In the past 2 years we have had three nurses come to work at our facility that, quite frankly, look like unmade beds. It is obvious that combing their hair was not a priority before coming to work, complete with matted hair in the back and sometimes even sticking up with fuzz in it. Their clothes are wrinkled like they slept in them.....good grief!!! It is not surprising that these nurses are the ones that call off all the time and have very poor ratings among our residents. I was in a room, speaking with a resident one eveing and one particular nurse brought her meds in, handed them to her and walked out without saying a word. I'll admit, I just stood there for a second, in shock. I could not believe this person. This nurse had already been pulled off of one hall because of the way she treated the residents and the multiple complaints about her. I confronted her and told her that she needed to work on her people skills, that these residents pay a lot of money and they deserve better treatment than her actions today showed me she gives them. She was quite offended. Stated she wasn't there to be popular, just to do a job. Yes we're there to do a job, but we are supposed to give a darn too. The other day my supervisor was taking a potential new hire nurse around the building, showing her the units. No decision was made and later that day she asked my "first impression". Perhaps this was not the correct thing to do, but I told her the truth. This girl looked horrible. Hair was a mess, clothes were dirty and wrinkled. She did not leave a positive impression with me and I told my supervisor this. I told her she could be "that other nurse's" sister, by the way she dressed and looked. Needless to say, she won't be hired. Is this a growing problem everywhere or are we just the lucky ones to find so many folks that think grooming is an option??? We, as professionals should present ourselves as such, not look like Salvation Army rejects. What's wrong with these people??? Is it me, do I expect too much? I just feel that if a person shows no pride in their appearance, then how much detail would they give to their job? Maybe I'm being too critical but this issue really bugs me. Maybe this nurse that isn't getting hired now would have done a good job, but from what we have seen, she may have also been lazy and uncaring. I feel bad in a way, because my supervisor decided not to hire her, based partly on what I said, as she had been thinking the same things and when I said them too, she felt her first impression was correct. Do you think a person's appearance reflects the way they do their job? Was I too critical?
For all of you that remember Glamour Magazine Do's and Dont's...........perhaps theyt still have them.
I have been teased about my standards for nurses and their appearnace on an interviewand at work. It says a great deal. In my owqn perzsonal experience I have found that nurses who do not address their appearance tend to be poor performers. I and my department have been spared a nurse who diverted controlled substances, married a transvestite patient, brought her suddendly dead cat and left in my office, etc. I knew none of these details but I did not approve of their dress when they came to my department to interview with the Nurse Managers. I nixed their hires. As dated as both of my references may be, "Dress For Success" is still a standard we need to adhere to.
As an Army Nurse, I work in an organisation that prides itself on its standard of dress. Indeed, any violation from this standard is dealt with harshly. Over the years, this has become a way of life for myself and my fellow workers.
Over the Christmas period just gone I worked in the ICU and A&E of the local teriary hospital in order to gain some more "hand-on" prior to going on deployment. Whilst I found this work both enjoyable and rewarding, I also found it incredibly frustrating. A big factor in this frustration was the lack of self discipline exhibited by the regular staff as evidenced by their standard of dress.
It was not uncommon for staff to rock up to work with ripped clothing, wearing t-shits advertising alcohol and tobacco products, messy hair and literally arriving straight from being out partying all night. Whilst they did not look the part, I must add that their clinical skills were always above board.
I believe that a big part of our job is to gain the trust of the clients and their family. In this case, first impressions count for a lot. It takes 5 minutes out of your day to run an iron over your clothes and brush your hair. That 5 minutes will save you 30 minutes in proving your skills to a sceptical client &/or family.
preddish
5 Posts
For all of you that remember Glamour Magazine Do's and Dont's...........perhaps theyt still have them.
I have been teased about my standards for nurses and their appearnace on an interviewand at work. It says a great deal. In my owqn perzsonal experience I have found that nurses who do not address their appearance tend to be poor performers. I and my department have been spared a nurse who diverted controlled substances, married a transvestite patient, brought her suddendly dead cat and left in my office, etc. I knew none of these details but I did not approve of their dress when they came to my department to interview with the Nurse Managers. I nixed their hires. As dated as both of my references may be, "Dress For Success" is still a standard we need to adhere to.