[SmilingBluEyes]

Originally Posted by earle58

hoolihan,

i am not assuming you're tired, but you SOUND like you need a vacation from nsg.

and even if it's not you personally, i have seen plenty of nsg staff whose nails are extremely long and coiffed....never mind the risk of carrying/spreading infection but how in heck can they effectively do their job??? if you perceive some as 'super nurses' then it's unfortunate you're feeling so defensive. but when various studies conclude that acrylics are risky, there's not much to argue.

i do hope you're feeling more at peace.

leslie

I 2nd Leslie's words here. I hope you find peace-- cause you sure sound bitter and angry now, Hoolahan. I meant in no way to make this personal or an attack on anyone. I am not debating this issue on this thread anymore; when people get this personal and defensive, there is no point.

I will just say this: if there is any chance I can reduce the risk I will cause infection in anyone, be that by not wearing jewelry, fake nails, what-not, by good handwashing technique, wearing gloves as appropriate, I will do it. These actions benefit me as well as my patients, after all. And, my need to wear things like nails and jewelry ( I wear no jewelry on my hands/wrists) does not supercede what I know is good infection control practice, especially for the newborns, where I work. Peace out, everyone. To those who are open to it, I ask you read, research, and make decisions based on this, not on emotion or what you perceive is a "control issue" by any administration or management. It's best for everyone, especially our patients.

[CA CoCoRN]

I've never been able to stand the way even silk wraps would "split" and allow stuff to be captured between my nail and the artificial nail or overlay. I could NEVER keep it from happening. It was just "microscopic" lifting, but it lifted enough so that, to clean it, I could slip the edge of a sheet of paper between the nail and the overlay. Sometimes the space was open enough that I could slip a straight pin tip in to clean it. That was goosebump inducing for me.....germaphobic, dirt-in-nail-ophobia inducing.

That small amount of lifting would, 1) send me right back to the nail shop siting the lift and needing an immediate fix, where she'd squeeze glue and, theoretically, trap the germs in, but seal it (which always did the same thing a week or two later anyway.....which lead to 2) me chipping away at that lifted spot and eventually lifting/peeling/chipping off the entire overlay of that nail. I needed to feel CLEAN. And since that nail was now bare, I couldn't have the stuff on the other nails and be bare on one , so the others had to go to.

My nails have ALWAYS rejected artifice, but I've tried for vanity's sake....trying to get my polish to last. I'd always "envied" those whose nails would stick and last and not lift. Even a girl at work who still has the silk wraps has very pretty hands and nails. But when I took a look at her nails, and the underside, I saw that tell tale microscopic space and that darkening around the edge of the tip which meant "stuff" was collecting there. That grossed me out...and I ceased to "envy" her.

I work in OB and even with short natural nails, my fingers have come through gloves. That would be so GRODY to take home GBS, not to mention any potential STI/Vaginal secretion bacteria in my fake nails.

[Nitengale326]

Do the words..."FIRST DO NO HARM" mean anything. This IS NOT about fashion, employer control or big brother watching and monitoring. This is about patient care and safety. I am from the old school where we had "inspections" all the time. We had staff sent home for dirty shoelaces, dirty caps, etc. I miss my cap but I gladly packed it away for the safety of my patients. You gave up having a 9-5 job, you gave up holidays and weekends, give up the nails ... the proof is in the pudding. Some of you may feel this next statement...a bit harsh, but if you are resisting or refusing to remove your nails, when you have all the information to make an informed decision, then maybe you are in nursing not for the patient but rather just a paycheck.

I have a coworker, who refuses to get rid of hers. She has been battling an obvious fungal infection and staph infection for months. Now they are doing MRI's and scans to see if "they can save her finger". I surely hope that fancy blue polish was well worth losing a digit or two... The kicker to all of this... she still has the other 9 done every 10 days!!!! Can you spell DUH??????

[dbscandy]

Pleeeze tell me your coworker is on leave?!

The same thing happened to a coworker of mine in NICU. She very nearly lost two fingers...made a recovery but her nails looked 'nasty' after the battle. No longer graces us with her presence.
There is such a high price that can be paid for this vanity. How could one sleep at night knowing fungus, bacteria, other 'ick' had been left on the patient? Or brought home to one's family?

