Do I LOOK Like A Nurse To You?

I would have replied "Then if i DON'T look like a nurse, then SURELY you can inform me of what one should LOOK LIKE?"

I mean absolutely no disrespect ... but if party small talk revolved around cars before "what do you" ... that tells me one of a couple of things:

1. this was later in the party, after considerable adult refreshments

2. um ... what was the average age of a party attendee? hmm ...

Just brush this off, Haunted. I'm sorry, I couldn't possibly take anyone seriously who (when relatively sober) had that reaction.

Happy holidays.

Thanks Christina Aguilara! This past week end I attended a holiday party and the discussion moved on from "what kind of car do you drive?" to "what do you do for a living?" . When I replied that I was a Registered Nurse I was met with gasps, a few snickers and some lewd comments, along with "funny, you don't look like a nurse!". Now folks, I am not some blond bombshell busting out of my scrub top, teeting on 6 inch Manolos while applying lip gloss. I present a clean appearance and a conservative outward appearance.

This leads me to ask....what the heck does a nurse look like anyway? Anyone else get a goofy reaction like mine?

An old schoolmate of mine saw me recently and asked me what I was doing now. When I said going back to school to be a nurse he snickered and made a remark about my masculinity. He was in the car at the time and knew he could get away if necessary. I am 6'4" and over 250lbs. You think I look like the typical nurse? :rotfl: BTW I enjoy nursing so he can kiss you know what.

Personally, I think a lot of Nurses really do have a certain look to them, especially comparing different areas of Nursing in different regions of the United States. This is only my observation (also agreed with by several other Nurses I have worked with). Won't go into detail for fear of being flamed to no end. :chuckle

Personally, I think a lot of Nurses really do have a certain look to them, especially comparing different areas of Nursing in different regions of the United States. This is only my observation (also agreed with by several other Nurses I have worked with). Won't go into detail for fear of being flamed to no end. :chuckle

Really? I can't imagine any rhyme or reason to what a nurse looks like. I know just the nurses on my unit run the gamut from liposuctioned-barbie-doll-wanna-be's to great-grand mothers. Tall & short, heavy & thin, men & women, young & old (and just about everything in between) - all in my one little unit. What is the certain look that nurses have? - now that my curiosity is piqued I MUST know!! :icon_lol:

PM me if you don't want to post it here :Santa5:

I am loving these holiday smilies - just in case anyone could not tell

:Present1:

People come in all shapes and sizes....and so do nurses...

Several years ago, there was a unit at the hospital where I was working that was humorously known as the "Land of the Giants" because more than half the nurses that worked there, quite coincidentally, were 5'11" or taller.

Haunted, I wouldn't be offended by the party comment - I've been told before that I don't look "matronly" enough to be a nurse. I think it's a matter of an individual's past experience...

How you can tell a nurse...

1. Cracked, dry hands from the constant handwashing with soap that's one step short of being used for battery acid.

2. Frown lines from having to deal with the new residents, belligerent patients, and offhand comments from Dr. Phil.

3. They are the ones who are talking about necrotizing something-or-other at the dinner table. All the others at the table are green, unless they are nurses as well.

4. Dark circles under their eyes (usually on the night-shift nurses).

5. They lament that they have never had a hot meal while on the clock.

6. Strong arms and shoulders from all that lifting!

7. They have a dozen alcohol wipes in their pocket at any given time.

8. Calves that would make a runner proud.

I'm sure there are others...anyone know what they are? :)

Headhurt.. I thnk you have hit the nail on the head, but I would like to add that us mom or dad nurses are always the ones who are at sporting events for our children with the giant duffle bag with the extra water, tampons for the girls, bandaids, steristrips, acewraps & instant ice packs, along with gauze, alcohol wipes, etc, etc, etc, "just in case."

My daughter tumbles & for some reason, the strangers ALWAYS come up to me & my giant bag of goodies when someone gets hurt. Then they say.... "you must be a nurse"

Oooh, forgot to add, whenever someone needs a pen & I pull one of at least 10 that are in the bottom of my purse & get that funny smirk along with " you must be a nurse."

Now THAT'S what I call a nurse!

It's sucks that people still have a stereotyped view of what a nurse should be like. A female. Basically.

And the media as added on to that by introducing the naughty nurse. You would think that people would know it's just a stereotype, but some people just don't take the time to reason out the issues.

I mean really... a woman with stilettos and a heaving chest that's one breath away from popping out of her top?

If people can accept women firefighters and women in the military I don't get why they can't accept men in nursing.

Sometimes you just have to overlook the ignorant comments, smile and keep going.

I know this is bad...but for every stupid comment someone makes I wish they would end up in the hospital one day and really see what nursing is all about. People who have been sick and in need of care, be it hospital, clinic or a community center understand these things better because they see it all first hand.

How you can tell a nurse...

1. Cracked, dry hands from the constant handwashing with soap that's one step short of being used for battery acid.

2. Frown lines from having to deal with the new residents, belligerent patients, and offhand comments from Dr. Phil.

3. They are the ones who are talking about necrotizing something-or-other at the dinner table. All the others at the table are green, unless they are nurses as well.

4. Dark circles under their eyes (usually on the night-shift nurses).

5. They lament that they have never had a hot meal while on the clock.

6. Strong arms and shoulders from all that lifting!

7. They have a dozen alcohol wipes in their pocket at any given time.

8. Calves that would make a runner proud.

I'm sure there are others...anyone know what they are? :)

People can't believe I'm a nurse, either. They think I am some kind of movie star. I get mixed up with Julia Roberts a lot.