The sloppy image of nurses today

Nurses Professionalism

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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.

Specializes in ED, Telemetry,Hospice, ICU, Supervisor.

It is important to respects everyone. The facial hair may be due to Religious standards. Females can also wear a "buzzcut", as is socially acceptable in modern times.

Men with well oiled hair give me the creeps and women should not have hair hanging down so that it gets in the way. I don't know how applying makeup liberally LOL is going to make me look more professional than I do now!

Aren't you the same person who kept going on about how a patient dying wasn't therapeutic for you, and that it was annoying that he had to be suctioned so often (but don't worry you ended up letting him die because you didn't have time for it). Maybe less time looking at how formfitting the nurses clothing is and more time getting to your patient care would be the best idea yet!

Specializes in kids.

OP

The buzz cut...

My was buzzed for a bit, but that's because I shaved for St Baldricks and raised $2500 for pediatric Kids Cancer research...

What was your last charitable endeavour?

Specializes in kids.
That's WELL OILED flowing hair. And nose hair. (per Far). [emoji4]

'Cause Far is a style maven!!

Specializes in Registered Nurse.

Sheesh....I always think it's good I just show up for work. No makeup, hair is sometimes wild,-- I have to work on that. :cyclops:

All of my fancy makeup, exquisitely coiffed hair, and perfectly groomed nostril hairs goes to waste when I spend 60% of my day behind an N-95 mask. But hey, at least my eyes are on point!

A place where the people taking care of you appear greater than human, larger than life, infallible figures

Have to stop you right there. That would not only be a blatant lie but a dangerous, creepy goal. We're NOT infallible. And, no, patients should not be directed towards considering us such, even if it's just for aesthetic sake. Patients should not just inherently agree with us and pedestal us like that. We are out of the age of healthcare coercion and "we know best", for good reason.

Also, I see zero reason to doll myself for coming in contact with human bodily fluids and being on my feet 12 hrs. I'm in direct patient care, and I enjoy what I do--the good, bad, and ugly. I see no reason to put on airs.

A lot of your complaints sounds petty and childish. I for one kinda dont want my hair "flowing" when I'm hands deep in human feces. And, uh, maybe brush up on your perception because I seriously doubt someone wears an eye patch to look like a pirate. She may have a medical condition, but it's none of your concern anyhow. And who cares about her haircut, it's not 1920. Women can do whatever they want with their hair.

It's a very insecure and juvenile practice to spend your time looking around for people and things to judge. You might think it's good to dress up, feel free to do so. Take a book to work or something, and leave others alone.

Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
Student Doctor Network (I think). It's a forum for hopeful physicians. I've not really visited but I understand they are often in a rude and nurse bashing mood. Odd, since most physicians I've encountered have been very respectful. Med school and residency must be awfully humbling for some of them.

Anyway, some of their members enjoy coming here to cause trouble.

Actually, I've made several friends over there, and most of the people who post there treat me with respect.

Specializes in ICU, Emergency Department.

I had to wear a "pirate patch" to work multiple times last year because of recurrent corneal erosion syndrome affecting my eye... I would wake up every few days with a brand spankin' new corneal abrasion that just kept trying to heal and reopening despite multiple debridements, bandage lens applications, drops, oral medications, supplements, dietary changes, sleep goggles, you name it. It SUCKED. I was missing so much work for appointments with my corneal specialist that I had to do something in order to be able to show up... the patch allowed me to get myself to work and function without having to stop every three seconds of my day to pat dry my eye that was pouring tears thanks to super ridiculous dryness from the medicated drops and photosensitivity. The eye would still be uncomfortable, but at least I could somewhat function with the patch. It was not a fashion statement, and plenty of people gave me weird sidelong glances, but you know what...? I was present, accounted for, and able to care for my patients. Thankfully my eye is now chilled out (although I still have to use gel drops multiple times a day and sleep with nighttime ointment every night) but I still refuse to wear most makeup (any powder on my face or near my eye, or mascara or eye makeup, makes my eye flare up again), pull my hair back from my face (so that my bangs don't poke me in the eye at work), wear safety goggles when in a super dry environment (for example, when caring for a suspected ebola patient earlier this year while wearing a PAPR) or anywhere I might get a splash of anything even remotely irritating in my eye, and otherwise "dress down." My scrubs are (well maybe not always ironed but) presentable and neat, I keep up my personal hygiene, and I think it's ridiculous to judge nurses who are often hands deep in god knows what for not appearing more professional. When I'm an NP, and I work in an office and have less "hard labor" on my job description, I may dress up a little more, but my basic standards are perfectly acceptable and won't be changing a bit.

Specializes in Telemetry.
I had to wear a "pirate patch" to work multiple times last year because of recurrent corneal erosion syndrome affecting my eye... I would wake up every few days with a brand spankin' new corneal abrasion that just kept trying to heal and reopening despite multiple debridements, bandage lens applications, drops, oral medications, supplements, dietary changes, sleep goggles, you name it. It SUCKED. I was missing so much work for appointments with my corneal specialist that I had to do something in order to be able to show up... the patch allowed me to get myself to work and function without having to stop every three seconds of my day to pat dry my eye that was pouring tears thanks to super ridiculous dryness from the medicated drops and photosensitivity. The eye would still be uncomfortable, but at least I could somewhat function with the patch. It was not a fashion statement, and plenty of people gave me weird sidelong glances, but you know what...? I was present, accounted for, and able to care for my patients. Thankfully my eye is now chilled out (although I still have to use gel drops multiple times a day and sleep with nighttime ointment every night) but I still refuse to wear most makeup (any powder on my face or near my eye, or mascara or eye makeup, makes my eye flare up again), pull my hair back from my face (so that my bangs don't poke me in the eye at work), wear safety goggles when in a super dry environment (for example, when caring for a suspected ebola patient earlier this year while wearing a PAPR) or anywhere I might get a splash of anything even remotely irritating in my eye, and otherwise "dress down." My scrubs are (well maybe not always ironed but) presentable and neat, I keep up my personal hygiene, and I think it's ridiculous to judge nurses who are often hands deep in god knows what for not appearing more professional. When I'm an NP, and I work in an office and have less "hard labor" on my job description, I may dress up a little more, but my basic standards are perfectly acceptable and won't be changing a bit.

Very glad your eye is doing better - that ordeal sounded awful.

Can you imagine if the expectation were that nurses call in for not looking good enough?

"Ummm, I *feel* fine, but my hair is all frizzy and my eyebrow waxing was botched.

So I won't be coming in today. I'm in need of a deep conditioning mask and I have to shop for an eyebrow pencil. I'll be in tomorrow if I look better."

😐

Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

Just to let you know a few posts have been edited due to a picture being removed as a few members found it offensive

I can still clearly recall a nursing co-student who would easily best the OP's criteria.

She was gorgeously super-glam, & even had her issue outfits tailored to suit her figure.

She quite openly stated that she was intent on snaring a rich doctor ( like her daddy)..

Eventually her refusal to reduce her long red, & perfectly manicured fingernails

caused a clinical care deal breaking issue, & she went off to be an air-hostess,

( & snared a rich airliner Captain).

I missed her.. jeeze - she was real 1st class stuff.. weird story, but true..

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