You cant be fashionable for nursing.

Farrah4, RN · Dec 24, 2008

Hi, if your hair is pony tail length (real pony tail length) putting it up or back looks better professionally, I think a light color or clear polish is fine, bright red- probably not, even Tim Hortons can't wear any polish :-) we do reflect our profession- just my opinion- I wear light polish and try to put my hair up when I can, it doesn't always work out, its a hard length to put up :-)

ps Merry Christmas everyone!!! yes I said it and I'm proud! Merry Christmas!

iteachob, MSN, RN · Dec 24, 2008

I find that hard to believe.

Wow....hostility toward clinical instructors is rampant on this thread. I finally must say something....

I am a nursing professor / clinical instructor. I do both didactic and clinical teaching. I adhere to all rules required of my students in the nail, hair, jewelry department. I also assist with IV insertion, dressing changes, and foley and straight cath insertion (I teach OB.....we do a few of those...), among other things. Believe it!!

lovehospital · Dec 24, 2008

I find that hard to believe.

Dont you remember your own nursing school?

:confused:

lovehospital · Dec 24, 2008

I told them that they had valuable training and education that they could use to the betterment of patients. That they should speak up, respectfully, if they felt something was wrong or "not quite right". I reminded them that they may be the only person who had fully read the chart and may have the best overall understanding of the patient's clinical picture.
On the subject of dress, hair and nail polish: I once had a student come to clinicals wearing pig tails. I asked her to change it to a pony tail. When someone is in the hospital, let's face it, there is a real possibility they could die. You do not want someone taking care of you who looks fashionable, cute, or sexy. You want a NURSE. Can you be a good nurse and be fashionable, sexy and cute; I suppose you can be technically good. But to a vulnerable, frightened patient, it is a compassion to subjugate your need to feel good about your appearance or individuality to their need to feel safe. Becoming a nurse is also a socialization into a profession. That profession has huge archetypal connotations for the public. You are now part of that. I do not mean you have to be a mousey, self-sacrificing, virginal, lamp toting symbol of all that is good in the world, but be competent, focused and accountable. If your instructor wants to approve your uniform, let her. If she wants you to wear white shoes, do it. If she asks you to do something unsafe, call the Dean of the College of Nursing.

Can you please be my clinical instructors because majority of them like to put us down!!!!I only had one or two instructors who at the end of our rotation (lovely OB instructor) told us "You all will be wonderful nurses one day...it will come to you".Others focused mainly on our flaws,this is so unfair,how can they expect us to know everything....didnt they forget that once they were students as well,so many times I want to scream to their face"You are here to TEACH me so please stop treating me like crap" but of course I have to hold those thoughts to my self in order to pass.

lovehospital · Dec 24, 2008

I see you are new here and I don't know your background and I have not been on the board for a while because I have been working a lot. So correct me if I am wrong. You are a student and have you ever worked in a hospital before?
Think about it yes you may wash your hands a lot at home but not nearly as much as you would while working a 12 hour shift with 5-6 patients and some of them total care. Your polish will chip and if it doesn't your manicure isn't looking all that great afterwards. If you do work at the hospital haven't you seen nurses with nail polish remover in their lockers? I have tried various polishes like OPI, Chanel, Laura Mercier (my fav) etc and they have all chiped after a 12 hour shift even if it just a tiny amount. I love nail polish and use it on my days off.
We are giving our opinions but for the most part you seem to be shooting everyone down in this thread. Why start a thread if you are not going to listen to what we are saying? We have all been students before, some had to wear the ugly uniform, plan shoes, tie our hair back. We do it for a reason because we wanted to get through nursing school. Get through school first and then worry about all that other stuff later. And yeah I pull my hair back. I have extremely curly hair that is chin length when my curls are not stretched and when it is straight it comes about to my arm pit. I will pin my hair back so fast because it is nothing like having a trach patient spit and the mucus landing in your hair because it was out. Did not happen to me but I saw it and after that my hair is pulled back. Or explosive diarrhea or vomiting etc. Be nice to us because for the most part people here have been nice to you and you can learn a lot from us Lovehospital.

