You cant be fashionable for nursing.

allnurses Guide · Dec 18, 2008

You don't have to be "dowdy", but I personally think a "clean" unadorned look is actually most appealing for a nurse or aide.

Pts want someone who looks clean, tidy and ready to work hard.

Your attractiveness shows through your intelligence, cleanliness and ability.

It's work time, not bling time!

This is coming from a woman who, back in her day as an aide in a nursing home, was a very wild and crazy dresser in her private life... but was EXTREMELY conservative at work.

You dress for the job!

lovehospital · Dec 18, 2008

I had a prof get on to me for being "too fashionable" in her words.. My shoes had a few sequins on them. The wear was professional dress. They were close toed heels and match the outfit and not tacky or anything. She was always finding something wrong with me and another younger student the whole semester and the older students never got in trouble..even for being late.

Thank you.I guess the instructors have their favoritsh picks.Some of my other classmates had their hair down as well but my prof never spoke to them about it,I found this mistreatment to be very unfair...rules are rules and why should I only get punished for it or be reminded to adhere to it.There was also another girl in my class who also was told couple of times she needs to put her hair up.What really suprised me is that you suppose to treat everybody equal but according to my instructors I guess not...

Mulan · Dec 18, 2008

You don't have to be "dowdy", but I personally think a "clean" unadorned look is actually most appealing for a nurse or aide.
Pts want someone who looks clean, tidy and ready to work hard.
Your attractiveness shows through your intelligence, cleanliness and ability.
It's work time, not bling time!
This is coming from a woman who, back in her day as an aide in a nursing home, was a very wild and crazy dresser in her private life... but was EXTREMELY conservative at work.
You dress for the job!

Agree with this!

Nobody cares whether you're fashionable or not except yourself!

I wear my hair up, short nails, no polish, no jewelry, no eye makeup, no lipstick, no sequins anywhere, no perfume, white shoes, and a professional looking appropriately colored pressed uniform.

cherrybreeze, ADN, RN · Dec 18, 2008

I do believe the dress code rules are stricter in nursing school than when you get out on the job, in the majority of cases.

Our dress code does not forbid nail polish, it does forbid fake nails (which I could never work in, anyway). Polish needs to be neurtal, though (although this is not enforced; I have worked with nurses with both bold nail color and fake nails). I keep my nails done (french manicure, not plain color), I prefer how it looks. I use dry enamel strips, and these babies don't chip for two weeks after I put them on. I get MANY compliments from patients on how nice my nails/hands look; have had several that were surprised when they asked and I told them they WEREN'T fake, in fact. I think it's part of looking pulled together, my nails look like crap unpolished. Plus, having them done keeps them from breaking/peeling, which I think would be no more hygenic than chipping polish. I wear gloves near any wounds, so getting chips in to a patient wound wouldn't happen (and I think whoever thought up that reason was grasping at straws).

I have long hair and wear it up by choice...I prefer to put it up (and generally hairspray the heck out of it, I try not to but end up doing it anyways) so that I don't have to worry about it and it's out of my face for 12 hours. Once it's done, it's done. You can do a lot with a curling iron to avoid looking "dowdy," if you want to.

I don't wear whites, I don't like them...too easy to ruin. I don't do prints, either, I wear conservative, dark colors and I think it looks professional. I've gotten feedback to that effect as well.

It's not about looking fashionable, but I think it instills confidence in a patient when their nurse looks pulled together.

lpnflorida, LPN · Dec 24, 2008

I always wear white bottom and jacket, on occasional a colored top under the jacket. 75% of the time I wear my hair pulled back in a band, the other times I wear it up. Nails, I keep short and unpolished, unless it is close to going on vacation in which case I let them grow for a few weeks. Earings, just a small post or pearl studs, watch, usually no necklace, 1 ring on left hand. Makeup is what I would wear any other time, just perhaps not as heavy on eye makeup.

ladside, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN · Dec 24, 2008

Hair up and no artificial nails or nail polish and no perfume is pretty much the norm. However, about the uniform thing, if you plan on doing your job well, you will wear a uniform that will allow you to be 'flexible' and free since there WILL BE a lot of bending, stooping, stretching, etc. As far as the color goes, we have to wear royal blue, ceil blue, or white...depending on the unit in the hospital. But I believe everyone should be allowed to wear whatever color they want since the color WILL CHANGE if the higher-ups become bored with them (as they have so frequently proven to do so.

kindaquazie · Dec 24, 2008

This is what I have to say on the subject. My nursing school education was the worst educational experience of my life. I am in a graduate nursing program DNP to become and ACNP and it is wonderful. I taught clinicals at the local community college and it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. If you recall bad experiences with clinical instructors tearing you down at every opportunity, then become one. I spent my time building up the students and to this day they still send me nice comments.

My advice to you is to get through it and then TEACH.

yousoldtheworld · Dec 24, 2008

Honestly, when it comes to work, I make sure I look clean and am properly uniformed, and that's all that matters to me, really.

