Any nurses here? I've got a question for you!

[SimplyViki]

I don't want to put it in the polls section because I want it to be an open-ended, not a closed-ended question (can you tell I've just finished Fundamentals of Nursing?:eyebrows:) and I don't want to box anyone into a particular response.

I'm a nursing student who is wondering:

How has nursing affected the way you treat your hair?

[windinherhair]

Before I became a nurse, I had a job where I could wear my hair down a lot. I started to pull my hair back a lot more when I became a nurse to keep it out of my way. I have gotten a lot of ideas from this forum on new ways to pull it back.... so really nursing only helped my hair for the better.

[AmyJorgensen]

I am pre-nursing I guess. (Haven't taken the TEAS yet) I think it has improved my hair, because I found this forum through searches for updos for long hair. (I was looking to the nursing future) Since I've found this forum, my hair has improved a lot.

[Coriander]

I'm pre-nursing as well, and can tell you that this forum has helped greatly. I was seriously thinking about cutting it short "to make it easier for my career", but re-found this forum and have kept it long and in updos.

While I was working in an Alzheimer's facility, this forum helped me with updos and such that would keep my hair out of... well, keep it clean ;)

I love LHC :D

[happyquilter]

I was a nurse for 30+ years, with most of those years in surgery. Between wearing a hair covering and mask tied over my head in surgery, just plain genetics (bald Dad and grandmother, aunt with thinning hair), and lupus (can thin hair), I have dismayingly thinning hair. That may not answer your question but that's my situation.

If you work in surgery, be sure to hold your patients hands as they go to sleep. It matters.

Wishing you a long and rewarding career! :flower:

[summerstorm1979]

I have been a nurse now for two years on a very busy post-surgical floor (31 beds). I know and recognize that most of us nurses have very hectic jobs for sure, but just at my particular hospital, people say "if you can work on 3A, you can work anywhere."
Also noteable, is the fact that I am *extremely* hot-natured, and can't stand to have hair hanging down my back. Even in a ponytail, it felt like I was wearing a sweater on my back while I was running down these long hallways. When I would bend over a patient's bed, my ponytail would often work it's way down to falling in front of me (too many bodily fluids present for that!). Also, I was noticing that with all the movement involved in caring for my patients, my hair was swishing back and forth on my scrub top, and would get very tangled and matted-looking. :rolleyes:
The third important factor is that I suck at updos, big time. :lol: My brain just doesn't connect with my hands very well when they are behind my head!
So with all these factors, and after a lot of thought and worry, I decided to c-u-t (bad word) my hair quite a bit. :scissors: This was just 7 weeks ago, and although I do miss my hair being longer, I was admittedly not wearing it down very often at all anyway. It started feeling like more of a burden, and that's when I knew it would be ok to cut it. It still comes down below my collar bone, and I know I can always grow it out again if I want to.
This is just my (long-winded) story, and every day that I am showering and getting ready for work, I am grateful that it doesn't take quite as long as washing and combing out all that hair!

[AddiesMom13]

I'm not a nurse, but I work in a hospital ER. It's really hard for me to wear my hair down, running around like crazy all night. I get so sweaty and my hair sticks to my neck like glue. Most of the time I start out with every intention of wearing it down, but about 2 hours in I'm tying it off with an office elastic! It's terrible. I need to invest in some of those sticks I see everyone wearing on here...
So needless to say, working in the medical field has made it hard for me not to damage my hair. But I'm on the road to recovery since I joined this site :)
I ended up cutting my long hair off this spring because I was getting migraines from wearing up in such a severe bun all the time. It was great at first, but now it's getting longer, and I want to keep it long again, so I'm going to have to figure something out *shrug*
I just know that 90% of the medical staff I work with has short (shoulder length or above) hair. Three nurses I work with have long hair, two wear it down (don't know how they manage it!) and one wears it in a messy bun. :)

[pilateschick7]

I worked in a busy ICU for 5 years prior to going back to school. I kept my hair around bra strap length the entire time. Mostly in a ponytail or 2 braids. I found LHC this January. My hair is so much healthier now (thanks to oiling and silk sleep caps). I wish I had known about Ficcare clips and Hair Forks working on the floor. I would have looked much cuter. Hopefully I will have some major length prior to graduating.
The body fluid thing is an issue but I just showered after work every day anyway. Plus you get exposed to EVERYTHING..no matter your hair length. You become colonized for MRSA and other interesting critters.:)

I am keeping an eye out for silk lined scrub caps for the OR. I will share if I have any luck.

