are "fake nails" okay for nurses?

Scavenger'sWife, RN · Apr 18, 2003

Yes, this question has been asked over & over & discussed to death...however...I will risk being flogged with a wet noodle & give my 2cents' worth...

Yes, I have read the articles & studies. I STILL think the wearing of "fake" nails is: It all depends.

Where are you working? How much patient contact do you have? By "fake" do you mean tips or full-length acrylics? How long do you wear them? How do you style them?

But, you see, this could all apply to "real" nails, too! And THAT is my point.

I have worn "fake" nails for three years. They are full-length acrylic, so they will NEVER "fall off". (My whole finger would have to fall off.) I wear them very short and filed thin at the ends, and rounded. I do not polish them, I wear them "natural". NO ONE ever knows they are "fake".

I get them repaired every three weeks and my tech always drills out any suspected air pockets, uses sterile application tools and new files. She paints my fingernails with antiseptic during the procedure. And she does not use any tools or drills on me that have been used on another person.

I pay $35 every three weeks for this procedure. I don't eat out at lunch very often and I figure this is my "lunch money".

So why do I wear them? Because I have three nails that split length-wise and are always sore if I don't have "fake" nails. Plus, these nails are STRONG (my own were always weak and would split if I even tapped them wrong.) They are very useful to protect my hands. My nails always look pretty and very clean. I clean under them and scrub with nail brushes to keep them nice. I teach Nurse Aide classes and have proven my hands are clean by those classes I teach about washing your hands and using the "glow in the dark" stuff. I have also had microbiology students swab under my nails, and swab under "natural" ones...Guess whose nails grew more junk in an agar plate???

I would not want ANY nurse to have long, pointy, un-even, or dirty nails. "Natural" OR "Fake". And I would prefer my nails over a nurse with orange or blue nail polish.

Yeah, my hospital has a rule against the nails. But unless the few people who know I wear them squeal on me, I will never get rid of them.

I know I may not be "PC"...but then again, I am also a registered Republican, I support Pres. Bush, I am a Catholic, I am Pro-Life, I am anti-smoking, etc., etc.....So there. :chuckle

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Apr 18, 2003

Regnursein99,

Fake nails wouldn't be a problem if everyone took care of them as well as you do.

BTW, I'm a registered democrat, non-denominational Christian,anti-Bush, pro-choice and have been known to smoke! lol!

Nice to meet you. I would be willing to bet that if we can get along, there's hope for world peace yet! =0)

After reading your post, I may consider getting my nails done. Mine are also brittle and I have two which often split down into the pink area and bleed, r/t past on-the-job injuries that permanently altered the nail bed.

If I got acrylic nails put on those two fingers only, do you think it would keep them from splitting up the middle?

mark_LD_RN · Apr 19, 2003

no they are NOT ok! our hospital does not allow them. recently had a lot of postpartum infections at one hospital i work at it was traced back to one nurse who was wearing fake nails:)

your patients deserve better do not compromise their care with you wearing fake nails:)

Flynurse · Apr 19, 2003

There is a thread called "Strange?" Go there and look at some of the things ppl have encountered in their nursing travels.

I believe there is one post about a patient who had acrylic nails that will make you decide very quickly about not wanting them.

SmilingBluEyes · Apr 19, 2003

No. the answer is NO they are NOT ok. there are many threads on this subject already, arguing this back and forth. but studies show again and again, it is NOT ok to use fake nails (or even have long ones) in direct patient care. Common sense also would guide one if one really thinks about it. Welcome to the boards!

red606 · Apr 19, 2003

Beside all the articles about harboring bacteria, they just dont look professional for a nurse. Period. I personally cringe when I see a nurse with those things. They are not sanitary, i would want them doing a sterile procedure on me.........Thats all I'v got to say about that.

Disablednurse · Apr 19, 2003

They cause skin tears and harbor bacteria. They do not look professional. Most hospitals and LTC do not allow them to be worn.

Sarah, RNBScN · Apr 19, 2003

Studies show they harbour nasty microorganisms...they are unprofessional looking. Our nails should be short, clean and polish free.

Don't get me started...

nurseleigh · Apr 19, 2003

Bottom line is. . . it doesn't matter what you, me, or anyone else thinks on the issue.

If your place of employment has a policy against them, then you can't wear them. It's that simple.

Traci

Love-A-Nurse · Apr 19, 2003

i wonder how some can work in them when they are too long. injury to patients and others and infection control issues should clue one to wear a shorter length be it fake or real nails.

luvbeinganurse · Apr 19, 2003

I wear acrylic nails. I am in private homecare. Most of what I do are nursing admissions and assessment, which sometimes take up to 2 hours of paperwork in the home. I keep the nails very short, only as long as the top of my fingers, wash my hands or use alcohol hand wash CONSTANTLY, and paint them usually an opaque light color (pink or white). I wear them because my patients have to sit there for a couple hours looking at me write, observing my hands.

Unfortunately, I am a nail biter when my nerves are bad (old habits die hard) and my nails are very weak and break very easily. I don't put the acrylic ones in my mouth. I also do a lot of venipunctures, but the nails are very short and I have never had a problem with them falling off or making holes in gloves. In fact, even taking them off is just short of excruciating torture, IMO, so they are on there to stay.

My hospital doesn't have a policy against wearing them, but if I were working on the floor, I doubt if I would.

Gator,SN · Apr 19, 2003

Actually I wanted my nails to be long and pretty for graduation so I let them grow. I have stong natural nails. 2 weeks ago I found a paper that I wrote the first week of school about "what professionalism means to me" and decided to cut them. Before when everything was new and exciting I had an expectation that I wanted to live up to. Over the last 2 years I may have lowered my standards to fit what I could get away with in this area. It was an eye opener.

For people that have cracked nails it is probably much safer to get the tips but for the rest, its probably not something we'd find acceptable from our own nurse if we were in the hospital. JMO

Gator