During nursing school I had a small mohawk (roughly half an inch?) and the sides of my hair like a two. I hope the measurements make sense. Anyways, I shaved it awhile back due to the concern of scaring patients and or fellow coworkers. Lately, I have the urge to get it back and I don't like the look of the fohawk. I want to have my mohawk again. I will soon be working in the intensive care unit, and I'm wondering what my fellow nurses think of this? It would be a small mohawk. I'm trying to end the stereotype of people with mohawks are aholes.
We used to have a very good nurse in the ED that had bleach blonde hair one day and black the next...he would put blue lines/purple lines etc etc. His hair was crazy looking and he had tattoos up and down his arms. He was a VERY good nurse but he made patients nervous and everyone would ask what he did there even after he told them he was their nurse.
There will be a lot of people who would stereotype you and not take you serious...is it worth it?
For me I like the professional look but do grow a little facial hair once in a while.
We used to have a very good nurse in the ED that had bleach blonde hair one day and black the next...he would put blue lines/purple lines etc etc. His hair was crazy looking and he had tattoos up and down his arms. He was a VERY good nurse but he made patients nervous and everyone would ask what he did there even after he told them he was their nurse.
There will be a lot of people who would stereotype you and not take you serious...is it worth it?
For me I like the professional look but do grow a little facial hair once in a while.
I don't think that's any different than a person not taking a nurse seriously based on physical appearance (attractive, or not), how young they might appear, if they're blonde (believe me, I get harassed about being blonde and it's natural). It really bites to know that people stereotype one based on things like that, but I, for one, never have. I could care less what people may think - if they're that sick, and in the ER, they usually don't care (especially if you have the narc in your hand...) There are nurses I have worked with who won't take care of patients if they assume they're homosexual and their partners are in the room, ok? How backward is that, but there are some very biased people in this world, and many of them happen to be nurses. Really, it's not like we're living with Quakers, where then, I could understand the conservatism.
The "wild prints" issue...that is why some hospitals (and more every day) have went to dictating what color/style/etc that some healthcare professionals wear in the setting because there is always that handful that will wear scrubs until they fall apart, loud prints, or otherwise not care about how professional/unprofessional they look.
That is why most hospitals have a dress code for non-nursing staff, because you always have that handful of people that will wear items that belong in a night club rather than in a professional working environment.
That doesn't just go for nursing, that is anywhere you work and how people dress/appearance, if you read any human resources article is still listed as the #1 or #2 reason why people don't get called back for interviews, etc.
I have never in my life seen someone work in upper management who had "extreme" outward appearances or showed up to work every day looking like they just crawled out of bed....I'm sure a few people can cite isolated examples, but that is the minority, not the majority.
CNN Headline news, a few years ago, tried this "new" image of young, hip, they had newscasters on there that had pink extensions, more casual clothes instead of suits, more trendy hairstyles....they thought it would increase ratings by being not so "stuffy".
Their ratings plummeted.
Ever seen shots of large groups of physicians? Politicians? Very high-end sales people? You won't see any of the "funky stuff" going on there either, because they know it is detrimental to their profession.
Would you believe back in the "old days" of nursing school that they used to teach ETIQUETTE classes as part of your regular school?
This was to elevate the image of nursing, give it a polished, pristine appearance. When it used to be virtually 100% women, some of these women came from families where none of this was taught....they wanted to make sure you knew better.
I have posted this many times before, I have never in my life heard people bash the nursing profession in general or say anything negative about it....never. Individual nurses? Of course, but as a whole? Nothing but good things.
The only place where I consistently hear nurses bashing the profession is other nurses saying how disrespected the profession is on THIS message board....and the place that can change is starting with ourselves.
If you think the profession is disrespected, then your belief is your own reality, your own perception becomes how you live.
I am entering one of the most respected professions that this county has to offer and everything I do, every single day, is a step toward that goal.
whatever you think you need to do as you enter this profession is up to you. Good luck with that.
