Wearing heels to shadow?

[ponybreeder4]

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I will in the ICU, should i wear heels?

 

[Confused2626]

I would definitely not wear heels. Hospitals are not a place for the fashion savvy but for practical and safe work clothes. Closed toe, flat heeled shoes are a must.

 

[WannaBePreMed]

I will in the ICU, should i wear heels?

Doesn't seem like a very bright idea to wear heals. You'll want to be a bit comfortable.

 

[WeAreNotRobots]

I will in the ICU, should i wear heels?

well, that depends... who makes the heels and how are you styling your hair?

 

[WannaBePreMed]

well, that depends... who makes the heels and how are you styling your hair?

Sarcasm at it's best, It's a beautiful thing 👍

 

[scarletgirl777]

I will in the ICU, should i wear heels?

You will be in SO MUCH PAIN. Trust me, I made this mistake. You may think you'll be ok, but as a seasoned high heel wearer for even somewhat unusual occasions, I can tell you that you will hate yourself for doing it in this situation.

 

[0Complications]

I will in the ICU, should i wear heels?

Neeeeeegatory... Why would you even think to do that?

 

[binko]

If you wonder if heels are okay, they're not.

 

[BrickHouseMD]

Absolutely not. Terrible idea. Your shoes need to be closed-toed (needle sticks), comfortable, and gripped (blood/urine on tile is slicker than goose...well, you know). I've seen women (and men - crocs with holes) sent out of the ICU for improper footwear. Really, it's an OSHA thing.

 

[vickpick]

is this question a joke?

isn't there a dress code?

 

[TheMagicCookie]

Ok, I don't think this is necessarily an absolute "no". When I shadowed the general surgeon that I work with, I have an extremely comfortable pair of heels from Naturalizer (if you've ever worn the brand, you'll understand). They weren't super high and were wider than many of the heels made popular for clubbing and formal events. They were black and closed toe. So, I think it really depends on what kind of heels they are, how tall they are, and whether they will make a loud noise when you walk with them (that clackity clack sound can get irritating fast.). When I'm in the OR shadowing or in scrubs, I wear my black Danskos that I wear at work.

 

[Siverhideo1985]

yes, wear heels...make sure you follow him a whole shift, though...or you won't get any good use out of those shoes of yours!

Besides you are too pretty and too smart for regular shoes! I can tell...

 

[harrothere]

If OP is a female: No.
If OP is a male: Maybe.

 

[kac714]

ok look, i wear heels to work in a hospital almost every day, even when I'm shadowing. as long as they are closed toe, not insanely high, and COMFORTABLE you will be fine. its really personal preference as long as they dont violate a dress code.

 

[olemissbabydoc]

You will be in SO MUCH PAIN. Trust me, I made this mistake. You may think you'll be ok, but as a seasoned high heel wearer for even somewhat unusual occasions, I can tell you that you will hate yourself for doing it in this situation.

I automatically lost 2 inches of height when I started shadowing and spending time in the hospital.

Flats only now.

 

[236116]

Plain old black or brown pumps or other dress shoes. Get grips for the soles if they don't come with them. Under 2 inch heel, more like 1.5 max. Classics are the only thing appropriate for this setting.

(This is as a woman who regularly wears her sea-green, peep-toe, 3 inch heels all over the damn hospital.)

 

[surftheiop]

I will in the ICU, should i wear heels?

I know this is going to sound obvious, but just ask whoever your shadowing what would be good to wear clothes/shoes wise.

After reading stuff on here I was planning to wear longsleeve w/ tie, dress pants, and nice dark shoes when I shadowed.

I asked the dr the day before and he said wear whatever I wanted and tennis shoes. I was still kind of skeptical so I wore a polo and dress pants. When I got there first thing he did is take me to this vending machine, swipped his ID and out came scrubs bottoms and tops. I changed into them and wore them around all day (and was glad I was wearing tennis shoes, my feet would have died If i had to stand for 6 hours wearing 20lbs of lead in dress shoes).

So yeah, just ask someone directly what you should wear.