[Hairizona]

I was a nursing assistant from the mid 70's to 1978; became an LVN. Then in 1983 got my RN. I've done a lot; from being a back office nurse to being a labor monitrice for home births, a psychiatric nurse, to my current position as a director of nursing in a locked Alzheimers facility. My hair has been from shoulder length to mid thigh. I was growing it out and then cutting it. My decision to cut never had anything to do with nursing. It was at it's longest when I was a charge nurse on an adolescent unit. I did not wear it up- i wore it pulled back in a braid. If we had to restrain any acting out adolescent, I made sure I tucked my hair down inside the back of my shirt because I did not want anyone yanking my hair during a "take down". I currently wear my hair up because it is more professional, and I sometimes have the opportunity to come in contact with body fluids etc. At least at this time in my life I have great ways and toys to put my hair up; all because of LHC!

[KatKeRo]

I'm a nurse in the ER and the only thing I do for my hair is to do an updo while I'm at work. Sometimes I make a braid but not often because I don't like the chance it can slide in bodily fluids. I keep my braids for my free time.
I try to do another updo every day because eveyday I'm dressed in scrubs at work. Like this I have some variation in my worklife.

[hellkitty]

My sister is a doctor (okay, not a nurse, but kinda close, right?) Her hair is longer than mine--somewhere past classic. She knows only one hairstyle--an English braid into a beebutt bun worn low on the neck. She wears her hair like this every day at work. Seems boring to me, but just like I can do a cinnabun that could withstand a tornado, her braided beebutt can probably survive the apocalypse. She says it's better to have one style you can do rock solid than to have a few that may or may not come out during surgery.

I don't know if it's changed how she treats her hair (her choice of profession) but I do know that she's never had a problem with getting in and out of the OR or doing anything because of her hair.

HK

[SimplyViki]

Quote: "Her braided bee-butt can probably survive the apocalypse".

I love that. :lol:

[Teakafrog]

I've been an RN for a dozen or so years, and I learned to wear it UP. You do NOT want confused old people pulling it, or it slipping over your shoulder during (and INTO) a sterile dressing change, or worse, a diaper change. Blah. Up and secure is my motto at work.

[Fireweed]

I just put it up in a bun.

[skydancer7]

Nursing student here, about to graduate in 9 days!

I am currently between jaw and shoulder lenth, goal of tailbone lenght. At my current length it is hard to put up because of all the shorter pieces in back. I usually do a low pony tail with clips on the side to hold the whispies back. I tried leaving it down a couple times, but found it too hot and uncomfortable.

I am picturing my long hair in the future, and mastering a few nice buns I can wear to work. I anticipate keeping it long in my nursing career.

[marikamt]

I think it has actually helped my hair... I have started oiling fairly heavily, get to practice some benign neglect and don't use any heat styling 90% of the time... my hair is always up at work. People I work with are shocked when they see me outside of work and it is down....

[marikamt]

I've been an RN for a dozen or so years, and I learned to wear it UP. You do NOT want confused old people pulling it, or it slipping over your shoulder during (and INTO) a sterile dressing change, or worse, a diaper change. Blah. Up and secure is my motto at work.


ROLF... been, there, done that... "UP" is a great thing ..... :D

[Nyghtingale]

I'm a nurse, have been for 30 years. I am working in an insurance company, so I am not affected.

[hydrangea]

I just graduated this past May and have been working on a neuro floor since mid June. Because I wear my hair up at work in a ponytail (it's still pretty short), and have 4 days off each week, I can get away with washing it less frequently. I'm down to about 3 times per week. When I do wash, I do so in the mid afternoon/early evening so that I can let it air dry. I'm proud to say that since I got this job, I have not yet subjected my fine/fragile hair to any nasty build up styling products or electric frying tools, such as blow dryers. :cheese:

[Qamar]

I've been a nurse for 5 years and was in healthcare (EMS) for ten years before that. I get far too hot running around to wear my hair down at work, plus it would want to fall in the way when starting IVs, doing dressing changes etc, so its generally up in a bun of some sort and secured with a hairstick. In a pinch I've braided it and secured the end with the cuff from a glove or a tourniquet. *lol* I always take it down as I'm leaving work and it feels like the official end of the workday now when I let down my hair. The other day when I was putting it up on my way in the door I had a patient stop me, call me Rapunzel and ask in awe how on earth I could put my hair up so quickly...while walking. She made me re-do it for her so she could see it again. :))

The funny thing is, its not really even that long--its an inch from tailbone.

