protecting the rock!

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Specializes in Dialysis.

I'm engaged! My boyfriend proposed the other night! I am SO excited!

Is my ring safe going through the 12 hour shift's worth of hand washing and Purell sanitizers? Working in dialysis, we wash our hands before and after every glove change, so you know I'm participating in some serious hand hygiene?

Am I safe? I guess I am worried about the actual white gold band getting damaged by the constant washing washing washing...(and sanitizing)

thanks!

Congratulations!!!! But take it off! :-)

You're going to beat it all to heck, and it's way too easy for little beasties to lurk in the setting and around the stone. Better safe than sorry, for the safety of your ring and the safety of your patients.

But congrats! ;-)

Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

Congratulations

I would say a lot depends on local hospital policy but I tend to wear on a chain round my neck or leave it at home. I only wear 2 rings when I work a wedding ring and a signet ring both flat but will remove if I worry going to affect tissue viability for the patient

Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

When in doubt, leave it at home. I have been married for a looonnnnggg time and I wore my engagement ring everyday but it was of much more sentimental value then monetary value. However, I'm also a volunteer fireman and I fell and broke my finger at a fire, my ring was cut off in a field and I lost the diamond! Ugh..

Anyway, my replacement ring is much bigger and I still wear it daily. It has channel-set diamonds so that I don't catch it on anything nor have I run into any problems with sanitizer. I do wash my hands a lot though because I hate the hand sanitizer stickiness.

BTW CONGRATULATIONS!

Specializes in MPCU.

I don't wear my wedding ring at work because I'm afraid that it will harbor bacteria. I remember that metals prevent bacterial growth so it may be a superstition. I keep it with me on a silver chain around my neck.

I worked with an LPN whose husband bought her a beautiful diamond for their silver anniversary. They'd been struggling along in the early years, and couldn't afford one when they were married.

Her very first day on the job after receiving that ring, she lost the setting. As best as we could figure out, she was making a bed for a patient who had several visitors in the room. Shortly thereafter she noticed the diamond was missing. Of course it wasn't there when she went looking for it, and she never did recover it. BTW, the visitors high-tailed it out of there and we suspect they took it.

Specializes in ICU, CCU, Trauma, neuro, Geriatrics.

I wore my rings on a chain around my neck when I worked ICU. My engagement ring was my husbands mothers ring and my wedding band was my fathers mothers mothers wedding band. Lots of tender gold and diamonds that had been in the family.

Specializes in Med/Surg/Oncology.

I know you don't want to ever take that ring off, but do it anyway. It is too special to get all gunky so soon, after awhile there will be a lot of wear and tear on that ring. I leave mine at home because I would be devastated if something happened to it.

Rings and stones will last a long time through lots of disinfectants that you use at work. But you also risk glove puncture from the stone/setting.

Specializes in Med/Surg.

As the others have said ...leave that thing at home!

I am not working yet, but when I finally get my license I will be leaving my 2 carats in the jewelry box during my shifts.

I'm sure you would agree that it's better to be safe than sorry! :specs:

Specializes in Ortho, Neuro, Detox, Tele.

I'd go with A)leaving it off...or B)Wearing it on a chain around the neck.

too easy for bacteria to get in that...

My wedding set is white gold, and I have to have it replated every year because it is in water and sanitizers so much. The white gold is pretty, but the color doesn't hold up too well. Also, I just had to have my center stone remounted because one of tghe prongs broke...I almost lost my big rock! I think taking gloves on and off all the time pulls on it. I would leave it home, that's where mines gonna be.

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