I have had fake's a couple of times, usually they are off in a week. I realized they cost too much to maintain, I had great nails, and I was in nursing and knew they weren't great for that ( I was a CNA at the time). I lived in Vegas as a CNA and there was some big lawsuit regarding a woman who got an infection and blamed it on her nurse who had acrylics and wore no gloves when removing a dressing (not sure about redressing...). Vegas hospitals (not all) banned these nails for obvious reasons-they are a breeding ground for bacteria.
I am an LPN now, working towards my RN. I am no longer in Vegas, but back in MO where I had previously been. Here, acrylics are neither here nor there. We all know the bads about them-still, nurses have them. I quit smoking when I was in Vegas, and now I am destroying my nails and cuticles on a daily basis. I am so unhappy-there are other issues and personal issues (divorce, weight gain, school AND working 12's, etc...) I know, woe is me....BUT, one day my infection control nurse pointed out how bad bitten nails and torn cuticles are as well-I can't win. I want fakes to boost my self esteem. not long ones, no longer than Sport length- I don't want the cost but I have to feel better somewhere.
SO, the question-how bad are they now??? If a person is conscious of the need to be diligent with hand washing, does that make a difference? Are they as big of an issue as they were five years ago??? I also loved my nails, but they are just crap now-four years of badgering them has hurt the nail bed and I can't get them back. Nail polish isn't good either!
Please, some feedback. I know the concerns and issues with the acrylics and infection control.....I am not necessarily going for the acrylics either.
I wanted to point out-I have an oral fixation and an obvious anxiety issue. I am medicated with zoloft for the anxiety. I sucked my thumb when I was little til 12, then bit my nails, then started smoking, quit smoking, starting attacking the SKIN-the nails not so much, but cuticle area. WIth the weight gain too, I could so easily just start smoking again-BUT, that is looked down on more than the fake nails where I work-they don't want you to even SMELL of smoke.
I don't need a big discussion again-I think I know the answer anyway. can't win.
Specializes in Psych, ER, Resp/Med, LTC, Education.
I gotta agree-- you need to get to the route of the problem and realize that this is a policy for a good reason, not just to make you miserable. The poster who tells you to get fakes and let the real nails grow underneath then take them off.......first of that is like saying--hey you are above the law. Second I have had fakes several times in the past....(I have only been a nurse like 6 years) and sorry but as soon as they come off your nails may have grown underneath but they are paper thin and will tear right off. I remember my entire nail side of my finger tips HURTING just to put them under hot water. It took months--like 6 + to get them back to close to normal thickness.
Being a nurse is a selfless profession in many ways and this is just another way you need to be selfless and think of your patients best interest and not your pretty nails. To say you need then to not bite--like someone else said that is a whole separate issue you need to deal with--have you tried that stuff you paint on your nails/cuticles that is suppose to taste AWEFUL to keep you from wanting to bite???? I have seen it help.
I've been a nail biter since I was 2. I'm 25 now, my latest attempt to quit has been to get a plain manicure every two weeks, keep a nail file with me and have gum constantly. So far I've been clean for a month, longest ever! I realized it's not just the oral fixation for me...if a nail breaks or loses it's smooth edge, I start biting to make it "even." Having a nail file with me at all times prevents that. So far that's the best solution I've come up with. I feel your pain though!
Everybody has a solution to your problem. I agree that it's way overblown.
I wore acrylics to keep from biting my cuticles. I wore them short, so no more chance of "hurting" a patient that with natural nails. My cuticles are often injured, and my argument is the same as with infection concerns with acrylics: how are injured, open wounds, sometimes bleeding cuticles any safer? Really.
My own nails split and break. Regular manicures do not and have not changed that. My mother was able to grow nails, but she had them split too. I eat a balanced diet and take proper supplements, so ingesting something else isn't going to fix the problem. It's what I was blessed with.
Right now I am working on not picking or biting them. I have promised myself a prize in October if I succeed that long.
Good luck to you on it. Because I know how hard it is.
They are..as a lifelong nail biter, I can attest..it instantly stops me from my urge to bite..I don't know what it is, but it does.
