Can nurses wear skirts?

Nurses General Nursing

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Are female nurses allowed to wear skirts for religious beliefs?

Have you ever seen anyone out there do that?

Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

Uh, all I have to say is that my scrub tops (all of which have matching pants) are all flowers and bumblebees and hearts and palm trees. All of the above, I will go out on a limb and say, are pretty darn feminine. When I'm bending over in every which position to help a new mom get her baby latched on, or if I'm trying to get a new c/s mom cleaned up in the bed, a skirt is not what I want getting in the way.

The last time I had to jump up on a bed to straddle a patient while pounding on her chest bc she wasn't breathing, I don't think a skirt, even a long one, would have been the clothing of choice.

As a patient, I don't care what you wear, as long as you know what you're doing and treat me like a human being. One of the best NICU nurses in my facility has long hair (kept pulled back, of course) and tats up both arms, and there is not a soul around that would call him unprofessional once they've seen him in action. Appearances are just that: the way something APPEARS.

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Specializes in LTC, med-surg, critial care.

I get whistles, teased, complimented a lot when I'm working. I've always been teased "Old men love you Not Now." Do I wear skirts? No, I wear a lot of pink, purple, blue and patterned scrubs. My scrubs fit without being tight, I wear a sports bra and a "wife beater" tank top underneath (I'm also pretty dang flat chested), little makeup and I'm far from being a lady. Still, they love me. I don't think a skirt makes a better nurse than a pants wearing nurse and vice versa. Present yourself honestly and professionally and patients, for the most part, will like you regardless if you're wearing a skirt or pants.

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Specializes in ICU, L&D, Home Health.

I have a coworker that only wears skirts. I also knew other students that only wore dresses for clinical- we still had our choice of the old-style dress or a pantsuit. Though most chose a pantsuit, the girls with dresses never had a problem. I myself have no luck with pantyhose, so I would rather eat a bug than wear a dress and pantyhose. But hey, to each their own. I myself kind of miss the cap...

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Specializes in Psychiatric.

I for one am not there for my patient's entertainment...and I don't give a hoot what men do when they're with other men...your dad sounds exactly like the kind of patient we all dread on my unit...the kind we all draw straws to see who has to take care of him...there is a time and place for everything, and whistling at nurses is the same thing as harassing them.

I have absolutely NO problem with my sexuality or femininity or whatever you want to call it...I don't mind compliments and have been known to kid around with patients,and people will tell you that I'm one of THE most laid-back folks around...I AM there, however, to provide professional medical care...if men want to be entertained in that way, they can go to a strip club or watch dirty movies or whatever...The particular part of 'making patients happy' to which you refer is not part of my particular scope of practice.

I am also insulted at the thought that my appearance is somehow related to the quality of care that I give...I've seen the 'pretty' nurses who didn't know their hind end from a hole in the ground, and I've seen the 'pretty' nurses who were THE most amazing nurses in the world...but I'm not there to be judged on my appearance...I arrive to work clean, with clean, unwrinkled, unstained scrubs on, ready for work...hair pulled back, tattoos covered up...to imply that only visually attractive women make good nurses is rude...it's further an insult to women everywhere because beauty is, after all, in the eye of the beholder.

Anyway, back to the original topic...as for skirts, I couldn't see myself wearing them because most of the patients I work with are very violent and we frequently have to do takedowns, etc, and I wouldn't want my bum showing or have the skirt ripped off during the tussle...however, a pediatric nurse I know wears nothing but skirts (calf-length)...I think for religious reasons.

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

I've seen the 'pretty' nurses who didn't know their hind end from a hole in the ground, and I've seen the 'pretty' nurses who were THE most amazing nurses in the world...

:yeahthat: :yeahthat:

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Specializes in ER/Trauma.
I just have a good understanding and rarely take it personally.
I'm sorry, but I don't think you really do.

Here's why I think so:

"I don't think all women are gossip-loving-*******, but most are - put a bunch of women together in a room regulalry and you will see the back-biting and catiness come out among the women."

"I don't think all blondes are stupid, but most are - put a bunch of blondes together in a room regulalry and you will see the stupidity come out among them."

In both cases, I used your exact same words with the same intent - just different "examples".

In both cases, I'd be soundly criticized.

And rightly so (if the shoes fits; wear it).

