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Smokers in the medical field now have another reason to quit as a Pennsylvania hospital has said it will no longer hire smokers and is introducing nicotine tests in order to enforce the rule.
Geisinger Health System's smoke-free health policy will go into effect on Feb. 1, according to KKTV.com.
"Not only do we want to practice what we preach, but we also want our employees to feel healthy, we want our patients and visitors to feel that they are in a healthy environment. So it's an overall commitment to the well-being of all those people," Geisinger spokeswoman Marcy Marshall told the Vancouver Sun.
Those exposed to second hand smoke will be exempt from the test, which screens applicants for cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, snuff, nicotine patches, nicotine gum and cigars.
For those who fail the test, the hospital says applicants can reapply after six months, KKTV.com reported.
According to CNN, Pennsylvania is among 19 states that allow employers to screen job applicants for signs of smoking.
Absolutely.
"I’m sorry Jean, you’re overqualified. Now, off to Auschwitz with you."
Walkin’ farts offend me too, it’s entirely too foul for me to take and it can’t be good for my bubble children, so let’s fire 50% of the slobby, obese nurses that work in this country.
Deal?
I’d rather employ a smoker and put up with the foul air than some fat ugly woman with the walkin’ farts.
YUCK.
"It has been proven time and again that cigarettes are more addictive than many other abused substances…"
One correction: replace "cigarettes" (in that sentence) with "nicotine". But yeah, you’re right.
Obesity is a choice as well. What’s your point?
What’s next, gene testing?
Maybe, but drawing that line is tricky. I’d also hate to be the boss that says, "you got to lose 10 pounds, or you can’t work here anymore."
They would fail.
The states have allowed it and there is no Constitutional Right to smoke.
Would you want your doctor to be drunk?
I agree with every thing you said; I’m not familiar enough with the tests, but I don’t think it should be a problem that "social" smokers should have to deal with. I’m talking about the people that like to smoke when they drink. If the tests show up positive because someone decided to have a few drinks and a few smokes on their night off, I think that is a problem policy.
I worked for a hospital corporation and each of their 7 facilities had the employee smoking area conveniently positioned next to the morgue exit.
Its not even close. Smoking is guaranteed to kill 50% of the people who use the product much earlier than avg. life expectancy. It is much higher than the others you speak of.
OK, now will they stop hiring people with a high BMI, or chronic drinkers?
Discrimination at it’s finest. Someone should seriously challenge this in court
I thought disabilities was a NON fault condition...
Don’t worry you will get fired if you lover burgers and french fries !
Have you checked to see if you and your clothes STINK as well?
To bad that the Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup, Washington doesnt adopt a similar policy. They have a LOT of smokers there.
as well as overweight FAT cows….. What is it with FAT nurses anyway??
Did you already start a motion that forbids cars?
Are coyote’s not an endangered species ? Clap clip clop clap. Must amid avatar wuf wuf
No biggie, screw them. Good luck getting rid of all smoking MD’s, most of them love cigars : )
I’d have thought they’d be higher. And, are you saying that your mother’s employer WON’T cover with company-offered insurance but offers coverage to other employees? Because that IS discrimination. I suspect they’re passing on some of the additional cost, making the package unattractive.
Can you cite figures? If you test positive for drugs during the APPLICATION process I can choose to not hire you. It is then up to you to prove that it was on a particular basis. Once you are employed and get into trouble with drugs or whatever then you can go the ADA.
It has been proven time and again that cigarettes are more addictive than many other abused substances, including alcohol. Unlike alcohol, however, tobacco companies purposefully make their product addictive, and could care less about what harmful chemicals they put in it.
If there was a study showing that McDonald’s burgers cause cancer, would we be attacking the company or the customers?
no, because obesity is covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act. What a wonderful world, right?
And smokers (like my mother, who’s an RN) are usually not covered under company health insurance. I would also argue that these "statistics" are pretty faulty. just saying.
Employees with obesity, alcoholism and other problems cost much more to employers. However, they cannot be discriminated against because they are covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act. If smoking is an addiction (which I think many would agree) why can’t a smoker be covered. It’s all BS.
I understand this, I am just saying that I don’t think it’s fair to deny a person a job because they smoke. Corporate government is controlling us and ruining our country.
It’s the corporate people that have chosen to send jobs overseas, leaving millions of people here in the United States jobless!
like a month.