Wearing Cologne to work Yes Or No

[KarmaWiseRaven]

Hi i need an opinion, Tell me what you all think. I like to smell good when I'm at work so i wear cologne. Not a lot just a splash i always have. The good stuff Armani, Polo, CK, well you get the picture. Lately my Coworkers mostly female are looking at me different. Saying things like they know when i'm in the building and its going to be a good day or something to that fact. One Coworker asked me to pick up some Curve So as a joke i did i really dont like the sent of it. I never had this problem before. Now i know in nursing school they say not to but i do because it's just who i'am. Should i stop wearing it or just keep on doing what i'm doing and hope this thing about me wearing cologne dies down. You all tell me. TY

[KarynicaRN]

I cannot stand when my co workers go out to smoke and they come back smelling like and ash tray and then try covering it up with a fruity mist. It is honestly disgusting. I would complain if I was a pt!

I can't stand the smell of cigarette smoke at all. My husband smokes, but he goes outside because I have been diagnosed multiple times with bronchitis and my doctor has advised me to stay away from smoke.

It does make me sick when people come back from a smoke break and don't wash their hands, don't try to at least do something about the smell. I don't want them to cover it over with perfumes either. That just makes it even worse. So I agree 100% with you. :)

[EJSRN, BSN, RN]

I''m sorry that the smell of your smoking co-workers angers you.

Blessings

Doesn't anger me. Makes me AND others sick!

[northshore08]

Many facilities have "no scent" policies that extend to ALL products used or worn by staff, including laundry detergent and fabric softener.

I have to agree with many other posters; your habits have to change when you are a nurse. Unless you really don't care that you can make your patients sick/sicker. I would hate to be caring for an ortho pt (for example) and throw him or her into an asthma attack because of my need to "be who I am."

The gentle hints of your colleagues are telling you all you need to know. Stop using any scented products when you are working.

(BTW, when I go to use the phone after you, my hands and face get the scent all over me. Yukky. Please quit. But we love you anyway.:redpinkhe)

[yousoldtheworld]

When I worked at a hospital, the policy was no perfume/cologne at all, and the only scent I wore was deodorant and baby lotion.

Currently, I am working at a Memory Enhancement Center in a retirement community, and the policy is light scents only. I wear a spritz or two of a light body mist. The males I work with find their body wash and deodorant to be enough.

[NotFlo]

I am firmly in the "no" camp when it comes to wearing perfume or cologne to work.

[Vito Andolini]

No one who works around other people, be they patients in a hospital or doctor's office/clinic, or coworkers in an office building, repeat NO ONE, that is, NO ONE should wear anything with fragrance. That includes hair products, shaving and make-up products, deodorants, fabric softener/anti-cling sheets/detergents, and so on. Too many people are just too sensitive to these products. The cleaning supplies, the "air fresheners" - all of them are so nasty. And coworkers and inpatients can't get away from them - there's no escape.

Be courteous and be as fragrance-free as possible. And yes, that includes tobacco.

[Vito Andolini]

I''m sorry that the smell of your smoking co-workers angers you.

Blessings

Somehow, I don't think you really are.

[lovehospital]

I love wearing perfumes especially the the one that smell like citrus/fruit/refreshing scents you get the picture,however our nursing instructors dont allow us to wear colognes because this is a hospital and it is not like every other job.Think about it.When you sick do you want to smell of those stuff,I dont thinks so,at least when I feel nauseated I want all the scents removed out of my nostrils.

Why dont you wear it after work?Problem solved.

[Vito Andolini]

I don't care how "expensive" your scent is - it can still cause people to be ill. There is one nurse I work with who wears perfume dispite our "no scents" policy because she states " I only wear a little and its expensive" but to me, it smells like mosquito repellent. If I were a pt already feeling unwell, this nurse would make me really sick.

Wear your pefume off - duty.

Why do you let her get by with it? Unless you like mosquito repellant?

[Batman24]

STOP wearing the cologne today. It's against your school policy and hospitals don't allow it either. . We are not allowed any perfume, cologne, perfumeed body lotion, etc. at my job and with good reason. Use soap and water in the shower before work and put on deodorant and you will be good to go.

Please respect your patients. TY.

[Vito Andolini]

I'm sorry people, I have to disagree with all of you. I think the OP has women responding to him because they are flirting and like the scent. I especially like the scent of a man with nice cologne.

As for the patient factor, yes some people do have allergies and an overwhelming scent can make them sick. There shouldn't be a problem if it is not that strong. I would rather have a nurse with a nice-smelling perfume or cologne than someone with terrible personal hygiene who smells like onions working with me.

I think we all agree that someone who smells dirty is also offensive but I think you must never have experienced the instant headache, resp difficulty, itching, or other s&s of being sensitive to even pleasant fragrances, like freshly cut grass. I used to like it but now it gives me a headache. The body changes, the liver can't detox everything so fast. Fragrance-free is most helpful to staff and patients.

Even off duty, take it easy on the fragrances.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

People are discussing your daily fragrance and you aren't sure it's inappropriate?

You should smell clean, and NOT of any particular fragrance. Soap. Not Polo.

Certain scents will make ill patients nauseous. Certain toxins in those same perfumes you like will make a chemically sensitive person ill. While you can't be held responsible for making someone ill in the general population with your fragrances, you CAN be held accountable in a healthcare facility.

Shower. Apply deodorant. Get dressed. Done.