Many women like to wear gel nails. The reasons are obvious: They look well-groomed, are stable, and simply make beautiful hands. But in nursing professions, they are viewed very skeptically – for good reason.
Anyone who naturally has soft and/or brittle nails likes to use artificial gel nails. These are slightly thicker than natural nails and can be richly decorated or worn completely naturally. They are very popular because of their long shelf life of several weeks. Nevertheless, they are not welcome in certain professional groups – for example in nursing.
On the one hand, long nails are generally not desirable in jobs in which you have direct physical contact with people. The reason is that you could cause injuries with it – in care, for example, when washing. Of course, a long nail is not a dangerous weapon, but scratching a customer or patient is also extremely unpleasant.
On the other hand, the nails are also impractical if they are worn for a long time: Nurses work a lot with their hands, be it washing, changing beds, or simply putting on latex gloves. Long nails are beautiful, but they are an absolute hindrance for any work other than PC work.
In addition, both gel nails and other artificial nails, as well as nail polish, pose a hygiene risk. Constantly disinfecting your hands with harsh agents causes some of the polish, glue, or gel polish to detach from the nail, causing cavities and small cracks. Germs and bacteria can settle in this so that sterility is no longer guaranteed after disinfection.
Although gel nails are not prohibited by law in nursing professions, most employers, whether they are homes or private nursing services, do not want them or they are prohibited by the employment contract. The hygiene regulations there stipulate that the nails should be worn both short and unpainted.
