New Grad? Be Prepared to Look Great
Karla A. Knight, RN, MSN

You’ve landed that first job. Congratulations! While your nonnurse friends may get to enjoy “Casual Fridays” and need no more than a pen to start work, you will need to look professional and carry certain equipment to practice appropriately and effectively the art and science of nursing.

Dina Juhasz, RN, BSN, nurse recruiter, Children’s Hospital Boston, is accustomed to assuring new grads that they can fit in to their new work environments. Overall, Juhasz advises, “Go conservative until you know your work environment better.”

Most importantly, she recommends that you think about how you, as a new nurse, want to introduce yourself to others — not just what you say but how you look and what you do. “This first ‘introduction’ stays with the people you meet for about six months!” adds Juhasz.

As you walk through the doors of your first job as an RN, Juhasz also offers the following specific tips:

Keep it simple. Certain patient care areas require a uniform, such as scrubs, and some require street clothes with a lab coat. Current styles, such as low-cut pants, crop tops, and see-through apparel, are clearly not appropriate for a professional appearance. Make sure what you’re wearing doesn’t expose your bellybutton ring, tattoos, or underwear if you bend down, lean forward, or reach up.

Feet often get noticed first. You must absolutely not wear sandals or open-toed shoes, no matter how good your pedicure is! This prohibition is not just for appearance’s sake: Flip-flops and sandals present infection control issues as well as safety concerns for you and your patients. Closed-toe, well-fitting, and comfortable shoes are in keeping with a professional image. Clogs, formerly maligned in the workplace, are now permitted.

Don’t forget your nametag. This is an important part of who you are on the job and identifies you to patients as an RN. Most employers will issue you required photo ID badges for security reasons. For your safety and that of your patients, they should either be clip-on or on a lanyard with a break-away feature.

Minimize jewelry. Rings other than flat bands, bracelets, and necklaces all present safety concerns for both wearer and the patient. So select your jewelry carefully. Wear studs or very small hoops in your pierced ears. Dangling earrings and big hoops are unsafe while working with patients.

Wear your hair simply. Long hair should be pulled back for infection control reasons. You don’t want your hair falling into your field while you’re doing a sterile dressing. Although there are no specific policies about hair length or color, hairstyles and colors on the conservative side might help you feel more comfortable in your new work environment.

Don’t let make-up overwhelm your appearance. While you might heavily line your eyelids to go out on the town, you don’t want to draw attention to yourself because your make-up looks too dramatic.

Save your acrylic nails for vacations. Acrylic fingernails harbor bacteria and therefore present an infection control problem. They are usually forbidden in most direct patient care areas and definitely in the OR. Fingernails should be kept short — patients are too sick and you will be too involved with learning new things to be preoccupied with breaking a nail. Although employer-specific rules may vary about wearing nail polish, consider how your patients might feel if they are being cared for by someone wearing bright purple nail polish that chips off — could they trust that you would make good choices for their care?

Keep tattoos covered. Tattoos are often in places where they are ordinarily covered by clothing anyway. They don’t represent infection control or safety concerns, but think carefully before you get that new tattoo where it can’t be covered up for an interview or on the job.

Get to know your work culture before wearing your lip and eyebrow rings. Initially, take a conservative approach to showing off your piercings. and then you can gradually introduce who you are to your coworkers. And don’t let that bellybutton ring show under any circumstances.

Go easy on the perfume and cologne. You will eventually come in contact with patients and coworkers who are highly allergic or who have respiratory difficulties. Don’t be responsible for inducing an asthma attack because you’ve overdone it on the cologne. Some work environments prohibit the use of scented products due to the increasing number of people who are scent-sensitive.

Bring your own stethoscope and bandage scissors. While they might be provided on the unit, there’s never one available when you need one! You can buy stethoscopes online or find a medical supply company to compare different types. Bandage scissors used to populate the pockets of every nurse, and it’s still a good idea to have your own so that when you need them, you have a pair handy.

Wear a reliable watch with a sweep-second hand. Not every nurse will need one for patient care, but it’s certainly wise to be on time wherever you go.

When in doubt, find someone you trust that you can ask about your appearance. You can always call your nurse recruiter, and he or she will help you out. The people who hire you want you to succeed. Don’t sabotage yourself by wearing something inappropriate just because you’re unsure!

“New grads need to think about how they want to present themselves as professionals,” says Juhasz. “It’s not that they shouldn’t be themselves,” she adds, “but they should balance the culture and practices of the institution with who they are as a person.”

Karla A. Knight, RN, MSN, is a contributing writer for Nursing Spectrum.