Male Nurse Hair Styles

[Benners]

I'm new to the site and before opening this thread I browsed around to see if there were any topics open or even comments on male nurse hair styles. All of the current (to my knowledge) are just hair styles or tips for females which makes sense given the occupation. So if I missed a forum on this topic I apologize. But as the subject states I simply am curious as to what is expected from a male nurse in regards to his doo!

I am starting first year nursing and though my hairstyle may be acceptable through school and maybe not, I figured I'd ask from different sources. I currently have a faux hawk, which essentially is a mo-hawk with short hair on the sides. The center strip isn't any more than 2-3 inches in length so it's not outrageous but it is a little more exotic and wild than most. The reason I'm curious and I don't just cut my hair is, I feel my hair is in some ways apart of my personality. It may sound strange, but I've had this hair style since I was a little boy and I've grown into it.

So, what hair styles are suitable for male nurses?

Many thanks!

[Altra, BSN, RN]

What is considered "acceptable" will vary hugely based on region, employment setting, and individual workplace cultures. The personal styles of my male coworkers run the gamut from faux-hawks to someone who would probably wear his bow tie & wing tip shoes with scrubs if it wouldn't be an infection control nightmare. :)

In general, it's always safe to lean towards more conservative styles when you are a "guest" at a workplace ... and that includes both as a student and as a jobseeker. But as I said ... the definition of "conservative" will vary widely.

Good luck to you. :)

[decembergrad2011, BSN, RN]

Your clinical instructors will give you specific instructions on dress code. They do this in order to ding you for points if you break it, lol. Girls could only wear one pair of stud earrings, and no other piercings visible. Hair had to be off the shoulders. Many girls wore their hair long and in ponytails or some other fashion for the first semester or two, then many cut it short, which is why you see many short haired nurses of either gender. Men's faces had to be clean shaven or trimmed beard. Tattoos had to be covered by clothing, sweat band, or in one case, bandage because it was upper middle back region creeping toward neck.

But seriously, they will tell you what you need to do in order to fit into their little group of baby nurses. It gets much more liberal when you get out of school at the work place, within reason. I don't think your hair sounds like a concern in either setting though, really.

[aTOMicTom]

even 2-3" could look pretty crazy if it's "glued" up spiky. Need pics (not necessarily you, but from google images for faux hawk for a haircut like yours).

Agree with others that professional is the key word here, but what do I know, I'm just a student.

You may know there's a Male Nursing Forum on here, but you'll get more input here I think.

Good luck!

Tom

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

I totally agree that nursing schools tend to be much more conservative about such things than the actual places of employment where nurses work. My school hammered home that unconventional hairdos, visible tats and piercing were unprofessional and unacceptable. Once I entered real world nursing, I quickly saw that most employers were far more liberal than my former nursing instructors.

I know exactly what a faux hawk is. I think it's a pretty cool look, if you can pull it off. I don't even consider it all that outré, really. You'd have to be the most uptight square from Squaresville to be offended by it. (just kidding..... sort of)

[applewhitern, BSN, RN]

Well, I feel old! I remember way back when I was in high school, male hair had to be extremely short. Females could not even wear pants to school. No blue jeans on anybody. Girls even had to wear skirts for physical ed classes. Anyway, it varies widely by region, and really depends on your employer. Maybe you could wear one of those surgeon's caps designed for men, during your clinicals? We have some men who wear them all the time at my hospital. That way you could keep your haircut and still look professional.

[bradons]

I wear my hair as a mess at work and actually get comments from other people on how it looks.

Last night it was a disaster. Even my supervisor commented on it looking good.

Half the time I forget to shave as well.

[murse3000]

I have dreads and they are pretty long , should I be worried

[silverbat]

I am a female nurse (LOL) who likes long hair on guys!!

In a professional setting for male and female nurses hair should be clean and neat, pulled back in a braid, ponytail, etc., if long and the style should not too frightening. Remember, you will be taking care of older generation patients who may not be accoustomed to wild, unusual or different hair styles. not to say you can't maintain individuality, but just keep it clean and neat.

As far as dreads go.....basically if they are clean, neat, smell good, kept back like other long hair....should be ok.

[Biffbradford]

Depends on where you work, I guess. Assuming large hospital: be conservative and keep it short (ish). You never know who you are taking care of. Whether you care or not, you could be taking care of a very VIP that impacts the impression they get of your employer, and that can come full circle back to you. Even tatoos that say *US ARMY* (and there are lots of ex-military working in healthcare) should probably be tastefully covered. Just say'n.

Among the staff, I see all sorts of hair styles... 'hawks, ponies, buzzes, 'fros, shaved... (no mullets, anymore)

Among students and job seekers, though... conservative and nondescript should the plan.

You can always grow it out again.

[lub dub]

If you want to be thought of as a professional, then you must LOOK like a professional.