Engagement/Wedding Bands

[~Melissa~]

I'm curious if as a nurse I'll still be able to wear my engagement and wedding bands? I start nursing school this fall... Hubby was going to replace my wedding band for our 10th anniversary, but I'm not even sure if I can wear them? My engagement ring is a diamond flanked by sapphires and my wedding band is alternating diamonds and sapphires (right now it's white gold-- he was going to upgrade the setting to platinum)... Can you wear these as a nurse? Do I need to switch to a plain band?

[loriangel14, RN]

It may depend on facility policy, especailly once you start working.My workplace only allows plain bands. Nothing with stones.Most girls just leave the bling at home. Think of what kind of nasty bugs would be hiding in your settings. Some wear their rings ona chain but one of my coworkers got hers broken when a patient grabbed it.

The plain band rule is vigorously enforced where I work.

[amoLucia]

The problem with any jewelry (fancy or not-so-fancy) is if it's lost, broken or stolen, it's YOUR LOSS. You can always fill out the reports, but it's still your loss. Take your chances!

[Twinmom06, ASN, APN]

I have a princess cut engagement ring and alternating baguette and round diamond band and wore it all through nursing school - as did many of my classmates...they tell you a plain band but I've never seen anyone asked to take it off - if they do you could always put it in your pocket or locker...

[llg, PhD, RN]

In some units, you can't even wear a plain band. The germs they collect and spread can cause lots of problems. Do you really want to bring those germs home to your family? Given all the really nasty germs they can carry, I don't understand why anybody would want to wear ANY kind of ring any more.

My recommendation is to plan on leaving it at home to keep it safe (and clean) when you work.

[ChristineN, BSN, RN]

My facility allows rings, but I prefer to only wear my band and not my engagement ring. I have known several nurses that have had their stones come out of their rings at work to be lost forever. I have worn my engagement ring on a necklace chain though

[hiddencatRN, BSN, RN]

Depends on the facility policy and whether it's enforced. Places I've worked I see nurses wearing fancy rings at work. I'd worry about damaging a nice ring, and all those nooks and crannies are ideal places for germs to hide.

[HippyDippyLPN]

I used to wear my rings to work but when we had a infection control course, they talked about all the dirty little things that can lurk in a ring so I leave them home now. I have seen fellow nurses wear fake nails and I just shudder to think what's under those things. It's not as enforced where I work but it should be.

[calivianya, BSN, RN]

I wouldn't wear anything but a plain band to work. My work doesn't care, but I do. Sharp edges on stones, or even prongs, can catch and puncture your glove while you're providing patient care. Sure, this isn't always a problem, but wouldn't it just be Murphy's Law if the day your glove tears on your ring is the day you just got a paper cut on that finger and your bleeding patient has a bloodborne disease?

I'm not doing anything that could puncture my gloves; I'm wearing them for a reason!

Anyway, I also don't want anything to happen to my nice jewelry.

[xoemmylouox, ASN, RN]

All I can say is yuck! Those pretty stone settings are perfect hiding spots for germs.. I'd leave it all at home.

[julz68]

When I was in school, we were allowed to wear our engagement/wedding band only. No other rings were allowed. BUT, when we had our NICU/PICU rotation, no jewelry whatsoever was allowed. I had gain a few pounds during NS, and I couldn't get my wedding rings off no matter what I did. So, they decided to cut them off! It was either that, or fail that semester.

[BSNbeauty, BSN, RN]

I don't have a wedding band as I have a wrap around for my princess cut. I wear my wedding to work, always. It doesn't get in the way of my work. I never take my wedding ring off.