In submit that you've mixed up "stereotyping" with being "plain spoken".

I disagree - mightily - with the entirety of your post... and specifically your opinions relating to "men".

G'day,

Roy

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Since you appear to have directed a couple of your responses to me, at least referencing my post when leaving your own messages, I guess I need to respond myself.

I have no "issues" with my own femininity or sexuality. I have no jealousy, I can assure you, regarding those who feel as you do. I have never lacked for male appreciation or companionship, nor have I felt the need to do much of anything to GET that attention in a positive manner. It comes my way without much effort, which is probably why *I* am not the one with "issues" in this regard. I could never be mistaken for being subserviant to anyone, and being a "feminist" is not a dirty word in my world.

I am not back-biting, or refusing to support other nurses as a whole because I do not feel as you do about how female nurses should be viewed or treated by men as a whole.

I DO, however, have a problem with a 36 year old woman who expects to become a hospital nurse in today's climate, a difficult job at best, who seems to have little to no understanding between what is suitable in the workplace for ALL women and what is not. I have a problem standing by and letting said woman remark that "pretty nurses" should HAVE no problem when old men whistle at them and make dirty comments. And yes, I have no doubt whatsoever that the men who feel it's entirely appropriate to whistle whenever a "pretty nurse" enters their room are also comfortable making inappropriate statements.

I had an older man as a patient awhile back who felt it was entirely within his rights and reason to make suggestive comments to not only every female nurse (regardless of whether she wore pants or a skirt, btw) but every female tech; she just had to be female. This warthog of a man's' family was occasionally nearby when he did this, and they thought Pop's "teasing" was loveable. Absolutely NONE of the staff did, and in more than one instance, refused to deal with him. They felt that since he was feeling better he was just "being Dad", and it didn't "mean anything". We begged to differ. It meant that we were creeped out and uncomfortable being near him. Hard to complete a physical assessment when the fool is openly leering at you.

His wife told me that the other nurses just didn't have a good sense of humor like I did, that's why they didn't "get" him and I was so good with him (said this in the hallway right after the first time I came into the room, and finished with him FAST). I told her that it wasn't a good sense of humor that helped work with someone like her husband, it was the ability to tune out just about everything he said...because if I paid attention to the comments he made when SHE was out of earshot, I'd have to slap him from time to time, and that didn't make for a good patient-nurse relationship. I said this while smiling "prettily". Told her that his comments, made to anyone on the street, would get him slapped for sure, but I found that slapping my patients several times a shift made it hard to get my work done. :rolleyes: She laughed at my "great sense of humor". Ha, indeed. Charm has its merits. She didn't complain about me, as she did another nurse who was less able to rebutt the abuse as I did.

Every time report was given on that fun-lovin' patient who was just feeling spry, it was mentioned that he made inappropriate comments and gestures, and for the staff to be careful with him, as they didn't know if he'd start groping next. NO ONE was laughing about how "funny" he was, I can assure you. I was never rude to the family, and actually got great marks for my way of "handling" him. But you can be sure tolerating him and enjoying him are two different things, even if the family didn't get that. And that was because *I* was the professional in the room.

So, you see, professionalism isn't about a skirt or a pair of slacks, a dress or a scrub outfit. It's about how you carry yourself, and respect yourself as well as others. It has nothing to do with feminity. A feminine nurse who is solid in her skills and professional in her patient care ranks higher ANYWHERE than the less graceful nurse who isn't. Just as Nurse Stumpy who is less than enjoyable to look at but is a helluva nurse is requested more often than Nurse Pretty who is less of a nurse.

Nurses are not in the patient rooms for entertainment purposes. We can't stop someone from thinking gross thoughts, but we shouldn't have to put up with them being expressed openly. Women who work in office environments have the right to not be abused and harrassed while working, and so do I. Make no mistake: those whistles ARE harrassment and abuse. I am not a little girl, I am a grown woman, and learned long ago that my place in this world is not as a playtoy for men. I learned long ago that I am not a caricature to stereotype for amusement. Sadly there are those who have not.

I read all your posts on this thread and wonder how you'll find nursing as a whole, once you actually start. You didn't like that we reacted negatively to your assertions that "pretty nurses" in skirts are the gold standard to which we all should aspire. I am curious about your statement that your friends who are RNs all wear skirts and seem to haveno problems dealing with men who openly leer. Perhaps this is an unusual enclave of a community where one can find many such women, even in the hospital. But I doubt it. I suspect you'll find that once you begin clinical assignments in various hospitals, if you have the opportunity to see more than one.

