Imagine a hospital in which all nurses and doctors exhibit professionalism, beauty, splendor, and awe among colleagues and patients. A place where the people taking care of you appear greater than human, larger than life, infallible figures, portraying an image that captures total trust and total confidence from those nearby. What a wonderful place that would be. But alas, we have work ahead of us.
This thread is designed to discuss the importance of impressions in nursing. While many nurses take pride in appearing beautiful or handsome, many walk in to work with a case of the feck-its when it comes to appearance. Unfortunately I feel that nurses are much worse than doctors in this arena. Where I work the majority of female doctors wear their hair down, liberally apply makeup, wear form fitting clothing, and hard soled shoes. They try to appear as beautiful as they can. Likewise, the male doctors come in with tailored clothing that had been ironed, they have well-oiled hair, nice watches, and other things reminiscent of the show "General Hospital."
Meanwhile, in the ICU I've worked in, we've got a female nurse with a buzz cut, one woman wearing a pirate-like black eye patch, nurses with baggy wrinkled scrubs, nurses wearing those ugly skechers shapeups, everyone wearing their hair up or back in a plain boring pony tail instead of letting it flow, men or even women with untrimmed or unneatly trimmed facial hair and people exhibiting other drab or and in my humble opinion, embarrassing features. I feel like no other college educated profession dresses down as much as nurses do and it bothers me.
What do you think of nurses and the images they portray in the professional setting? Use this thread to talk about what you like or dislike, what you think should change and what shouldn't.
Imagine a hospital in which all nurses and doctors exhibit professionalism, beauty, splendor, and awe among colleagues and patients. A place where the people taking care of you appear greater than human, larger than life, infallible figures, portraying an image that captures total trust and total confidence from those nearby. What a wonderful place that would be. But alas, we have work ahead of us.
This thread is designed to discuss the importance of impressions in nursing. While many nurses take pride in appearing beautiful or handsome, many walk in to work with a case of the feck-its when it comes to appearance. Unfortunately I feel that nurses are much worse than doctors in this arena. Where I work the majority of female doctors wear their hair down, liberally apply makeup, wear form fitting clothing, and hard soled shoes. They try to appear as beautiful as they can. Likewise, the male doctors come in with tailored clothing that had been ironed, they have well-oiled hair, nice watches, and other things reminiscent of the show "General Hospital."
Meanwhile, in the ICU I've worked in, we've got a female nurse with a buzz cut, one woman wearing a pirate-like black eye patch, nurses with baggy wrinkled scrubs, nurses wearing those ugly skechers shapeups, everyone wearing their hair up or back in a plain boring pony tail instead of letting it flow, men or even women with untrimmed or unneatly trimmed facial hair and people exhibiting other drab or and in my humble opinion, embarrassing features. I feel like no other college educated profession dresses down as much as nurses do and it bothers me.
What do you think of nurses and the images they portray in the professional setting? Use this thread to talk about what you like or dislike, what you think should change and what shouldn't.
Go back to your soap opera General Hospital to live! Nurses wear work scrubs because they work, physical work, cleaning and changing people in addition to saving lives. Work is not a beauty contest. Why don't you compete for Miss America since you live to be beautiful. Not everyone wants to wear lots of makeup when they may be sweating from physical labor. This is not a beauty contest! Not to mention it is not practical and some places prudently forbid wearing long hair down! It makes more sense to keep your hair up and away from your face and from confused patients that might decide to pull your hair or dangly earrings and rip them out. A coworker even with relatively short hair had her hair pulled out at the roots by a wild confused patient. Not to mention with long 12 hour shifts most people need their sleep and don't have time to refresh their makeup when many find it hard to get a lunch break or even have time to pee! Gee let me stop and fix my makeup and hair in the middle of my shift rather than pass meds etc. Get real!
Some people prefer ultra short hair and that is there preference, the eye patch most likely is for a medical reason that is not any of your business, not a pirate wannabe! It's the middle of winter and men prefer to wear beards and not shave as much, not to mention the scruffy look is in from what I've seen on TV shows these days. Sure I prefer the clean cut look, but their choice is their business! I suppose you would prefer women to wear skirts too to show off their legs and high heels and check if they are shaving!
