Putting your best foot forward

When I started nursing school we got all the information about our uniforms. It was a happy day, and I couldn’t wait to get into my first all-white uniform (oh, if only I knew then!).

Then there were the shoes. I had to have all white tennis shoes, with no mesh, all solid. I remember making a trip to Sport Chalet with my  mom so we could find the right pair for my wide-ish feet so that I would be able to last all those hours on the floor walking back and forth. We found the right pair, and even the sales clerk told us, “Oh yes, a lot of nurses buy these shoes for work.”

Flash forward 2 1/2 years later and I’ve been wearing them to work. No more all-white requirement, but they are my “nursing shoes.”  It’s been a good few years, and those shoes have carried me through it all. But now when I get halfway through my day, my feet are burning, begging me to take them off! I couldn’t keep going much longer. I think those shoes have seen their final days, though I think I will probably always keep them for sentimental value (at least for a year or so).

I got new shoes for Christmas! And while returns and tracking down the right pair took about a month, I am finally donning my new kicks to work! They’re Reebok EasyTones, and while I don’t feel that anything is being toned at all (or any more than usual after a day’s work), I LOVE them for their squishy soles and lightweight feeling! I came home last night with my feet happy, I could have kept them on a few more hours!  It was a weekend of three in a row, and after nearly three years, I figured out what it means to have happy feet!

Nurses: What kind of shoes keep your feet happy??