Health Professionals who Smoke

virtus

Why is it that some health professionals continue to smoke when they know the dangers associated with it?

I think its a shame and an embaressment that this occurs among health professionals be they nurses, doctors or pharmacists. What kind of message does it give?

Recent fitness for practice rules for pharmacists mean that you can struck off for being an alcoholic. Perhaps the same should occur for smokers?

N8

virtus wrote: »

Recent fitness for practice rules for pharmacists mean that you can struck off for being an alcoholic. Perhaps the same should occur for smokers?

Are you for real? What are you smoking?

Tree

lots of health professionals are unhealthy. should i not be allowed to qualify coz im overweight and putting my health at risk?

silly silly

Odysseus

virtus wrote: »

Why is it that some health professionals continue to smoke when they know the dangers associated with it?

I think its a shame and an embaressment that this occurs among health professionals be they nurses, doctors or pharmacists. What kind of message does it give?

Recent fitness for practice rules for pharmacists mean that you can struck off for being an alcoholic. Perhaps the same should occur for smokers?

I personally don't see the problem, I work in the addiction services and I smoke. It is a human failing imo, and we are human. I have just started champix my stop day it this Saturday, however, moralising about a persons professions PRIVATE HABITS that do not have a negative impact on quality of care is a bridge too far. If you have to ask the question it the first place I suggest you read addiction for idoits. I sure there is one published.

eth0_

Being a smoker doesn't put you at risk of mis-prescribing drugs or performing dangerously in surgery.

Struck off for being a smoker....LOL

Odysseus

eth0_ wrote: »

Being a smoker doesn't put you at risk of mis-prescribing drugs or performing dangerously in surgery.

Struck off for being a smoker....LOL

Thank you I concur. They work we do is so stressful its not wonder people end up with addictions. That is without having to deal with suicides, deaths, overdoses and assaults.

ZorbaTehZ

virtus wrote:

Why is it that some health professionals continue to smoke when they know the dangers associated with it?

Because they enjoy it?

eth0_

When I was a kid I used to go to this dentist, and old guy, who had teeth that were actually dark brown (from smoking, I presume - he stank of fags).

But he was a really good dentist and I was never afraid of visiting the dentist as a child so ....should someone like that be struck off?

PoleStar

All I can do is laugh!

The suggestion here of course is that health professionals are the only ones who know smoking isnt bad for you.

Anyone "lay" person who pretends they dont know and thats why they dont give up is just probably a bit dim to say the least.

So I guess another would be "why are some health professionals continuing to be fat when they know its bad for you", or "why do helath professionals continue to ski when they know you can break a leg".

Should I go on ?

N8

Just for some added humour...

Dr. Armand Kowapalski Enjoys a Post-Op Smoke

Bottle_of_Smoke

Being nervous is a trigger for having a smoke. As they know the dangers it makes them more nervous. The guilt they feel because they know they shouldn't stresses them which is another trigger. Alan Carr's easyway book explains it very well,

kelle

Our consultant used to tell off our patient's for smoking, then retreat to his office to smoke his pipe! His office was designated a smoking area while the rest of the hospital became non-smoking. He retired 10 years ago and is still going strong!

DublinWriter

virtus wrote: »

I think its a shame and an embaressment that this occurs among health professionals be they nurses, doctors or pharmacists. What kind of message does it give?

Probably the same message that Bertie gives out when he awards himself a fat-pay rise then urges restraint in public-pay increases a week later.

Have you ever worked with health care professionals? In a previous life I worked for a number of pharmaceutical companies and worked with Drs (GPs and research), Surgeons and Nurses.

They are all nuts, especially the nurses. I've never met people with such hedonistic and tattered private lives.

Less Hippocratic and more hypocratic.

Having said all that, OP - I really think you're being tetchy about a group of people to whom we'll owe our lives to maybe one day, and work a damn site harder than most of us slackers on here do.

