus where I worked as a medical responder adjusted their smoking areas about 2 years ago. Instead of being able to smoke outside every building, employees have to walk to the far corners of the parking garages... this way non-smokers aren't subjected to secondhand smoke just entering and leaving the building. It was a fight... and there was discussion of going totally smoke-free... but that is a HUGE fight.

 

[LucidResq]

This thread is ridiculous. Smokers understand the risk. If all things unhealthy are considered "unprofessional" for healthcare providers, why is smoking taking precedence over overweight EMT's or driving without a seatbelt? In a 24-hour shift a smoker needs a cig or 10... big deal - if they keep it outside. A smoking medic is just as important to the team. I don't smoke but we ALL have our vices.

I don't care if a healthcare provider smokes, I don't even care if they smoke while on the job. I would care if they smelled of smoke, however, especially if I was the patient or family member.

The only concern that I have is the patient's experience. I am sensitive to strong smells and I'll feel physically sick (headache, nausea, runny nose) if there is a strong odor of cigarettes, perfume, or anything like that. I know that there are countless other people who experience the same reaction.

It's not the fact that it's unhealthy that matters, it's the fact that it smells. Who would the typical patient prefer to be treated by... a great medic who reeks of cigarette smoke or an equally great medic who doesn't smell strongly at all? As I said before the same concept applies to BO, bad breath and excessive perfume/cologne.

And by no means should smoking take precedence over obesity or seatbelt usage. No one has suggested that at all.

 

[bled12345]

I don't know, its legal, so until its not legal I guess non smokers will just have to put up with it

 

[JPINFV]

Or go work at one of the growing number of places that ban smoking on the job.