This is my first post on allnurses, and I wasnt sure where to ask this question...Hopefully I dont make anyone mad if its in the wrong spot!
I am a student and at my school we cannot have acrylic fingernails (I feel like this is standard in nursing schools). One of my peers is taking it hard that she had to take hers off when school started. She states that once she graduates, passes the NCLEX and secures a job that she will get her nails back. I feel like getting her nails back is what is keeping her in nursing school.
I was wondering if current nurses could shed some light to me, so maybe I can pass some info along to her or I can just make her stop talking about it because I hear about it on a daily basis.
Im the most girly girl there is and as much as i love my french manicure i will gladly get rid of my nails for nursing school my bsn program has that in big letter on our manual that fake nails are sooo not allowed lol!!And the thought of all those icky germs getting under my nails and harming patients is enough for me!!Your friend must not be very passionate about patient care if she is that worried about fake nails geesh!!!!
The RN in my ob/gyn office has the longest acrylics ever! I think they r not very appealing but to each his own. And it is a very busy practice and yes she is an RN.
I've never seen a place where you can have fake nails. EVER. My current hospital lets you wear colored polish as long as it is not chipped. I don't bother with doing my nails anymore because they grow too fast anyway.
Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
Our hospital doesn't allow fake nails.
It is so nice after school how a lot of the restrictions lighten up on the job. As long as our nails are kept professional looking we can wear polish. I have great natural nails (to great, I actually hate how strong they are and how fast they grow, it's super human:| ) I get a manicure every 2 weeks and I like being able to wear polish again. I change it as soon as it starts to chip. (usually have to change it weekly from it growing out too) I tried acrylics years and years ago but it was to damaging on my nails and I could just get a french manicure and they looked like acrylics. We don't even have to keep our nails really short as long as they are naturally and professional looking, but I keep mine super short because they just grow to dang fast.
Does anyone have experience with the new gel polishes that are UV cured? They're supposed to last 2 weeks without chipping or peeling. I'm wondering if they'll be a better option for polish (once I'm out of school, of course!!). My nails have always been bad - peeling and splitting, so I have to wear a strengthener (clear) when I don't have polish on. I'm looking forward to being able to wear polish again once I graduate.
I quit wearing fakes years ago because of the damage they did to my nail beds. I cringe every time I see a health care professional wearing them.
I have done it once but do not like all the chemicals and found it very drying to my cuticals. I have nice nails that I regularly manicure but now am getting them buffed and filed short. Nice high gloss look without polish or chemicals
I am sad to admit that this rule kinda makes me sad..... i love having pretty nails but not more than I want to be a nurse!!!!!... I guess I'll just get used to no polish manicures!
My problem isn't with missing polish. In fact, I can barely paint my nails. They always turn out horrible =(
My problem is going to be stopping biting my nails. I've always done is and putting nasty stuff on my nails didn't help. Painting them helped a bit, but I still bite =(
Definitely want to stop though. I know there's all kinds of nasties on my nails.
My problem isn't with missing polish. In fact, I can barely paint my nails. They always turn out horrible =(
My problem is going to be stopping biting my nails. I've always done is and putting nasty stuff on my nails didn't help. Painting them helped a bit, but I still bite =(
Definitely want to stop though. I know there's all kinds of nasties on my nails.
You've probably heard this advice before, but in case you haven't: :)
I bit my nails for probably 30 years. I finally stopped by buying a BUNCH of good quality nail files and putting them EVERYWHERE. I have one at my desk at the office, one at my desk at home, one in every side table by chairs I sit in to watch TV, one in the bathroom, one in the kitchen, and one in my bedside table. I then got some of the cuticle oil stuff (I have one from Sally Hansen that brushes on) to massage into my cuticles and put it in my bedside table. Anytime I caught myself biting, I grabbed the file IMMEDIATELY and cleaned up the area I'd bitten. I massaged the cuticle oil in every night before bed. Oh, and I also started using a heavy hand cream for better moisture and an unpleasant taste.
Before too long, I'd quit biting my nails. Now I catch myself biting or tearing where one has split or chipped, or chewing on ragged cuticles, but only occasionally, and now I treat myself to mani/pedi once or twice a month. :)
Good luck with this, it's a hard habit to break, but very worthwhile esp when you start in the medical prof. :)
right. you cannot have acrylic fingernails in patient care areas. polish either-- you can't see it, but there are micro cracks in it, small peeling areas on the edges, and whatnot that carry a microbial load.
back when florence and i were in school, nobody had fake nails except those glue-ons from the walmart, and they were too tacky for words and mostly seen after dark in creepy areas of town. :devil:when acrylics came on, it wasn't long before the infection control people put two and to together and came up with a reason for increased numbers of infections. (yes, the uv gel polishes are great...but still a no-no.)
think about when you go for work. if you've gotten your acrylics replaced the day after your last clinical and then come in the door to a hospital interview...doncha think the nurse manager who tours you is going to wonder why you didn't pay attention in microbiology?
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i love having pretty nails but not more than I want to be a nurse!!!!!... I guess I'll just get used to no polish manicures! 
Kellz321
50 Posts
Im the most girly girl there is and as much as i love my french manicure i will gladly get rid of my nails for nursing school my bsn program has that in big letter on our manual that fake nails are sooo not allowed lol!!And the thought of all those icky germs getting under my nails and harming patients is enough for me!!Your friend must not be very passionate about patient care if she is that worried about fake nails geesh!!!!