Since you've made so many blanket assumptions about men, women, nurses, etc, I feel it is you who will have a tough time overcoming the stereotyping you live by. One could make blanket assumptions about a woman who was contemplating entering a convent at the age of 30, and we would be wrong to voice them and have our opinions supported. Just as you could expect to have your ideas about how female professionals should be treated soundly rejected.

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That article I mention is the initator of 'pretty nurses'. It was a completely sexist article and my chin was dropped most of the time because it would never fly in the US....but it was interesting.

You say you know it was a sexist article and that your chin dropped, yet you support all that it said. How then could this article have shocked you?

I don't think there is anything wrong with being feminine or pretty or how that interferes with doing a good job.

There isn't, and it doesn't. I happen to be feminine and most people say that I'm pretty, so I'll go with that. What does interfere is when the patient tries to make the professional nurse-patient relationship personal with leering and catcalls.

For some reason and I am not sure why, it seems many nurses equate femininity or feminine looking clothing with laziness or weakness.

I have seen no evidence of "many nurses viewing feminity or feminine looking clothing with laziness or weakness". On what do you base this broad assumption? It can't be from your years of working with nurses. I don't care how many "friends" you have who are RNs, I can't see you all sitting around and discussing how those who wear skirts are viewed as lazy or weak.

Maybe it's more the nurses than the doctors creating this stigma?

No, it's more the general public who creates and continues to put up with this stereotype, as seen on this thread.

Do you really think dressing like a unisex sheman makes a doctor treat you better than if you wore a skirt?

No, I think dressing in my attractive, nicely fitting scrub outfits makes me professional in appearance, and THAT helps ANYONE treat me better than those who don't. But you don't honestly think that looking ANY certain way makes a doctor treat you better...? Perhaps you think the nurse in white dress and white hose is seen as a better nurse and treated better by the MD staff...? Let's talk about broad assumptions, LOL! Nurses in my mother's day, white dress and white hose, were treated with astoundingly poor respect overall. The nurses who were GOOD were treated better than those who were not.

Am tired of picking apart the posts that offend me. It would take far too long to finish, so I'll just leave it here.

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Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.

This thread has gone slighly off topic but has brought up some interesting questions and I would like to ask a question, when I faced problems like these in the UK, we would ask the patient not to speak to the nurses in a lewd way, whistle or make sexest remarks as the nursing staff found this behaviour offensive, and it made their job difficult. If the pt was elderly and their was family involvement it would be discussed with the family about the best way of handling it. Pt could be asked to leave the hospital if their behaviour became so bad that nurses feared sexual groping or harrassment.

So here in the US do you not stop this kind of behaviour when it occurs? Or is it allowed to go on unchecked?

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

Big difference in one or 2 whistles, a smile and eye twinkle that I appreciate a woman (as I inferred from OP post) to repetitive leacheraous grin and degrading comments thoughout muliple shifts.

First I'd smile and laugh. Second one, would result in "I don't tolerate these comments" and limit setting discussion with co-workers.

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Specializes in Psychiatric.

For me it depends...I'm a little thick-skinned from working with psych patients, lots of whom will say absolutely ANYTHING, so lots of stuff doesn't bother me as much as it does other people...If I get a rude comment or whistle I just say something along the lines of 'Now, now, we can't have any of that.' If it continues I usually firmly tell them that their behavior won't be tolerated...Groping, etc, is absolutely not tolerated.

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Specializes in Ortho, Med surg and L&D.
Are female nurses allowed to wear skirts for religious beliefs?

Have you ever seen anyone out there do that?

I went two years nearly wearing only skirts. One place I worked required them as part of the uniform and when I left I realized that they were easier, (cooler/warmer/whatever).

Have gone full circle in the other direction now but, I noticed that several people at that hospital also wore skirts/dresses.

Gen

p.s. edit! oh my gosh, I just remembered a patient in 2001, when I just happened to wear a skirt one day...he told me the next day when he introduced me to his family that when he saw me the day before, in his haze...he thought I was an angel because of the white skirt and the impression it made to him-we all had a good laugh

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