Ya, I tried growing out the hair to look more "professional" too. I'm just not comfortable with it growing longer so I just keep it clean cut with a 4 or 5 on top and a fade on the sides. I look like I'm in the military, but it's do able.
-David
I use a 1 in summer and 2 blade in the winter and just buzz the whole head. If I get any balder I'll just shave it. I also keep my goatee and mustache trimmed short. I'm too old for flash and the short hair is very comfortable.
I'm a (now) middle-aged woman who has worn spiked hair and rattail to work (in a wide variety of healthcare settings) for 20-some years. I've never gotten any negative response from either co-workers or clients. In fact, I'm in a rural Appalachian community, and little old country Baptist preachers' wives often comment on how much they like my hairstyle, and they think they'll get their hair styled the same way! :)
As long as your hair is clean, and the style doesn't violate your employer's dress code, I still say go for it ...
I'm with the rest of you guys. My hairstyle is based more on functionality than anything else. I luckily inherited my parents Italian good hair genes, along with the "don't know when to stop eating" gene...
My hair is so thick it looks dumb when I grow it out. So I trim it with a #2 on the sides, and scissor it a finger-width on top. Enough to roll out of bed at night and go to work without a lot of hassle.
whatever you think you need to do as you enter this profession is up to you. Good luck with that.
...and at least I have the advantage of KNOWING that I am with the majority every day, that I work, go to school, etc.
It's a great team to be on, because the CEO, all of our administrators, all of our managers, that do promotions, hiring, firing, etc..."play" on the same team I do.
That is why I never have to worry about not getting a job or not getting promoted, or treated differently because of my appearance.
A professional appearance is always in style and always works.
During nursing school I had a small mohawk (roughly half an inch?) and the sides of my hair like a two. I hope the measurements make sense. Anyways, I shaved it awhile back due to the concern of scaring patients and or fellow coworkers. Lately, I have the urge to get it back and I don't like the look of the fohawk. I want to have my mohawk again. I will soon be working in the intensive care unit, and I'm wondering what my fellow nurses think of this? It would be a small mohawk. I'm trying to end the stereotype of people with mohawks are aholes.
Thanks.
I want pics! LOL this would help a lot- and unless your superiors tell you otherwise I would go for it- its not the same thing as peircings or tattos- its hair. I think it makes us stand out. Thats JMO though. But if the people you work with don't have a problem with it- I'd do it![Well maybe not a mohawk for me... LOL]
...and at least I have the advantage of KNOWING that I am with the majority every day, that I work, go to school, etc.
It's a great team to be on, because the CEO, all of our administrators, all of our managers, that do promotions, hiring, firing, etc..."play" on the same team I do.
That is why I never have to worry about not getting a job or not getting promoted, or treated differently because of my appearance.
A professional appearance is always in style and always works.
that is what you believe, to make your life easier, to fit in, not stand out, wallflower... whatever you want to call it. Some people really aren't bothered with these types of concerns. Just like those that don't feel the need to look like celebrities in magazines. It's all trivial. As I wrote: good luck with that.
The thing is I am not trying to alter my appearance to attract attention. If anything its so I can look at myself in the mirror more. j/k I think no matter what it will appear that way though. Its kind of a sad but true sort of thing.
However, I do agree with Massed about the norm appearance thing. I'm still not quite sure what I'm going to do yet, but I have been thinking lately about how some of the older nurses would react. I might just go easy and do the fohawk.
j/k I think no matter what it will appear that way though. Its kind of a sad but true sort of thing.
Larry77, RN
1,158 Posts
We used to have a very good nurse in the ED that had bleach blonde hair one day and black the next...he would put blue lines/purple lines etc etc. His hair was crazy looking and he had tattoos up and down his arms. He was a VERY good nurse but he made patients nervous and everyone would ask what he did there even after he told them he was their nurse.
There will be a lot of people who would stereotype you and not take you serious...is it worth it?
For me I like the professional look but do grow a little facial hair once in a while.