Wedding rings that sit "high" up vs. gloves

BabyRN2Be · Jul 29, 2005

I leave my rings at home. Consequently now I rarely wear them at all. And that's ok - I'm not into jewerly at all. :)
steph

I'm not a big jewelry person either. My inlaws are always giving me cheap jewelry that I really never wear. It's not that I'm ungrateful, it's just that I'm not a big jewelry person. My wedding ring is all that I'll wear. Before I got engaged, I was a zero jewelry person except for very special occasions.

Gompers, BSN, RN · Jul 29, 2005

We're not supposed to wear anything but plain wedding bands in our NICU. Of course, tons of people DO still wear all kinds of diamond rings and I shudder to think of what is growing on half of them. These aren't young people either, they're people who've been married for years and years. We aren't supposed to wear rings with ANY stones in them - just plain bands.

I just think it's gross. I double pin my ring to my ID band (can't leave the unit without swiping out the door so I won't forget it) or through my hospital-issued scrubs and around my bra strap, like another poster mentioned. I just picked out my wedding band and chose one that has a slightly raised floral pattern to it. It's all one piece and there is no place for bacteria to get trapped.

We don't wear our gloves every second that we work, and hospitals are amongst the dirtiest places around. I just think it's gross to wear rings with tons of crevices in them at work. Plus, the new antibacterial hand gel forms a nasty coating on rings, and that can't be good for them!

Stella-Ohio · Jul 29, 2005

I'm not young, showing off, newly married or likely to forget I'm married. I don't need to prove to anyone that I'm married. I'm not 'in to' jewelry.

Quite frankly, a very special man bought me a very special set of rings. I want to wear them, he wants me to wear them, I enjoy wearing them, and I'm going to wear them.

My wedding set is quite simple consisting of a nice solitaire and band. The solitaire has had it's setting altered to lower the stone without altering the appearance a great deal. It was affordable to have the setting lowered so that it did not stick up high (it now sticks up low). In fact I had this done years before becoming a nurse. I wanted a traditional looking set without the height to begin with.

The 'crud' my rings may carry is routinely cleaned, very often professionally. This is the same crud that is under our short natural fingernails (even when they are also cleaned). I hope nobody expects us to go to the vetinarian and get declawed.

My rings are routinely checked by the jeweler (who knows I am a glove wearing nurse). No matter how I may lose the stone, it is insured provided it has had it's inspection at least every 6 months. As stated above, I take it in routinely and far more often than every 6 months. I pass the jewelry store routinely enroute to other locations and it only takes them about 10 minutes to check it over.

My homeowners insurance also covers my wedding set regardless of the above inspections. All jewelry is covered this way by my homeowners policy which would include me dropping it in a sink or linen bag at work.

If I lost a ring or the diamond, yes I would be upset. I also know that this is important enough to me and my husband that it is a risk we are willing to encounter even if insurance did not cover the loss. (and yes, he wears his as proudly as the day I gave it to him).

I have never torn a pair of gloves on my rings.

On the other side, to those for whom taking their rings off is not an issue, that is their choice. I support their decision. Its just not the right decision for every person in every unit.

For people who have visible crud in their rings then I rather imagine they have quite the bacteria fest going on in there. I'd challenge you to look at other areas of their hygeine/maintenance as well (a good place to start to double check this is their shoes or the hinge of their scissors and another is the clip of a clipboard if they carry one or the junction of the tubing and bell of a stethoscope). That's not to say they are going to jump right out of you as being cruddy people but if you look closely, there may be a lack of paying attention to minute details (like making an effot to keep their jewelry gleaming),which is likely to show up elsewhere. Fastidious and meticulous is usually not hit and miss. If it is, I bet a small mention of the problem would correct it.

The next thing I would challege one to do is swab your rings in a microbiology class and incubate in a petri dish. Create a second swab from anywhere on your hands. The results may be similar as they were in our micro class.

I believe the ring issue to be a personal, religious and cultural based decision that comes with a responsibility.

SmilingBluEyes · Jul 30, 2005

I hear you and I believe you when you say you are not a "show off" but you still have to consider some things......and infection control may take issue with all this, I am afraid, Stella.

You can't get that stuff out very well in your jewelry, the same way you can hands, clothes and even nails. I don't need to be "declawed" to have clean nails, either...... Nails can and should be scrubbed on entering the unit (I scrub my hands and nails) with an appropriate scrub brush and soap. However, the fact is, you cannot scrub your diamonds enough to get them truly clean/free of microbes.

Personally, I would NOT want to bring home that stuff to my family. No jewelry is worth it to me. I wear my beautiful rings OUTSIDE work. That is where such jewelry belongs.

You are not likely to net the same results from swabs in a micro class as hospital. The germs in a hospital are too numerous to count, as well as much more dangerous.

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Jul 30, 2005

I had an engagement ring, a solitare with a low setting. I didn't event work in healthcare at the time, but you wouldn't believe how dirty it got between the prongs.

kenni · Aug 5, 2005

a SNAGGED glove!

What crud are nurses delving onto without a gloved hand? :uhoh21:

milky · Aug 5, 2005

I caused a small skin tear on a patient once wearing mine. Felt so bad thought I was going to die!! So now I just wear a simple band.

rnparrot · Aug 5, 2005

i chose to leave my rings at home because my diamond has gotten loose from time to time, and went out and bought a gold band to wear to work. my husband hates that i did that and hates that i don't wear my rings to work...thinks i forget i'm married or others might think i'm not....i reassured him that there isn't anyone there worth looking at, besides they are all married too!! didn't mention that there are some that forget. i wouldn't wear them to work because you could lose them and they are not replaceable with the sentiment that was given to you with them....awwww :chuckle

wineanddine · Aug 5, 2005

Question: What do y'all do about wedding rings that sit kind of high up and tend to snag on gloves? Any tricks from you veterans? I've heard some cover them up with bandaids, others just take them off and wear them around their neck.... what's your solution?

I think it's best to leave it at home. I lost my setting once in a patient's bed. The next nurse called me once I got home and told me she had found it. :uhoh21:

kbclary4 · Aug 5, 2005

i chose to leave my rings at home because my diamond has gotten loose from time to time, and went out and bought a gold band to wear to work. my husband hates that i did that and hates that i don't wear my rings to work...thinks i forget i'm married or others might think i'm not....i reassured him that there isn't anyone there worth looking at, besides they are all married too!! didn't mention that there are some that forget. i wouldn't wear them to work because you could lose them and they are not replaceable with the sentiment that was given to you with them....awwww :chuckle

My husband just remembers how much he spent on the engagement ring and thinks it's better if it's left at home. I would die if I lost it or something happened to it at work, but not before he would!!!

mnnielsen · Aug 5, 2005

i dont understand how there can be any doubt about what nurses and doctors should do with their weddingrings when they are at work:

leave the rings at home!

this also includes all other rings and watches, they dont belong in a healthcare environment. as a nurse you should all know that rings, long nails, nailpolish ect. are great places for bacterias to grow, bacterias that we as nurses should try to elliminate to prevent the riscs of giving our patients infections. infections that in the worst case can lead to death.

yes you can try to cover your hands with gloves, but they do break. with a big enough stone you might even cut the patient! if you are suddenly called to an emergency how fast can you then put on a new pair of gloves?

nursing is not about showing of your weddingring or status or whatever other excuse you might have to waer it at work.

nursing is about the patient!

lets not forget that.

bluiis923 · Aug 6, 2005

Scratched a patient with the pear diamond solitare, changed to a plain band and lost it in a glove?, so no rings for me.....