So many options when researching the best shoes for nurses! Where do you even start? While I can only speak from personal experience, all I can say is that when it comes to the best shoes for nurses, it’s the Skechers Sport Women’s Premium-Premix Slip-On Sneakers for me. And here’s why I love these shoes enough to write an entire article about them.
These are simply the best nursing shoes I have ever owned, and I am going on working six years in healthcare. Confession… I am currently on my third pair of these shoes in just over six years in the industry!
I don’t even think about it. When they start getting pretty worn down, I don’t mess around and try something new, no, I order them again.
I know that isn’t very exciting, because there are a lot of cute shoes out there to try, but when I am working my third, twelve-hour shift in a row? I could seriously care less which influencer swears by which shoes. These shoes keep my feet happy!
These nursing shoes are sturdy, they are well made, they go with every single pair of my scrubs, and they are extremely comfortable.
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The Best Shoes For Nurses On A Budget
Skechers Sport Women’s Premium-Premix Slip-On Sneaker
What I love most about these nursing shoes
1. Price!
As I’m writing this article, these shoes are only $54.00. Which, when it comes to nursing shoes, that is seriously a steal. It is hard to find a shoe, that is specifically marketing to nurses, under $70. So these are definitely the best shoes for nurses and nursing students on a budget.
2. Comfort
I’m entering my mid-thirties now… Come on man!
Comfort is just the number one priority for me now. I want to wear comfy yoga pants, comfy shirts, comfy scrubs, and I want comfy shoes at work! If I’m not comfortable, I’m not having a good time.
I used to wear shoes at work that would leave my feet ON FIRE at the end of a shift. Walking on my tile floors was torture, let alone even thinking about continuing to stand on my feet to cook dinner after a long shift… Yikes! That’s sad right?
These shoes have great arch support, and they have really good padding and cushioning inside. They also have what they call an EVA midsole for great shock absorption. I can testify to this when having to run down the hall when something requires critical attention. I have been prone to getting a “shock” feeling to my ankle when setting off to run, but I don’t get that with these shoes.
3. Sanitation
Being in the healthcare industry, I am kind of a germophobe. Maybe you can relate? Well I hope so…
It really freaks me out when I see fellow staff wearing cloth fabric shoes… Guys, we are cleaning up the nastiest of the nastiest that comes out of human beings for a living. I have worked in facilities that require hard surface shoes, and those that don’t. But, I don’t care if it’s not required. I am not going to have dried body fluids on the shoes that I wear back home.
These shoes are made of synthetic leather and rubber, and so you can easily wipe them off with a Sani-Cloth after your shift.
4. Durability
These shoes last me a good year and a half, to two years with heavy, heavy use. Those are a lot of steps put into those babies. They still look pretty darn good too, but the sole is pretty worn out and I am ready for a fresh set after a couple of years. Hey considering these are less than $60 bucks, I think that is an incredible ROI (return on investment).
5. No Laces
I love when I don’t have to bend over or kneel down to tie my shoes. Does that sound lazy? I’m sorry, but it’s just the truth. I leave these shoes by my garage door where I can slip them on and walk out the door. If you tend to run “right on time”, or late, this is really nice.
6. True to size
I’m personally a size 7, and I have always ordered a size 7 in these shoes. I have never had an issue with sizing and when you read the reviews, you can see that is true for most people as well.
7. Safety!
Safety absolutely should be a consideration regarding the best shoes for nurses right? Surprisingly, no. I see plenty of nurses wearing shoes that are not slip-resistant. It doesn’t look like they market them as slip-resistant, but they definitely are. Your feet are firmly planted on the ground, and when walking over wet stuff, which happens in the hospital a lot, its never been a problem for me.
What I don’t love, but they are still the best shoes for nurses…
Believe it or not, there are a couple of cons to the Skechers Sport Women’s Premium-Premix Slip-On Sneakers. Nothing is perfect after all, and if anyone tries to tell you otherwise, they are either a robot or a just plain liar for whatever reason they have. However, I find the pro’s massively outweigh the con’s, but you be the judge.
1. A little clunky
These shoes are a little on the “clunky” side. They are not as light as some sneakers people show up to work with, that’s for sure. While that doesn’t bother me, since it doesn’t affect their comfort, I do think it is worth mentioning.
2. Not the cutest
When sitting with my work friends talking about our nursing shoes, I’m not going to sit there and pretend that by looking at these shoes, these babies sell themselves. Now don’t get me wrong, they aren’t ugly, but they aren’t “cute” either, in my opinion at least. But as I mentioned before, I could care less. I need my feet to not feel like they are going to fall off when I get home from work.
3. Need to be broken in
This is probably a con with almost every pair of shoes out there, but it is still worth mentioning. These shoes are pretty tight and stiff when you first get them. They take a good week, maybe two to break them in if you are working long hours like a nurse does.
The Best Shoes for Nurses AND Nursing Students
While I believe these are the best shoes for working nurses, we can’t forget nursing students. Nursing students are working nursing shifts, for free, at clinical. “For free”, I’m totally kidding, that is a different conversation for a different day.
But because these shoes are so affordable, they are white, slip resistant, and hard surfaced, they are actually the perfect shoe for nursing students.
In conclusion:
To conclude our best shoes for nurses, and nursing students, I think it is worth bringing up how important your own best judgement is. Finding the perfect pair of nursing shoes is very trial and error. Luckily for me, due to my limited budget, I found these shoes very fast in my search.
If you are a nursing student and reading this, I highly recommend narrowing down your search to what your school requires for nursing shoes. There are a ton of articles with a huge list of nursing shoes they recommend. But remember, nurses work in many different environments. They work in hospitals, clinics, home health, offices, schools, cruises, you name it.
That is why I am happy and proud to recommend the Skechers Sport Women’s Premium-Premix Slip-On Sneakers. They will satisfy the strictest shoe requirements, and are comfortable and will last you a very long time.
If you are looking for a simple list of nursing school supplies to complete your preparation for nursing school, here is an article I wrote right here after wasting a ton of money on things I didn’t need.
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