Halloween, costumes or not???

[Antikigirl]

So what is everyone's take on wearing costumes on halloween at work?

Does it depend on facility (like hospital vs a rest home or what not)?

And what kind of costume seems unfitting or inappropriate if you feel you should be able to wear them?

My facility does wear costumes and has a contest each year voted on by the residents (assisted living facility). So far everyone has been very appropriate in dress, nothing short, nothing morbid at all. But one year a gal dressed like an angel and a resident said that was horrible to remind people they are going to die??? AN ANGEL??? OH well, can't please everyone.

Please feel free to share funny stories too :)

[mommatrauma, RN]

A few of our nurses are wearing all white scrub dresses and nursing caps for the night...I think it'll be cute, and they are keeping it very tastefull...none of that naughty nurse stuff

[Aneroo, LPN]

I may get a headband. Know the ones that have devil horns, a halo or something like that on it? Something easily removed!

I probably won't do anything though.

[christvs, DNP, RN, NP]

I have these purple, furry bat earrings I might wear to work on Halloween, but that is as crazy as I'll get! :) I really like the all white scrub dress & nursing cap idea though. Hmm.....maybe I'll end up doing that instead.

[hollykate]

I'm an ED nurse, and i do think it's really inappropriate. Even if you are dressed up in a very tasteful costume...you may have to go and discuss with someone that the situation with their relative is looking bad.

I'm not a fan of the cartoonish scrubs for the same reason, though I think a Halloween or holiday pattern scrub is much more professional than a costume.

The nurses on night shift are planning on dressing up as The Wizard of Oz theme... yes it will be cute and tasteful, but would you want the tin man or the scarecrow talking about your sons car crash to you...or even chirping away about your childs not very serious medical condition that you think is very serious? We talk about wanting to be taken seriously as professionals, and then dress up like lunatics... strange.

[Gompers, BSN, RN]

We have to wear the hospital's surgical scrubs on our unit, so people really can't dress up. Many have Halloween-themed warm-up jackets around the holiday, and some nurses wear those funny headbands. Nothing too crazy though, it is an intensive care unit after all.

BUT...

We do dress up the babies!!!

Sometimes the parents bring in little costumes, but more often than not, we make them. Nothing fancy - usually just use those squares of felt and cut out little costumes that can lay on top of the babies. On the night of the 30th, a bunch of us will bring in glue guns, felt, ribbons, pipe cleaners, fabric, etc.

There are some parents who don't celebrate Halloween for religious reasons, and we are always respect that. And if there is a baby that is very very sick, we'll make a costume, but then ask the parents if they want to lay it over the baby or not. Most do - they long for something "normal" like dressing up their child for Halloween.

The best was the year I made a Harry Potter costume for my primary baby - all 1200 grams of him! He had a robe, broomstick, and "scar" on his forehead made of Duoderm. I even got doll glasses, painted them black, and put tape on the nosepiece! There were nurses from all over the hospital coming up to the unit and asking if they could please see the Harry Potter baby? It was huge for his mom, too. Up until that point, everyone would always say, "Oh, your son is so small, is he going to be okay?" because this baby had been born at 495 grams. But on Halloween, she sat next to his incubator all day while dozens of people came by to rave about how adorable her kid looked. She said that was the day she finally started to believe that he was going to be okay.

[nursemaa]

We don't usually dress up, except for a few people on nights. I like the idea of holidya print scrubs though.

One year someone dressed up as a patient and had an open-backed gown with a rubber "tushy" sticking out of it- some patients thought it was funny but a few were insulted.

Probably best to stick with the print scrubs, maybe some cute socks or earrings, pins etc but costumes might be a bit much for a hospital setting.