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In Practice Errors, "Body Art and MRI" (March), it was advised that magnetic resonance imaging facilities stock needle-nose pliers for the removal of body-piercing jewelry. In a letter to the editor published in July, Laura J. Thiem, MSN, FNP, disputed this, recommending instead that clinicians use a tool specifically designed for removing jewelry. AJN mistakenly identified the recommended tool as snap-ring pliers when it should have been spread-ring pliers. Spread-ring pliers have grooves in the jaws that enable the clinician to maintain a secure grasp on the jewelry, thereby avoiding trauma to the piercing site that can occur if a tool slips. Spread-ring pliers also prevent surface scratches to the jewelry that can irritate the piercing site.

 

Profiles, "Sit-Down Comedy," July, inaccurately identified the University of Hawaii (UH) as the school from which Hob Osterlund was nearly dismissed because of her use of humor. The school was Linn-Benton Community College in Albany, Oregon. Osterlund credits the faculty at UH with being "tremendously supportive."

  
FIGURE. Spread-ring ... - Click to enlarge in new windowFIGURE. Spread-ring pliers, at bottom; snap-ring pliers, at top.