Nurses need to be tall and beautiful???

Silverdragon102, BSN · Jun 9, 2009

I would image there would be a big uprising if something like this was advertised

Lucia cong · Jun 10, 2009

I would image there would be a big uprising if something like this was advertised

So that means there's no such request in western country?

I really hope there's no such requests. That is discrimination,so unfair!!

smilenurse · Jun 10, 2009

Lucia cong ! There is no standard in the western world. Nurses in Australia come in all shapes and sizes - skinny to the fattest, tall to mini, beautiful to the ugly, even sometimes cross eyed. Hope this will answer your question?

allnurses Guide · Jun 10, 2009

It is illegal to discriminate based on appearance. You certainly could not put that in the job ad.

ceridwyn · Jun 10, 2009

I worked in a big GP family practice and the doctors wifes were always in on the interviews for any new practice nurses to make sure tall, pretty nurses were never employed. :lol2: :nono:

If you were tall and pretty and skinny would nursing be the job for you? think I would try something else with that appearance. :twocents:

On the other hand, they seem to be getting more prettier and taller where I work, maybe I am just getting older, and shorter and fatter:cry:

Anita2 · Jun 14, 2009

I have to say, i disagree with you, Lucia Cong.

This kinda image criteria for nursing job application in China is not true. If things happen like this, i reckon this 'image request' probably applies to certain area such as OR, where is more favorable to have mid-tall staff, let's say, >160cm, but of course it is not absolutely a reason to reject short nurses to be OR nurses, based on my experience and some of my colleagues have been through (BTW, i'm 159cm, and i am not pretty, not slim at all unfortunately.

^-^ But i've been accepted for working in OR for 8yrs plus 2yrs in ICU ).

I think if you are comfident, well-equipped with nursing knowledge, practice, quality, etc.... nowhere would reject you just because you are not pretty enough, not tall enough... Let me assume, if a hospital said NO to you because of this 'request', i do feel for you. BUT it's unfair for other countless hopsitals to get the same conclusion, which implies they also have the same 'request'.

I suggest you do a research before making a conclusion like this, at least, this situation in the city i live and the hospitals(x3) i work for is NOT TRUE.

I hope the answer i gave did not upset you, as i am telling a truth from my expeirence and what i've seen.

Good luck to your future, and i hope you can get what you want wherever you go.

Anita

Lucia cong · Jun 17, 2009

I have to say, i disagree with you, Lucia Cong.
This kinda image criteria for nursing job application in China is not true. If things happen like this, i reckon this 'image request' probably applies to certain area such as OR, where is more favorable to have mid-tall staff, let's say, >160cm, but of course it is not absolutely a reason to reject short nurses to be OR nurses, based on my experience and some of my colleagues have been through (BTW, i'm 159cm, and i am not pretty, not slim at all unfortunately.
^-^ But i've been accepted for working in OR for 8yrs plus 2yrs in ICU ).
I think if you are comfident, well-equipped with nursing knowledge, practice, quality, etc.... nowhere would reject you just because you are not pretty enough, not tall enough... Let me assume, if a hospital said NO to you because of this 'request', i do feel for you. BUT it's unfair for other countless hopsitals to get the same conclusion, which implies they also have the same 'request'.
I suggest you do a research before making a conclusion like this, at least, this situation in the city i live and the hospitals(x3) i work for is NOT TRUE.
I hope the answer i gave did not upset you, as i am telling a truth from my expeirence and what i've seen.
Good luck to your future, and i hope you can get what you want wherever you go.
Anita

Thank you.

I will start my intership in hospital soon. A few months before,several hospitals in beijing and shang hai came to my university to choose nursing students.They all have that kind of requests and i have been rejectedj several times,because i am short and skinny.They choosen students just depend on appearence.They did not even ask the study records.Before i choosing this major nobody told me there is this kind of requests.

Now i am just confused and worried about my future.It is ture that not every hospital in china has this kind of requests .But it seems that more and more of them do .

joannep · Jun 17, 2009

I have heard similar stories from nurses who have worked in South American countries.

Maybe discrimination happens here in Australia, maybe we just don't acknowledge it does because we think we are protected by legislation. Plenty of young married women and older grey haired ladies know that in the real world it does.

marslarks · Jun 17, 2009

well..there are actually some hospitals that hire pretty, young and tall nurses..from were i work from, they recently have been hiring young, pretty and about 5 feet and above female and male nurses..and most of the patient i encounter often have comments like "all nurses here are beautiful or all of you are young" when you visit our hospital from the med tech's to rad techs has the same kind of staff..its not a requirement but mostly these are the characteristics..not all are pretty and the likes but most are..

emmalou* · Jun 22, 2009

Actually this wouldn't surprise me particularly - I mean it probably doesn't happen in Australia but let's face it, if nursing was hugely competitive, I'm sure there are employers who would try this on. It happens in the corporate sector all the time. Also in Qld where I reside, we currently have no legislation against hiring or not hiring based on personal appearance (I've heard it's different in Victoria however). That said, you can't advertise it in writing (in the way the OP described), but when employers see you in the interviewing process they can certainly form an opinion, shall we say.

I have heard of age discrimination in nursing. A certain hospital in Qld (who shall remain nameless) up until the 90s, was quite blatantly only hiring nurses under 35. I'm guessing with the nursing shortage which came along after that they couldn't afford to do that anymore.

Just playing devil's advocate I guess ....

kurandagirl · Jun 24, 2009

Are you serious? I work with a mixed bag here in sydney, thank goodness for variety!