Registered Nurse RN

Registered Nurse, Free Care Plans, Free NCLEX Review, Nurse Salary, and much more. Join the nursing revolution.

  • RN
    • Nursing Clinical Skills
  • Nursing Videos
  • Blog
  • Nursing School
  • Nursing Care Plans
  • Nursing Quizzes
  • Nursing
  • Nursing Jobs
  • NCLEX Review
  • Store

How to Put on Sterile Gloves | Donning Sterile Gloves Clinical Nursing Skills

A clinical nursing skill nurses must learn is how to put on sterile gloves.

So, why do nurses wear sterile gloves?

Short answer: to protect our patients. The sterile gloving technique is used to protect patients in the hospital and clinical settings from the spread of diseases and germs, especially while performing delicate procedures that could introduce deadly bacteria into sterile organs or body cavities.

Steps on How to Put on Sterile Gloves

  1. Perform hand hygiene.
  2. Select the appropriate sized gloves.
  3. Open the sterile package of sterile gloves with caution by using the flaps surrounding the package. Remember you have 2 inches to grab around the sterile field without contaminating it.
  4. First, glove your dominate hand. Pick up the glove for the dominate hand with your non-dominate hand by grasping the inside of the cuff of the glove. Then slide it onto your dominate hand. Be careful not to touch anything with this gloved hand other than the sterile packaging.
  5. Take your sterile gloved hand and slip it under the cuff of the other glove to glove your non-dominate hand. Gently push the glove (while the hand is still under the cuff) onto your non-dominate hand.
  6. Adjust the gloves carefully…making sure you don’t touch your skin or other objects.

Video on How to Put on Sterile Gloves

Tips on Putting Sterile Gloves

  • Nurses should never touch anything other than what is required for the procedure with the sterile gloves.
  • If the sterile gloving process is broken at any point, use new gloves from a new package.
  • Wear sterile gloves only when necessary.
  • Never wash gloves and reuse them.
  • Never use gels and alcohol to clean gloves, use a new pair each time.
  • Use a new set of gloves on each patient and each procedure.
  • Gloves do not substitute the proper cleaning of hands before using sterile gloves.

Complications with not Putting on Sterile Gloves Correctly

Sterile gloves act as a protective barrier between nurses and their patients. Complications that can arise from not putting on sterile gloves correctly are the spread of infection and diseases. The gloves can break during a procedure and the nurse and the patient can be in immediate danger from exposure to hazardous materials and bodily fluids.

Nurses must be conscious of their actions when putting on sterile gloves to ensure their own safety and the safety of their patients.

You may be interested in: how to remove sterile gloves properly.

Please Share:

  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)

Comments

  1. Diane says

    June 3, 2014 at 8:17 pm

    Great video and instructions! I was wondering about measuring your hand for glove size. Is it better to round up or down if you’re in between sizes? For example my hand length is just under 6.5 but measuring around my hand i get 6.25.

    • S.L. Page says

      June 3, 2014 at 8:32 pm

      Hey Diane! Thanks for your kinds words and excellent question. I would suggest rounding up. Since your hand size is 6.25 I would go with the 6.5 size glove. I personally think bigger is better because it gives your fingers freedom to move inside the glove (because your hands will sweat and get hot). Also, if the gloves are too tight, this will increase the chances of them tearing which would break the sterile field and you would have to re-glove. I hope this helps. Thanks again for your great question 🙂

      Sarah

Nursing Gear

RSS Latest YouTube Videos

  • Weight-Based Dosage Calculation #shorts for Nursing School & NCLEX
  • Alzheimer's Disease (Dementia) Nursing: Symptoms, Treatment, Stages, Pathophysiology NCLEX
  • PPE Donning Order Sequence Nursing Tutorial #shorts
  • Depolarization and Repolarization of Heart: Action Potential (Atrial & Ventricular) Animation

Recent Posts

  • Depolarization vs Repolarization of Heart Action Potential Explained
  • Alzheimer’s Disease (Dementia) NCLEX Nursing Review
  • Alzheimer’s Disease Dementia NCLEX Quiz
  • The Great Saphenous Vein
  • NCLEX Study Plan

Disclosure and Privacy Policy

This website provides entertainment value only, not medical advice or nursing protocols. We strive for 100% accuracy, but nursing procedures and state laws are constantly changing. By accessing any content on this site or its related media channels, you agree never to hold us liable for damages, harm, loss, or misinformation. See our full disclosure and privacy policy. Copyright Notice: Do not copy this site, articles, images, or its contents without permission.

Important Links

  • Advertise
  • Contact Us

Follow Us on Social Media

  • Facebook Nursing
  • Instagram Nursing
  • TikTok Nurse
  • Twitter Nursing
  • YouTube Nursing

Get Free Email Updates:

Enter your email address below and hit "Submit" to receive free email updates and nursing tips.

Copyright © 2022 RegisteredNurseRN.com. All Rights Reserved.