[Galaknore]

Hey all,

During nursing school I had a small mohawk (roughly half an inch?) and the sides of my hair like a two. I hope the measurements make sense. Anyways, I shaved it awhile back due to the concern of scaring patients and or fellow coworkers. Lately, I have the urge to get it back and I don't like the look of the fohawk. I want to have my mohawk again. I will soon be working in the intensive care unit, and I'm wondering what my fellow nurses think of this? It would be a small mohawk. I'm trying to end the stereotype of people with mohawks are aholes.

Thanks.

[Hopefull2009]

Mohawks are not professional unless you are an artist, give tatoos, or some other like-profession.

There is no such thing as a "small" mohawk...either you have an acceptable male haircut or you don't.

Hospitals are not the place for "self expression" and to me that ranks up there with tatoos and nutty piercings. There is a physician at the hospital where I am externing (that I am sure is very smart), but she has a nose ring and 6 piercings in one year...it makes you look at her instead of how smart she is, how she comes across, or how good of a physician she may be...b/c her appearance overshadows all of it.

Be recognized for your work and not be known as "that nurse with the mohawk."

The hospital is not the place for it.

[glenmar3]

Originally Posted by Galaknore

Hey all,

I'm trying to end the stereotype of people with mohawks are aholes.

Thanks.

Is your primary purpose in the ICU to end stereotypes or to care for critically ill patients? One would wonder I suppose how the stereotype came to be in the first place? I agree with Hopefull2009, it's unprofessional and inappropriate.

[cota2k]

can you compromise with a 'high and tite" cut? otherwise...yeah a mohawk will be stereotyped.

[MassED]

Originally Posted by Galaknore

Hey all,

During nursing school I had a small mohawk (roughly half an inch?) and the sides of my hair like a two. I hope the measurements make sense. Anyways, I shaved it awhile back due to the concern of scaring patients and or fellow coworkers. Lately, I have the urge to get it back and I don't like the look of the fohawk. I want to have my mohawk again. I will soon be working in the intensive care unit, and I'm wondering what my fellow nurses think of this? It would be a small mohawk. I'm trying to end the stereotype of people with mohawks are aholes.

Thanks.

that might be along the same lines as a nose ring in the workplace. Most don't allow the nose rings... I'd have to look at the policy where I work, but I know they're quite stringent on females with long hair or "uncontrolled" (which pretty much puts my hair right in the trouble zone, curly and long and always with the wild-look potential that is "frowned" upon). I think labeling a certain hairstyle as appropriate or not is completely ridiculous and bordering discriminatory (if you have weird hair like me), as one type of style could be offensive to a patient but be the trend of the moment. I hope the mohawk look (laid back, or sticking up?) will work for you at your place of employment.

[MassED]

Originally Posted by Hopefull2009

Mohawks are not professional unless you are an artist, give tatoos, or some other like-profession.

There is no such thing as a "small" mohawk...either you have an acceptable male haircut or you don't.

Hospitals are not the place for "self expression" and to me that ranks up there with tatoos and nutty piercings. There is a physician at the hospital where I am externing (that I am sure is very smart), but she has a nose ring and 6 piercings in one year...it makes you look at her instead of how smart she is, how she comes across, or how good of a physician she may be...b/c her appearance overshadows all of it.

Be recognized for your work and not be known as "that nurse with the mohawk."

The hospital is not the place for it.

that is quite judgmental. That is your opinion.

[elkpark]

IMHO, as long as a hairstyle falls within the guidelines of the facility's dress code and doesn't interfere with you doing your job, it's no one else's business. (If it's a violation of the employer's dress code, you've got a problem ... )

[Galaknore]

Hopeful2009, I have no intention of spiking the mohawk. It would be very short and relatively close in length to the sides. I guess I misrepresented what I was getting at. I'm not necessarily trying to make a statement with my hair I just like the way it looks. I'm still going to consider doing it, and I will follow up on my companies policies regarding such a haircut. I figure as long as I am knowledgeable and sincere with patients (as I always am) even if I have a mohawk it won't matter. I am sure I will be stereotyped against, but I don't think that is any reason to not have it. As elke said, as long as I am doing my job correctly I don't think it matters. <3

thanks for the kind words Massed, and to all replies.

[Hopefull2009]

Originally Posted by MassED

that is quite judgmental. That is your opinion.

It may be judgemental, but if you were to take a survey of who patients would want to work on them, lined them up, and they got to choose by appearance, I'm sorry, but the mohawk would lose every time, along with extensive tatoos and piercings.

I have no objection with people doing these things to their appearance, however, understand that the majority DOES NOT except these.

To be perfectly blunt, I feel that people who engage in WAY off the norm appearance want recognition without doing anything to actually EARN IT.

Anyone can alter their appearance to attract attention...that isn't very hard.

But what kind of message are you going to send?

Like it or hate it...that is how IT IS.

[MassED]

Originally Posted by Hopefull2009

It may be judgemental, but if you were to take a survey of who patients would want to work on them, lined them up, and they got to choose by appearance, I'm sorry, but the mohawk would lose every time, along with extensive tatoos and piercings.

I have no objection with people doing these things to their appearance, however, understand that the majority DOES NOT except these.

To be perfectly blunt, I feel that people who engage in WAY off the norm appearance want recognition without doing anything to actually EARN IT.

Anyone can alter their appearance to attract attention...that isn't very hard.

But what kind of message are you going to send?

Like it or hate it...that is how IT IS.

well, then, while you're at it, let's have the patients choose their nurse by attractiveness, which is just as applicable as having a patient choose their nurse by hairstyle or tattoos (or makeup, for that matter). Thank god we don't let patients choose their nurses, or many of them would be without a nurse caring for them.

So your "norm appearance" is what, might I ask? So for those nurses that wear their splashy prints (and there are numerous ones out there), they just want recognition.

Like it or hate it, that is how it is in your mind.