The Bearded Nurse

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  1. To shave or not to shave...that is the question.

    • 4
      Shave your face!
    • 7
      Leave the beard.
    • 2
      I couldn't care less what you do dude.

11 members have participated

Hey guys!

So it finally happened! I got offered two different interviews today at a rather prestigious hospital. I am really excited and nervous. However, I have an issue. I have a beard.

It is nothing big...not Duck Dynasty level or anything...and it was never a problem during clinicals.

However, I want to put my best foot forward in this interview. What are your thoughts? Should I shave the beard...or keep it for the interview?

Thanks guys!

I love choice #3.

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Specializes in OR.

I got offered a position recently for a competitive residency program in the OR at a level 1 trauma center recently. I left the beard. They had zero concerns, and I can even keep the beard in the OR if I wear one of the goofy looking hoods.

I've worked as a nurse in TN, VA, SC, and NC. No one has ever said anything about my beard, even at state facilities and prisons. If you like the beard and it makes you feel comfortable going into an interview, I say keep it!

Just my two cents.

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I have never shaved my facial hair throughout my clinical rotations and just got a job offered to me by the first hospital I applied for. I kept my facial hair, BUT I made sure that it was nice, neat, and clean in appearance. Facial hair is rarely a problem in today's society, unless its in the food and beverage industry.

Goodluck!

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Beards are in trend now a days. No worries if you have a beard but make it look stubble and manageable. Not a hipster style but a classy one for the interview. I had the same situation for my interview but when you have a correct attitude, it makes more impact on the panel. Making beard look attractive, grooming it with useful sources is important.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Float Pool Nursing.

For job interviews, I advise going in clean shaven. Not saying that this is a good thing, but being clean shaven gives a more favorable impression in job interviews than going bearded. This has been shown to be statistically true.

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Specializes in Inpatient Rehab.

Shave it, get the job, grow it back.

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Leave it! They came to you WITH the beard and they obviously like/want you ... don't change for anyone. Be you! :)

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I usually run full face, but my recent interview I cleaned it up to make it "look clean". They usually don't specify clean shaven, just clean appearance.

It is worth noting that to use any facial mask required by OSHA that needs to have a FACE SEAL that facial hair is NOT approved by any means. Even if your fit test shows proper seal OSHA will ding the hospital for incompliance because...policy.

So even though your facility may not care about facial hair OSHA does.

I have a battery powered shaver in my locker in case OSHA comes around. As much as I like my facial hair I currently like my job more, and as of now it still grows back pretty quickly.

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Keep! Short and well groomed. I've never had a problem. Not only is it not a problem, it may very well be an advantage on a subconscious level. I remember reading literature pertaining to this phenomena a couple years ago.

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I usually run full face, but my recent interview I cleaned it up to make it "look clean". They usually don't specify clean shaven, just clean appearance.

It is worth noting that to use any facial mask required by OSHA that needs to have a FACE SEAL that facial hair is NOT approved by any means. Even if your fit test shows proper seal OSHA will ding the hospital for incompliance because...policy.

So even though your facility may not care about facial hair OSHA does.

I have a battery powered shaver in my locker in case OSHA comes around. As much as I like my facial hair I currently like my job more, and as of now it still grows back pretty quickly.

For reals? It was my impression that applies to respirators used in airborne precautions. Not so much "any facial mask". Would be worth investigating.

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You can also look at it rationally. Any employer with half a brain would not pass on the best candidate for fear of needing to ask them to shave when the start the job. Note that i think about it, i know **** tons of male nurses, surgeons, and physicians with beards.

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You can also look at it rationally. Any employer with half a brain would not pass on the best candidate for fear of needing to ask them to shave when the start the job. Note that i think about it, i know **** tons of male nurses, surgeons, and physicians with beards.

Any employer with half a brain would rather avoid the usual rebuttal against a dress code of it being their "God given right".

Have you ever seen what the few surgeons who have facial hair must do to keep their beards?

If you train on a PAPR and use it, there shouldn't be a problem. But, too many say they will but still just try to get by with a mask.

BTW, there are also **** tons of applicants looking for jobs also. I show them the unit policy. If they don't like it then they weren't the best candidate.

Women have to compromise to meet the dress code also. Long hair, jewelry, finger nails, nail polish...

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