Bling on the job?

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I have a stunning 2 carat princess cut engagement ring set in hand cut platinum. I wear it every day of my life, including "on the job". I wash my hands between patient contact and wear gloves and have never considered taking it off when I work. I have had lot's of comments on it from patients and co workers alike and most ask if I am concerned about damaging or losing it. I always say that it is safer on my finger than anywhere else I could keep it. I don't wear a necklace and keep my earrings to a minimum. My question, do you have anything special that you wear on the job and do you ever get any flack for it?

One of our nurses took her plat . wedding ring of 24 years of marriage off to wash her hands in triage. When she turned her back the ring was gone. The hospital wouldnt help her at all. We were all sick about it. I'm worried that someone will fallow me out if I ware bling. In the neighborhood the hospital is in they will do anything for money.

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Specializes in LTC/rehab, ED, med-surg.

I have a 1/3 carat diamond set in platinum and (in my opinion) it doesn't stick up too high to get easily caught by gloves and I clean it every day (religiously!) but in nursing school, we were only allowed to wear a wedding band, nothing else. Also only one pair of earrings, studs only. Anything else, we had to take them out or were threatened with being sent home. When we were shopping for my wedding band, I chose something simple and channel set so that I could wear that to work and leave the nice one at home. It may not be much, but it means a heckuva lot to me and I'd be sick if I lost it or I caused a skin tear on a patient with it.

All that aside, I don't think the infection control risk is huge so long as you religiously get that ring cleaned and frequently wash your hands. And I echo what a previous poster said...I want my patients to know I'm married and off limits! ;)

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

If I do wear jewelry, it is just a plain gold band. I usually don't wear anything because I don't want germs getting in MY stuff. I am changing poopy diapers and bloody pads and getting spit up on...uh, no thanks. My jewels, humble as they are, can stay at home.

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Specializes in Med Surg, Hospice.

Jewelry Whore here..... and I love my Bling... but it stays at home when I go to work. I've lost more than my share of rings by taking them off when I wash my hands. I will not wear any jewelry to work except earrings. If my bling is at home, I know it's safe. I run the risk of losing it when I'm at work, and I won't take that chance.

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I have a stunning 2 carat princess cut engagement ring set in hand cut platinum. I wear it every day of my life, including "on the job". I wash my hands between patient contact and wear gloves and have never considered taking it off when I work. I have had lot's of comments on it from patients and co workers alike and most ask if I am concerned about damaging or losing it. I always say that it is safer on my finger than anywhere else I could keep it. I don't wear a necklace and keep my earrings to a minimum. My question, do you have anything special that you wear on the job and do you ever get any flack for it?

I think the wrong question is being asked.....it's not whether the ring is too special to wear, it's that it's too potentially infectious, IMHO. I don't care how well you wash your hands, those tiny grooves and crevices DO harbor bacteria and aplenty of them.

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All that aside, I don't think the infection control risk is huge so long as you religiously get that ring cleaned and frequently wash your hands.

You don't think it's a huge issue as long as you get the ring cleaned frequently? Sorry, can't hope to agree on that. You wash your hands between patients because just touching the sheets on one patient and then going to the next can transfer germs. What do you think that ring does, when it's NOT disinfected between patients?

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but when i'm seeing my co-workers come to work wearing five or six rings each, bracelets halfway up the arm and long, dangling necklaces i think my one little ring is probably just a drop in the bucket of infection control issues. when those issues become a non-issue, i'll consider not wearing my ring to work, but i suspect that won't happen in my lifetime!

man, i wonder where the heck you work! i noticed a necklace on a co-worker one day, and it struck me because none of us wear necklaces, let alone a stack of bracelets or rings! although most of us don't wear rings, wedding or otherwise, a few do wear wedding sets, but i've already given my opinion on those ;)

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Specializes in LTC/rehab, ED, med-surg.
You don't think it's a huge issue as long as you get the ring cleaned frequently? Sorry, can't hope to agree on that. You wash your hands between patients because just touching the sheets on one patient and then going to the next can transfer germs. What do you think that ring does, when it's NOT disinfected between patients?