It's not like they are going out and publicly advocating smoking, what they do in their personal lives is their own business as long as it doesn't impinge on their patients' welfare.

Maybe OP, you'd prefer a more 'American' model of employment, where increasingly all aspects of what you do in your private life come under the scrutiny of your employer?

OP - leave them alone - they've enough BS to contend with from the likes of the HSE and Harney without you chipping in for a dig.

virtus

I know a person's private life shouldnt affect their professional life, but I think its a bit ridiculous that some people smoke despite knowing the risks.

People should not smoke. Full Stop.

That said, where do we draw the line? As an earlier poster said, just because someone is obese does not mean they should not be allowed to give medical advice. Actually, perhaps this could be used as grounds for removing our current minister for health? (Apologies - I couldnt resist!)

While were on the subject, Im suppose Ive been guilty of puffing the odd cigerette, but purely for the banter in smoking areas. Guess Ill strike myself off

Odysseus

I quit today however I don't think that it will impove the quality of my work. I hope your happy now virtus;)

DublinWriter

virtus wrote: »

I know a person's private life shouldnt affect their professional life, but I think its a bit ridiculous that some people smoke despite knowing the risks.

People should not smoke. Full Stop.

Then drawing your argument to it's logical conclusion, people shouldn't drink alcohol, caffeine or engage in acts of sodomy either.

Maybe we should rule out road-crossing too?

It's a question of personal choices. In the age old question of whether you prefer a quality of life vs. a quantity of life, I'll take the quality option everytime.

If this makes me swim against the tide of my fellow Irishmen and Irishwimmin who seem to be embracing the Boston side of the Boston/Berlin argument to the point where they intend on being very property-rich muesli-munching 90 year olds, then so be it.

DublinWriter

virtus wrote: »

Recent fitness for practice rules for pharmacists mean that you can struck off for being an alcoholic.

Er, was this something that happened recently on planet Earth or in a parallel universe?

Considering how militant the IPA are, I think we would have heard about this if such a rule was enforced.

More importantly, I wouldn't be prepared to shout two of my closest drinking buddies any extra if they got sacked. They currently can drink me under the table as it is.

anotherlostie

DublinWriter wrote: »

Er, was this something that happened recently on planet Earth or in a parallel universe?

Considering how militant the IPA are, I think we would have heard about this if such a rule was enforced.

IPA? I presume you mean IPU, Irish Pharmaceutical Union. I must admit to a smile at the notion of them being militant (they are far from it). But the OP is correct that fitness to practice legislation was only introduced in the new Pharmacy Bill enacted this year, and potentially someone could be struck off the register for poor professional practice related to their alcoholism.

I despise cigarettes and smoking. But in all fairness, smoking is hardly a hanging offense for a health professional. Perhaps the OP would also like us all to have out BMI's checked, and if you're overweight, then you cannot work till you get yourself back into shape! After all obesity results in a lot of morbidity too...

Tree

IsoPropylAlcohol probably objects to being drank too

oneeyedsnake

Tree wrote: »

lots of health professionals are unhealthy. should i not be allowed to qualify coz im overweight and putting my health at risk?

silly silly

If your obese yes,just overweight then no.

Bethany

Maybe the reason that health professionals continue to smoke is because they're like that rest of us........flawed human beings, who are addicted. Equally maybe some of them are reluctant to embrace all that healthy living stuff as they don't want to live ten more years in a nursing home? Perhaps they know more than the rest of us about the perils of old age.....who knows?
One thing certain is that health professionals who have empathy with fraility and illness are in my opinion the type of people I would like to have looking after me when, if through my own stupidity or fault, I become ill. No, naturally for their own sake it would be better if they didn't smoke or drink to excess but I'd prefer someone with an understanding of the human condition than a paragon of virtue who felt being ill was my own fault!!! Just my personal opinion and no I don't mean that people who don't smoke or drink to excess are necessarily lacking in empathy , I mean that health professionals who smoke aren't necessarily not good at their jobs!!!