male nurse haircut rules

What I know about professional hair in nursing school.
First I know in school it is good to be clean shaven I know that you can be sent home. Also too you are in a professional organization and as a student you are representing yourself and your school and if you do not put enough time making your hair look nice it looks bad for yourself and for the patient.

the only reqs here are that your hair be neat. no burns below the ear, no 'extreme' styles. clean shaven, or neatly kept facial hair. long hair needs to be kept back and up.

me i shave my head once every week or so.

I am a former hairstylist, so I understand the desire to "express yourself" trichologically. However, you have to remember, the field you are entering is not about looking cool. The hospital is no place for a fashion show. It is much more important that you look clean, neat, and approachable. Scrub uniforms are a great equalizer, everyone's personality is what defines them, not what they wear as much. Follow the regs and don't make waves. I have toned down my avant-garde hair and makeup for this field, and I don't regret it at all.

That said, if you can find a good, creative barber/hairstylist who is a good listener, you can probably find a way to feel like yourself at any hair length. I had many male clients with length restrictions due to work, and we were always able to come up with a compromise that worked for both my clients and their employers.

Good luck to you, and remember, think about your patients. I like to think of myself as openminded, but if I had to choose between being cared for by a nurse whose image was intended to communicate that they are professional and conscientious, and one whose image told me that they wanna rock-and-roll all night (and party every day), who do you think I'd rather let stick me in the arm?

Just some food for thought...good luck in school and your career!

Um... a slight off topic... I have a large tribal tattoo that extends from a little on my neck to the knuckles of my hand (left arm). When I wear a button up shirt with a tie you cant see the neck piece but the hand is visible at any decent fit. Im hoping that with being wonderful in every other aspect that perhaps the tat could be overlooked.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Gee, I wish I had HAIR so that I can worry about things like a regulation haircut for the next couple of years...Actually, this whine has a point, the point is, whatever the program wants, go with the flow, if not then find a program that will let you do what you want. If not possible, then decide whether your freedom of expression is worth more to you than getting that nursing license.

As for the tattoo, I've never heard of a program that will not allow you to have one. You're doing your best to cover it up as much as possible. Sometimes the overall impression will override any small detail, however there are some teachers and patients that can be stuck on small details, like being a male student nurse.

Ditto!

My program just tells us that it cant be visible at clinicals. I dont know what they would say about tribal tattoos though. I dont think that they ever thought about that one!

Well I appreciate the feedback.

Im a second semster nursing student with hair half way down my back, and as long as i roll it up in a tight semikind of bun nobody complains.