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.
As an aside (because, really, how much more can this thread go off the rails?) I just want to say that short hair is much harder to manage than long!
I've always had long hair.
Right now I have a long bob, which is short for me. I can still put in a pony or up, and I use no product in it because it's pretty much one length. Short hair you have to style. It's kind of more high maintenance than long.
I had the Dorothy Hamill hair cut when I was a little kid. I will never have short hair again. I'm scarred.
I love it on other people, though. One of my friends just got a cute pixie cut. It suits her.
I love my short hair. Wash, towel dry, run some gel or pomade through it with my fingers, and by the time I'm leaving the house it's dry. Long hair would end up being pulled back and staying wet most of the day, and I'd be eternally fussing with it.
Now? My hands only touch my head at work when I have an itch that I can't ignore. That sort of thing makes me happy, and should make infection control people happy as well.
As an aside (because, really, how much more can this thread go off the rails?) I just want to say that short hair is much harder to manage than long!
I've always had long hair.
Right now I have a long bob, which is short for me. I can still put in a pony or up, and I use no product in it because it's pretty much one length. Short hair you have to style. It's kind of more high maintenance than long.
I had the Dorothy Hamill hair cut when I was a little kid. I will never have short hair again. I'm scarred.
I love it on other people, though. One of my friends just got a cute pixie cut. It suits her.
We must be twins at heart. I too had the the most traumatic experience with the Dorothy Hamill cut when I was 14. I've never had short hair again. Only long, flowing, well oiled locks for me! Well, at least shoulder length, flowing, well oiled only because I haven't washed it in 2 days locks for me!
And that's how I got smegma in my hair. I promptly cut my bangs shorter. (with my own cleaned trauma shears) And the rest of my hair was up in a boring pony tail but some fly-aways came out of their pins.
Yeah, I dipped my long, flowing hair into a puddle of amniotic fluid and blood when one of my moms precip'd. Hardly got my gloves on, no time to pull back my hair. Super sexy and professional.
I ended up with this followed shortly thereafter by the "Princess Diana".
I have curly hair.
Damn my father tried but.... Failed. Epically.
My hair is currently to my waist, has been for decades (I change up the layers and stuff) and I have zero intention of cutting it. I consider those haircuts a form of lasting childhood trauma.
I love my short hair. Wash, towel dry, run some gel or pomade through it with my fingers, and by the time I'm leaving the house it's dry. Long hair would end up being pulled back and staying wet most of the day, and I'd be eternally fussing with it.
Just don't get a buzz cut. If you do, you'll no longer be qualified to take care of patients! Imma go back to oiling my nose hairs now.
Specializes in Cath/EP lab, CCU, Cardiac stepdown.
Ah crap, I got a buzz cut going on. Anyone want to lend me their long luxurious hair so I can do some hair tosses like a Pantene commercial. All while saying "Easy breezy beautiful, cover boy". I'm sure my performance will distract my patients from their pain.
Grooming and good hygiene is very important. My scrubs are pressed and ironed and my hair are pulled back in a pony tail or in a high bun with minimal accessory, like stud pearl earring or tiny diamond (no rings). Not to look professional but because I do take care of myself, to feel good inside and out and ready to conquer the world (like Wonderwoman).
Nonyvole, BSN, RN
420 Posts
I love my short hair. Wash, towel dry, run some gel or pomade through it with my fingers, and by the time I'm leaving the house it's dry. Long hair would end up being pulled back and staying wet most of the day, and I'd be eternally fussing with it.
Now? My hands only touch my head at work when I have an itch that I can't ignore. That sort of thing makes me happy, and should make infection control people happy as well.