I'm not putting anybody down,but if I offended somebody please accept my sincere apologies...all opinions are welcomed...

lovehospital · Dec 24, 2008

I told them that they had valuable training and education that they could use to the betterment of patients. That they should speak up, respectfully, if they felt something was wrong or "not quite right". I reminded them that they may be the only person who had fully read the chart and may have the best overall understanding of the patient's clinical picture.
On the subject of dress, hair and nail polish: I once had a student come to clinicals wearing pig tails. I asked her to change it to a pony tail. When someone is in the hospital, let's face it, there is a real possibility they could die. You do not want someone taking care of you who looks fashionable, cute, or sexy. You want a NURSE. Can you be a good nurse and be fashionable, sexy and cute; I suppose you can be technically good. But to a vulnerable, frightened patient, it is a compassion to subjugate your need to feel good about your appearance or individuality to their need to feel safe. Becoming a nurse is also a socialization into a profession. That profession has huge archetypal connotations for the public. You are now part of that. I do not mean you have to be a mousey, self-sacrificing, virginal, lamp toting symbol of all that is good in the world, but be competent, focused and accountable. If your instructor wants to approve your uniform, let her. If she wants you to wear white shoes, do it. If she asks you to do something unsafe, call the Dean of the College of Nursing.

I understand your point of view but from my experiences patients actually like cute,fashionable nursing student/nurses,techs,whatever...,they are actually nice to you,while some of my classmates complained how "nasty" their patients were to them I barely experienced it,usually they are really nice to me...even the men who sometimes can be worse then females!!

leslie :-D · Dec 25, 2008

I understand your point of view but from my experiences patients actually like cute,fashionable nursing student/nurses,techs,whatever...,they are actually nice to you,while some of my classmates complained how "nasty" their patients were to them I barely experienced it,usually they are really nice to me...even the men who sometimes can be worse then females!!

and you feel your pts respond positively to you, because of how you dress/look?????

nothing to do with your disposition or mannerisms?

leslie

RN1982 · Dec 25, 2008

Patients want you to be professional and take care of them. They could care less about how you look. I always thought it to be rather tacky for nurses to come in in full-painted-on make up.

lovehospital · Dec 25, 2008

and you feel your pts respond positively to you, because of how you dress/look?????
nothing to do with your disposition or mannerisms?
leslie

Maybe because luck is on my side and I get all the "nice" patients,thank God though I hate rude patients and I'm scared of them,especially mean men patients....

RN1982 · Dec 25, 2008

Honey, you better get over that because you are gonna get all types of patients, rude and nice. The trick is knowing how to deal with them.

Atheos · Dec 25, 2008

Maybe because luck is on my side and I get all the "nice" patients,thank God though I hate rude patients and I'm scared of them,especially mean men patients....

Heh...

Mean Men patients...

The only black eye I've ever had and the only bloody nose from a punch I've ever had both came form 90+ year old women.

The black eye was from a 4'5" 96 year old woman. Popped me right in the eye while I was too busy trying NOT to grab her arm. :)

The bloody nose was from a 90ish year old woman that looked at me, smiled and then laid me out. Also the only time I've ever been laid out.

I'm NOT exactly the small kind of guy.

lovehospital · Dec 25, 2008

Patients want you to be professional and take care of them. They could care less about how you look. I always thought it to be rather tacky for nurses to come in in full-painted-on make up.

I dont see nothing wrong with nurses who come in a full-painted make up,well of course if you make yourself look like a freaking clown with hair from 80,and your boobs sticking out I admit I might look at you funny(BTW I'm refering to a nurse who I saw at a store couple years ago who looked like a waitress from hooters or even playboy bunny,no joke-bleached hair,exposed breast with an tatoo on it,and high hills,every one was looking at her heh,but to me it was unprofesional and I'm not talking about looking trashy...not at all,I'm not underestimating profesionalism all I'm saying is that make up,hair up to the shoulder and nail polish wont hurt,nothing extreme though...