Appearance?

Shorty11, BSN, RN · Jan 4, 2013

I attend a BSN program in Texas. Our dress code is fairly strict. Natural colored hair. Hair must be pulled back off the face, unless it is very, very short. No adornments to the hair such as headbands, bows, flowers, etc. Hair elastics must be the same color as your hair, and if you need bobby pins or clips to hold back bangs, they must be the same color as your hair also. No jewelry except a watch and a no-stone, smooth wedding band. We are not allowed to wear earrings of any kind including no studs, no gauges, and no spacers. No necklaces or bracelets are allowed either. Tattoos must be covered by our uniform or by bandages, flesh-colored cover up, tat sleeves or an undershirt. Nail polish is not allowed and neither are false nails. Shoes must be all white or all black. Our scrubs must be clean and pressed every clinical. Our scrub pants cannot touch or drag on the ground and they cannot be folded up to avoid this. They must be properly hemmed if they touch the ground so that they no longer do. We must wear a name tag at all times during clinicals.

The important thing to remember, like previous posters have said so much better than I, it is not about you... It is about the patient. I have nothing against people expressing themselves, but being at clinicals or work is not about you and your self-expression. There are other times to express who you are outside of school and work.

Best of luck!

DnvrOutdoorsRN, BSN, APRN, CRNA · Jan 4, 2013

When you start school on the 7th, I imagine they're going to provide very specific guidelines to be followed for clinicals and professionalism, since when you walk into clinicals you are a representation of that program. My BSN program here in Colorado was very old school, head to toe white, with the one exception being a watch of any color, my one piece of 'flair'. One of my classmates had two half sleeve tats and also on his chest that could possibly show. He always wore a undershirt to cover them up. He also had to take out his 1" plugs and tape his earlobs back. Looks hilarious to us, since we knew him outside of the hosptial but nobody in the hospital could tell the difference. Bottom line, if you want to be a nurse you're going to have to abide by the rules.

ianursestudent15 · Jan 4, 2013

Hi!!!As what they've already mentioned, it may depend on the school where you want to enrol, but in our school, they're strict about tattoos and hair color

Mrs.Priss · Jan 4, 2013

In my nursing school, you cannot have hair color other than normal colors (blonde, red,brown, black, grey, etc), and no showing tattoos. I think expressing yourself through appearance is very unique! I used to have hot pink hair, 1" gauges in my ears, lip and cheeck piercings. I Wore very heavy make-up and dressed a little goth, but still girly. I LOVED IT! I myself went through a phase that quickly changed after I lost 100lbs got pregant and married. You can still be unique without the hair color and tattoos showing at work or school. I think about it this way, I know how my family percieved me when I expressed myself with a BOLD appearance. A lot of people do not accept and do not like it. You really need to think about your patients and who you will be working with. Put yourself in their shoes. I think there is a certain appearance that nurses should give off. I think it should be approachable. Even if you are the friendliest best nurse in the entore world, a lot of people are intimidated by wild hair color and appearance. JMO! Hope that helps! :)

Mrs.Priss · Jan 4, 2013

The important thing to remember, like previous posters have said so much better than I, it is not about you... It is about the patient. I have nothing against people expressing themselves, but being at clinicals or work is not about you and your self-expression. There are other times to express who you are outside of school and work.
Best of luck!

WELL SAID!!! :yes: That's exactly what I was trying to get across!!! This just sounds better than what I said!!! lol