Do these people use gloves when they eat lunch, or simply NEVER touch their (or anyone else's) food with their hands?

How about their own personal hygiene? EWW, EWW, EWW don't touch me or my relative after you've done your doody or changed that tampon...I dont care how well you say you washed...'nuff said...it's a visual now!

[movealong]

I've been a nurse since 1976. So nuts to the nurse that thinks her years are superior.
I've always liked shorter neat natural nails, so this was never an issue for me. Anyway, this job is not about how I look. That's the thing. I'm no super nurse. I don't like certain policies about what I could wear ie: what color scrubs, but that's a different issue. It causes no harm.

It just defies common sense to wear long nails, whether they be real or fake in our line of business. It just doesn't work. And the fake nail studies are not lying.
It would be different if I was behind a desk all day, like I am now. But a hospital setting when you are on the floor? It doesn't work. Not for the patients, and not for yourself.

I followed other common sense stuff like wearing a watch that I could push up my arm to keep it away from what I did all day long, not wearing strong perfumes, and keeping my hair outta the way.

[suzanne4]

This has been a JACHO requirement for the past few years, and if any hospital is just stating this now, they are definitely way behind. They can actually be sued for any infringements.

If I was a patient in any facility in the US, and someone came to take care of me or perform any type of treatment on me, I would ask for someone else.

Nails can look nice, as well as cuticles, if you take care of them. Sure, I wore acrylics just like everyone else, but when the literature came out a few years ago, they were gone in a hurry.

Right now I am not working at the clinical arena but there is no way that I would ever consider getting them again. I wouldn't want to take a chance of getting my pets or fish ill. No one says that you can't get a weekly manicure, and that would take care of hangnails and whatever else.

[Surgical Hrt RN]

Fingernails, fingernails, the long debated issue. Fake nails are a problem, there are no two ways about it. I used to have a different opinion, though. I was angry with all who told me I couldn't wear fake nails. I felt my rights were violated and I was gonna do what I wanted regardless!!!!!!

Well, I used to worked in a strictly open heart unit. We had a run of patients developing sternal infections. No one could figure out why. Infection control got involved and swabbed everyone's nails; nurse aides, respiratory therapists, nurses, anyone with direct patient contact. Those who had fake nails came back positive for psuedomonas (sp?). YIKES!!!!!! Apparently, no matter how often you wash your hands, water still remains under the nail and psuedomonas develops due to the nice, warm, mosit environment, that bacteria loves so much!

Thank God, at the time, that I had already taken my nails off! I would have felt like a big jerk!!!!!! All I could think about was my attitude prior to all of this. I had felt my rights were violated. Well, what about the rights of the patient? What about our promise to do no harm? All I can say is, I am a changed woman! No fake nails for me!

[HazeK]

Originally Posted by ERslave

.the hospitals around here are "outlawing" fake nails and/or overlays...if nails are dirty - what about jewelry, earrings, etc.,where do you draw the line?

don't get me wrong, I'd love to have manicured nails...

but as a graduate of a conservative nursing program 30 years ago, I guess I got used to restrictions during my education!

Clear polish on natural nails, only.
One pair of earrings, plain studs only.
One plain wedding band, left hand, if married.
Hair above the collar line.
Period. End of discussion.

And the hospitals held to the same standard, so it was no different once we went to work.

As an old nurse, I am often amazed at what fellow staff feel is appropriate!
Long hair that falls into the nurses' eyes...or patient's beds, wounds, etc.
dangling earrings that are a nusiance in the OR
glitter eye shadow (oh, yes, believe it or not)
six pairs of hoop earrings
etc.

When folks protest about their rights, I just laugh! This is NOT a public mall, or your own home. This is a JOB, a profession that you are paid for. It is appropriate to conform to one's employer's standards! (Heck, my boss picked lilac colored scrubs for us...yuck...but I wear them!)

Hugs
Haze :-)

[Marie_LPN, RN]

Dang, i can't even have clear polish. I have nubs to scratch an itch with.

[Energizer Bunny]

ya know, I'm just thinking about waitresses and other professions...they all have standards that they have to follow as well. What if they all complaining and moaned about having to put their hair up? Would you want their hair hanging down in your food? NOT ME!