I answer the question “Can Nurses Have Beards?” in the video above. If you don’t want to watch the video or need more info, then continue reading below. You can go here to find nursing school programs.
I am going to discuss whether or not it is acceptable for male nurses to have facial hair.
For many guys, including myself, having a baby face is undesirable, and this may affect their decision to pursue a career in nursing.
Can Nurses Have Beards?
Yes, in most cases, nurses can have beards. It should be properly groomed and well-kept. There are some facilities that might have stricter policies for various reasons.
Can Nurses Have Beards?
As a male nurse who regularly wears facial hair, I can say that generally speaking, you won’t have any issues with having facial hair.
However, please note that there may be exceptions to this.
So if having facial hair is very important for you as a nurse and it could be a deal-breaker for a job, make sure to ask about the facility’s policy on facial hair before accepting a nursing job.
What Are Some Nursing Jobs That May Not Allow Facial Hair
I’m not aware of a definite nursing job that doesn’t allow facial hair. From my experience, it really is more of a facility-to-facility issue.
With that said, let me mention scenarios where having facial hair could be more of a problem.
Having to wear an N95 respirator:
Generally, those N95s need to fit pretty snugly and securely on your face to create a good seal.
Facial hair, especially a lot of facial hair, means you’re not going to pass the FIT test.
An alternative to the N95s is the powered air-purifying respirators, more commonly known as the PAPR:
The thing is, some facilities may not have these readily available, and even if they do…they’re a pain to use.
You might have to go to different places to get the hood and then the pump.
It’s just not convenient when the N95 mask is probably in your unit’s supply closet.
The only good thing about them is that the fit testing for the PAPR is a lot more straightforward than the ones for the N95 mask.
Does That Mean You Can’t Have Facial Hair?
Nope. Not at all.
It just means you need to be aware of that.
If you work at a place where you might have to use an N95 mask maybe once a year, it might be worth it to you.
Final Thoughts
Regardless of whichever option you pick. Please, please, please, make sure to keep it groomed and well-kept.
Do you agree? Disagree? Have you had a different experience? Let us know in the comments below.
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