Fake Nails

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I was talking to a friend of mine that is a LPN in LTC and she asked me if I wanted to go to get my nails done and I told her I couldn't because of school and she then sort of snickered and said that its was silly that they dont allow you to have them in school because every nurse she knows has them:icon_roll

I was just curious if you have them or the other nurses in your unit do.

TIA :)

No fake nails allowed at my hospital either!

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

I see them all over the place at my LTC, mostly on the CNAs. I'm forever trying to get them to stop that---I'm grossed out by even the thought of the germs they're carrying home to their children, to say nothing of what they may be passing between residents!

I wear nail polish myself, but keep my nails short and NEVER wear chipped polish to work.

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Specializes in NICU, Post-partum.

Oh yeah...it's hospital policy, but I work in a unit where ALL patient care (even for vital signs)..you have to wear gloves.

You cannot touch the patient or anything that touches the patient, without wearing gloves.

Many of the nurse practioners and physicians....come in and don't use gloves at all and some of the women have fake nails.

So, apparently the infection control people think that germs can go through latex and that if you have an advanced degree, it makes you immune from germs.

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Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

It isn't so much the getting trapped with the gel, as it is the fake nail adhesive. The CDC found that washing, soaking, scrubbing was not enough to get the bugs caught in the adhesive.

My hospital: no one with direct patient care responsibilities can have fake nails of any length.

For the places with aides who wear them, go to the CDC and get printouts of the reports, and take them to management ASAP. They may think they're so short of staff they don't want to risk losing aides over it, but in today's economy, now is the time to push it!

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Student here with short natural nails and no polish. I love long nails and pretty polish but I can't have polish on one day without it chipping. And now that I am so much more aware of handwashing, I can't help but wonder what sort of gunk is under the fingernails of a nurse/CNA wearing nail polish.

I did a paper in microbiology about long/artificial nails and infections. I can't recall details now (story of my life) but there were infant deaths due to Staph in the midwest that were traced directly to a nurse's artificial nails. We aren't allowed to have them while in school anyway, but afterward I will never chance it. I already worry about inadvertently doing something that could hurt a patient! I could never forgive myself if it boiled down to my fingernails.

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Why not just get a pedicure? On your days off, you'll look great in a pair of sandals.

How does a nursing student afford to get a manicure anyway? When I was in school, I never had that kind of disposable income. Huh, I don't now either. Guess that's why I paint my toenails at home with a $2 bottle of avon nailpolish.

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Specializes in Rehab, Infection, LTC.

I wore acrylics for 20 years. but when i heard of the CDC studies off they came! eewwww. it took me a while to get used to seeing my nails short since i'd worn acrylics since i was 15. i wore polish on them for the first few weeks to just get used to them but it didnt bother me as much as i thought it would. it was hard for me to type or even fix my hair without them at first. i had always had paper thin nails. now, these suckers are so strong and grow so fast! i clip them at least once a week. weird huh?

we had this one CNA at work that had natural nails that were so long they curved under..prbably about 5 inches long. disgusting. everytime we told her to cut them she would and then let them grow right back out. she argued and argued that she could do good care despite her nails. it was a huge battle with this girl. she had no respect for policy, infection control or even that she might hurt a patient. the last time the DON told her to cut them or else...she actually quit. she quit a job she'd had for 10 yrs over her nails.

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Let's stick with the science on this....the CDC recommends against fake nails. Infection control studies have unequivocably shown that they carry a higher risk of infection transmission.

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I don't wear them, but many of my colleagues do (nurses and doctors alike). We aren't supposed to wear them, but they never get reprimanded, so I guess it's okay.:lol_hitti

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Specializes in Geriatrics, med/surg, LTC surveyor.

I have seen nurses with fake nails on but I will not wear them. Just imagine all of the germs they carry around. Yuck.

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Specializes in LTC.

I work in LTC. Our policy is no artificial nails or nail polish for anyone who does direct patient care or handles food. I noticed they recently had a sign up in the break room reminding staff of this policy, so they must be cracking down on it now that they are expecting state to come any day now.

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In nursing school, our nails had to be fingertip length ONLY, and we could wear clear or natural colored polish. With that being said, there were several students that had acrylic nails. YICK. We also had a couple of students that would sit during lecture and bite their nails.... another YICK. Can you imagine the germs?? That is the one thing that truly grosses me OUT. You know what you touch, and if you touch it, someone else has had their hands on it..... Can you trust that they washed their hands recently? Or after using the restroom before they touched your desk? ACK. No thanks!

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