Best shoes for OR??

Specialties Operating Room

Published

I am a new grad RN and I just accepted a position in the OR. I wore clogs (Nurse mates) for a couple weeks in nursing school and I hated how slow I had to walk in them so I switched to Nike Air Force 1s. The Nikes worked ok for school because we were rarely in clinical over 6 hours but when I worked as an extern for 8-12 hour shifts, my feet always hurt. So, in your opinion, what are the best shoes for working in the OR?:confused:

Specializes in Operating Room.

Strange...I've worn my Danskos for 2 years, and have never had a problem. (They still look pretty good too!) :)

Specializes in OR.

The traditional crocs (with holes) have been banned from our ORs. We can still wear the unholey ones. I am one of those people who cannot seem to walk in croc-like shoes without tripping in them. I've been in the OR for a little over one year and I'm still in search of the perfect shoes.

Specializes in Med-Surg;Rehab;Gerontology; Now OR.
They make Crocs specifically for healthcare workers, and these do not have holes-I also don't trip in them. When I wore the ones with the holes, never had an issue with dropping anything in there or my feet getting bloody.

The one time I really wiped out in the OR I was wearing my Danskos! The foot and ankle surgeon that I work with told me he hates seeing people wearing Danskos, because the occurrance of people turning their ankles in them is high.

I rotate my shoes, some days I wear my "holey" Crocs, some days I wear the "unholey" Crocs and some days, I wear the Danskos and just pray I don't sprain my ankle again!!:clown::chuckle

I've tripped on my Crocs at least 2x a day, almost sprained my ankle on Danskos twice too. I guess I'm just one of those clumsy ones. So now I'm wearing Merill type mocs. :) I am thinking of buying new Danskos though.

Ihave been wearing Sanita clogs made by JMR Australia for years and find they have great support, are not heavy and my feet dont ache at the end of the day.:wink2:

Specializes in Operating Room.

Thanks for all the replies, guys! I ordered some "unholey" :Dcrocs offline the other day for like $27. I guess I will start with the cheapest and move to the more expensive if they don't work. A lot of the nurses and techs where I work wear them so they are worth a try.

Specializes in surgical, emergency.

I just recently got a pair of Dansko's and really like them.

This is after almost 30 years in tennis/running shoes.

They're nice because I can pull my foot out and cool off my feet once in a while.

Sort of a clog style, I still feel that "up to speed" I may fall out, but so far so good.

I tend to wear them when I'm in the OR holding/prep area. I'm on my feet all the time, lots of short distance walking.

I scubbed in the other day while wearing them, and my feet got kind of tired and sore. Maybe I'm not used to them yet.

When the sh** hits the air conditioner, I switch back to my "tennies".

Tough to teach an old dog you know!!!

Mike

Careful about buying the cheap shoes Tiff.....you might get what you paid for...and hurt your feet in the process!

Mike

Specializes in Operating Room.

I scubbed in the other day while wearing them, and my feet got kind of tired and sore. Maybe I'm not used to them yet.

I put the white padded liners in mine, and love them even more. :)

Tiffany, I hope the Crocs work out for you! It's hard to decide. :uhoh21:

Specializes in Operating Room.
Strange...I've worn my Danskos for 2 years, and have never had a problem. (They still look pretty good too!) :)
My Danskos are strange..some days they feel great, other days, not so much.I wear a womens 8 but my toes touch the front of the shoe in the 38 Danskos-I'm wondering if I should try a 39 and just wear slightly thicker socks? I have to go and try some-Danskos need to be bought in person so you can try them on...

I shouldn't wear them at all, considering what happened last time I fell, but when they work for me, my feet do feel good. Plus, they make me taller!:lol2:

Specializes in Operating Room.

I wear size 8, and my Danskos are size 40.

I wear the support socks most of the time, nothing really thick.

Crocs are very comfortable for most people, and the design "bistro" is the clog-style shoe with a special non-skid sole, thicker material (with no holes). The "croc-stop" tripping issue is avoidable if you pick up your feet when you walk. I can count the number of times I've tripped on 1 hand, and I've been wearing crocs for the past 5 years. A shoe store staff person mentioned that some nurses put a small piece of silk tape across the bottom of the toe to avoid tripping (of course that means collecting all sorts of crap that sticks and clings to the tape throughout the day - yuck!).

Then again, shoe covers would also eliminate the tripping issue. :-)

Good luck shoe hunting! I love crocs but lately been wearing Nike Shox due to the non-holey crocs being prone to smelly feet. ;)

Birkenstocks. Don't autoclave though- I did it once. They were blue- melted and looked like flippers. Otherwise they are the shoes my podiatrist said were the best for me.

I found a GREAT new shoe... I used to swear by my Danskos.. I found www.thescandinaviancompany.com advertised in the AORN magazine. They had a coupon for 10% off... thought the shoes LOOKED cool, so I ordered a pair. They are THE MOST comfy work shoe I have EVER worn in 19 years of healthcare. They are much lighter than Dansko & don't feel as if I have bricks strapped to my feet. The patent leather clean up easily, I don't slip in them at all, have not tripped or rolled like I have in Crocs or Dansko. They are the best!!!

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