Young Looking Nurses

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Ok this is something that has been on my mind for a little while now. I am 19 and am going to be starting nursing school in fall next year. Ive always been told that I look really young, I get that I look 12 alot :crying2:. It also doesnt help that im like 5 foot nothing! So my question is, how do you think this will affect the way patients look at me? Im really afraid that they wont trust my capabilities because I look so young. Have any of you ever had to deal with this? Feel free to share your experiences! Thanks

I have a mature look, but some of us are young. Some ppl question how long I have been a nurse because I appear young,I just tell them a while :) and continue business as usual. I wear glasses too so I guess that helps me look mature. Some people will be ageist, but not very many. I had one incident where a patient stated she did not want the young one talking about me. The odd thing is I took care of her the day before and she had nothing to say.....Looking young will be the least of your worries

0 Votes

As long as you look and act confident in what your doing you'll be fine. I've only had a hand full of patients make harmless comments about my age, and in my case its funny because I'm a lot older then I look. I was also told to not advertise my new grad status to my pts, so I always said I was new to the unit if I was asked. Good luck and don't sweat the small stuff.

0 Votes
Specializes in NICU.
I thot for sure he must be male:p

I'm first generation American with an English mum...she would have my head if I referred to it as "king's english". :jester:

0 Votes
Specializes in ER.
Im 29 and look like Im straight out of high school, its been a life long curse ( with comments all my adult life) but Ive learned to make the best of it. I too look young, skinny and the 5'1 height doesnt help either. I agree that confidence and assertiveness can go far, but when a patient first sees you looks do make an impression. Keep the makeup minimal, to look like your not wearing any but cover up any redness ( makes you like a teenager), and thin eyeliner and mascara works wonders. I know people say I'll like it when i get older, but when does that happen?

why rush when that will eventually happen?

0 Votes
Specializes in ER.
I have a mature look, but some of us are young. Some ppl question how long I have been a nurse because I appear young,I just tell them a while :) and continue business as usual. I wear glasses too so I guess that helps me look mature. Some people will be ageist, but not very many. I had one incident where a patient stated she did not want the young one talking about me. The odd thing is I took care of her the day before and she had nothing to say.....Looking young will be the least of your worries

I had a GI bleed the other day who had rupturing varices... thank GOD for my cool glasses, that's all I gotta say about it!! Never mind they make me look more intelligent or more serious.... they saved my eyes!!!!

0 Votes
Specializes in ICU, Heart/Lung transplant.

Be confident in everything you do. I'm 35 but people say I look early 20's. It's. Kind o a disadvantage looking young because I don't think I get the respect that I would if patients & family new I was really 35. I'm constantly having to prove myself & demand respect. After having the same patient for a couple days, they realize that I do know what I'm doing & it's all good.

0 Votes
Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

I'm a school nurse in a middle school. Occasionally I have to float to the high school. If i'm not wearing my normal labcoat and scrubs that day i will inevitably be stopped for a hall pass. I went with the 9th graders on a field trip last year and was assigned homework. :lol2:

0 Votes
Specializes in Assessment coordinator.

40 years ago I had that problem. It lasted about 10 years. I was too young when I graduated to legally witness informed consent or go to the casinos nearby. Once you save a couple of lives in your workplace, that goes away.

0 Votes

Come to think of it, your managers are going to love you. All they want is young and athletic, so you could run the 12 hour marathon every day, lift, turn and transfer 200 lbs of dead weight 30 times a day and not be savvy to your rights as a professional.

When you start looking older and mature, they will trade you in for another younger bimbo.

0 Votes
Specializes in NICU.
When you start looking older and mature, they will trade you in for another younger bimbo.

Just so you know, that implies that the OP and every other young person on here contributing to this thread is a bimbo too...

0 Votes

if you work in pediatrics, the teenagers will DEFINATELY test you!

0 Votes

I agree with most of the posts. Don't worry so much about it. I looked younger than my age until I was in my 50's. Now I wish I looked younger again.(lol) I'm small too and I have patients tell me to go get help because I'm too small to help them OOB. I always tell them I'm stronger than I look, but it doesn't do any good. Once patients, coworkers and physicians see that you know what you are doing and are professional, the looking young won't matter.

0 Votes
+ Add a Comment