Do you wear rings on your fingers to work?

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When I bought my wedding ring, I had the jeweler make it special and brought the diamond down to the level of the ring in order to avoid catching it on side rails or scratching my patients. However, I did scratch one with it and had to fill out an incident report etc...but that was during primary care. I still wear it, but am really careful. Also, I used to rub down the tx and med cart with bleach water and I guess bleach and diamonds aren't supposed to mix....according to the jeweler anyway. How many others here wear their rings to work or is it not allowed?

Blessings, Michelle

Specializes in Med/Surg.

I'm only going to wear my wedding band to clinical settings, but not my engagement ring. It's a princess cut diamond and is set very high.....wouldn't want to risk scratching anyone, or losing the stone my husband paid a lot of money for.

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Specializes in Home Health, Case Management, OR.

I had my ring made lower set and smooth so that it could be worn under gloves without catching so badly, however I do not wear my nice diamond wedding set to clinicals. I purchased a cheap $50 white gold band that I wear instead. That way, if I lose it or it gets ruined for some reason it does not matter. I also dont like to wear my diamonds while working because they get so dingy from the soap residue!

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Specializes in (Hopefully one day..) neuro/urology ^.^.

What about bracelets?

I'm going to start nursing school in a year or so and was wondering about if bracelets were okay to wear in a hospital setting?

I have tattoos on the insides of my wrist, and bracelets look much better covering them up than wristbands!!!

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Me & my husband had each others names tattooed on our ring fingers. I also have a plain, smooth band that is not a part of my wedding ring set, but I usually wear it to work and slide it out of the way when I wash my hands.

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Specializes in NICU.
What about bracelets?

I'm going to start nursing school in a year or so and was wondering about if bracelets were okay to wear in a hospital setting?

I have tattoos on the insides of my wrist, and bracelets look much better covering them up than wristbands!!!

Depends on where you work. A lot of NICU's (and some other departments, too) don't allow anything below the elbow.

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Specializes in Respiratory Care/Step-down.

I wear my wedding band at work, but rinse under it frequently. To me it is not just another piece of jewelry, but I can see where someone would be wary of germs. I also wipe it with the antiseptic wipe before I leave work.

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I wear my wedding band, but not my engagement ring - I'm too afraid of scratching someone

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Specializes in Geriatrics.
At our hospital, no hand/wrist jewelry is allowed at all. No rings, watches, or bracelets allowed.

You can't even wear a watch??? How do you do pulses/resps?

Blessings, Michelle

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Specializes in Med surg, Critical Care, LTC.

I wear my engagement, wedding ring and anniversary band daily. My engagement ring is on the larger size and gets caught on gloves whenever I take them off. I have never injured a patient with my rings.

I have a tooth brush that I scrub my rings with EVERY MORNING before I begin my day, so I try to keep them as clean as possible.

Blessings

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Specializes in Operating Room.

I wear rings(usually one on each hand) to work..Obviously, if I'm scrubbing a case, they come off. If circulating, I wear gloves when doing anything patient related, so scratching a patient isn't an issue. And as far as bacteria, again, this is wear gloves come in.

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Not trying to be rude, just trying to let you see the other side. :nuke:

I understand the other side. In my post you quoted, I stated several alternatives to wearing your rings on your fingers--tattooing being one alternative, but I also mentioned wearing the rings on a pin or a chain. I guess *I* was just trying to convey that I understand the need to have a sentimental symbol, but that I *don't* understand how a sentimental symbol takes precedence over pt safety. If studies show that wearing rings decreases the effectiveness of hand hygiene and increases the amount of bacteria on the hands, I still don't understand how one can continue to justify wearing them.

Where I work, we are allowed to wear watches, but most of us don't because they just get dirty. Every room has a large clock with a prominent second hand--I use that to get my vitals. I've seen those watch faces on a pin that you can pin to your scrub top; but I find the room clock works fine for me.

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Specializes in Med-Surg Nursing.

I have four rings that I wear., two on each hand. I wear my wedding set, a past-present-future ring, a ring that was given to me by my mother, and anothr past present future ring.

The DAY a facility tells me that I cannot wear small tasteful rings, ESPECIALLY my wedding ring set is the day that I will NO LONGER work for that facility. I will NOT get a tattoo. My facility FORBIDS visible tattoos. They also FORBID artificial fingernails but there ARE nurses/direct care staff who still wear them, including one Labor and Delivery RN.

And I HAVE to wear a watch. I CANNOT see the clock on the wall in most of the rooms when I am looking down while giving an IV Push med, therefore I rely on my watch. I've been in many pt rooms where the clock has stopped working due to the battery needing changed.

I've worked in FOUR different hospitals in my 11+yr career and NONE of them have banned rings or watches.

Besides, with as many times as I wash my hands every day, how could it be possible for rings to harbor deadly bacteria? Any time I touch a patient I have gloves on, so the ring thing should really be a NON-issue, imho.

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