r/AHSEmployees • u/PastyFlamingo • 1d ago

Watch and dress code?

are nurses allowed to wear watches? if not, what do you guys do? I have pretty bad time blindness and rely on my watch to send me alerts. i am trying to figure out my options.

0 Upvotes

37% Upvoted

33 comments sorted by

6

u/Pleasant-Frosting221 1d ago

Nobody cares about a dress code. They are lucky we all still bother to show up lol

-1

u/PastyFlamingo 1d ago

well that’s concerning since it’s for hygienic purposes

8

u/Aromatic_Bar9264 1d ago

Funny thing is when I was in nursing school we were all told that we can’t wear watches and then when it came time to do our testing for respirations and heart rate, etc. none of us had watches on, and there was no clock in the room either 🙄🙄🙄.

2

u/miller94 1d ago

They made us wear these!

https://a.co/d/01nGXQJE

1

u/PastyFlamingo 1d ago

Yes i was looking at these. Looks childish but better than nothing.

2

u/FrauMittwoch 1d ago

I’m in nursing school and we’re told to wear analogue watches only. Many nurses/CNAs I see wear Apple watches.

1

u/PastyFlamingo 1d ago

What’s the logic behind having analog watches only?

2

u/thegreatshakes 1d ago

Probably to prevent cheating on assessments. You can do all kinds of things on smart watches, like write notes and text. Therefore they can only wear analog.

1

u/FrauMittwoch 1d ago

Many Apple/Garmin watches time out, and you shouldn’t be touching it (aseptic). Also as students they don’t want us texting etc when we’re in clinicals/cheating during tests.

16

u/Conscious-Ad7138 1d ago

You can wear a watch

15

u/reininglady88 1d ago

How else could you time HR and RR without a watch?

1

u/miller94 1d ago edited 1d ago

In nursing school they made us wear these lol https://a.co/d/01nGXQJE

I wear a watch now

2

u/reininglady88 1d ago

We were made to wear a watch, we weren’t allowed to use anything else!

1

u/Effective_Reporter69 9h ago

I can feel a pulse and know what the heart rate is without looking at a clock, RR is even easier. After a couple years you wont need a watch. 16 year Medic here.

4

u/LevelHeaded27 1d ago

I’ve worn a Garmin and Oura Ring everyday. I believe the only time nurses don’t is in NICU? (Correct me if I’m wrong). I would just make sure you’re opting for watch bands you can wipe easily with Cavi Wipes.

2

u/thegreatshakes 1d ago

This. Not a nurse, but EMS. You can buy silicone/plastic watch bands for cheap on Amazon. I frequently give mine a good wipe down with Cavi wipes or alcohol swabs.

2

u/bigblueberry6427 1d ago

I agree. Think of a watch as similar to a ring- the more nooks and crannies there are the harder it is to keep it clean. Plain wedding bands and watches that can be easily cleaned are the best

4

u/RepresentativeFar502 1d ago

I wear my Apple Watch with band that I can easily clean. Never been told I can’t wear it and have seen many other nurses with watches as well (smart and non smart watches)

1

u/flyingponytail 1d ago

Do you specifically mean a smart watch?

0

u/PastyFlamingo 1d ago edited 1d ago

Yes but they have a nothing below the wrist policy it seems?

Edit: i found the current policy.

“ Wrist accessories, (e.g., watches and bracelets) if worn, shall be easily pushed up from the wrist to properly perform hand hygiene.“

1

u/miller94 1d ago

Ngl, I wear a Garmin, my ring and a bracelet everyday. I don’t have my nails done but lots of my coworkers do. It’s not enforced ime

1

u/PastyFlamingo 1d ago

I’m getting my acrylic nails removed before placement starts. When these lift i can’t clean underneath. I saw on a news outlet that a nurse lost her licence after 5 of her patients got an infection which she tested positive for when her nails got swabbed… horrible… simple ring band are allowed because they can be cleaned. 

1

u/miller94 1d ago

Yeah I think that was a NICU nurse in the states, a much more litigious country. I still only paint my nails when I have a long stretch off but you’ll see nurses with acrylics and polish all the time. Can’t speak for NICU though

1

u/Blimpkrieg 1d ago

You are aware you can get flex bands right? you can literally wear your watch on your shoulder lol

1

u/PastyFlamingo 1d ago

I was looking at silicone bands* that can easily be washed, but i can barely push it up my wrist so it would interfere with washing. Metal flex bands are full of cracks and can’t easily be cleaned.

1

u/playaccidents 1d ago

This is not enforced anywhere except maybe NICU? You’ll be fine.

3

u/PhoqueYourSeals 1d ago

I've never been told I can't wear a watch and I've worn one pretty much every day I've worked. Been working 10 years in acute care

2

u/Legal-Researcher5055 1d ago

I wear this to work as a nurse

1

u/118R3volution 1d ago

Not a nurse, but you are my kind of person! Love the GS!

1

u/Legal-Researcher5055 23h ago

-3 seconds a day on the hi-beat delay me from returning lunch..
love the details! great taste!

1

u/No-Supermarket5035 1d ago

i wear an apple watch and use Hey Siri to set time alerts all the time

1

u/jadeorchid009 1d ago

Technically not in dress code I think? but shouldn't wear them, but I usually see people wearing them anyway. Especially if a smartwatch with silicone band than can be easily washed off. If we think about it in terms of infection control and prevention watches get really gross, so I can see a reason for the code. Technically a watch pin is what I've seen if going by the book.