[boggle]

Originally Posted by movealong

I keep my nails neat, but on the shorter side.

Fake nails or real nails, either way, when they are long, I think they pose a problem. I always wondered how some nurses could work in gloves without the nails puncturing the ends of the gloves. I've seen it happen.

My thoughts exactly. In my first semester of nursing school, when I first learned about rectal suppositories, my long nails became history. And that was even before the class about disimpaction!

Seriously, our hands are our on the job tools. I have to have the right tools if I'm giving patient care.

[Wunderkind]

I'm suprised to hear it is a Joint Commission issue, b/c it has never come up anywhere I have worked in NC, TN or MI. I have short nails, but I' d have manicures and wraps or what have you if I could afford it! I am among one of the very few where I work that doesn't have long acrylic nails. If a pt's family tried to refuse the care of a nurse w/ long nails, I'm pretty sure they would have to transfer the patient to antoher hospital. I can't think of anyone in my unit besides me and the unit manager who don't have them, and she doesn't give pt care and I don't work extra. They would pretty much be out of luck on that score.

[husker-nurse]

We are not allowed to have nails longer than 1/8 inch when viewed from the palm-side of the hand. I do not argue with that one. Ya have to wonder what's under the nails of some of that polish! (Think aseptic technique?) Just my opinion! By the way, I work on med-nephro...

[Farkinott]

Maybe the booger picking thread should unite with the fingernail one! What a hoot!
Then again you shouldn't pick your nose in case your head caves in!

[Katnip]

I had a micro professor who did a study: People with short nails, people with long nails. They were tested after a normal day of work. The people with short nails had far fewer microbes growing under their fingernails even before washing. After washing, the folks with long nails still had almost the same growth they had before. The short nail folks had far less.

Really, if you're in this job, vanity just can't take precendence over infection control.

[missmercy]

Much as I loved having nails -- they're gone!! I worked in Pedi's with a gal who was helping to retrain a four year old for an IV stick and she scratched him -- unintentionally, of course -- nasty looking scratch! (looked worse than the IV site -- even a couple of days later) However, from that day on, I have kept them short and clean!!!

[CSLee3]

Yikes...........look at all the places we put our hands as nurses...golves or not. Nails, jewelry kept to minimum is standard for a reason....lets not get unreasonable. The same rationale is seen in the kitchen...hair up in net. How confident would you feel about a surgeon with long, painted nails...no thanks, give me a non jewelried up dried out old hand of a doctor any day.

[Mandarella]

I agree about losing the nails. It was a big debate in our hospital 4 years ago...everyone's over it. It really is horrifying to see what grows from underneath nails...long or fake. Scrubing shorter nails is much easier, in my opinion. That's all.

I agree with you Earl58

Originally Posted by earle58

deb,

thanks for providing those links....all 3 explained the hazards well and fortunately, most nurses have been in agreement once they've reviewed the data.

leslie

[BeachNurse]

Originally Posted by SmilingBluEyes

Well, this one has been debated here on these boards before and at the risk of sounding redudant, here I go. It's been shown in study after study---- ( in a NICU in Oklahoma even, where babies were dying of infections linked to ONE Nurse's fake nails)---- that fakes/ and/or long nails have NO place in clinical nursing. When they show the same statistics and evidence of infectoin related to wear of jewelry, I expect similar policies to come about regarding that, too.

To me, it is common sense; fakes and long nails have NO place in clinical areas. It's not about "body control" or being "nail Nazi's" but it IS about another type of control, and that would be "Infection Control". How would YOU like to be that nurse who was linked with deadly infection in a hospital or clinic???? I would never forgive myself.

And there are ways to stop biting one's nails, if you want to. It's a habit like anything else,that can be broken (and should for your own protection).

In case you are one who likes to see articles related to a subject that is debatable, here are a couple for you:

http://community.nursingspectrum.com...e.cfm?AID=6335

http://www.nurseweek.com/news/features/03-06/nails.asp

http://nsweb.nursingspectrum.com/cff...tifulHands.cfm

My feelings exactly..we are here to take care of the patients, not make them sicker. If you choose to work in a hospital you should follow their rules for safety.

[purplemania]

This rule is being mandated by JCAHO, following CDC and NIH guidelines. The hospitals are not making it up.