What constitutes "professional appearance" these days?

WahineMakai · Sep 20, 2012

I have witnessed numerous nurses lately, while in the hospital/ER (different times) with my 24yo daughter who was the patient (giving birth, bacterial infection, etc...) and I was utterly shocked at the appearance of some nurses. Hair not being pulled back is one thing, but buckets of make-up and teased hair ala-Snooki while caring for patients? Some looked like they were going to a club -- and this was 10:00am! (And it was the head floor nurse with the Snooki bump!) Another had tattoos, some on her neck...it just all seemed so unsanitary and unprofessional to me. Is this the way things are now? I was pursuing nursing school, but have shifted to another allied health field. Maybe at 50 I'm just an old fogey? I thought hair pulled back was a standard sanitary requirement -- almost like food workers. No?

Maybe I'm missing something, but how are tattoos unsanitary?

moma8gma1 · Sep 20, 2012

Google "tattoos unsanitary" and read away. Here is a link that came up, in fact: TATTOOS Deadly Little Secret

WahineMakai · Sep 21, 2012

Google "tattoos unsanitary" and read away. Here is a link that came up, in fact: TATTOOS Deadly Little Secret

Wow. Well, that site sure is damning toward those with tattoos. Find me something unbiased and maybe we can have a discussion about it.

It's time that the stigma toward tattooed people is removed. It's incredible to me that in this day in age, the opinion that tattooed people are all criminals, drug addicts, or infected with a horrific disease still exists.

For the record, I am a tattooed person, and I have ALWAYS been incredibly diligent about going to reputable tattoo shops -- you know, those that follow LAWS about cleanliness and sterilization of their tools.

fsh1986 · Sep 21, 2012

I honestly don't care if my medical provider has tattoos, does or does not wear makeup, or what their hair looks like as long as they are COMPETENT. And as far as a nurse having her hair down... I'm sure the first time she gets bodily fluids in it, she'll start putting it up.

kbellows · Sep 21, 2012

WahineMakai, I agree!! I don't see how tattoos have anything to do with cleanliness. As far as the hair and makeup, styles change. What was considered professional 10 years ago may not be considered that way now. The fact that they took the time to do their hair and makeup tells me that they are clean and sanitary.The bigger question should be, are they taking good care of your daughter in a professional way? As long as their hair was out of the way and not going to get in the way, it should be more about the care that they give than what they look like!

herecomestrouble · Sep 21, 2012

that site was awful,a fount of lies and half truths,I especially got upset with this pearl of wisdom " And not only that, many of the customers receiving a tattoo are drug-users, criminals, rock artists, deviants and homosexuals who just happen to be the major carriers of the deadly blood-borne diseases such as AIDS and hepatitis."

I don't understand how the tattoos got into the original post,many people have tattoos and it's not a big deal.I do understand some of the other comments.I can't stand to work with my hair hanging loose.No telling what it might dip into while I'm doing care on a patient,Okay,I'll admit my hair does come almost to my waist.I don't see the big deal with make up,some people just like to wear more makeup than others.Fake nails get me,ewwwww no telling what's growing under those things.I used to work with a nurse who would come in wearing a tight little belly shirt,seriously? do you really want all that skin exposed to the stuff we work with all day?She didn't keep her job long though.

seaghost · Sep 21, 2012

Having hair and makeup done is a personal choice and does NOT affect anyone's professional performance in any shape or form. Just because someone is a nurse doesn't make them no longer a human being. Frankly I'm disgusted with your judgmental assumptions.

fsh1986 · Sep 21, 2012

Herecomestrouble, I kind of doubt the OP actually read what was on that site, otherwise she wouldn't have posted it... what you quoted shows the ignorance of whoever wrote the "information" on that website.

VioletKaliLPN, LPN · Sep 21, 2012

I wear my hair in a ponytail, my scrubs are neatly pressed, but I like wearing makeup. Some would say my choice in make up is too heavy, as I like fake eyelashes d/t the fact that my own are so small and essentially invisible. I wear lip gloss, eyeshadow, etc.

I believe that putting forward a nice, neat, as well as professional appearance, includes a variety of more than acceptable "looks".

Wet Noodle · Sep 21, 2012

Walomom, I don't disagree with the importance of maintaining a professional appearance, but you ought to look more carefully at the web sites you link. av11611.org is a hideous piece of work.

In fact, tattoos are becoming very common. It remains to be seen how accepted they are in professional settings. Clearly, objectionable visible tattoos will never be accepted.

vintagemother, BSN, CNA, LVN, RN · Sep 21, 2012

I am a student pursuing nursing and I've worked in a few different places as a nursing assistant. To me, each place has it's own culture of professional dress. In the snf's I've worked in, causal is common. People hardly do their hair or wear neat scrubs. In the hospital I work in, professional office style makeup is common and scrubs are usually designer, neat, attractive. As for me, though I'm in my mid 30's, I have been called an old soul and I lean toward professional conservative style. I try to look nice and neat and wear neutral makeup to work. I try to pull my hair back into a neat ponytail. I'm afraid to get a tattoo or additional piercings partly due to it affecting future employment.