Anyone sporting a beard?

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I start school this fall and have been told everything from, "beards look unprofessional" (even though I see many docs with beards) to "the more you cover that ugly face, the better." ;)

What say you?

In surgery, if your beard exceeds your mask you are to wear a hood that wraps around the lower mask and neck area. It can become hot wearing theses.

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Specializes in ER/Trauma.

I'm actually in the process of trying to grow a beard....

Yep. Stemming from my old "Handle bar mustrace" thing.

Just in time for winter, me thinks ;)

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Specializes in MICU, ER, SICU, Home Health, Corrections.

Yup, me too... been bearded up for several years. Women seem to like it, even my wife likes it, little ol' ladies like it, it keeps bugs from drilling holes in my face at 70mph on the highway and it goes good with my tats at the bike rallies.

Have had no negative comments at all. Short and neat is always a good style!

rb

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Policy forbidding facial hair is unfortunately a result of a nasty looking beard in the past. Short, closely trimmed beards are clean, subtle, and look HOT, a plus for any nurse. It doesn't hurt the gay issues, either, though of course, gay dudes have beards aplenty, because they look hot, of course. I have worked in many, many hospitals in Florida, and none forbid a maintained beard. My TB mask fits perfectly.

With uniform scrubs, the difference is nice. No beards? Insanity.

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:pumpiron:yeah, some may think that having a beard may be somewhat unprofessional; some say it doesn't. i think what matters most are your competencies in doing your duties, bearded or not.

still... in a profession comprised predominantly by women, having a beard sends out a message of masculinity.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

dh, a critical care nurse, is growing his beard back for fall. i've always loved a man with a beard . . . .

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Specializes in Post Anesthesia.

I grew my beard with the birth of my first grandchild 14years ago. (it was either that or a motocycle). So far no problems. One thing I did notice was once I grew the beard patients and staff treated me with a bit more respect ?..looks more mature?

My best friend did tell me I look evil with it, so perhaps people are just afraid- either way my wife likes it and as she says she has to look at my face a lot more often that I do.

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I've always loved a man with a beard . . . .

not too pretty on a woman, however.

too straggly.

THAT should be prohibited.

leslie

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Specializes in Neuro, Cardiology, ICU, Med/Surg.

I have a beard and shoulder-length hair that I keep back in a ponytail. I do keep the beard closely cropped. Nobody has said anything about either my hair or my beard. My wife likes me that way as do the elderly women patients. :chuckle

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Specializes in Medical-Oncology.

I had a goatee in nursing school. I looked fantastic. Anyway, I had to shave it when I got hired so I could get a proper fit on the TB mask.

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Specializes in Neuro, Cardiology, ICU, Med/Surg.

I was just told I needed to use a PAPR. It didn't occur to me that other hospitals may not offer them. I guess I'm lucky. I would really hate to have to shave off my beard! :uhoh3:

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yeah... I do the PAPR thing too... and honestly, they're WAY more comfortable than an N95, though the power unit on the belt can be a little cumbersome... before I was licensed I used to sit in 1:1 with confused and suicidal pts... once I had a guy who was r/o TB (I think he turned out to be negative but we were cautious)... I wore the PAPR for 8 hours (minus a dinner break). It was nice having fresh air blowing in my face... the only annoyance is the glare really... and you get used to that after a minute or two. I would *not* work for anyone who told me I had to shave. Unless they paid me a lot. Shaving takes time, and they don't pay me to shave but they do pay me hourly. If I decide to shave it's gotta be for me, or at least for my wife. :)

As for long hair, I used to look like Kid Rock... lol. But it's a lot more convenient now with it short, and damn comfortable too. I don't think nursing is a good place for long hair... I mean if you can pull it off, great, but I see so many female nurses chop theirs off after the first time a pt grabs a fistful... much more reliable to just crop it than just trying a high and tight pony to keep it out of reach.

As far as the patients, I get a lot of women who say I should shave... but then I get ones who already think I look like a teenager (of course, they're usually in their 80's) and I really don't care to look any younger. I *do* look like a teenager if I shave clean... no thanks... I'm looking forward to the respect that comes with age. Once I turn 40, maybe I'll want to "shave off" ten years... at 27, it would just make me look like a kid.

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