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.
Specializes in Home health, Nursing home, ICU Step-down.
I sure can relate. I've had a mohawk, my ears are guaged to 3/4 inch, and I have a couple tats. People can be very quick to judge, especially superiors. Be careful, but be yourself.
I think mohawks are fine. Actually me myself I have a Bob Marley size dreadlock dew. The little old ladies really like a guy with a big "Predator" style head thing on coming in to insert a foley. Rock on brother! They love it!
PS get some neck tatoos and nose to nipple piercing while you are at it. Oooh maybe get all tatted up like a Maori tribesman with a bamboo spike through your tongue.....lol. I am sure you haircut will be fine don't sweat it
I wear my hair as a sort of "messy" look with spikes in the front. I have been told by some of the older nurses that it looks unprofessional but as a few here have said... it has no reflection on your nursing ability.
IMO just because your a nurse you shouldn't have to change.
Man! This is awesome that this thread is still going on. :) My hair is just finally getting long enough to do the faux hawk, but so far I'm not liking it that much. I still have not checked my unit policies, but today I saw someone with a mohawk that was cute short but only went to the crown of the skull (I guess its a faux hawk then) I'm seriously considering doing this now because it would be clean cut. I go to the hospital again on Thursday so I'll find out then.
Well, although I see where you are going with the idea of trying to end stereotypes and show people that you can be a fabulous nurse with some style to boot, I just don't think it is the place for that. I don't even wear printed scrubs because I think plain is more professional and respected. Being a 22 year old female I want to be taken seriously and not as a distraction, so I wear minimal make-up and keep my hair back.
There was this one nurse who went through some sort of self-expression thing at the hospital and wore one pink croc and one orange to her shift. She was fired. And I think it was rightfully done (this wasn't her first offense) and by doing this she was showing that her mind wasn't really on her patients and her work it was on herself.
I am sure this is not what your intentions are, however, it is just a good idea to keep in mind what others might view your self expression as. Patients want to feel like they have your whole focus and coworkers want to feel like a team. I think it is ok to try some sort of short spiky style just to add flare, but I don't think you are going to accomplish what you are hoping for by having a mohawk.
I find this an interesting thread. I am that boring nurse who chooses to wear all white, mostly will pull hair away from my face into a tail . Makeup conservative, not what I would wear out to dinner. I wear white, as I tell co-workers as I am too darn lazy in the morning to figure out what to wear, so all white works for me. Truth be told, for twenty years on psych we wore street clothes. I was a clothes horse, still am on my off time. I no longer feel at work that my individuality needs to be expressed by what I wear. I do realize that wearing all white I guess is a statement also.
I love seeing what my co-workers wear to work. The colors are awesome and bold prints quite interesting. Hairstyles vary some conservative, some quite trendy. I have noticed patients love the variety of what our staff wears.
I am a 6 ft 4 in tall, 270 lb., bald, fu man chu wearing RN. As long a you give safe, quality care, who cares what you look like? If they sign my check, they can tell me to grow hair and shave my fu.
this is just my opinion but in my school being a nurse is a highly respectable job idk but i think some hospitals dont have a protocol about hair styles and how their staff dress but mostly and alot of hospitals has a hair and dresscode so unless you want to be hardheaded and have a mohawk hairstyle go but i doubt there is a hospital which allows that kind of hairdo
I say get whatever hairsytle you want as long as you work toward being the best nurse you can possibly be.
Myself, I go to the barbershop every Friday and get a taper fade with a razor line to keep my hairline lined up. I also have tattoos all of which represent my faith and my heritage. My background is native american and my ancestors are Taino, Mexica, and Hopi Indians. I honestly could care less is someone dislikes my tattoos. I'm representing my ancestors on my ancestral homeland so if a patient or coworker doesn't like that's their problem. Also, on the note of long hair not being professional, I wouldn't worry about that. Just think of the cultural genocide the indigenous people of the americas went through when europeans came here. Males were forced by europeans to cut their long hair because they felt it was more proper...wrong.
Specializes in Med-Surg, Geriatric, Behavioral Health.
I say get whatever hairsytle you want as long as you work toward being the best nurse you can possibly be.
Myself, I go to the barbershop every Friday and get a taper fade with a razor line to keep my hairline lined up. I also have tattoos all of which represent my faith and my heritage. My background is native american and my ancestors are Taino, Mexica, and Hopi Indians. I honestly could care less is someone dislikes my tattoos. I'm representing my ancestors on my ancestral homeland so if a patient or coworker doesn't like that's their problem. Also, on the note of long hair not being professional, I wouldn't worry about that. Just think of the cultural genocide the indigenous people of the americas went through when europeans came here. Males were forced by europeans to cut their long hair because they felt it was more proper...wrong.
Praise to you, my friend.
I wear a hoop earring in my left ear...to honor my father and to honor my American Indian heritage. My earring stays put. It has nothing to do with my being a nurse.
I just cut it into what I'm going to label the business hawk. Its really short and I plan on keeping it that way. It stops at the crown of my head. I have to work tomorrow so I will see what my unit manager says. I'm very happy with it though.
Your hair does not measure how good of a nurse you are. I say do what you want with it. Patients have other things to worry about other than someone else's mohawk.
Yep. This.
I am a 6 ft 4 in tall, 270 lb., bald, fu man chu wearing RN. As long a you give safe, quality care, who cares what you look like? If they sign my check, they can tell me to grow hair and shave my fu.
Otherwise, leave me alone.
6'4"? 270? Nobody is gonna say anything, brother. And why would they? Quality work and safe is about all they should be asking for. Not getting body slammed.
I just cut it into what I'm going to label the business hawk. Its really short and I plan on keeping it that way. It stops at the crown of my head. I have to work tomorrow so I will see what my unit manager says. I'm very happy with it though.
Gotta see pics! I need to see the business hawk. Sounds pretty good, actually. People are waaay too uptight sometimes. I respect someone's individuality or expression. More often than not, there is a good story behind it. (Tats, hair, piercing, whathaveyou)
J_PIERCE_823
9 Posts
I sure can relate. I've had a mohawk, my ears are guaged to 3/4 inch, and I have a couple tats. People can be very quick to judge, especially superiors. Be careful, but be yourself.