You completely misconstrued my statement. My post read 'I don't think the infection control risk is huge so long as you religiously get that ring cleaned and frequently wash your hands.' Washing your hands after contact with each patient does not adequately remove every single microbe off of rings, but it does help...and not to mention using an alchohol rub or foam on top of it.

I do wash my hands after contact with each patient, their sheets, or even when I leave a patients room, I wash my hands and use the alcohol rub. I've been accused before of being a total germaphobe in nursing school...so I don't even know where you can begin to infer that from my previous post. Your tone is a tad bit confrontational as well. :o

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You completely misconstrued my statement. My post read 'I don't think the infection control risk is huge so long as you religiously get that ring cleaned and frequently wash your hands.' Washing your hands after contact with each patient does not adequately remove every single microbe off of rings, but it does help...and not to mention using an alchohol rub or foam on top of it.

I do wash my hands after contact with each patient, their sheets, or even when I leave a patients room, I wash my hands and use the alcohol rub. I've been accused before of being a total germaphobe in nursing school...so I don't even know where you can begin to infer that from my previous post. Your tone is a tad bit confrontational as well. :o

Hey, sorry....relax! I wasn't being confrontational, sorry you took it that way. I wasn't infering you don't wash, that wasn't what *I* said.

What I said was, infection control is not less of an issue if you get your ring "religiously cleaned". It's not being cleaned well enough between patients (according to the infection control experts, btw, not just me) if you're only washing or using foam. It's the RING that carries the problem. The one person on my unit that wears a large wedding set refuses to use the foam, because her jeweler told her it could damage the ring (stone or metal, not sure which). So I imagine that there's more than just that one person who does NOT adequately clean those rings between patients.

I wasn't implying that you used poor hygiene. Just that many facilities BAN the wearing of rings with stones or engravings for these very reasons.

You may not like what I have to say, and for some reason didn't like how I said it (although I could be too tired to notice why), but it doesn't change the facts out there. Lots of people defend to the death the wearing of artificial nails, because they are scrupulous about handwashing. Doesn't change the infection control facts, though, does it?

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Specializes in Psych..

I've been thinking about this very topic and here's a thread about it!

I have a 3/4 carat diamond that DOES stick up, on a wide, extensively etched platinum band. I just started nursing school and during hand washing, all these same topics came up...scratching patients, losing the ring at work, spreading germs...but then there is the sentimental value. We weren't told we had to leave the rings at home, but it really made me think. I rarely take my ring off, but I decided to go to school today ring-less because we were doing bed baths, and well, I wanted to get used to being ring-less if I ever needed to. I had small moments of panic all day thinking I had lost my ring!

Purchasing a small plain band seems like a wonderful solution for me. My very precious wedding ring can stay at home and I can have something on my finger. Thanks for the great idea.

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Aren't you afraid a patient or family member will wait for you in the parking lot after your shift and rob you of your ring? That is what I would be afraid of, were I to ever have an expensive ring given to me. I'd never wear something nice to work. Take care.

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You take your ring off every time you wash your hands at work? I can't imagine having the time to do that, and am certain that I would get distracted and lose my ring eventually.

I rarely speak in 'absolutes', but I absolutely take my ring off everytime I wash my hands at work or at home. It's like anything else and becomes a habit. I'm actually the only one at work that does it, and the reason is I hate, hate, HATE the feeling of "wet" under my ring! Feels like it'll make my skin rot off my finger! lol Anyway, I used to be worried about forgetting to put it back on, and I did forget a couple of times in the beginning, but not anymore. So yes, I do take it off every time and it just doesn't take any more time than it would to wash my hands without taking it off...it's off before I even get to the sink and I put it back on as I'm walking away. :)

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