I personally, think that the entire "no fake nails" thing has been exaggerated to the hilt. Obviously these hospitals don't even care enough to require physicians to wash their hands between patients....God forbid if you ticked one of them off. I have seen stethescopes used over and over again between patients by both nurses and physicians..no one screams get out an alcohol wipes.
And how many places are using a central blood pressure cuff on a cart with each patient not having their own? Now nasty is that? Have they ever tested that thing?
How many nurses work with minor cuts on their fingers that use band-aids? Do they ever send them home? Nope.
No..artificial nails are not to blame...it's not maintaining them properly and not using gloves when you are supposed to. If you go to a quality salon, get them done weekly, get a simple, french manicure...even at close examination, you cannot tell the fakes from the real ones.
I don't go near a patient with broken skin without using gloves...ever.
My conscience wouldn't allow me to consider this train of thought. 2 wrongs (or many wrongs) don't make it right.
Others have worded it better than I have, but I agree with not being able to carry the burden of wondering if my choice was harming my patients. Science says they do, so that's what I'm going with. No fakes.
Fake nails are disgusting for a nurse to have because of all of the bacteria, constant hand washing, and all other features that working as a nurse entails. You should absolutely not have fake nails.... ever. Not only is it just gross to think about, its actually a safety issue for you and the patients.
My conscience wouldn't allow me to consider this train of thought. 2 wrongs (or man
BabyLady is right. Unless you are stringently washing the BP cuff for every patient, wiping your stethescope for every patient, keeping a different notebook for every patient, not putting tape on your stethescope, not putting tape on siderails or bedside tables, not wearing rings or changing your scrubs for every patient, then there is always going to be risks that your conscience also should not allow. I dont agree with having long nails or rings on your fingers, but short nails under gloves seem to be to pose less risk than most of the things i mentioned off the top of my head. I am not defending any of these practices mind you, but they could all be considered potential risks, and im sure the list could go on and on.:)
wow-I really appreciate the feedback. I think the reason I even asked is because we DON'T have a ban on them. And, being around others who have them makes my mind start to wonder....but, I really DON'T want them to be honest. I am going back to evening shifts next week after a year of 11am to 11pm. I am two classes away from applying to the RN program and they will not be an in class course, but online. Being back on Eves will allow me to get back on a regular routine-meaning my eating will be on schedule, my sleep on schedule, I'll be able to work out at the sAme times every day. I think as the anxiety calms and so forth, I'll be able to get my nails nice again. I used to pride myself on not needing acrylics. I totally agree with all the arguments-but you have to look at the one regarding bp cuffs, stethescopes etc... I guess the main difference is that the cuffs and so forth are on dry open surfaces, not closed off warm possibly moist ones. Think about blood sugar machines and kits too-I can tell you this, in all my years of nursing I haven't found one time where using a BP cuff between pts caused any infections. Then again, I guess it depends on the patient. OUr infectious ones have disposable anyway.
Thank you all for your feedback. I am going to try and try to get past this-I know I can.
I had acrylic nails for 8 years before the axe fell and infection control said "no more". They were basing their case on a case from Ohio, where three Maternity RN's all had acrylic nails and 4 babies died of a bacterial infection. They cultured under these nurses nails and it grew out the same bacteria the babies died from.
I never had a problem with my nails. I would scrub beneath my nails TID and use good handwashing in between. My cuticles were NEVER dry and cracked when I had acrylics - only since they've been off. I don't understand why that is - my hair dresser who did my nails said a lot of customers complained of the same thing, she didn't know why.
Personally, I think we should be able to have acrylics if we want them, considering if I wanted to, I could grow my own nails long without anyone blinking an eye. In fact I did that for a short time. Some nurses went behind my back and complained to the nurse manager that I was getting acrylic nails - so I got called in to her office and spoken to about it. I said "sorry, but these are my real nails, I have no acrylic, no wraps, nothing" So she let me go. It ticked my off the cattyness of my co-workers, but what are ya going to do?
A Prolonged Outbreak of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: Did Staff Fingernails Play a Role in Disease Transmission?
