Hair & clinical

Nursing Students General Students

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Specializes in ED.

I was just wondering what the requirements are for hair during clinical rotations? I know each school is different, but I assume they won't differ much. I have long hair and hate wearing it in a pony tail out, it makes me look like a little kid. I'm already little. I was thinking of getting a shorter hair cut..

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

My program was that the hair had to be off the collar and secured. So chin length or shorter was acceptable. Pony tails were not permitted as 1. the hair was still "free flowing" and 2. it was a safety issue as a psych, altered, or irritated/agitated patient could pull your pony tail (a previous student from my school had heir pony tail yanked right out of her head, with some skin, requiring medical intervention, by a violent patient).

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Specializes in ED.
My program was that the hair had to be off the collar and secured. So chin length or shorter was acceptable. Pony tails were not permitted as 1. the hair was still "free flowing" and 2. it was a safety issue as a psych, altered, or irritated/agitated patient could pull your pony tail (a previous student from my school had heir pony tail yanked right out of her head, with some skin, requiring medical intervention, by a violent patient).

Woah! Maybe I should've said a bun? I don't want to cut it that short :(

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Specializes in PACU/ICU.
My program was that the hair had to be off the collar and secured. So chin length or shorter was acceptable. Pony tails were not permitted as 1. the hair was still "free flowing" and 2. it was a safety issue as a psych, altered, or irritated/agitated patient could pull your pony tail (a previous student from my school had heir pony tail yanked right out of her head, with some skin, requiring medical intervention, by a violent patient).
Oh my goodness! I'm going into mental health this fall and I'm so scared! This just made it worse!
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Specializes in CNA.

At orientation, my instructor was adament about hair. She said it should be in a bun; completely off the collar, strays tucked in with pins and free hair wrapped tightly in a bun.

A girl had chin length hair that barely touched her neck. Kind of like a bob--she said she would even have to pin her hair up somehow. Mind you, it was way to short to put in a ponytail, let alone a bun..so she'd have tons of pins in her hair trying to pin it up!

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Specializes in ED.

Now I'm freaked out!! Oh goodness, this is going to be a challenge! I'm so scared of my hair getting yanked out. And I definitely don't want it caught on anything or getting into anything.

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

Buns work great. Be careful with excess pins (too many pins can be uncomfortable). If you have a hair stylist that you trust & work with they can give you some tips for quick updos that are professional and simple.

For psych we were permitted only elastics with out metal and no pins. (Apparently some self-injurious psych patients have a lot of time to come up with ideas that would be the furthest point from our wildest imagination such as using the metal from a hair elastic to scratch their wrists...way too much time on their hands!) Basically what most did was a French style braid that was tucked under and secured with a second elastic. Or a low/mid ponytail twisted into a bun that was secured with a second elastic

The student who's hair was pulled, had authority issues and actually pulled her of her bun out just after "inspection" when the instructor turned her back to help another student (She thought the "no ponytails or loose hair" rule was "stupid".) To be fair it wasn't a typical state psych unit with patients legally committed because they were unable to function in society. This particular unit were violent offenders (it was a dual state psych/state dept of corrections prison unit) Needless to say NO students are permitted in that facility since that incident. The patient had a violent overreaction to a situation and the student's pony tail was within reach of the patient's grasp/wrath. It was a fast moving scenario and the damage was done as state corrections officers were responding. Moral--be aware of your surroundings, don't be afraid but be cautions & aware and most of all LISTEN to your clinical instructors they are giving you advice not to be controlling but to be safe.

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Specializes in Nursing Assistant.

Hair must be out of our face...pulled back if longer than shoulder length.

Most girls do ponytails...I have a tatt on the back of my neck so my hair is short enough to cover it, but not so short that I have to pull it back.

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Specializes in ED.
Buns work great. Be careful with excess pins (too many pins can be uncomfortable). If you have a hair stylist that you trust & work with they can give you some tips for quick updos that are professional and simple.

For psych we were permitted only elastics with out metal and no pins. (Apparently some self-injurious psych patients have a lot of time to come up with ideas that would be the furthest point from our wildest imagination such as using the metal from a hair elastic to scratch their wrists...way too much time on their hands!) Basically what most did was a French style braid that was tucked under and secured with a second elastic. Or a low/mid ponytail twisted into a bun that was secured with a second elastic

The student who's hair was pulled, had authority issues and actually pulled her of her bun out just after "inspection" when the instructor turned her back to help another student (She thought the "no ponytails or loose hair" rule was "stupid".) To be fair it wasn't a typical state psych unit with patients legally committed because they were unable to function in society. This particular unit were violent offenders (it was a dual state psych/state dept of corrections prison unit) Needless to say NO students are permitted in that facility since that incident. The patient had a violent overreaction to a situation and the student's pony tail was within reach of the patient's grasp/wrath. It was a fast moving scenario and the damage was done as state corrections officers were responding. Moral--be aware of your surroundings, don't be afraid but be cautions & aware and most of all LISTEN to your clinical instructors they are giving you advice not to be controlling but to be safe.

:| oh. My. Word... Good thing I'm not the defiant type! Lol

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Ditto the others, off the collar. We cab have buns, braids, ponytails, as long as it's off the collar!

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Specializes in Peds PACU & Peds Psych.

We cannot have hair touching our shoulders. Even if it is pulled back, it has to be off the shoulders. I have to wear mine in a bun, because it is so long that even in a ponytail it still touches my shoulders (unless I pull it wayyyy on top of my head toward my forehead, which just looks ridiculous).

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Specializes in ED.
We cannot have hair touching our shoulders. Even if it is pulled back, it has to be off the shoulders. I have to wear mine in a bun, because it is so long that even in a ponytail it still touches my shoulders (unless I pull it wayyyy on top of my head toward my forehead, which just looks ridiculous).

That made me laugh! Mine would probably be the same!

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