how do nurses wear nail polish?

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  1. This is a discussion on how do nurses wear nail polish? in General Nursing Discussion, part of General Nursing ... hey guys! so i'm a nursing student and worked at my hospital in patient transport for a year and i...

    by Apr 25, '12
    hey guys! so i'm a nursing student and worked at my hospital in patient transport for a year and i am now a nursing assistant in the ICU. when i worked in transport i noticed this but even more when i started in the ICU as an aid because i use hand sanitizer CONSTANTLY before i go into a room after each room and theres over 20 beds so when its time for sugar checks i use a whole lot of hand sanitzer. since the sanitizer is basically alcohol it destroys your hands and nails (especially if you have nail polish on) the polish will get sticky as all hell and basically come off and due to the tackiness of the polish then you get fuzz stuck to your nails (not cute). I have stopped wearing nail polish now but i noticed like all the women nurses wear normal nail polish and they dont have this problem.

    Do you girls wear nail polish?
    If so, does yours become tacky and gross?


    I have sooooo much nail polish and have tried this with many different brands and it happen with all them pretty much. I know this is kinda a silly question but I am just wondering haha.
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    by meghan91 Apr 25, '12 9:53 am
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  2. 50 Comments so far...

  3. Apr 25, '12 by
    Simple, this woman doesn't wear nail polish to work.

    My health authority has banned artificial nails as an infection control risk. Yes, some wear them but can be disciplined for it.

    Frankly by the end of my rotation of shifts, my nails are the lowest concern on my list. I'm more worried about the rough red handskin from the sanitizers and frequent washings.

    I've never heard any of the women I work with mention sticky, tacky nailpolish when they've forgotten to remove it before coming to work. I actually know of one unit, where the Nurse Manager keeps a bottle of nailpolish remover for staff who have left it on and come to work.
    sauconyrunner, tokidoki7, Pixiesmom, and 1 other like this.
  4. Apr 25, '12 by
    I love nail polish, but only on my toes!
    Pixiesmom and Despareux like this.
  5. Apr 25, '12 by
    due to documented evidence of increased risk of infection, real nurses who do patient care do not wear nail polish or acrylics. no nail polish or acrylics in patient care. try not to swoon over this.
    sauconyrunner, Bortaz, RN, RN in training, and 12 others like this.
  6. Guide
    Apr 25, '12 by
    Quote from grntea
    due to documented evidence of increased risk of infection, real nurses who do patient care do not wear nail polish or acrylics. no nail polish or acrylics in patient care. try not to swoon over this.
    lol! maybe this should be given greater emphasis in the information provided to folks who think that nursing is their ideal career goal... it might weed out the kardashian crowd
    SkyeHawk3, brillohead, ashleyisawesome, and 7 others like this.
  7. Apr 25, '12 by
    i was trying to head off the inevitable crying and moaning. being a mean biter and all lately, you know.
    Hoosier69, nursel56, CompleteUnknown, and 7 others like this.
  8. Apr 25, '12 by
    Quote from meghan91
    hey guys! so i'm a nursing student and worked at my hospital in patient transport for a year and i am now a nursing assistant in the icu. when i worked in transport i noticed this but even more when i started in the icu as an aid because i use hand sanitizer constantly before i go into a room after each room and theres over 20 beds so when its time for sugar checks i use a whole lot of hand sanitzer. since the sanitizer is basically alcohol it destroys your hands and nails (especially if you have nail polish on) the polish will get sticky as all hell and basically come off and due to the tackiness of the polish then you get fuzz stuck to your nails (not cute). i have stopped wearing nail polish now but i noticed like all the women nurses wear normal nail polish and they dont have this problem.

    do you girls wear nail polish?
    if so, does yours become tacky and gross?


    i have sooooo much nail polish and have tried this with many different brands and it happen with all them pretty much. i know this is kinda a silly question but i am just wondering haha.

    [color=#9900ff]any employer that i have ever worked for has always discouraged nail polish and acrylics. in some places it isn't allowed at all. this is for obvious sanitary and safety reasons.
    Hoosier69 and Fiona59 like this.
  9. Apr 25, '12 by
    "nuff said"
    NicuGal likes this.
  10. Apr 26, '12 by
    Real nurses don't wear nail polish to work? What crap is this?
    I have not worn nail polish in a few months (too lazy to paint them).
    NEVER acrylics though. (:

    *dung* on poster who insulted a lot of nurses. ^
    DizzyLizzyNurse and tokidoki7 like this.
  11. Apr 26, '12 by
    Yeah, I don't wear it either, lol. But, I have a CNA that is a farmer on the sides, the Infection Control Nurse has fits with! He could grow potatoes under them, Yuck! I have told him 2nd time this week to scrub'em good! Embarrassing for all parties.
    OncRNMichelle, nursel56, and Fiona59 like this.