not looking "put together"

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I have been guilty of this as well.......occasionally

Do most nurses have trouble looking "put together" at work?-hair out of their eyes, 'fuzzy' eyebrows-the list goes on.

I think I have co-workers that truly try to look their worst at work-rumpled scrubs, etc.

Do you see the same thing?

Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.

We practically go to work in Pajamas, how "put together" do you expect us to look?:clown:

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Specializes in Psych..

I do things for myself that make me feel good about myself and confident in my appearance.

I wear clean scrubs of a uniform color, shower, straighten my hair or pull it back, and put on an appropriate amount of makeup. Sometimes on my days off, I might skip a shower or makeup, but I always do it for work.

Working in psych, it's important to me to feel confident. When I come into work confident, I feel like I do a better job at helping others work on improving their self esteem. Plus, it helps me to have showered when I'm encouraging others to shower and attend to things of that sort.

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I stopped wearing full makeup years ago, got tired of it melting off my face by the end of the shift. Reapplying it during a busy shift was a joke.

Now I wear mascara on my blond eyelashes, cover up for dark circles under my eyes and some sort of lip balm for dryness. I always shower and wear clean scrubs, hair off my face.

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Specializes in CVICU, Obs/Gyn, Derm, NICU.
I think too many nurses in the profession, especially the ones that work the night shift, let themselves go.

I can't stand to see it and feel that it is very unprofessional. We see family members around the clock and I don't want some family member questioning the type of care that I may/may not give by my appearance.

Every day, I wear a clean uniform, I iron it (because it ALWAYS looks better), my lab coat is starched and ironed, I fix my hair, put on some small earrings and wear full makeup, which I touch up during my lunch.

If you look, very, very closely as to who is in charge at your hospital, upper-level managers, etc...I would wager 90% of them look the part, and probably did long before they were promoted.

Our managers mostly look great too.

I always try to look polished and professional ..... always ironed, shoes always clean. No-one ever sees my underwear at work

Apply mineral makeup plus blush, eyeshadow, eyeliner, concealer, mascara, lipliner and matching gloss, eyebrows groomed.

Freshen up at lunchtime and add some powder. I have combination skin and a bit of powder stops it all from sliding off.

Always carry lipliner and gloss in pocket so can reapply throughout the shift. I spend a fair bit at a good hair salon every 6 weeks for good quality colour and cut.

Wear some nice small diamond earrings and matching necklace.

All this helps people relate to me more positively. I have noticed that doctors and families treat me more respectfully than some of my coworkers who are unshaven, wrinkled ......and worse still .... have dirty hair.

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Specializes in forensic psych, corrections.

I work in a prison surrounded by men who stare at me like they have never seen a female before. I strive to look as plain as possible. I wear minimal makeup, I pull my clean hair back from my face, and wear clean (not ironed, thank you very much, and not fitted either) scrubs and that's about what they get. Moisturizer and chapstick.

My one indulgence is my patent leather leopard print Danskos.

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Specializes in Med-Surg Nursing.

Ive been an RN since 1997. I have NEVER once ironed my scrubs. Nor have I had any complaints about it. I also work noc shifts and rarely put makeup on. I shower before work, brush my teeth, fix my hair, don clean scrubs and a very light Bath and Body works spray and off I go. I also have about a 35-40 min commute so time is of the essence, especially when I'm back that night for a 12hr shift.

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Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.

I do see this and I think it is horrible. Some people come dressed for a fashion show and some come like they just got out of bed. I believe strongly that when you are delivering health care you need to look very clean and organized because it presents to the patient that you know what you are doing. If you don't even care enough to look your best, can your work be sloppy as well? I HATE : excess jewelry (especially rings on all fingers), unkept nails, tats everywhere, dirty shoes, dirty, wrinkled scrubs, outfits that don't match, hair hanging around the face, excessive makeup, and gum chewing. I understand that I am dating myself here but that is the way I was taught in nursing school thousands of years ago and I just can't get past it. If it were up to me nurses would wear white again (don't send me hate mail. I know I am in the minority on this).

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Specializes in NICU, Post-partum.
We practically go to work in Pajamas, how "put together" do you expect us to look?:clown:

Professional enough not to look like you slept in them and to come to work looking like you are capable of saving someone's life and not looking like you just crawled out of bed and decided to wing it.

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Specializes in cardiovascular.

You're kidding right? After the various bodily fluids I have had splashed on me, all the isolation patients I have taken care of while sweating under the paper gowns, and the time spent sweating in hot rooms inhabited by elderly patients now I'm supposed to wear make up and do my hair too?

How about I just show up to work clean and ready to jump in and take care of my patients? You know, so they can live to see another day.

When it's time to go out I'll take the time to dress in nice clothes, put on makeup and do my hair.

I didn't get into nursing to be a model . . . good thing too, I'm not cute and I'm kind of cynical and sarcastic to boot.

Andie

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You sound like my kind of gal, Andie! I'm with you on this one.

While I don't think it's necessarily appropriate to show up in wrinkled scrubs, neither do I think it is necessary or appropriate to show up made up as if going out on the town. There's plenty of room for personal style, and no make up, clean clothes and pulled back hair are as fine as a little make up and ironed clothes (though who in their right mind buys scrubs that need to be ironed? People with more time on their hands than I have, apparently).

The extremes on the spectrum are both inappropriate, I think most of us agree.

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If you look, very, very closely as to who is in charge at your hospital, upper-level managers, etc...I would wager 90% of them look the part, and probably did long before they were promoted.

Please. Our managers do not have to sweat, do any manual labor, certainly aren't intimately involved in bodily fluids of any sort, nor work a 12 hour shift at a high pace. They walk around with a coffee in their nice, manicured hands and have an uberabundance of self importance. They wear heels or Italian leather loafers, suits that cost more than my entire wardrobe, and don't have a single callus on any finger. They couldn't hang with me for 2 hours on my unit.

I hope to God I don't look as superfluous and useless as they do.

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(though who in their right mind buys scrubs that need to be ironed? People with more time on their hands than I have, apparently).

*raises hand*

i have bought cotton scrubs many times, which always s/b ironed.

while a cotton/poly blend is more practical, i am much more comfortable in my all-cottons.

leslie:)

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