Working as a nurse comes with a unique set of challenges—including the footwear that you choose while working.

Good nursing shoes are essential to keep your legs and feet from becoming injured and to keep you feeling your best as you work your nursing shift.

People search for shoes for nurses because they are often designed for walking and standing all day. It is generally more comfortable than regular tennis shoes.

The mainstream shoes that nurses wear are Dansko clogs. Slip-on is convenient and slip-resistant shoes work great depending on the environment they work in. The most popular shoes are Skechers for walking and Nurse Mates for standing all day.

There are many reasons why wearing good nursing shoes are important, but these reasons can all be traced back to one simple truth: your feet impact the rest of your body, so wearing poor quality shoes will negatively impact your body as a whole.

Nursing shoes need to be designed properly to avoid problems such as:

• Accidents or injury due to slips, falls or foot/leg injuries
• Incorrect or poor posture due to footwear
• Build-up of pain in the knees, back, hips and ankles
• Inability to engage in a full range of motion

Best Overall Clogs for Nurses: Dansko Clogs

The Dansko Women’s Professional Clogs are very popular among nurses. They have excellent arch support, which is suitable for anyone with flat feet. With these clogs, the pressure on your feet is mitigated and will prevent you from getting blisters.

Narrow feet is common in Asia and wide feet is common for western culture. Dansko have suitable size for both type of feet, you can look at the size selection and they offer regular, narrow, and wide.

These clogs come in several sizes and the uppers are all leather with a polyurethane sole with a heel that is about 2 inches high. With its good arch support design, this is all around best shoes for nurses standing all day.

Who is Dansko Clogs for?

These are considered as one of the best shoes for nurses because these are made mainly for women who spend a lot of time working on their feet. With a padded instep collar, a roomy reinforced toe box, PU outsole, and rocker bottom that provides shock absorption with a wide strike heel.

Dansko Clogs User Experience

Reviews for these Dansko clogs are good with the majority of users finding these shoes to be comfortable even when worn for several hours a day. Most users find these shoes run a little short in length and recommend going a size larger.

FAQ: Are these shoes comfortable for people with wide feet? A. Yes, they are

FAQ: My heel hurts a lot and I have difficulties walking. Does this shoe help? A. Yes, this can be the ideal shoes for people with heel pain, as it’s best shoes for nurses with plantar fasciitis.

FAQ: Do these shoes have good support? A. Yes, they offer a lot of support for people who are on their feet all day.

FAQ: Do these shoes have good arch support? A. Yes, they do

The Dansko Women’s Professional clogs get great reviews among nurses and other professions. If your work is in an abusive environment that requires you to stand all day and walk a lot, this is the shoes for you. On the downside, while many nurses do feel these clogs are comfortable even after standing on their feet for 10 or 12 hours, others find these clogs to be a little tight-fitting, so you may need to order a slightly bigger size. Danko also makes quality sneakers, but their clogs are more well known for professions that stand all day.

Related: Why Dansko shoes are loved by Nurses

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Best Slip On Shoes Nurses: Alegria Duette

The Alegria Duette Women’s Professional shoe is a slip on shoe that comes in a variety of colors and some very cute designs.

Who is Alegria Duette for?

These Alegria Duette professional women’s shoes are perfect for women who work on their feet all day and want a shoe that is easy to slip on and slip off.

Alegria Duette User Experience

Ratings for these shoes are exceptionally good. The majority of users find these shoes easy to put on and take off. They like the support that these shoes offer and they also feel that these shoes have the right amount of cushioning.

FAQ: Do these shoes Stretch a lot? A. While these shoes do stretch some they do not stretch a great deal

FAQ: Are the soles of these shoes slip resistant? A. The soles are rubber, which is naturally slip resistant

FAQ: Is the padded collar on these shoes comfortable on the ankles? A. Yes, they also help the shoes to fit better.

Not only do these Alegria Duette Women’s Professional shoes get exceptionally good reviews, but also women who are on their feet all day long find these shoes to be comfortable. The rubber soles provide a non-slip quality that many women need and the roomy toe box allows enough room for swollen feet.

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Best for Walking: Skechers Go Walk 5

These Skechers Women’s Go Walk Sneakers are slip-on sneakers that come in a wide variety of sizes and your choice of either black or white.

Who is Skechers Go Walk 5 for?