I can understand them not wanting people to wear tight scrubs - aside from possibly looking unprofessional, it can also cause sexual behaviors in males, especially those with dementia.

As for wearing your hair down, I understand that, too. It might not be terribly long, but you still shed hairs throughout the day. Not only might your hairs fall into patient areas/wounds/beds/everything else, but you can still get icky stuff in your hair. My hair goes just below my shoulders. One day, my hair tie broke and I didn't have another on me. There was only an hour or so of my shift left, so I didn't worry about it much...until a confused resident who had been "digging herself out' grabbed my hair and told me it was pretty. I never go to work without my hair pulled back into a messy bun or something similar.

I also understand them not wanting to have your nails painted - it's easier to get gunk and bacteria stuck underneath your nails that way. I never wear my nails painted to work, and I'm not sure I've ever seen any of my coworkers with painted nails, either.

You can still look cute. Wear your hair in a cute twist, buy cute clips for it. You can wear makeup as long as it's not super heavy. I wear different sheer colored eyeshadows sometimes. They make plenty of scrubs these days that have a more flattering fit without being snug or tight, too.

You'll never look like you're going to a fashion show at work...but, why would you want to anyway? I'd rather not waste effort trying to look extra cute for work when half of the time, you're a mess by lunch.

francesA · Dec 24, 2008

I'm nurse for years and I can't have my hair down when I work,though it's not long. You never know how much you need to move your body in different situations to help pts. Having hair down would interfer with certain activities. Also, a good nurse is washing her/his hands frequently which means will chip off your nail pulish on forst day you put on and makes it ugly looking and very unprofessional. I agree with your instructor, keep your fashion on for days you are off.

lovehospital · Dec 24, 2008

This is what I have to say on the subject. My nursing school education was the worst educational experience of my life. I am in a graduate nursing program DNP to become and ACNP and it is wonderful. I taught clinicals at the local community college and it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. If you recall bad experiences with clinical instructors tearing you down at every opportunity, then become one. I spent my time building up the students and to this day they still send me nice comments.
My advice to you is to get through it and then TEACH.

m

What do you mean by building up your students?Did you let them wear their hair down and put on a nail polish?

lovehospital · Dec 24, 2008

I'm nurse for years and I can't have my hair down when I work,though it's not long. You never know how much you need to move your body in different situations to help pts. Having hair down would interfer with certain activities. Also, a good nurse is washing her/his hands frequently which means will chip off your nail pulish on forst day you put on and makes it ugly looking and very unprofessional. I agree with your instructor, keep your fashion on for days you are off.

I'm sorry but I dont see how washing your hands frequently will cause your nails to chip.I wash my hands frequently at home and the nail color never chips off.Now when I scrub my kitchen cabinets then yes of course it looks ugly but other then that water wont make them chip off...even light scrubing...

sumoe · Dec 24, 2008

Hair hanging down is hair that will need to be pushed back, out of the way. Having it up already preempts that need. Hair that has to be pushed back means that hands have to be cleansed, repeatedly. Not doing so would definitely be an ID risk.

About fingernails, here's an article link:

http://www.earthchangesmedia.com/biology/0324nailbacteria.htm

Here's another full article...

Nails over 3 mm beyond fingertip spread infections. (Health Care Worker Study).Bruce Jancin. Internal Medicine News 34.24 (Dec 15, 2001): p4(1). (245 words)

SAN FRANCISCO -- Long fingernails spread nosocomial infections, Dr. Shelly A. McNeil reported at the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Nails extending more than 3 mm beyond the fingertip are more likely to harbor pathogens and shouldn't be worn by any health care workers in contact with vulnerable patients, such as those with surgical wounds, catheters, or intravenous lines, according to Dr. McNeil of Dalhousie University in Halifax, N.S.

She measured subungual nail length for all five fingers on the dominant hand of 18 health care workers.

She also swabbed the nail surfaces and collected subungual debris before and after use of an antimicrobial soap or alcohol-based gel, culturing the material for gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and yeasts on two separate occasions.

All seven subjects whose mean nail length exceeded 3 mm harbored pathogens, predominantly Klebsiella species and Candida parapsilosis. Pathogens were recovered from 2 of 11 subjects with shorter fingernails. Mean nail length for health care workers with pathogenic organisms on their nails was 3.8 mm, compared with 2.3 mm in those from whom no pathogens were isolated.

Hand washing with antimicrobial soaps and alcohol-based gels proved equally effective in removing pathogens from the fingernails of all subjects, regardless of nail length. But "in real life, hand washing may not be as effective at ridding nails of germs," Dr. McNeil said. Study participants were under observation while they washed and hence may have been more diligent than in everyday practice.

Source Citation:Jancin, Bruce. "Nails over 3 mm beyond fingertip spread infections. (Health Care Worker Study)." Internal Medicine News 34.24 (Dec 15, 2001): 4(1). Academic OneFile. Gale. Eastern Michigan University. 24 Dec. 2008

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Gale Document Number:A81597006