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I was just reading another forum here "What do you bring to work." Many RNs mentioned they bring gum. One RN though said that she forbids her staff to chew a gum on the floor. I sure understand that it does not look good when you obviously chew the gum when taking to a patient or a family but on the other hand... are we to much restricted when it comes to our looks and actions? In nursing school they provided a long list to us of what we should not wear to a clinical. My uniform was dark blue and made of polyster! I could only wear plain white shoes, white socks, white Tshirt, etc. No make up, no nails, no earrings. A hair should be in a ponytail. My instructor even suggested I do something with my bangs (they are long and to the side, not in my eyes though). But have you seen female residents? High heels, skirts, jewelry, hair done... maybe it's just at my hospital. Anyway, while in nursing school, I modeled too and I appreciate women's beauty. I refuse to accept that "plain" stands for "professional". I do use some make up, buy nice uniforms (no flowers and sponge bobs though!!!), and even though I have short nails, I always have them done and I still have my bangs to the side... I also always have a pack of gum with me and I only heard the compliments from coworkers, my supervisors and patients , noting about being unprofessional... Maybe we are not just RNs, but women too...
If you se me at work, my scrubs are nopt ironed. They would get wrinkled anyways before i even got there. I might have shaved this week, then again maybe not, after years in the military I despise having to shave everyday. I comb my hair everyday but it gets windblown on the way to work as I usually ride my harley to work and I don't always wear a helmet, and if I do wear a helmet I get helmet hair. I do keep my hair short though, I am losing it a bit and I cannot stand long hair on guys who are losing it. I do not chew gum, but then again I have not chewed it since high school, but I do pop altoids. Gum chewing does not bother me at all.
ah yes, chewing gum. i personally love to chew mint gum because i think it is a favor to my patients. after downing a quick cup of coffee or a cheese stick, i can get nasty breath. a breath mint or a quick brush just doesn't cut it. i've talked with some nurses who have the worst breath i've ever smelled.and when we bend over patients while auscultating or adjusting linens, many patients have no choice but to smell it. i think a small piece of gum, discretely chewed, is more professional than awful halitosis.
what do the rest of you think?
the problem isn't the small piece of gum, discretely chewed. the problem is the large wad of gum popping and smacking, bubbles blowing and chomping with the mouth open. i know all you gum chewers claim your gum chewing isn't noticeable, but all too frequently it is. that's not only unprofessional, but it's low-class as well.
the problem isn't the small piece of gum, discretely chewed. the problem is the large wad of gum popping and smacking, bubbles blowing and chomping with the mouth open. i know all you gum chewers claim your gum chewing isn't noticeable, but all too frequently it is.
i think the rule-making in the units is likely a result of the few who ruin it for the masses. some of my co-workers chew gum, and i'd never know it. however, there are a few that make me feel like i should be carrying an umbrella. i swear that i walk away and i'm wearing their minty freshness. ick!!! what other professional would chew gum during a meeting? in my last career, gum was always a no-no....without exception!
personally, i don't chew gum because i just don't enjoy it, and i think it's kind of gross. i just brush my teeth after i eat a meal, and carry breath mints in my pocket.
as for the other appearance and smells stuff....
we don't wear any jewelry below the elbows, no nails longer than 1/4 inch, no polish of any kind, and no perfume that's going to stink up the babies or trigger someone's allergies. i'm also a scrub-ironer, i wear enough make-up to feel put-together, and i prefer to have my hair up (i don't like hair all over stuff, getting in my way, or making me feel even hotter).
it really bothers me when staff comes to work looking like they just got out of bed...snapping gum (it looks like a substitute for a toothbrush)...hair looking like it hasn't been washed or brushed in a week. gross. it's funny, because they are often the ones standing around gossiping, talking about their last drunken escapade, and ignoring every alarm. they want to talk about nurses not being treated like professionals. well....gee whiz.....try looking and acting the part! (yes, i know this doesn't apply to everyone treated unfairly.)
Why are scrubs not permitted? I think it looks way better than the tight sweaters or jeans so many of our residents wear.
Historically, scrubs were to be worn only in the operating room, and physicians were expected to present a professional appearance. Even today, many of the older training programs (especially on the East Coast) insist that residents change from scrubs to professional attire when going from the OR to the wards.
Somewhere along the way a lot of programs loosened up, and now it's not uncommon to see scrubs everywhere at all hours of the day. My own program allows scrubs 24/7 while on a surgical service. Even our Medicine department permits scrubs after 5pm, which in my mind is absolutely ridiculous, since scrubs are a working uniform, and Internists don't actually do work.
Despite the rise of the internet, the physician-patient relationship still retains characteristics of authoritarianism and paternalism, and it looks like most patients prefer it that way. There are a billion studies out there on patient preference of physicians' dress and manner. One study that struck me showed that while 40% of surveyed patients preferred their doctor to address them by their first name, only 10% of those same patients wanted to call their doctor by their first name. Also, from the American Journal of Medicine (NOV 2005), over 75% of patients preferred physicians to wear professional attire with a white coat, while 10% preferred scrubs.
I rarely chew gum anywhere because I personally find it difficult to talk with it in my mouth. I do keep my toothbrush, toothpaste, and mouthwash in my locker. I know many people at work who chew gum, and I don't find it offensive at all. I have never heard a patient complain about it either. I think you should stick to whatever works best for you as long as you're not breaking any rules.
Funny this topic has come up. I despise chewing gum. Truly I would rather smell bad breath than that horrible icky mint smell. It makes me nauseous. JMO.[/quote']Well, funny that you should mention that "icky mint smell". What I'm about to relate is totally :offtopic:, but...
We have this PEPPERMINT OIL stuff that our techs put in patients' rooms whenever there is a major code brown. OMG, the smell of that stuff makes me GAG. I would seriously rather smell the poop.
Anyway, BACK ON TOPIC. Ummm... I chew gum too and am probably not always as discreet about it as I should be, I will totally admit right here. I'm a terrible smacker. I'll bet the patients still like that better than my horrible coffee breath, though.
*ac*
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Why are scrubs not permitted? I think it looks way better than the tight sweaters or jeans so many of our residents wear.