Your comments are ridiculous and amusing. I suggest you get a job as a beauty queen, soap opera star or next best thing a manager where you can wear pearls and pumps with your hair coiffed and your makeup perfect, complete with eye liner, lipstick and false eyelashes and perfectly manicured acrylic nails while you are at it. Oops nurses are not allowed to wear acrylics because of it being a microbial resovoir! Oh well you won't have to get your fingers dirty so who will say anthing? Go ahead and throw in some cosmetic procedures like botox, fillers, and lip plumps while you are at it then you can be the beautiful example and model , er, excuse me fashionable manager for others to admire! Maybe you will snag yourself a Dr while you're at it or at least be his kept woman, like some of the young and beautiful nurses I've known! LMAO!
The rest of us wear sensible work clothes and shoes and most maintain a neat, professional appearance, not like we are out on the town or planning to snare a rich Dr. I think its ridiculous when a person has their long hair hanging down and in their face when they lean over to assess a patient or imagine putting a foley in with your hair hanging down and into the sterile field! Not to mention 50+ women who have long hair hanging down their back! Not professional if you ask me and this coming from someone who always loved long hair, but have now cut it back to my shoulders, but to each their own!
I find no make up looks a little bit better at the end of 13 hours than racoon eyes do.
I would have raccoon eyes at the end of the shift from rubbing all the mascara and eye liner when my eyes itch. No thanks! Never liked or wore mascara, false eyelashes may look pretty but whose got time for that. lol Or they may remind one of a centipede. lol
To the OP who I suggested become a manager, nix that the last thing we need is a manager that hires on the basis of beauty rather than knowledge, experience and competence! I can see it now her dept known as the beauty brigade and if she condescends to hire a mere ordinary person it is contingent on makeup lessons, chemical peels and laser treatments and extreme weight loss measures aka The Greatest Loser! Well since 2/3 of the country is overweight or obese I guess she will just hire the other 1/3!
But seriously I just read the posts of being on a monitoring program and trying to get high with whipits and you feel the need to lecture others on professionalism! You've got to be kidding me! Is this for real?
Some people mentioned how they don't think they are attractive for whatever reason (and yes, I have pretty crappy self-esteem when it comes to my own looks, too) but I wanted to say that when I picture you all in my mind's eye, y'all are very striking and clever and intelligent and awesome.
My mental image of you may be skewed by your various avatars (fun fact - I don't look like a star! Lol) which is kinda fun.
But to me so many of you are an important part of my social world, as it were even though we are largely anonymous. I love being able to come and learn and chat and laugh.
And I don't even have to put on makeup to do it!
I agree. It is funny how we have a mental image of each other. Far says I'm flowery. Far, I wanted to just dispel that. LOL. Here's me OP...do I pass?
I think nurses should be wearing multiple piercings, chop-shop 'dos, and ink from their fingers to their jaw angles... that is, assuming that they are actually good nurses.
I care if they know what they're doing and if they have a modicum of skill. How they choose to dress concerns me not in the least.
are you kidding?! I dont know where you went to nursing school but our expectation was that you wear you hair up.....no one needs to have "flowing hair" give me a break you are there to work i do not agree with wrinkled clothes but it is not a beauty contest no one wants their hair in a wound or poo or pulled by a psych pt also i HATE when nurses wear stinky perfume this can cause respiratory distress so leave your smelly stuff at home!!!!!!
I agree. It is funny how we have a mental image of each other. Far says I'm flowery. Far, I wanted to just dispel that. LOL. Here's me OP...do I pass?
I'd have to say you kinda resemble Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest! LMAO I love allnurses what a great way to relax and destress before a long 12 hour weekend shift! You guys are making my day! lol
I just wonder if the glasses are all right with the OP She might want you to get lasik surgery, unless you can convince her how beautiful glasses are. For instance a lovely purple frame to complement your green eyes. Now whose green with envy!
I have about ten piercings all together (that includes 3 in my belly and 7 in my ears) and I have ink on my arms. I actually get complimented on my tattoos and piercings.. You'd be surprised how a positive attitude changes everything. I got these tattoos and piercings when I was a teen. But I do not regret them as they are symbols for lupus and Sjogrens and my side-music-career. Idk if my "baby face" helps (I look younger than I am) but a sweet attitude and smile helps so much. My patients respect me because I am 100% there for their needs. And for the nurse with the buzz cut maybe she has reasons for it. I was on chemo for lupus and lost all my hair so I cut it really short years ago and then it just all fell out. Wore a wig but it itched so bad.. So I buzzed it off and no one questioned it.. At least not to my face.
My point is, don't judge a book by its cover. Er um, a nurse by their looks :)
Farawyn
12,646 Posts
Hahahahhahaha!
Rough morning.