NurseWeek News

Image Counts
If 'what you see is what you get, ' offer a clear and clean look into our profession

By Barbara Brown, Ed.D., RN, FAAN
July 1, 2002

You are how you look. Look at yourself each day and always be proud of what you see. At a recent NURSEWEEK career fair in Phoenix, I looked around and saw a professionally dressed woman. I thought she might be an exhibitor, so I asked her. Debra introduced herself, and replied that she was a nurse looking for a change in position. I complimented her on her businesslike appearance.

"I'm here for a job interview and I mean business today," she said. "I want to convey an image of trust and ability. I have been a nurse for 21 years and for the last 12 years, I have been in OR. I need to explore different things." We talked a bit about the image of nursing and how nurses sometimes give the appearance of not caring how they look to others, as long as they do their job.

Debra said she feels that people should see that nurses are detailed, honest, qualified and present themselves in a professional manner. I reflected on my professional orientation and recalled many years ago being advised to wear a hat and gloves for a job interview. We also had our uniforms checked before we went on duty each day and had to be in compliance with regulations, including length of uniform, cleanliness, no jewelry, hair above the collar, no nail polish, neatly trimmed nails, polished shoes and whatever else a school of nursing required. No, I am not suggesting that we return to that era, but how we look to our patients and colleagues is important.

When nurses decided to change how we looked in a hospital where I was an administrator, we had a fashion show for our consumer advisory board and the bottom line came from an elderly patient who said, "My daughter is a nun and she is changing her habit. If nuns can change their habits, nurses can change their uniforms."

It isn't what nurses wear, but what they do with and for their patients. Now, with so many different health care operators, it is important that each nurse has a clear designation of being an RN. When we are portrayed as less than professional in the media and in our own work settings, we do not have the best image.

Actions speak louder than words. What a nurse does and how a nurse conducts himself or herself are the hallmarks of building public trust and a positive image for the profession.

Discuss this and other topics with your colleagues at www.nurseweek.com/rnvillage.