artifical nails off..angry nurse

Nurses Safety

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Hi Everyone..i found this site looking for information on artifical nails and nurses.So,iam a brand new member.

I do home health and have had artifical nails on for 18yrs .Dec.30th i was told i was to take them off...so i contacted a nail tech and told her my situation and she (as well as one other salon) told me they were putting a gel(like a hard nail polish) over many of the nurses who had to take their nails off....so this is what i did.

On Jan.11th while talking to one of my supervisors about some paperwork,,i was reminded i had to take my nails off,,i said these are my own nails with a gel hardner over my nails..she said she would have to check that out...i tried to also with infection control but they never called me back.

When i returned to work 2 days later,,instead of telling me what they found out,i was written up,and told i could not work that day and was sent home.Iam very angry :angryfire

I took the gel off,and now my nails are sore ,hands look ugly,i cant peel an orange,scratch..nothing.Iam feeling very helpless and down.

Has anyone else experienced this when taking off their nails and how did you handle it? Are we not able to even have a gel temporarily over our thin weakened nails,,till the new stronger nails appears?

Please help as iam writing a rebuttal to this written warning.Thanks

Lady Sapphire

Specializes in i.c.u., med surg.

If nails make you feel "helpless and down" you've got too much time on your hands. Get over it, grow your real nails, and just focus on your job!

Iam feeling very helpless and down.

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Hi Everyone..i found this site looking for information on artifical nails and nurses.So,iam a brand new member.

I do home health and have had artifical nails on for 18yrs .Dec.30th i was told i was to take them off...so i contacted a nail tech and told her my situation and she (as well as one other salon) told me they were putting a gel(like a hard nail polish) over many of the nurses who had to take their nails off....so this is what i did.

On Jan.11th while talking to one of my supervisors about some paperwork,,i was reminded i had to take my nails off,,i said these are my own nails with a gel hardner over my nails..she said she would have to check that out...i tried to also with infection control but they never called me back.

When i returned to work 2 days later,,instead of telling me what they found out,i was written up,and told i could not work that day and was sent home.Iam very angry :angryfire

I took the gel off,and now my nails are sore ,hands look ugly,i cant peel an orange,scratch..nothing.Iam feeling very helpless and down.

Has anyone else experienced this when taking off their nails and how did you handle it? Are we not able to even have a gel temporarily over our thin weakened nails,,till the new stronger nails appears?

Please help as iam writing a rebuttal to this written warning.Thanks

Lady Sapphire

Have you thought about going to your doctor and getting a note stating that the gel is to prevent infection and injury to you until your own nails return to a healthy condition. It's just an idea, but it would seem to me that you have the right to protect yourself medically.

Linda

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Dear Lady Sapphire, I am happy to meet you. I am also very happy to see you are quite capable of rolling with the punches being thrown at you. You are doing it with much restraint and excellent attitude and humor. As for your nails I am sorry you were written up so quickly for such a petty thing. I can see insisting you have the over coat or whatever removed before working but writing up is so extreme but then again we are in nursing which seems to overcome with extremes. I hope you find a solution to what sounds like a painful and possibly infection inducing situation for yourself. I personally do not wear acrylic nails but I have a friend who does. She uses excellent handwashing skills. The patients actually report that her short and well groomed acrylic nails scratch them less. In general those who wear them take very good care of them meaning less sharp edges to scratch pts with. Welcome to the board!!

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LadySapphire,I can relate to you regarding this subject,I also worked Home Health for ten years when they instituted the same policy re: artificial nails. I had begun getting them for just about a year and I was really down too! Probably because its nice to be able to have some control over your life and not having someone scrutinizing everything you do(yes, I realize the infection studies prompted this) my agency also was as diligent as yours-supervisors were looking at nails daily to assure compliance.After having them removed our supervisor would check our nails every month too! It made me feel like a child......sometimes we got a nail file as a little gift. :o

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
I personally do not wear acrylic nails but I have a friend who does. She uses excellent handwashing skills.

