Long hair at the bedside

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Specializes in MCH,NICU,NNsy,Educ,Village Nursing.

I have a question. Have things changed in hospitals at the bedside to the point that nurses who have waist length hair are no longer required to have it in a pony tail or braid or bun? A few weeks ago my husband had a procedure done in the GI lab. One of the nurses came into the waiting room to call the next patient back into the patient admit area and her hair was long enough she could sit on it, and not restrained in any way. All I could think of was "yuck" and "fomite!". I wanted to run up to her and give her my infection control talk, but didn't....maybe I should have...

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I have a question. Have things changed in hospitals at the bedside to the point that nurses who have waist length hair are no longer required to have it in a pony tail or braid or bun? A few weeks ago my husband had a procedure done in the GI lab. One of the nurses came into the waiting room to call the next patient back into the patient admit area and her hair was long enough she could sit on it, and not restrained in any way. All I could think of was "yuck" and "fomite!". I wanted to run up to her and give her my infection control talk, but didn't....maybe I should have...

It's still part of our dress code, but it's not really enforced.

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Specializes in Med/Surge, Psych, LTC, Home Health.

I have noticed too, that places have eased up on making people tie

their long hair back. I think that if it is so long that it is definitely

dragging into everyone's space and touching everything, it needs

to be tied back.

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Specializes in Urgent Care, Oncology.
It's still part of our dress code, but it's not really enforced.

Same for us. I cannot stand having hair on the back of my neck so mine is always up!

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Specializes in Mental Health, Gerontology, Palliative.

I get sometimes that it can feel tight and uncomfortable when scragged up in a knot, but for the love of god if you are doing a procedure, or its touching/intruding into your patients space, tie it up, or cut it off

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I have hair down to my waist and yes I keep it up at all times on the floor. Not really enforced but I dont want God knows what sticking in my hair

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Specializes in Case manager, float pool, and more.

It is enforced where I work. Ponytail or bun for those with longer hair.

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Specializes in Varied.

Isn't there a horror story passed around in nursing school about the raunchy infections nurses have gotten from their hair getting into "stuff"?

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Specializes in Hematology-oncology.

I have long hair, and almost always wear it up in a high ponytail or bun. I don't know that it's in the dress code though, and I've seen other nurses at my place of employment wear their hair down, but like the PP said...I just don't feel neat or tidy unless it's up.

Also, I have many nursing superstitions, and one of them is that if I don't put my hair up, I'll be assigned at least one patient with a complicated/time consuming dressing change. :unsure:

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Specializes in critical care, ER,ICU, CVSURG, CCU.

Ok, not to start a religious debate, just evidence based best practice.

1st.... I wish I could grow long hair like that, but I'm an old " COB"... and our hair tends to thin and not grow as fast..... sorry I digress...

Best practice is for hair be off shoulders, pulled back in poney tail or bun...

Please don't make me break out my "cap" and white clinic shoes......

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Specializes in critical care, ER,ICU, CVSURG, CCU.

We need Davey Do input on this ( grins)

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We need Davey Do input on this ( grins)

Davey Davey Do..where are you??

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