Artificial Nails

Nurses General Nursing

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Good idea KC, just curious what your guys' opinion on artificial nails are. I feel that nurses should not have them, they are impractical and are loaded with germs. Not to mention accidentally scratching patients with them. I also feel the same way about people with real nails that are long. They just are not a good idea. Just think of all the crud that would get stuck under the nail, EWWWWWWW:eek:

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Many hospitals will not allow them, like Tenet.

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Specializes in Community Health Nurse.
Originally posted by Nursekatydid

Good idea KC, just curious what your guys' opinion on artificial nails are. I feel that nurses should not have them, they are impractical and are loaded with germs. Not to mention accidentally scratching patients with them. I also feel the same way about people with real nails that are long. They just are not a good idea. Just think of all the crud that would get stuck under the nail, EWWWWWWW:eek:

I totally agree with you on this issue. :)

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I agree...but let me just say...my fake nails are no where near as sharp as my real nails. My fake one's are too thick.

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I am not a nurse yet but i feel i must reply. I agree that they can get pretty nasty underneath but where I am from we have stuff call soap and water. I wear my pretty fakes all the time. and they are just as clean as people who don't where nails (and probably cleaner than some) also my mom was in ICU for six days and every nurse i seen wore artificial nails and they usually wore gloves when they did stuff. and one more thing. artificial nails are NOT sharp. if you get them done at a salon the nails are better than anyone own nails. they are very thick and actually quite dull. if i didn't wear these my nails would spilt and break and bleed everywhere. thanks and the soap box is now closed.

kris:devil:

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

Lots of threads on this already.

The sensible conclusion is, fake and long nails have no place in the hospital/clinical areas. There are studies showing in hospital nurseries--- infants have DIED due to fungi/microbes KNOWN to have been carried on fake nails. Why on EARTH would I want such horrific illness/death tracked to MY vanity????? How sick would I feel if my IC nurses linked the illnesses/deaths to MY use of fake nails in the clinical area? It would be horrific to me. I could never forgive myself.

no not worth it. totally not worth it to me.:zzzzz If ya want to use fake nails, please stay out of clinical areas so you don't get patients who are already vulnerable MORE sick then when they came into the hospital in the first place.:(

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I personally find decoration of this type akin to bondage and torture (IMHO).

There were a few cases awhile back where post op pts in Santa Clara Valley developed endocarditis, and it was eventually discovered that the source of the bacteria was a scrub nurse's fake nails dont remember the bacteria or the other details. I do believe some one died , tho

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I'm not sure how anyone can keep bacteria out of fake nails. I have them and I often notice that when the real nail pulls away from the acrylic there is a nice area for small little bugs to hide out. You can use all the soap in the world and you still can get under there...matter of fact...once it get's wet I'm sure it get's worse.

I would not wear them in a hospital...along with rings and nail polish just because it seems like a good place to hide bacteria for me to bring home things for my family. Nope, just too gross.

I'm getting my nails taken off this month and I would love to be able to examine them to see whats in them.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

and if you are still unconvinced, read how pseudomonas killed infants in a newborn nursery due to fake nails:

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

are they WORTH IT????

really?

if there were even a CHANCE you could harm someone....just a chance...?

think about it. NO nurse with fake/long nails will be caring FOR MY LOVED ones if I HAVE A SAY IN IT.

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Specializes in Nurse Scientist-Research.

I work for a hospital organization (private not-for-profit) that has about a dozen hospitals in this general region. A few years ago this organization issued a policy forbidding artifical nails for all nurses in clinical areas. They gave a couple of months notice until the policy took place and also attached a copy of the study where the NICU infants were dying of fungal sepsis that was tracked to artificial nails. Also a couple of other studies were attached.

I can be kinda cynical about hospital management issues but. . . I felt like that was one of the most well handled policies I had ever seen. The management had warned us for about a year that they were looking at policies for artificial nails but they would prefer we didn't wear them. Then the policy came out backed up with scientific documentation supporting the policy.

I had trouble understanding why any of the nurses working there could be too upset after reading all the studies attached. I have worn the artificial nails off and on through the years and now I feel bad that I may have inadvertedly exposed some of them to infection.

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Most facilities have a policy against wearing fake nails. Real nails have to be cut to a certain length to assure that patients are not scratched. Clear to light pink polish are only allowed also.

Why would anyone with enough intelligence to complete nursing school need this to be explained more than once? We were given this lecture in school.

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