Shoes

Nurses General Nursing

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  1. What style of shoe do you wear while working?

    • 38
      Clogs
    • 24
      Traditional "Nurse" Shoes
    • 91
      Athletic Shoes
    • 18
      Other

171 members have participated

Ok...this might sound goofy for a question, but here goes...

I will have to purchase my first pair of "white nurse shoes" by June (for school). I was curious as to what types of shoes you all prefer...which are more comfortable for standing, walking, etc.

It seems to me that a lot of them out in stores now are clogs, but they seem like they'd be a pain to wear (literally) when you had to run down the hall (toes slamming up against the shoe, etc).

Comments???

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Don't waste money. Go buy a pair of New Balance.

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I like Nike and Fila. Be sure you try the shoes on before you buy them. I mean not just to see if they fit but lace them up and walk, jump(hehe), and keep em on for a few minutes. I don't know how many times I have bought shoes only to want to burn them after wearing them for 1 shift!

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I have a pair of Nursemate slip-ons. They have a back to them. I really like them. I like the fact that I don't have to worry about retying laces all day. I had a pair of Cherokee Rocker slip-ons too which were nice shoes. New Balance is good too. Whatever you decide on, make sure to get excellent quality. Your feet will thank you for it later.

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I was thinking that regular white athletic shoes would probably be the way to go. Something with a good thick sole, probably.

A friend of mine is an MA & swears by her lace-up moccassin style (old fashioned in my opinion) "nurse" shoes. But I don't know. Seems awfully expensive & if I got a pair of regular white leather athletic shoes, I figure I can disinfect them just as well as those.

I'm going to have to try those slip ons. The thought of worrying over untied or loose shoes does bother me a bit. :p

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Specializes in NICU.

I wear Hush Puppy walking shoes, very light, never had any problems with them. I usually find them at the outlet store.

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My Klogs are the most comfy shoes I've ever worn.

When I wore regular athletic shoes during a twelve hr. shift, my feet would hurt for the last few hrs. (could be because of my horrible flat feet....oh well.)

....and they're black shoes..not the traditional (show everything you've walked in during your shift) white. I never understood why they make nursing students wear all white shoes. Oh yeah...'cause school is NOTHING like the real world...duh!!

Anne:D

PS: Make sure the shoe is all leather.......nothing's more gross than the 'body fluid' stain you can't get out of a cloth shoe. Ewwwww.:eek: You can wipe off a leather shoe with disinfectant and always get new shoelaces if you need them.

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I've got three pair - I wear one one day and then a different pair the next - seems to help my feet and legs from hurting so much. My first pair is the Nursemates slip on with the back. My second are Nursemates Quark (I too had the same fear of having to worry about shoes while in a hurry but quickly realized it wasn't that big a deal - they stay on really well!) and my third are Birkenstock Super-Birki's Clogs (EBay - $32!!!)

Good luck in school!

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Originally posted by Nurse Izzy

I've got three pair - I wear one one day and then a different pair the next - seems to help my feet and legs from hurting so much. My first pair is the Nursemates slip on with the back. My second are Nursemates Quark (I too had the same fear of having to worry about shoes while in a hurry but quickly realized it wasn't that big a deal - they stay on really well!) and my third are Birkenstock Super-Birki's Clogs (EBay - $32!!!)

Good luck in school!

I used to switch day to day like that but now that I've gone Birkenstock, I'll never go back. I never have leg and foot pain anymore. For some strange reason, tennies tend to make my feet go numb.

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Just like there is a wide variety of people, there are also a wide variety of feet. What is comfortable for some folks is not for others.

The most important thing is to make sure your shoes fit very well and give the best support your body needs. It seems like people with especially narrow or wide feet have the most difficulties.

If you ever feel like you are having pain in your feet when you are trying to go to sleep after working a shift, you might consider it an ominous sign. I wore lace-up, white, athletic shoes for the first 9 years of my career, but began to have serious pain on the bottom of my feet about 6 months after changing from athletic shoes to some cute NurseMates shoes. I ended up with a horrendous case of plantar fasciatis which took 2 full years to cure. (Imagine crawling on your hands and knees around the house because the pain of walking on your feet is so unbearable!!) Now I wear New Balance shoes or other lace-up shoes nearly all the time. Thankfully I am able to wear regular shoes (with one to one and one half inch heels--- no high heels or flats anymore) for a few hours at a time, but if I try to wear them for a full day, sure enough, the pains begin to return.

I plead with you to not be super concerned about the appearance of your work shoes as you are with the support they give you. Two feet is all we get and we must take the best care of them we can! If you wear sensible shoes at work then you can probably wear any of the other darling shoes the planet offers when you are not at work. I think I screwed myself from that joy by not wearing the best shoes for my feet I could find every day at work. I may have ended up with the plantar fasciatis anyway, but I am certain in my heart that I brought it on by wearing shoes that were not supportive of my rather narrow feet.

I suppose you will end up trying out all kinds over the next year or so. One more suggestion, if you wear leather shoes, try to have two or three different pairs so you can trade of each day. Leather needs 24 hours to "rest and breathe" or else they will loose their shape much, much sooner... needing replacing much more often.

Good luck with your tootsies! You are very smart to be caring about your feet at the beginning of your career!

Kudos to you!!!

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"I plead with you to not be super concerned about the appearance of your work shoes as you are with the support they give you."

Re-emphasizing that point!!! Well said!

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"I plead with you to not be super concerned about the appearance of your work shoes as you are with the support they give you."

Yes, I am definately more concerned with comfort & support than any style that might be fashionable. ;)

I know I'll get leather (white...since it's mandatory), and probably a couple pair (at least). Sounds like I'm going to have to try on a lot to see which ones are right for my tootsies!

I have a pair of Reeboks now (not for nursing) but noticed that a couple times when I wore them when I was standing for long periods of time, my feet were KILLING me. :o So these will definately not be ones for 12 hour clinicals. :p

Thanks for your replies!

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