skirts to work

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hello everyone,

do you guys see nurses who wear skirts to work treated differently.

also since I'm going to start nursing school in the fall, will there be any reason why there would be an issue if i wear a skirt instead of pants as a uniform?

Specializes in Critical Care.

I've seen a couple long nursing skirts on online scrub sites. I think its ok as long as they are long enough.

I'm just a new nursing student, but in my experience, I've noticed people in general respect me more when I wear a nice skirt rather than my typical jeans. When I was little I wore more skirts than jeans and I like skirts, but I don't like to stick out, so I'm gonna wear scrub pants for N.S.

I'd say do what makes you feel comfortable :)

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Specializes in Critical Care.
We have a house supervisor that always wears skirts. She's just old school that way. :) I don't really think anything of it, but I think if one day she wore pants, I'd spend the day wondering what looked odd about her.

I do peds, and so we all wear cute prints. There was a nursing student one time that wore a long skirt, and I'm assuming was muslim, as she wore a scarf that she must have specially made because the scarf was made out of a cute duck print. I just thought it was the cutest thing, and thought it was so nice the way she combined her culture with the environment she was in.

Very cute :)

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

I am operating on the assumption that the OP is female - if so, why would there be any ruckus at all? On the other hand, if it is a male there may be a few eyebrows raised. Hey, I just came back from a visit to Portland, OR and saw about a dozen men wearing skirts (not kilts, SKIRTS) at different places -- including a Home Depot!!!! Hmm - I wonder if our uniform dress code covers this? LOL

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also since I'm going to start nursing school in the fall, will there be any reason why there would be an issue if i wear a skirt instead of pants as a uniform?

Might get some double takes if you are a guy! I believe the girls have the option to wear skirts in our program. No one does, but there are some older class pictures with a few of the women in skirts.

After a very short time, people will get to know you and won't even notice what you are wearing. (Assuming you maintain professional attire).

There is an RN at a SNF I used to work at who is also a nun. She wears a the hat and skirt to work every day and everyone calls her "Sister." She is a great nurse, universally liked, and no one ever comments on her attire.

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Specializes in ER, Oncology, Preop, Recovery.

I say Live and let live. As long as you take care of your patients, act professionally and don't flash your privates, there should not be an issue :) I know some older patients are nostalgic of the days when nurses wore whites and caps, so they especially might appreciate a nurse wearing a nice skirt.

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Yeah, I've always thought it ironic that skirts have a reputation as being more modest or religious than pants, when they're clearly more revealing. I guess it's because pants make it obvious that you have a crotch, whereas a skirt blurs over that fact. But really, pants cover your body, but with a skirt there's basically nothing between your panties and the rest of the world.

Aside from the possibilities Laura mentioned of accidentally flashing people when you're being active.... there are also more possibilities for a deliberate invasion of your privacy. If I worked with adult patients, I would hate to wear a skirt when in close contact with strangers. It's a lot easier to put a hand/camera up your skirt than down your pants.

If you have to wear a skirt because of your religion, I'd suggest wearing thin pants or leggings under it.

Everyone that has posted that actually knows someone who wears a skirt hasn't seen any of these kinds of problems with it. As I said before, if someone does take issue with it, it's his/her problem, not the OP's. As long as she isn't violating any dress code, she has a right to wear a skirt if she wants to.

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I didn't mean to come across as so negative... I think that the appropriateness of wearing skirts on a hospital floor depends on why you are wearing them - if you're wearing a hijab, or a kapp (Mennonite), that's one thing, but I can't say that any of the skirt wearers I've known (granted, it's only three) have been observing religious preferences... most of them wanted to separate themselves from their nursing peers. There's a reason we got rid of the practice of wearing skirts to work - they increase the perception of nurse-as-a-sex-object and as subordinate to our male colleagues. Unless there is a genuine conviction that is also displayed in one's personal life (i.e. one doesn't ever wear pants), I don't feel that it's really appropriate.

"Old-school" nurses are one thing, but the OP is new-school..! :D

believe it or not I only skirts or dresses (no pants) for all occasions.:)

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believe it or not I only skirts or dresses (no pants) for all occasions.:)

Good for you! Stick to your guns. There's nothing wrong with wearing skirts and it's not for anyone else to say it's inappropriate.

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Everyone that has posted that actually knows someone who wears a skirt hasn't seen any of these kinds of problems with it. As I said before, if someone does take issue with it, it's his/her problem, not the OP's. As long as she isn't violating any dress code, she has a right to wear a skirt if she wants to.

That's an assumption - you don't know who anybody posting here "actually knows". Some prefer to make their points with general ideas rather than personal anecdotes. And if you doubt that there are men who will take advantage of the vulnerability that goes with wearing a skirt, I suggest that you google "upskirt". I would suggest that you google the equivalent term for women wearing pants for the sake of comparison, but as far as I know no such term/Media niche exists.

I agree though that it's the OP's decision and she can wear whatever her institution's dress code allows. But she came here and asked our opinions about nurses in skirts, so I'm not going to hesitate to tell her why I think it's an impractical idea.

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Yeah, I've always thought it ironic that skirts have a reputation as being more modest or religious than pants, when they're clearly more revealing. I guess it's because pants make it obvious that you have a crotch, whereas a skirt blurs over that fact. But really, pants cover your body, but with a skirt there's basically nothing between your panties and the rest of the world.

Aside from the possibilities Laura mentioned of accidentally flashing people when you're being active.... there are also more possibilities for a deliberate invasion of your privacy. If I worked with adult patients, I would hate to wear a skirt when in close contact with strangers. It's a lot easier to put a hand/camera up your skirt than down your pants.

If you have to wear a skirt because of your religion, I'd suggest wearing thin pants or leggings under it.

for one thing skirts leaves little for ones imagination, skirts don't show the form of your butt or legs.

I'll keep in mind to put leggings under my skirts. I've done this in other ocassions.

By the way, have people actually experienced or witness a patient putting their hand/camera under the skirt?!

if that happened to me, only God knows what I would do!

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I am operating on the assumption that the OP is female - if so, why would there be any ruckus at all? On the other hand, if it is a male there may be a few eyebrows raised. Hey, I just came back from a visit to Portland, OR and saw about a dozen men wearing skirts (not kilts, SKIRTS) at different places -- including a Home Depot!!!! Hmm - I wonder if our uniform dress code covers this? LOL

You've got to be kidding me! :eek::lol2:

At first I thought you meant a place in Scotland or something like than I reread this post and was like what?!

by the way, what does OP mean. I'm sorta new to this.

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That's an assumption - you don't know who anybody posting here "actually knows". Some prefer to make their points with general ideas rather than personal anecdotes. And if you doubt that there are men who will take advantage of the vulnerability that goes with wearing a skirt, I suggest that you google "upskirt". I would suggest that you google the equivalent term for women wearing pants for the sake of comparison, but as far as I know no such term/Media niche exists.

I agree though that it's the OP's decision and she can wear whatever her institution's dress code allows. But she came here and asked our opinions about nurses in skirts, so I'm not going to hesitate to tell her why I think it's an impractical idea.

It's not an assumption. If you actually read the posts, several people stated that they know someone who wears skirts, including myself. I don't know these other people personally (a correct ASSUMPTION on your part, but an assumption all the same since you don't know who I know), but I have no reason to disbelieve that they actually know someone who wears skirts to work if they SAID they did. As for the other stuff, I believe that those things have happened, I just don't believe that it is nearly as prevalent your post made it sound.

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