[LittleOrca]

I myself am not a nurse, but my mother has been a Labor and Delivery Nurse for longer than I have been alive, and I can report what she does with her hair since I have seen her get ready for work more times than I can count. :)

My mother has always, and I mean ALWAYS, worn her hair up in a little bun. Like a little bee-butt bun on the crown of her head. At work she always has on her (as she calls it) OR hat [the ones that look kind of like snoods.] Before my mother cut her hair to her shoulder, it was resting at pre-tailbone and was very healthy despite her having always used a brush and a hair dryer after she showers, but only in the morning before work if she forgot to take one the night before.

I guess the only thing that really changed that was a big one was more updos for her, even if they are all bee-butt buns and buns made from high ponytails. :)

[RachieBaby]

I am training to be a nurse at the moment... I start my work experience next week in a nursing home for people with Alzheimer's and Dementia and I was wondering if just braiding my hair will be ok or if its best to keep it in a bun? Im only at APL but I figure its best to keep it out the way right? I can't wait to go to uni next year! :D

[SimplyViki]

How funny to see this thread resurface - I'm almost finished with nursing school! RachieBaby - I'd recommend a bun, yes. The longer your hair gets, the more likely a braid is to get in the way, and it wouldn't be much fun to discover the hard way exactly when it starts getting in the way.

[BelleBot]

It's interesting to see how many nurses and nursing students there are on here. :)
I'm a nursing student and even though I'm currently still doing theory work and not yet out on placement I'm wearing my hair up a lot. It's just easier and gets me into a good routine of wearing it up which I'm sure will help keep my hair happy.
I know my uni and local trusts have a policy that all hair must be above the collar, so if it's long hair it had to be bunned as they don't want long braids and pony tails getting in the way or presenting a hazard.

[andrea1982]

I've been an RN for 5 years and my hair is almost at waist length. I work on a medical unit and in the ER. I wear buns a lot, but my hair is quite thick so the most comfortable style for me to wear is French Braids. My hair is not yet long enough for them to get in the way.

One thing about 12 hour shifts though, is hairspray seems to be a necessary evil for me:). Otherwise, I look VERY frazzled by the end of the day!

[becker]

I'm a Respiratory Therapist and I've learned that in the hospital it is best to keep your hair out off the way of anything you might be cleaning up and depending on the patient population keep it out of the reach of your patients.

[RachieBaby]

How funny to see this thread resurface - I'm almost finished with nursing school! RachieBaby - I'd recommend a bun, yes. The longer your hair gets, the more likely a braid is to get in the way, and it wouldn't be much fun to discover the hard way exactly when it starts getting in the way.

Thank you :) I will need to learn some more buns then haha :)

Also congrats on nearly finishing nursing school :D

[Crackaleen]

I'm a RN, getting close to three years now. I work in mother/baby. I can't imagine leaving my hair down in a setting where there is direct patient care, not exactly sanitary. At the end of my first semester of nursing school we had a practical exam in which we had to do a sterile dressing change on a SimMan. I stupidly wore my then waist length hair in a low pony at the nape of my neck that day and it almost failed me on the exam. It fell over my shoulder and nearly contaminated the field.
Anyway, I alternate between two styles for work - nautilus bun and regular old bun.

[jojo]

I am a registered nurse working on a haemodialysis unit and my hair is bunned whilst I am on duty. We also have to wear visors so it kind of messes the top bit, so I use more oil on the top than I used to do when I worked on the ward.

We are also not allowed to have hair touching the collar, so no choice than to bun it!

[*Rose Red*]

I´m not a nurse, but I work in an hospital and in an OR and so I wear my hair as an updo all the day. Otherwise it would be tangled, and I think my hair likes that updo! But in my sparetime I wear it down as often as I can!