Have you ever had one of these scenarios? Time to get medications — the patient is in pain, or you’re already behind on giving scheduled meds, and you just need one medication. You quickly run over to the machine, input your id, and slam your finger on the fingerprint scanner.
Nothing happens. You lift your finger for it to rescan. Again, nothing happens.
What is the issue? What has happened to your fingerprint? The answer is annoying and somewhat problematic.
Why Your Fingerprints Disappear
Your fingerprints are as unique as you. They can distinguish you from another nurse or patient, and they can be used as identifiers to get a license or quickly obtain a medication. Most importantly, they can also be worn down.
Heavy usage of your hands can make the ridges of your fingerprints begin to wear down. This is not just nurses. Scientific American says that other laborers often lose their prints due to roughness in the materials they deal with daily. Senior citizens also can struggle to have a fingerprint scanner read their fingers due to the loss of elasticity.
It’s not just the workload that your fingers struggle with, continual washing and scrubbing of hands can also create poor quality fingerprints. The chemicals can decrease the natural oils in the fingers which increases dryness and decreases the miniature thickness of the ridges
What Can Be Done?
Moisturize with Quality Lotions
We ladies love our Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works lotions. They do smell heavenly, but these lotions are not made for those who wash their hands continually. Use lotions that have reduced scents and large amounts of natural oils. *Hint* This means you should be able to pronounce the ingredients.
Shea Butter, Olive Oil, oatmeal-based products, and prescription-strength lotions should be your go-to. It can be helpful to carry small amounts of these lotions in your pocket at work to help you be able to moisturize on-the-go.
For the men: don’t forget moisturizing your hands is just as needful as it is with the ladies
Add a Bit of Natural Oils
For those times when the fingerprint scanner is being annoying, using some natural oils can quickly help your finger’s ridges be more visible. Some people rub their forehead or scratch their heads to get around this issue soon. But please remember this, don’t blow or lick your finger. That’s a few million germs that never need to be spread, and it can be one of those Destructive Habits that Drive Your NICU Coworkers Crazy.
Choose a Non-Dominant Finger for Scanners
While the forefinger of your dominant hand is the most likely choice for the fingerprint scanner, it isn’t always the best if you are having a hard time. Choose a ring finger or middle finger of your non-dominant hand and see if it improves.
Request Electronic Fingerprinting Instead of Ink-Based
This tip is dependent on your local availability of fingerprinting services. Some small towns still use ink-based blotting systems, and while this is still a viable method for many people, it may not work for everyone.
Ink-based fingerprinting requires good ridges on your finger, then they have to dry, and then they are mailed to the government office. This can set you back many weeks if the card is rejected or smudged. Electronic-based ones can be rescanned multiple times if something doesn’t look right.
Forego the Hand Sanitizer for Warm Water & Soap
Alcohol or chlorhexidine-based sanitizers are very drying to hands. Even if they add moisturizers, the residual chemicals can still be challenging to overcome. Whenever possible, try to use warm water and soap, and then instead of vigorously drying with a paper towel, lightly pat yourself dry, allowing the air to dry your hands instead — and then add a moisturizing lotion.
Poor fingerprints can be annoying and expensive. They can also make your workday last longer than they should. Try these tips and see if they make a difference to you.
