The meaning of being a health professional and a smoker

Objective: to identify the meaning of being a health professional and a smoker. Methods: this is a qualitative research in the structured phenomenon mode. Seven professional smokers, who worked in the Family Health Program in the interior of the State of Paraná, took part in this study. The data were gathered from August 2007 to February 2008, by means of semi-structured interviews with a guiding question that was recorded and the data were transcribed subsequently. This study has been approved by the Committee of Ethics in Research from Centro Universitário Filadélfia in Londrina city, Paraná state (protocol number 77011/2006). Results: the results showed six empirical categories: 1) the awareness of the effect of the cigarette use; 2) the ineffectiveness of information on the damages and cigarette use dependence; 3) the trials and difficulties in quitting smoking; 4) withdrawal symptoms experience; 5) the feelings experienced as a smoker; and 6) the dilemma between being a health professional and a smoker, as well. Conclusion: although these professional smokers knew about the effects of the tobacco on their organisms as well as the dependence triggered by nicotine, they could not quit smoking. When they tried, they had a relapse which triggered feelings of frustration, impotence and failure. They also experienced conflicting feelings of discomfort, shame and guilt for being health professionals and smokers, since they are considered examples for their patients.