artifical nails off..angry nurse

Nurses Safety

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Hi Everyone..i found this site looking for information on artifical nails and nurses.So,iam a brand new member.

I do home health and have had artifical nails on for 18yrs .Dec.30th i was told i was to take them off...so i contacted a nail tech and told her my situation and she (as well as one other salon) told me they were putting a gel(like a hard nail polish) over many of the nurses who had to take their nails off....so this is what i did.

On Jan.11th while talking to one of my supervisors about some paperwork,,i was reminded i had to take my nails off,,i said these are my own nails with a gel hardner over my nails..she said she would have to check that out...i tried to also with infection control but they never called me back.

When i returned to work 2 days later,,instead of telling me what they found out,i was written up,and told i could not work that day and was sent home.Iam very angry :angryfire

I took the gel off,and now my nails are sore ,hands look ugly,i cant peel an orange,scratch..nothing.Iam feeling very helpless and down.

Has anyone else experienced this when taking off their nails and how did you handle it? Are we not able to even have a gel temporarily over our thin weakened nails,,till the new stronger nails appears?

Please help as iam writing a rebuttal to this written warning.Thanks

Lady Sapphire

Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

I have crappy nails. They're thin, they peel, split, etc.

Always have. Latex gloves don't help either, but, i'm not allergic to them either.

My nails are kept short, appx. 1/8 free edge, just enough to scratch with, and just enough to use that plastic fingernail cleaning tool before the scrub brush.

I take 30 minutes a week to use the 4-way buffer to smooth out the ridges, and buff to a shine. I use a chamois buffer with a little bit of lavender nail oil (olive oil works well too) before i go to bed.

If my nails are kept short, and if i buff them, they don't peel and split like they used to.

Specializes in Education, Acute, Med/Surg, Tele, etc.

LOL, I gave up makeup in nursing school, and cut my lovely long hair so that I can apply comb and water and be ready to go (and such at work if it was to get messed up)! All the staff at my facility do this too...we run around to much to keep that makeup looking fresh, and don't want to spend our breaks freshing it up.

Its funny actually..want to find a nurse, sure they have unique unforms...but look for the short haired gals with no makeup! LOL!!!!!! Oh yeah..an no nails! LOL!!!!!!!!

LOL, I gave up makeup in nursing school, and cut my lovely long hair so that I can apply comb and water and be ready to go (and such at work if it was to get messed up)! All the staff at my facility do this too...we run around to much to keep that makeup looking fresh, and don't want to spend our breaks freshing it up.

Its funny actually..want to find a nurse, sure they have unique unforms...but look for the short haired gals with no makeup! LOL!!!!!! Oh yeah..an no nails! LOL!!!!!!!!

Not alot of makeup . . .just enough not to scare off the patients. I'm pretty minimalist in everything.

No Tammy Faye Baker or anything like that.

steph

Specializes in Education, Acute, Med/Surg, Tele, etc.

Somedays I do wake up and scare myself going "oh man put on some makeup girl...those black circles under your eyes will have them thinking grim reaper vs nurse!"...LOL!

Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.
Hi Everyone..i found this site looking for information on artifical nails and nurses.So,iam a brand new member.

I do home health and have had artifical nails on for 18yrs .Dec.30th i was told i was to take them off...so i contacted a nail tech and told her my situation and she (as well as one other salon) told me they were putting a gel(like a hard nail polish) over many of the nurses who had to take their nails off....so this is what i did.

On Jan.11th while talking to one of my supervisors about some paperwork,,i was reminded i had to take my nails off,,i said these are my own nails with a gel hardner over my nails..she said she would have to check that out...i tried to also with infection control but they never called me back.

When i returned to work 2 days later,,instead of telling me what they found out,i was written up,and told i could not work that day and was sent home.Iam very angry :angryfire

I took the gel off,and now my nails are sore ,hands look ugly,i cant peel an orange,scratch..nothing.Iam feeling very helpless and down.

Has anyone else experienced this when taking off their nails and how did you handle it? Are we not able to even have a gel temporarily over our thin weakened nails,,till the new stronger nails appears?

