Disinfection & SafetyQuestion 33 of 100
During a pedicure you find a corn on the side of one toe, a deep cracked callus on the heel, and a toenail growing down into the flesh that is tender to the touch. What is within your scope of practice?
a.Cut the corn out and lift the ingrown nail edge free with a curved probe.
b.Trim the ingrown corner of the nail and file the corn down level with the skin.
c.Smooth the callus with a foot file only, leave the corn and the ingrown nail alone, and refer the client to a podiatrist.
d.Soak the foot longer so the tissue softens, then remove all three with a nipper.
Explanation
Option C is the correct scope: a manicurist may reduce callus with a foot file, but a corn and an ingrown toenail involve living tissue and belong to a podiatrist. Cutting or probing an ingrown nail (A and B) is a medical procedure and a common cause of serious infection. Soaking softens tissue but changes nothing about scope, so D would still be cutting living skin.
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