artificial nails vs bloody bitten nails

BittyBabyGrower, MSN, RN · Oct 19, 2005

If it is the rules, then you follow them. Where I work, you'd get zero chances with those nails...even if they were just over the bottom part. Ever see a baby with pseudomonas sepsis...it ain't pretty. And if I ever saw any healthcare worker coming at me or any family member with artificial nails I'd be the first to report them and have them removed from taking care of us.

And biting your nails, especially being a nurse...ewwww. Think of the cooties you could be carrying, and the icks that you are exposing yourself too with open skin. Actually, if you have open wounds you shouldn't be working at all.

Q. · Oct 19, 2005

The fact that you have a nail-biting habit is an issue you have to deal with, not one that is your organization, or your patient's, problem.

Essentially you are presenting 2 choices for your patients whom are entrusting you with the care you provide:

1. Wear artificial nails and expose them to microorganisms

2. Bite your real nails and expose them to blood-borne pathogens

So, it's a lose-lose situation for your patients. That's not very good.

I agree with Deb: find a non-patient care job or spend your energy on working to break your nail biting habit instead of trying to change a patient safety policy.

sunnyjohn · Oct 19, 2005

File your nails short. Really short. As in shorter than your fingers. Moisturize your cuticles, constantly. If your nails are too short to get your teeth around, you can't bite them. If your cuticles are too soft, you won't get that "must pull off that stray piece" feeling and if you do, your nails will be so short they can't get around the piece to pick. I quit the biting and picking after 20 years. Under stress, will still have an occasional setback. Usually when I've let my nails get to a little bit longer length.

This is good advice.

Siouxz2 · Oct 19, 2005

I see I'm not the only one with this problem. When I started school the acrylic nails had to go, but I was a bad nail and cuticle biter for 43 years also. During our skills lab our first semester, we were practicing taking pulses on each other and when I looked at my fingers I was just grossed out. I thought if I was a patient I wouldn't want those hands touching me. All last year I refrained from biting, to the point where my clinical instructor had to tell me to trim my nails. Once we were out for the summer, I started again. Now that I'm back in school, my nails are growing again.

I guess it's something I'll struggle with the rest of my life. Just wanted to let your know you're not alone, and good luck to you.

sphinx, BSN, RN · Oct 23, 2005

I was the same way before......nothing I did stopped me from biting my nails, not the vile tasting stuff you paint on, no amount of telling myself to stop, not being chastised or teased by others,no filing, nothing could stop me. I bit my nails so bad I'd bleed and it would hurt and I'd run them under ice water it was so bad! I hated it. Acrylic nails kept me from biting them because they are so hard. I had them removed while working in a clinical setting, but got them again when I went into a non clinical position a few years back. When I went back into the hospital again I had to have them removed. Unlike in the past, where I'd always go back to biting, for some reason I just didn't bite them anymore. I wish I could tell you why. Occasionally I will bite a hangnail, but that's it. I file my nails to keep them short. It hasn't been easy, but it can be done.

jameeladf · Oct 23, 2005

Nail-biting is such a revolting habit, and biting your nails until they bleed puts you on the same playing field as wild animals licking their wounds raw. Get help from someone, get some sort of topical repellent, do SOMETHING! That is disgusting and certainly an exhibition of poor hygiene.:angryfire

P_RN, ADN, RN · Oct 23, 2005

My nails are almost paper thin. I never was a nail biter, mainly because they broke off on their own. Artificial nails on such thin ones actually looked natural rather than man made. I could actually snap an ampule and pick up a dime.

But rules are rules and cooties are cooties. And phlegm and excreta are......

You know how they look when you are about 5 days past needing a fill in? So off they went. Plus I'm about $40 a month ahead now.

sphinx, BSN, RN · Oct 23, 2005

Nail-biting is such a revolting habit, and biting your nails until they bleed puts you on the same playing field as wild animals licking their wounds raw. Get help from someone, get some sort of topical repellent, do SOMETHING! That is disgusting and certainly an exhibition of poor hygiene.:angryfire

Very helpful. I'm sure the original poster is now going to run right out and "get help from someone" and stop just like that.

:uhoh3:

I'm not saying she shouldn't stop but calling someone revolting, comparing them to wild animals, and questioning their hygeine? Nice. Just nice. Now I remember why I hardly come to these boards anymore.

jameeladf · Oct 24, 2005

Very helpful. I'm sure the original poster is now going to run right out and "get help from someone" and stop just like that.

I'm not saying she shouldn't stop but calling someone revolting, comparing them to wild animals, and questioning their hygeine? Nice. Just nice. Now I remember why I hardly come to these boards anymore.

Actually "sphynx" I wasn't calling the poster revolting, I said the habit was revolting, so I suggest you endeavor to re-read any post you reply to because you don't seem to catch everything accurately the first time through. Also, I wasn't compaing the poster to animals, I was comparing the HABIT to those of animals, and NOT questioning the poster's overall hygiene, but the hygiene of biting one's nails to the point of bleeding. So perhaps an underlying cause of your infrequency of these boards is your own tendency to misunderstand, or just NOT understand, period?

casi, ASN, RN · Oct 24, 2005

Okay, some people replied to this very rudely. I first have to comment on that. Telling someone they have poor hygene because they bite their nails is tacky.

Nail biting is a bad habbit a lot of people have. I'm a nail biter.

I think the first key to stop biting nails is to figure out why you bite your nails first. I bite my nails as a nervous habit and out of annoyance for my nails. I hate it when they don't look even, or just seem wrong. What got me to stop was just making sure i had good upkeep. Like a previous poster did, I went out and got all of the mancure supplies and kept my nails looking nice. I wantted to keep them looking nice so I tried not to bite.

Also if it's a nervous habit, I've noticed when I'm nervous I tend to go for just about anything in my mouth. Normally my nails are the handiest of things, so into my mouth they go. Maybe try hard candy or gum to see if that will detour you.

sphinx, BSN, RN · Oct 24, 2005

Actually "sphynx" I wasn't calling the poster revolting, I said the habit was revolting, so I suggest you endeavor to re-read any post you reply to because you don't seem to catch everything accurately the first time through. Also, I wasn't compaing the poster to animals, I was comparing the HABIT to those of animals, and NOT questioning the poster's overall hygiene, but the hygiene of biting one's nails to the point of bleeding. So perhaps an underlying cause of your infrequency of these boards is your own tendency to misunderstand, or just NOT understand, period?

first of all, it's SPHINX with an I......

and you know what? this is not even worthy of a response. So do your worst.

truern · Oct 24, 2005

Actually, jameeladf, your post *was* rude...no matter how one looks at it.

Nice way to begin your journey on allnurses:uhoh21: