Do you have time to cut diabetic toenails?

Specialties Geriatric

Published

I am being told at my job that only nurses can cut the diabetic's fingernails and toenails. I am already being criticized and condemned for staying overtime to complete new doctor's orders, charting,etc. for the day. If I were to stay over to help cut toenails I am sure management would be furious. What do you do at your facility?

Specializes in LTC/SNF.

We have podiatrists who come in to cut diabetic's toenails. I do carry nail clippers and will clip nondiabetic resident's nails. Do I have time? No, but there's no time for everything anyway and the residents really appreciate it.

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I was told the entire time I was in nursing school by my instructors not to cut ANY patients toenails. We are nurses not manicurist/pedicurist or Podiatrists. The nails are an appendage of skin just like hair. We don't do haircuts or perms. I completely refuse to cut nails.

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Just started working at an assisted living facility and I had to cut a diabetic's fingernails.

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After seeing 2 of my diabetics with bandaids on their toes, after the pod visited them a couple of months ago, I asked the facility to replace her, their reply was for me to do incident reports... (Can you believe that) I refuse to let her touch my diabetics and I decided I would do it myself. I have cut my diabetic brothers toenails for years and I am comfortable with it. (I have never made him bleed!)

Do I like doing it, or do I have time for it? NO....... But I make time, because I know that I could never live with myself if I allowed someone to do a bad job on them that caused them to end up losing a leg....

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No I don't have time...but I don't have time for what I do as it is.

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