how do nurses wear nail polish?

Nurses General Nursing

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hey guys! so I'm a nursing student and worked at my hospital in patient transport for a year and I am now a nursing assistant in the ICU. when I worked in transport I noticed this but even more when I started in the ICU as an aid because I use hand sanitizer CONSTANTLY before I go into a room after each room and theres over 20 beds so when its time for sugar checks I use a whole lot of hand sanitzer. since the sanitizer is basically alcohol it destroys your hands and nails (especially if you have nail polish on) the polish will get sticky as all hell and basically come off and due to the tackiness of the polish then you get fuzz stuck to your nails (not cute). I have stopped wearing nail polish now but I noticed like all the women nurses wear normal nail polish and they dont have this problem.

Do you girls wear nail polish?

If so, does yours become tacky and gross?

I have sooooo much nail polish and have tried this with many different brands and it happen with all them pretty much. I know this is kinda a silly question but I am just wondering haha.

Specializes in Cath lab, acute, community.

I came to work one day with nailpolish on (after a wedding) and noticed what you experienced. This was with very expensive fancy nailpolish so... I guess it happens with them all. Now, I don't see why you actually need nailpolish, and ESPECIALLY with working in ICU it's a huge infection risk that can really compromise patient care. I also don't think it looks very professional. Wear nailpolish on your days off if you want.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Geriatric, Hospice.

I wear Shellac or Gel nails all the time, usually in a French manicure. I wash my hands CONSTANTLY so hand sanitizer isn't an issue since I don't really use it. I also use gloves for almost everything and wash after.

I think it looks neater than having plain nails and since our uniforms are white only, it allows us to have some sort of addition to our appearance without having to get tacky with all kinds of jewelry or earrings. I think a crisp white uniform with nicely painted nails and small earrings looks a lot more professional than the loud, patterned scrubs that some people seem to favor.

I don't see what the big deal is. Wash your hands like you normally should and it shouldn't be an infection control issue.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Rehab.

I recently started getting shellac nails every couple of weeks and I love them. They look nice and professional. I haven't had a problem with them chipping or lifting up at the edges, and I get them replaced before that starts to happen.

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Specializes in CDI Supervisor; Formerly NICU.
carrie_c said:
I wear nail polish. I don't see anything wrong with it as long as it's not chipped. We are allowed to wear it at my hospital as long as it's not chipped and it has to be changed or removed within 4 days.

And who polices/enforces this? Do you think 100% of the nurses that wear polish change their polish every 4 days? Or keep it chip-free? A policy that says "NO...but!" is no policy at all. If they make allowances (4 day changes, etc), they might as well just shut up about the issue and everyone can wear what they want.

No one CAN police this issue, and no...you don't have 100% self-imposed compliance. What you do have is a policy that is merely attempting to LOOK like they're doing something.

As long as it's not being policed (and again, it can't be...), I guarantee you that y'all have a large number of women with chipped, old nail polish happily toting that small army of bacteria from patient to patient.

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Bortaz, RN said:
And who polices/enforces this? Do you think 100% of the nurses that wear polish change their polish every 4 days? Or keep it chip-free? A policy that says "NO...but!" is no policy at all. If they make allowances (4 day changes, etc), they might as well just shut up about the issue and everyone can wear what they want.

No one CAN police this issue, and no...you don't have 100% self-imposed compliance. What you do have is a policy that is merely attempting to LOOK like they're doing something.

As long as it's not being policed (and again, it can't be...), I guarantee you that y'all have a large number of women with chipped, old nail polish happily toting that small army of bacteria from patient to patient.

I don't know why you are being so harsh... but since you ask, the charge nurses/ANM's monitor this. Trust me, we have a very strict dress code at my hospital (not just about nail polish, but about everything), and it is very much enforced. There are nail polish remover pads kept at the nurses station as well as in our locker room. And I have seen nurses being told to use them a few times. But nail polish really isn't worn much on my floor. I only wear it occasionally, and I have only seen a handful of nurses wearing it. I have yet to find any polish that lasts 4 days without looking ugly, so I usually just wear it on my days off.

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Specializes in CDI Supervisor; Formerly NICU.

I don't know why you think I was being harsh. I thought this was an adult discussion...didn't know I had to couch everything in butterflies and daisies.

How do the charge nurses know when you changed your polish? They don't, that's how.

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Maybe they don't know if it's 'exactly' 4 days old, but most people can tell by looking at it if it's old. Like I said, I have yet to find a polish that lasts 4 days.

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.

These links contain extensive info on the subject - probably most have seen them but just in case not - they offer the scientific underpinning behind their recommendations re: artificial nails in all forms. Looks like the guidelines are mostly based on the high number of bacteria and yeast in the subungual skin seen with artificial nails, long natural nails, and chipped nail polish.

WHO Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care (2009)

http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2009/9789241597906_eng.pdf

CDC Guideline for Hand Hygiene in Health-Care Settings (2002)

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/rr/rr5116.pdf

Measuring Hand Hygiene Adherence: Overcoming the Challenges (Joint Commission, 2009)

http://www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/18/hh_monograph.pdf

We've had several threads that got quite heated in the past. This study has been the central topic a few times.

Outbreak of Extended‐Spectrum Beta‐Lactamase-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Linked to Artificial Nails

http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/502380

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Specializes in M/S, ICU, ICP.

Thank you nursel56.

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Specializes in Emergency.

Nail Polish in the health care setting is done, but frankly speaking it should not be done. It causes so many places for bacteria to hide. Of course, people really shouldn't be wearing all those rings with stones in them either.

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Specializes in Rehab, critical care.

Nail polish/artificial nails are linked to an increased risk of infection to the patient as a PP says, so I do not wear it to work. I'm not a nail polish person anyway, so it works out. I do wear nail polish on my toes for sandals, though. Feet are just plain ugly without nail polish.

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Specializes in Operating Room.

I don't wear it, even though I'm allowed to if it isn't chipped.Just too much aggravation to keep it looking nice.

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