How important is your 'look' as a nurse

[Nola009]

Especially when it comes to getting hired, pay raises and such things. I mean, I'm sure hospital administration can't possibly expect us all to look like super models, but isn't there some sort of 'look' hiring managers tend to gravitate toward?

[wooh, BSN, RN]

Fat and have outlived Karen Carpenter. So at least one skinny person I'm healthier than. But I guess a few here would rather have gotten their health advice from her based solely on BMI?

[Oedgar]

It is well documented that more attractive people tend to find jobs more easily and get better salaries. As with any profession, it is important to look neat and presentable. I was recently hired after many years at home, and I am certainly no Miss America. However, I am groomed, lightly made-up, and of small/medium build. I have to watch my weight with portion control. Arthritis has taken over much of my body, so unless I get my own heated pool, there won't be much exercise. My new doc/boss is very fit, young, and beautiful. I sometimes wonder what she would think of me if I gained weight or something.

I have worked with nurses of all ages, shapes and sizes... the only requirement should be looking/smelling presentable and keeping up physically on the job.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

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[CrazyGoonRN]

Overweight nurses giving education on a healthy lifestyle is always ironic. Look matters.

In school I had a nursing instructor who weighed approx 400 lbs. she was awesome but her weight clearly hindered her nursing abilities. At a hospital we walked to the elevator in the lobby and rode a few floors up, got off and walked a short distance down the hall and she had sweat rolling down her face and was SOB. It was a major distraction for the students while she was teaching us the layout of a typical hospital room. All I could think of while watching her was what does she do if she needs to perform CPR? Is she even physically able to do it? Also, how could a patient take her seriously if she was teaching them about a healthy lifestyle?

[vintage_RN, BSN, RN]

Being overweight is certainly a health-risk, but it doesn't mean those people should not be educating on health and wellness. I am overweight..why? Because of my lifetime of unhealthy choices and lack of exercise. Simple as that. About a year ago, I started changing my diet, started running, and became very interested in clean, whole-foods eating. I've lost about 30 pounds. I have spent countless hours researching health and nutrition and it has become something I am passionate about. But I am still overweight, I still have a ways to go in my weight loss journey. Point in speaking is..don't judge a book by it's cover. You never know what their story is.

What I am not a fan of is clearly obese people who don't take care of themselves justifying their lifestyle and looking for pity. I acknowledge that I am overweight, that it is my fault that I am that way, and that it is a health-risk that I am trying to change.

[klone, MSN, RN]

What's a "ppl"? And while I'm happy for you that you're getting all fit and healthy, you cannot tell just by looking at someone whether or not THEY are fit and healthy. A fat person may be far more fit and healthy than the skinny person standing right next to her.

PPL = people

And it doesn't make sense to compare one person's health to another, it's an irrelevant comparison. The comparison should be made between a person who is overweight/obese, and that same person if they lost their excess weight through decreased calories/better eating and increased activity. I would say that in all cases, having lost that weight WOULD make them healthier than when they're overweight/obese.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

In trying to stay on the topic of the thread, I think it's reasonable to point out that regardless of how healthy someone may or may not be, how attractive someone may or may not be, it's really a very subjective set of criteria that get ANYONE past the initial interview (and potential follow up interviews).

We can argue day and night about whether or not it's right to assume that someone is healthy or unhealthy based on appearance, but the fact remains that if someone doesn't fit the IMAGE of a "good bet" prospective employee, they aren't going to get to BE an employee.

More than weight goes into image. As I said earlier, grooming, attire, attitude, poise.....all that matters MORE than any one single thing. That doesn't mean that one single thing can't derail the process (ie:" he had this tattoo of Singapore across his whole face") but generally speaking, people are a package deal.

If something in the package is enough to throw it off, so be it. But *most* employers are going to look past *one* thing, and see the whole applicant. If they can't get past the 'one thing', well, it's not a good match, period.

[Ally082]

You're right. That's possible, but not probable.

It is possible but you are not thinking it all the way through.

My best friend is built like a supermodel but she lives a very unhealthy life. She lives off of fast food, beer and a pack a cigarettes a day. She never goes to the doctors because she is too stubborn and cheap. She takes serious risks with her health and will definitely develop more serious health problems before any of our friends do.

Me on the other hand, I eat mainly home cooked/ organic food. I do not smoke, I do not drink but I am cursed with bad genes and I am considered overweight for my height. I am not consistently working out because of how busy I am and when I'm not active I don't lose as much. This is something I am working on but I will tell you something. I have no health issues, I'm extremely healthy. I went to the doctors and they said that my energy levels will improve if I lose weight but everything looks great. The types of foods I eat help me tremendously. There are many types of obese people just like there are many types of thin people. It depends on exactly what they do to their body.

Although this topic is really superficial and some of the comments made sound ridiculous...actually laughable. You are not completely wrong about attractive people statistically getting jobs over unattractive people. However in my experience you can still have a pretty face, great teeth and be very curvy to be considered attractive to many people. It comes down to the person doing the interview.

By the way, these days WHO you know trumps how you look. I'm sure you will learn that in time. You better start networking now to get ahead of the game. Oh and don't get caught making fun of fat nurses, you will ruin your career quickly if you continue doing that.

[Clovery]

Overweight nurses giving education on a healthy lifestyle is always ironic. Look matters.

Maybe the overweight nurse educating the patient about a healthy lifestyle just lost 50 lbs through diet and exercise. Maybe she is still obese at 220 lbs but she used to be close to 300. Or maybe she hasn't lost any weight, but she still has knowledge of the process, maybe more so than the thin nurse who can eat whatever she wants and not put on any fat.

As nurses we are expected to educate patients on plenty of things we have no personal experience with. But we are educated and trained to teach patients. Our personal choices, appearance and lifestyle do not affect our knowledge. Sometimes education from people who have lived the experience is more effective. For example, a pregnant teenager or young person with HIV talking to a group of high school students about safe sex is likely to have more of an effect than the gym teacher.

[Ally082]

I say lead by example. Most overweight people's health are being compromised by their weight. That's why there is such a movement in this country to get people to a healthy weight.

It's the same thing as a healthcare worker that smokes that "gives advice" to their smoking patients on the benefits of quitting.

I agree that healthcare workers should always TRY to be healthier but being healthy is also about what's happening in the body. This should include any size person who has other unhealthy habits like doing drugs once on the job, excessive drinking, or even those with eating disorders like anorexia and you already mentioned smoking. You can look at ones health from many perspectives it's just a matter of how far should society take it into consideration during the hiring process, especially in healthcare.

I mean, what if a thin nurse got pregnant, had a baby and came back to work 50lbs heavier? What if it takes her a year to get the baby weight off because she is busy working to take care if her patients? You never really know what is going on with people so it's a difficult topic to debate..

[klone, MSN, RN]

Again, it's silly to compare the thin supermodel who drinks and smokes to the obese person who eats organic foods and takes walks daily.

The comparison should be a person with a BMI of 32 to the same person with a BMI of 25. All else being equal, the person with the BMI of 25 is going to have fewer health problems than if their BMI is 32.

[Wrench Party]

I want my coworkers to be professional in demeanor, team players and easy to get along with. Beyond them not smelling, not wearing clothes with excessive stains or holes, and not having food stuck in their teeth and beards, I don't care about physical looks.

I've had to help someone pregnant or super tiny a few times with physical tasks, but that's part of being on a team.