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 Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
PS have you ever seen that episode of "Intervention" with the Huffing Man? If not you should watch it. That is YOUR future my friend and it's ugly (not beautiful OR pretty). Your brain WILL Die.
Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
Is huffing any worse than drinking? Or snorting? Or shooting up?
You guys are being a little disrespectful and possibly violating community guidelines. Please try to keep in mind that we have a lot of nurses in recovery on this forum, who might be hurt were they to see you to dismiss other posters on the basis of their former or even current use.
"Eh, just ignore what she says. She drinks." I don't mind that sort of thing because I basically have teflon skin, but other nurses in recovery might not be as tough and you could be interfering with their recovery. For their sakes, please be mindful of what you say.
If they're currently using, they're not really in recovery, are they?
Is huffing any worse than drinking? Or snorting? Or shooting up?
You guys are being a little disrespectful and possibly violating community guidelines. Please try to keep in mind that we have a lot of nurses in recovery on this forum, who might be hurt were they to see you to dismiss other posters on the basis of their former or even current use.
"Eh, just ignore what she says. She drinks." I don't mind that sort of thing because I basically have teflon skin, but other nurses in recovery might not be as tough and you could be interfering with their recovery. For their sakes, please be mindful of what you say.
Seriously? You're the one who showed up in the Recovery forum (peopled by a lot of people who made mistakes, are paying for them and would like to move on) and asked if any of their recovery programs allow the use of whipits.
Good lord. I don't exist to please my clients' sense of aesthetics. To suggest otherwise is condescending and possibly kind of sexist. I have zero hoots to give about whether or not you find my appearance pleasing. I'm busy with other things that are way more important, like saving lives and stuff. OP, this post makes you seem terrible.
Ummmm my hair belongs in a pony or bun. Makeup sweats off my face. I wear a clean face, clean scrubs, and tidy hair. I may not look "hot" but I look like a healthcare provider.
Specializes in Pharmaceutical Research, Operating Room.
PS have you ever seen that episode of "Intervention" with the Huffing Man? If not you should watch it. That is YOUR future my friend and it's ugly (not beautiful OR pretty). Your brain WILL Die.
That episode FREAKED me out!!!!! Oh, and by the way, I don't know if it's possible for me to care less about the fact that I didn't wear makeup in the OR.
Specializes in Cath/EP lab, CCU, Cardiac stepdown.
I suppose we are really becoming hotels. Time to dress like a classy escort in a fancy hotel. I mean we already do first class room service due to management so why not take up the escorting services on top of chef, waiter, housekeeper, masseur.
I feel like I am the Beautiful/Pretty Nurse Twilight Zone.
Dude, quit hitting the cans. It's eating the reasoning out of the brain.
Cans? I've only used chargers. I don't know anybody who uses cans.
Seriously? You're the one who showed up in the Recovery forum (peopled by a lot of people who made mistakes, are paying for them and would like to move on) and asked if any of their recovery programs allow the use of whipits.
Now THAT is disrespectful.
How so? I'm in monitoring too. I have the same set of challenges ahead of me that they do. Recovery is not something you "move on" from. Recovery is lifelong. If you're an addict, you would know that. Dismissing those in recovery for using is a bit inelegant. I mean, do you talk that way to patients?
Also, you've swayed off-topic from the "beauty" theme of the thread.
Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
Oh, and by the way, I don't know if it's possible for me to care less about the fact that I didn't wear makeup in the OR.
Hahaha! I never wear makeup to work. Those that do, only bother with eye makeup- they "put their eyes on". Nobody will see the rest of it because of the mask. Same with hair- it's going to be under a hat for 8-12 hours, so why bother? And unwrinkled scrubs from the hospital laundry? Yeah, right- better chance of me winning tonight's lottery!
SummitRN, BSN, RN
2 Articles; 1,567 Posts
We aren't greater than human.
We aren't larger than life.
We are fallible.
We are misleading the patient if we imply otherwise.
Yet we can still inspire confidence in our care.
None of your examples are objectively unprofessional.
It is a hospital, not a finishing school.