Can nurses wear cowboy boots? (Explained)

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If you’re a nurse who enjoys incorporating a country flair into your style, then you probably wonder if nurses can wear cowboy boots.

In this article, we will discuss whether nurses can wear cowboy boots, whether nurses can wear cowboy boots with scrubs, whether nurses should be wearing cowboy boots, what kind of cowboy boots a nurse would wear, and what areas of the U.S. allow nurses to wear cowboy boots.

Can nurses wear cowboy boots?

The short answer is, it depends on the individual nurse’s hospital policies, state policies, and personal comfort level.

Can nurses wear cowboy boots?
Can nurses wear cowboy boots?

In some cases, nurses are forbidden from wearing cowboy boots to work because they violate the dress code.

Cowboy boots frequently have heels that exceed the height limit for nursing staff on the floor.

In their free time outside of the medical setting, nurses are welcome to wear cowboy boots.

On the job, it may be a different story. Nurses should always consult with their supervisors before attempting to wear unusual footwear to work.

Wearing inappropriate shoes can jeopardize the safety of the patients and the nursing staff.

After all, the wrong shoes can cause slipping, falling, tripping, slowed mobility, and pain after being on our feet for a full shift.

If you work in a hospital where others openly wear cowboy boots, though, it may be a good indicator that your particular workplace and state approve of cowboy boots on nurses. In this case, feel free to rock your favorite cowboy boots on the floor.

Can you wear cowboy boots with scrubs?

As long as the scrubs are wide-legged enough to cover the boots and your hospital allows cowboy boots in the dress code, you should be able to wear cowboy boots with scrubs.

Can you wear cowboy boots with scrubs?
Can you wear cowboy boots with scrubs?

You may be tempted to tuck a more tapered scrub pant-leg into cowboy boots to show them off.

We would not recommend tucking the scrubs into the boots because it could cause fluids to drip into your shoes.

There are many reasons why this could cause issues for your health, safety, and comfort.

Should nurses be wearing cowboy boots?

We think so–provided that they are safe for a nurse’s specific duties! 

Should nurses be wearing cowboy boots?
Should nurses be wearing cowboy boots?

Cowboy boots are a comfortable, stylish footwear option that shows solidarity with a team and traditional country values.

While nurses need to consider the safety of themselves and their patients–as well as their professional expectations–there is no reason why nurses should not wear cowboy boots if they can perform their job well in them.

As individuals, nurses should decide whether cowboy boots are the best fit for them.

However, especially in rural areas where cowboy boots are the norm, these boots can help nurses create a meaningful connection with their patients by sharing the local style and make nurses feel stylish even on the most hectic days.

As long as the dress code does not forbid cowboy boots or similar shoes, nurses should feel free to enjoy wearing their favorite cowboy boots.

The only consideration that may be worth taking before wearing cowboy boots to work is that nursing can be a messy, fast-paced profession.

As long as you are comfortable knowing that bodily fluids will almost certainly find their way onto your precious boots and you will almost certainly eventually have to run in these boots, knock yourself out!

What kind of cowboy boots would a nurse wear?

A nurse would most likely want to find cowboy boots with a low heel, slip-resistant sole, and comfortable material.

What kind of cowboy boots would a nurse wear?
What kind of cowboy boots would a nurse wear?

Nurses should also, as we mentioned earlier, consult with the appropriate staff to ensure that cowboy boots are permitted in their work setting.

Also, avoiding dress cowboy boots for nursing work is probably best.

What areas of the U.S. are cowboy boots in hospitals acceptable?

While Texas is the most permissive state when it comes to cowboy boots–when everyone else is wearing them, how could they forbid nurses from doing the same?–other states have been known to accept cowboy boots in hospitals.

What areas of the U.S. are cowboy boots in hospitals acceptable?
What areas of the U.S. are cowboy boots in hospitals acceptable?

Rural hospitals tend to favor cowboy boots more than urban areas. This might be a cultural difference or a style difference.

Whatever the reason, as long as your hospital does not forbid cowboy boots or features on cowboy boots such as a heel, it does not matter what others think.

Cowboy boots are a tool of personal expression. As long as it is not hurting anyone or tarnishing your professional reputation, hold your head high and sport cowboy boots if that is what you want to do.

Final Thoughts

In short, nurses can wear cowboy boots in certain settings and places. In places where they are allowed, nurses can wear cowboy boots with scrubs.

Whether nurses should be wearing cowboy boots is entirely up to the individual and the employer. A nurse would wear comfortable, slip-resistant, low-heeled cowboy boots.

Cowboy boots are most acceptable in rural areas and states with large country-dwelling populations, such as Texas.