Please help as iam writing a rebuttal to this written warning.Thanks

Lady Sapphire

I think long nails, artificial nails are unattractive and unprofessional in any case, and they certainly dont look good on me atall :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

besides they interfere with my golf grip

My nails are weak because of genetics, not diet. They were weak before acrylics and weaker afterward, until they frew out. My mom's are the same way. I very much doubt I am undernourished. Yes, malnutrition causes fragility, but some of us didn't start out with tough nails. I trim mine often because if I don't they will split and create sharp edges or hangnails. I miss having nice acrylics but I can live with it.

My nails are weak because of genetics, not diet. They were weak before acrylics and weaker afterward, until they frew out. My mom's are the same way. I very much doubt I am undernourished. Yes, malnutrition causes fragility, but some of us didn't start out with tough nails. I trim mine often because if I don't they will split and create sharp edges or hangnails. I miss having nice acrylics but I can live with it.

My nails are the same way! Very weak, thin, and if I put any kind of polish on them it causes them to split, crack and peel. I've tried all kinds of stuff to no avail. So I just keep them short and clean, and have just forgotten about having pretty nails.

I sure won't put on fakes because if polish can damage my nails no telling what fake nails would do to me.

I would give anything to at least have harder nails of my own, but that is not to be for me. :rolleyes:

Specializes in Step down, ICU, ER, PACU, Amb. Surg.

teeituptom states:

I think long nails, artificial nails are unattractive and unprofessional in any case, and they certainly dont look good on me atall

If you ever decide to try them on for size, Tom...please post a picture so we can see!!!! :rotfl:

Thanks for replying..so it is true that i cant even have a gel hardner over my nails?Has anybody addressed your cracked and sometimes bleeding finger pads?I agree ,i would think that would be more or as detrimental then the artifical nails.So you made lemonade with the lemons,they threw at us nurses,huh?

I hope i can reach that point,iam still very angry and my nails hurt.It angers me that our work has so much control over us.Guess i need to get a new job,huh??Ha!ha!

I am not an artificial nail oerson (had them once for a couple of weeks only) but while you are waiting, I would suggest taking some prenatal vitamins (you can buy them OTC). They seem to really make people's nails grow! I know mine did. That should help strengthen the nails as they grow out.

I know it is easy for me to say so, but your nails will be a lot healthier without the fake stuff on there.

Please go to fingernailcare.com they sell great stuff to get your nails back to normal after the fakes comes off. they also have a great forum with lots of ideas for help. my sis uses the stuff and loves it. i too am going to try it since i am a long time acrylic wearer. I find it funny that my Nursing instructor (who also heads the department) wears acrylics, and so do more than half of the nurses and aides on my floor for clinicals. now students were told no fakes, short nails and only light colored polish, (no blues, greens or wild colors, think pale pinks and beiges) fine for me since i always have a french manicure. thought it was funny on friday got yelled for wearing the barbell on my tongue by a nurse with fakes. makes it hard for the students that have worn them for years without porblems when you still see nurses wearing them.

kris

almost forgot about the makeup thing. just a bit of foundation (to cover the circles and uneven skin) and lipgloss. that is all it takes cuz. I got permanent makeup!!!!! i got eyeliner tattooed on and full lips done in a light earthy brownish color. expensive but a great timesaver. another great time saver of mine is fake hair I buy the toni brand from HSN.com just clip in and go. and everyone thinks i have great hair. truth is I have enough hair for 5-7 people with a mind of its own. sometimes it even rejects a pony tail. hopefully no one from work guesses who this is. my secrets will be out!!

I bet you a dollar your nurse came from the old school ,where there was no polish allowed and only clear over very short nails were allowed. I will say when My company hire's in home health we look at the nurses nails before we hire them caual like .If there not clean ,They could have a great resume and we wouldn't hire them. Means they have a problem with hand washing

I wonder if you had a note from your nail lady if it would have help if the knew the nails were really yours and your wore clear nail polish.with french tips .My comapny find this acceptable as long as the nails are not to long as to stratch the Pt.

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