Hi Corey,

Most rur­al and remote organ­i­sa­tions and work­places will have their own dress codes and poli­cies around footwear for you to con­sult, and that will include footwear that is safe, non-slip, enclosed, and comfortable. 

Many RANs out bush do wear runners/​sneakers. Lace-up boots (safe­ty boots) or hos­pi­tal shoes like Hush Pup­pies can often be worn too. There’s def­i­nite­ly an argu­ment for wear­ing shoes that nee­dles won’t go through, in any context. 

If you’re head­ed remote, take mul­ti­ple pairs as you may go through them in the wet sea­son. They can become mouldy or dis­in­te­grate and may only last a few months. To coun­ter­act that you can try to store them in an air-con­di­tioned room when not in use and allow them to dry out. Leather may not be the best in the wet, as it may be prone to rotting.

Michelle Mason,
Pro­fes­sion­al Offi­cer, CRANAplus

Out­come: Corey ulti­mate­ly went with ​‘Steel Blue’ work/​safety boots. He tells us: ​“I wear these 90% of the time, they’ve been pret­ty bril­liant. Attend­ing call-outs day and night, not know­ing where you’ll end up or what you’ll step on, has made these the right choice. At times, when cer­tain to be in the clin­ic I’ll wear my old faith­ful ED work shoes”.