Threatened dismissal because of wrinkly clothes :0(

[hotdog19d]

Hey everyone, I was just trying to get some opinions of an incident that happened to me recently.

I was pulled aside by the director of my nursing program, and was told that if I wore wrinkly clothes to clinical again I would be kicked out of the program. I was wearing a polo and khakis to clinical which I did't think were wrinkly, but apparently the clinical instructor did, she didn't say anything to me about it,but she said something to the director.

Edit= Thanks for everyones advice! I took a lot of it and the next clinicals went fine, as far as my attire went.

[Multicollinearity, BSN, RN]

Being stinky doesn't feel like any kind of liberation to me Firstyear. It just seems stinky.

[Multicollinearity, BSN, RN]

I have a thought for you about the deodorant thing. Many people in the hospital are ultra sensitive to odors. Especially if they have GI trouble. So it's best for staff to be as odor-free as possible. Of course this is why perfume is bad. So could you view your deodorant use as for this noble purpose? I would also submit that it seems that sometimes people who don't wear deodorant cannot smell their own smell like others do.

[firstyearstudent]

I guess you're right. I just have to accept that being body odor free is a value that other people have that I don't. Perhaps without deordorant I am more stinky than I think I am. But I doubt it. No one has ever mentioned it in my 41 years except a CI who hated me.

Strangely, it is very important to me not to have mouth odor and I'm quite paranoid about it. I'd be absolutely mortified if someone told me I had bad breath. I am always brushing my teeth and flossing and using breath mints and mouth wash. And I won't eat raw garlic or onions.

Am I offended if someone else's breath stinks. No. Is it unpleasant? Yes. Do I expect them to make sure they don't have bad breath? No. I just stand back...

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

I guessed right, sort of... (posted the previous before I saw your post). I think I am getting to know you, Multicollinarity.

Why don't you truly liberate yourself by throwing away your deordorant and becoming one of the free and stinky!

As many oppressed people before me, I am taking a derogatory term and making it my own.

I AM PROUD TO BE STINKY!

I'm all for 'to-each-their-own" (which apperently isn't the case here, it's all or nothing), but if i can smell you (strong perfume or BO), THAT'S a problem and that will be dealt with.

We have a co-worker that doesn't wear deodorant. And we all can tell, after a long shift. We have gone to the supervisor about it and we'll see if something gets done about it. But that's pretty bad when you have this thick mask on, and you can still smell it. No one should be forced to be among that funk. And the pts. certainly don't have the option to be away from it.

[twotrees2]

Simple (and it's a fitting moniker, I might add), I guess you didn't read my post. I said I bought deordorant and that I was using it.

It's a concession I'm making. But personally I think Americans are overly obsessed with body odors and most of the rest of world would agree. (I don't douch, either, by the way. Is that unprofessional, too?) And I don't choose to smell. My body has an odor that is completely natural. We're animals, not robots. If I had my own way, I would choose not to cover up that light odor with smelly chemicals.

I know exactly how much I smell at any given time and will often rinse off my pits on abusy day if I think it's needed. I don't like deordorant. It stinks and plenty of other people I know think so, too.

My point about the feces was that the overwhelming majority of folks in the hospital have more pressing things on their minds than someone's light body odor. Actually, most of them don't seem to have anything on their minds. They're unconscious.

id rather smell a ligh body odor ( respectfully natural not someone who sweats that has a horrible odor of course ) than all that crap people wear that they THINK smells nice but is really offensive and even can trigger reactions - i make my workers wash if they come in with anythimng more than a LIGHT perfume cause its just sickening to me - they arent going to the bar to get all the barflies to follow them -

[scaredofshots]

LMAO!!! :roll

[twotrees2]

Well, I hate to say it, but I understand the instructor's point.

She feels that during your Clinicals, you are putting your best foot forward, and if you are coming to clinicals with your clothes looking incredibly wrinkled, what are your clothes going to look like when you actually start your job?

I personally, am an obsessive ironer, with spray starch. I even do my daughter's clothes. However, I never iron anything until I am ready to wear it. To me, pulling clothes out of the dryer (unless there is synthetic mixed in with the cotton), never looks good enough to wear without ironing.

If you think I'm bad, you should have tried ironing my Mom's stuff as a kid...she insisted that her uniforms be ironed INSIDE OUT only, and you had to press the seams. She would make me do them over and over again...I used to kid with her and call her "Mommy Dearest" and tell her that I promised not to hang them on wire hangers

my mother never ironed but my grandmother did- god bless her soul - she starched everything - shed even iron the bed sheets ( hmm didnt get this one as theyd wrinkle in an hour when i crawled in anyhow) and her undies ( now that had to be a great feeling starched undies HAHHAHA roflmO.) gads - i wont even own an iron though for some weird reason i do own an iron board hahaha.

[twotrees2]

There is nothing wrong with neat and tidy...I like the professional approach. You look at other respected professions....they don't look like they just rolled out of bed and neither should we.

IMHO

Liz

i dont know - anyone actually working the dya shift ( meaning managers sparkly suits dont count) look like they been through the ringer to me and im sure i look just as wrinkled by the time im done lo;l

[greatshakes]

Got to disagree with some of you. I do wear make up (and deodorant of course). Mainly because I am not 20 any more and while I am not plain or hard to look at, I do feel more confident with make-up on and I figure if the patients have to look at me I might as well make it as pleasant as I can. I don't even go go down the street without some. Some people can go without make up and still look fabulous though. Lucky aren't they?

[Bonny619]

I am not going to go thru all of these posts, but is someone saying we shouldn't wear make-up??

Yeah right.

Got to disagree with some of you. I do wear make up (and deodorant of course). Mainly because I am not 20 any more and while I am not plain or hard to look at, I do feel more confident with make-up on and I figure if the patients have to look at me I might as well make it as pleasant as I can. I don't even go go down the street without some. Some people can go without make up and still look fabulous though. Lucky aren't they?

[kellerpatty]

Ha! This thread is cracking me up! I guess i'm lucky...I work in an ICU with scrubs that come out of a little hole in a big machine. The slots are about 2" by 2" and the scrubs come out looking like tiny little boxes. Once you shake them out to put them on, they look like they've been worn by someone to bed for about two weeks...yes, VERY wrinkled. Good thing is that everyone's scrubs look that way (except for the one-in-every-crowd hand-washer and anal ironer who actually takes their scrubs home before wearing them)! Just a hint, maybe when you get out of school, you should work in the OR or an ICU setting that supplies scrubs...voila! No more ironing! Good luck and doing anything you can (legally) to graduate from nursing school will be worth it! : ) Ha!

[stpauligirl]

I'm wondering if I'll get reprimanded because of my wrinkly face (in my 40s)...

Reading these responses makes it sound like the military