Requirements of Good Nursing Shoes

Did you know that your nursing shoes and your patient, or client, have a strong correlation? You should know because there is. When it comes to nursing, everything that you do has to be centered on one thing: Optimum Patient Care. Caring for patients is not just all about doing the best nursing interventions that you can think of to speed up your patient’s healing process. It also relates to you, too, hence, the shoes.

When on the hunt for a new pair of nursing shoes, you should not just buy them out on a whim. Unfortunately though, this is the case for a considerable number of nurses. They tend to pick out what catches their fancy right off the shelf. This then leaves and leads to a number of problems and regrets later on.

Comfort

When looking for a good pair of nursing shoes, the first thing that should come to mind is comfort. In this profession, you have to be comfortable enough while in uniform from head to toe in order to give the most effective care to your patient. After all, nobody would like to give care to their patient when their shoes are literally killing them.

With comfort, make sure that the shoes are either one of the following:
a. Exactly your size
b. One size bigger than your exact size

If you are the type who likes to wear stockings, make a green light for the shoes that is exactly your size. But if you are the type who wears thick cotton socks, or alternates between stockings and socks, then buy the pair that is one size bigger than your exact size. These choices allow your feet enough breathing room as you wear them during your entire shift. It helps you avoid developing calluses and corns. Not just these, but it also prevents your from tripping and feeling awkward from wearing too large shoes.

Another thing that backs up comfort in a pair of nursing shoes is the height of the heel. When it comes to this type of shoes, forget the stilettos and the flats. These will only lead to foot problems along with varicosities later on. What is needed is a good 1-1.5 inches height on the “heel-side”. This allows you to rest your entire body weight not just on your feet but on the pair of shoes as well. With this, you will never feel tired around the balls of your feet later in the day.

Once you try on a pair, ask yourself this question, “Am I comfortable in these?” If “yes”, then by all means, go for it. But if you answer “no”, then forget it and look for another pair. You don’t have to worry on whether or not you’ll run out of shoes to choose, a lot of shoe-company have made sure this will never be one of your problems.

Style

With a good pair of nursing shoes, never forget style. There’s no use in looking for outdated shoe-style unless the vintage look is the latest. Pick a style that comes parallel with your taste and compliments your uniform. As a nurse, you already know what role aesthetics play in the profession. It helps make dealing with patients and clients easier big time. With this, looking good from head to toe is a must.

Durability

So now, you have comfort and style in the list on what to look for in nursing shoes. What should be next in the list is ‘durability’. Nurses walk a lot during their entire shift. From the nurses’ station to the patients’ room and back, and to other parts of the hospital, nurses really are walkers.

With this in mind, pick a pair of shoes that can withstand the walking that you’ll be doing together later. It has to be strong enough to be intact and wearable for the next shifts. This is to save you from taking time to pick out another pair and spending a huge amount of money to buy it. Also, it will save you from future embarrassments brought about by having dysfunctional shoes while going on duty.

The thing with durability though, is that it can’t really be seen and be sure about it right away. However, one way to examine shoes for this is to look at how the pieces are put together. If it is through close stitching, then you can guarantee that it is durable. Do not rely much on the shoes whose parts look glued together. Chances are, with heavy use they will unglue in the near future. Or, you can always choose shoes from a brand that’s known for durability in their products.

Material

Most oftentimes, the material of the shoes is overlooked. When looking for nursing shoes, this should not be the case. When it comes to the material which the shoe is made out of, choose the one that is water-proof. In the hospital, you can never be 100% sure that there won’t be spills of anything that can be spilt while on duty. Having water-proof shoes will give you added protection especially when the one that’s spilt is biologic.

Another thing with water-proof materials is that they are cleaned easily. All there is to do is get a cloth or tissue and wipe off what you don’t want on your shoe. With this, you have a lesser number of things to do.

Having these “requirements” in your nursing shoes indirectly optimizes patient care. When you are comfortable in your shoes, know that you look good in them, and rely on them to give you service and protection 24/7 you will consequently do your best at work, too. Why? You won’t have other things to think about thus, you will be able to concentrate on giving your best in patient care.