RESULTS.Of 439 neonates admitted during the study period, 46 (10.5%) acquired P aeruginosa; 16 (35%) of those died. Fifteen (75%) of 20 patients for whom isolates were genotyped had genotype A, and 3 (15%) had genotype B. Of 104 healthcare workers (HCWs) from whom hand cultures were obtained, P aeruginosa was isolated from three nurses. Cultures from nurses A‐1 and A‐2 grew genotype A, and cultures from nurse B grew genotype B. Nurse A‐1 had long natural fingernails, nurse B had long artificial fingernails, and nurse A‐2 had short natural fingernails. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, exposure to nurse A‐1 and exposure to nurse B were each independently associated with acquiring a BSI or ETT colonization with P aeruginosa, but other variables, including exposure to nurse A‐2, were not.
CONCLUSION .Epidemiological evidence demonstrated an association between acquiring P aeruginosa and exposure to two nurses. Genetic and environmental evidence supported that association and suggested, but did not prove, a possible role for long or artificial fingernails in the colonization of HCWs' hands with P aeruginosa. Requiring short natural fingernails in NICUs is a reasonable policy that might reduce the incidence of hospital‐acquired infections.
Just wanted to add, for the OP- check out Sally Hansen's "Hard as Wraps" acryllic nail polish- it's almost just like a wrap- you can keep your nails short (naturally) but give them a little extra strength by using the polish. :)
I was a slave to acrylics before nursing school. My nails do not grow well and I am also rough on my hands, so I got acrylics.
Starting with school, they were banned. They are also banned for anyone directly involved in patient care in my hospital. There is a very good reason for this. Even after a few days, they start to lift and there is NO WAY to get that space clean. You can wash all you want, they will still harbor all kinds of nasty bacteria and fungi.
Think about it; First, do you really want to be the "Typhoid Mary" who spreads infection from patient to patient?
Second, do you want to bring home whatever nasty germs you have come into contact on your shift and expose your family, friends, and yourself to a potentially deadly infection?
I hope the answer is "No."
Plain old manicures will restore your nails and your sense of self esteem without the dangerous germs.
Amy
If you get them done at a quality salon, they will not lift.
Cheap salons, will use cheap solutions and skip the primer...they do this so your nails WILL lift so you'll come back for a fill-in sooner or a minimum, repairs that they will charge you for.
If you go to a quality salon weekly, you'll have no issues with lifting..an a $15.00 fill-in job most likely, won't cut it.
Of 439 neonates admitted during the study period, 46 (10.5%) acquired P aeruginosa; 16 (35%) of those died. Fifteen (75%) of 20 patients for whom isolates were genotyped had genotype A, and 3 (15%) had genotype B. Of 104 healthcare workers (HCWs) from whom hand cultures were obtained, P aeruginosa was isolated from three nurses. Cultures from nurses A‐1 and A‐2 grew genotype A, and cultures from nurse B grew genotype B. Nurse A‐1 had long natural fingernails, nurse B had long artificial fingernails, and nurse A‐2 had short natural fingernails. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, exposure to nurse A‐1 and exposure to nurse B were each independently associated with acquiring a BSI or ETT colonization with P aeruginosa, but other variables, including exposure to nurse A‐2, were not.
RochesterRN-BSN, BSN, RN
399 Posts
I gotta agree-- you need to get to the route of the problem and realize that this is a policy for a good reason, not just to make you miserable. The poster who tells you to get fakes and let the real nails grow underneath then take them off.......first of that is like saying--hey you are above the law. Second I have had fakes several times in the past....(I have only been a nurse like 6 years) and sorry but as soon as they come off your nails may have grown underneath but they are paper thin and will tear right off. I remember my entire nail side of my finger tips HURTING just to put them under hot water. It took months--like 6 + to get them back to close to normal thickness.
Being a nurse is a selfless profession in many ways and this is just another way you need to be selfless and think of your patients best interest and not your pretty nails. To say you need then to not bite--like someone else said that is a whole separate issue you need to deal with--have you tried that stuff you paint on your nails/cuticles that is suppose to taste AWEFUL to keep you from wanting to bite???? I have seen it help.