It's not the handwashing. Water gets under them when they lift, gets trapped, and with a nice, warm, moist environment, you have a perfect breeding ground for fungus and bacteria.

(and just because you can't see them lift doesn't mean they haven't)

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http://www.prostrongncp.com/

Our IC nurse told me about this product. It isn't an overlay but a polish (for lack of a better word).

Well, that doesn't do me any good....the general public can't buy it.

You have to be a cosmetologist.

I have weak nails, but I do not, nor ever have used artificial nails. I just have weak nails, and would love to have something to strengthen them.

That dimestore stuff doesn't help.

Guess I will have to check with a nail expert.

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Thank you Marie, not using them myself I did not realize that. Valuable information.

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Specializes in Step down, ICU, ER, PACU, Amb. Surg.

It has been a CDC guideline against artifical/long nail for quite some time. Of course we were all required in nursing school to keep our nails short and clean because they harbor bacteria (I also have vivide memories from Microbiology! yuck!!) It was a topic of hot debate when the death of several neonates was traced back to the hands of healthcare workers (primarily nurses) that had long artifical nail or wore dark nail polishes. I know it is the policy of most hospitals that nurses are not to wear long or artifical nails or dark polish colours however, many do not enforce the rule. I say hound that IC person to give you an answer on that gel (top) coat and discuss with your manicurist things you can do to make your own nails healthy again. Good luck.

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Specializes in Education, Acute, Med/Surg, Tele, etc.

I simply gave up, and keep my nails short...so short they are almost at the quick! My cuticles..oh please I gave up on those long ago..all the trouble keeping them looking great was interfering with my sleep schedules and not getting any better if I missed a day of treatment!

I keep them clean, no polish of any kind, push back the cuticles when I apply lotion, and other than that sniffle a little on those rare occasions when I actually may want them looking fun for a night out...(then I use those fakes that I can take off after the night).

Just out of curiosity, if they are so hard on nails being of certain lengths or have certain products on them...and are considering the hygeine aspect...did they write up anyone else who may have longer nails? Did they consider RINGS or Watches too...I mean stands to reason if one person gets a write up for this, then all others should too...it is patient safety after all right? ;). Sounds like they selected you for this little "lesson on hygeine" and aren't following up with others...hmmmmm...sounds almost harrassing....(in other words I feel they were a bit overboard with you...and if they really do feel that hygeine is the issue they sent you home for...then they need to follow through and not just focus on one person..but the rest! I have worked at two places that forbid rings..even wedding rings because of this reason...and they sent nurses home that wore them..but not just one, all of them that wore them!)

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I don't wear my wedding ring or any ring at work.

Too much trouble taking it off to wash my hands and then fear that I would lose it.

steph

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Specializes in Education, Acute, Med/Surg, Tele, etc.

Because of all the washing of my wedding ring, the bumping and abuse it went through daily...I lost a diamond out of it (and suprisingly I found it at home, I was playing with my dog and saw a sparkle in the carpet...one in a million chance! YEAH!).

SO I don't wear it anymore (can't be fixed, have to make a whole new ring). I don't wear any rings, nor does my hubby for this reason and the hygeine issues (he is paramedic). I don't wear a arm band watch (I have one that pins to my uniform), or any earrings or necklaces. I consider those special and used for MY time, that kind of helped me give them up (I didn't want to...it was hard!)...if I consider them special, I don't use them for routine daily activities :). It is almost liberating in a way...when I put on my jewelry...it is officially MY TIME...kind of like sheding that unform off at the end of the day...a fun ritual special for me that signifies 'nurse out, me back in!'.

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I'm not into jewelry at all anyway. Very rarely even wear earrings.

I do have to wear make-up though and blow dry my hair before heading off to work. Seems funny to be applying makeup at 2 a.m. But toooo scary otherwise. :)

I just noticed my nails are too long . .. .have to go clip them. :)

steph

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