 

[efitzpat]

I just tried to look nice when I shadowed. Sometimes I wore heels, but the wing I shadowed in was really small (ped heme clinic with maybe 6 rooms max) so I didn't annoy people with the click-clack. When I shadowed in whole departments, like the ICU or ED, I usually stuck to flats. But I would say whatever yo are comfortable in as long as you look professional.

 

[dw2158]

If OP is a female: No.
If OP is a male: Maybe.

👍👍👍

 

[Alyla]

when i was working as a medical assistant, i swore by my Dansko clogs. they give you some height, but no back pain and no foot pain! true, they are kinda ugly, but you can hide them under nice pants. they are a bit spendy though...totally worth it IMHO, and they last forever 😍

http://www.dansko.com/#detail,Professional,Stapled Clog,2

 

[student1799]

For your own comfort, I wouldn't advise heels. Hospitals have concrete floors, and you will be in AGONY after standing around in high heels for a couple of hours--trust me. I volunteered in a busy ED for 2 years, and observed the following footwear being worn by the staff:

1. Running shoes
2. Clogs, both Dansko and other brands
3. Crocs
4. Shoes explicitly designed for comfort such as Merrell, Lands End, etc.

I tried all of the above except Crocs, and ended up wearing Lands End All-Weather Mocs (about $35 mail-order) with custom orthotics that my podiatrist prescribed ($$$, but worth it because they alleviated my terrible back pain).

 

[ButImLETired]

Changing the word in the title cause the misspell is giving me a headache. Sigh....

 

[Vulcan]

Dress for comfort, not style

Your feet will thank you in the end

 

[binko]

Better yet, get a pair of Earth shoes. I own 3, totally necessary for me walking everywhere in a hilly town with brick streets.

 

[Mobius1985]

Changing the word in the title cause the misspell is giving me a headache. Sigh....

I'm with you. Thanks.

 

[dw2158]

changing the word in the title cause the misspell is giving me a headache. Sigh....

thank you.

 

[smq123]

I will in the ICU, should i wear heels?

No.

The ICU, like the ED and the OR, is a place with very sick patients. The staff may have to do a lot of running, to address code blues, etc.. There is, often, a lot of bodily fluid on the ground - patients will have chest tubes being put in or taken out, may have open abdomens, etc. Urine and diarrhea doesn't always go where it's "supposed to go."

Furthermore, ICU rooms are crowded because there is a LOT of equipment that needs to be there - ventilators, portable hemodialysis machines, etc. It requires a fair amount of dexterity to move around those rooms.

Even as a student in the ICU, I wore scrubs everyday. No dress clothes. They may tell you to do the same.

Heels will make it harder on you to do that. While I wouldn't necessarily wear sneakers unless they specifically tell you to come in scrubs, I would definitely wear flats.

Ok, I don't think this is necessarily an absolute "no". When I shadowed the general surgeon that I work with, I have an extremely comfortable pair of heels from Naturalizer (if you've ever worn the brand, you'll understand). They weren't super high and were wider than many of the heels made popular for clubbing and formal events. They were black and closed toe. So, I think it really depends on what kind of heels they are, how tall they are, and whether they will make a loud noise when you walk with them (that clackity clack sound can get irritating fast.).

It depends more on the environment. If you're shadowing in an office, then heels are fine. If you're just going to be joining the attending for rounds on regular floor patients, then heels are fine as well.

In the ICU, though, heels could definitely be a problem.

Plain old black or brown pumps or other dress shoes. Get grips for the soles if they don't come with them. Under 2 inch heel, more like 1.5 max. Classics are the only thing appropriate for this setting.

Once again - in an ICU setting, classic heels/pumps are probably NOT appropriate. You have no idea how close you'll be getting to patients, and heels just don't cover your feet enough. You may slip and fall, as well, in those overcrowded rooms.

(This is as a woman who regularly wears her sea-green, peep-toe, 3 inch heels all over the damn hospital.)

Open toe shoes....in a hospital?? Isn't that an OSHA violation?