These shoes work for women who spend a great deal of the day walking and want a shoe that is more comfortable than stylish.

Skechers Go Walk 5 User Experience

Reviews for these Skechers Women’s Go Walk Sneakers are good. Users like that these shoes are extremely comfortable and can easily be wiped off if anything gets spilled on them. They find that these shoes really ease back or leg pain for people who are standing on their feet all day long.

FAQ: Are these shoes leather? A. Yes they are

FAQ: What are the soles of these shoes made from? A. The soles of these shoes are leather

FAQ: On these shoes have arch support? A. These shoes do have some arch support, but not a lot as they’re sneakers. The best shoes for nurses with flat feet still belong to Dansko.

Anyone looking for a slip-on sneaker for work or for play will probably find these sneakers to be comfortable and stylish. Although it would be nice if these shoes came in more colors overall they are great shoes for casual wear.

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Best Slip Resistant: Crocs Neria Pro II

These Women’s Neria Pro Li Slip Resistant work and nursing shoes come in a variety of even sizes and several different colors and cute designs.

Who is Crocs Neria Pro II for?

These shoes are made specifically for nurses and other women who spend long hours on their feet and need a comfortable shoe to avoid having tired feet during the day.

Crocs Neria Pro II User Experience

Reviews for these clogs are good, but not great. Although most users did find that these shoes were tight across the top when they are first put on the feet, they do stretch out once they are broken in. Many users find they experience less pain in their feet and back even after wearing these shoes for long hours.

FAQ: Are these shoes slip resistant A. Yes, they have nice grippy soles

FAQ: Do these shoes have a rounded toe? A. Yes, but the toe box is roomy and comfortable

FAQ: Do these shoes squeak when walking? A. Yes, they are somewhat noisy on some floors.

The vast majority of users, who find these clogs comfortable enough to wear even when spending 8 to 12 hours on their feet while not loved by everyone, the majority of users like these Croc clogs. These are definitely the type of shoes that need to be broken in over a period of time to offer the most comfort.

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Best for Standing All Day: Nurse Mates

These Nurse Mates Dove Oxfords come in several sizes including quite a few wider widths. They come in your choice of black or white and the small heart on the side of the shoe is cute.

Who is Nurse Mates Dove Oxford for?

These shoes are designed specifically with nurses in mind but are suitable for any women who spend a great deal of time on their feet and prefer comfort over style.

Nurse Dove Oxford User Experience

Reviews for these Nurse Mates shoes are between average and good. While the majority of users like these shoes, several users also found them a bit uncomfortable. Users do suggest you buy a half size up from your usual size.

FAQ: Are these shoes lightweight? A. Yes, they are extremely light on the feet

FAQ: Do these shoes have arch support? A. They do have some arch support, but not as much as Dansko

FAQ: Are these shoes slip resistant? A. Yes these shoes are very slip resistant

Some users find these Nurse Mates shoes to be extremely comfortable and wearable for long periods of time others find these shoes miss the mark. In order to decide whether these shoes are right for you we suggest that you try these on at a regular shoe store before attempting to order them online.

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Budget Friendly Sneaker: NB FuelCore Nergize

These shoes consist of breathable upper, rubber sole, and NB comfort inset and ReVlite insole. These shoes are easy to slip on and off and have a slightly higher back for better heel support. They are worn by walkers, runners, weight lifters, nurses, and people who need a lightweight, but comfortable shoes. With this wide attribute coverage, this is the best bang for your buck sneaker.

Who is New Balance FuelCore Nergize for?

If you are looking for a pair of budget shoes that fit the needs of many nurses, then the New Balance Women’s FuelCore Nergize V1 Cross Trainer is the one. These shoes are designed for people who lift weights, run, and train for sports, which makes them a good choice for nurses who spend hours a day on their feet.

New Balance FuelCore Nergize User Experience

User reviews for these shoes are good. Most users find these shoes to have plenty of room in the toe box. They like that these shoes are lightweight and breathable. They also really enjoy that these shoes come in so many different colors.

FAQ: Are these shoes good for walking? A. Yes, you can walk in them all day.

FAQ: Do these shoes have any arch support? A. Yes, there is some arch support built into the memory foam insole.

FAQ: Do these shoes have non-slip soles? A. Yes they do.

These New Balance Women’s FuelCore Nergize V1 Cross Trainer is one of the best shoes for nurses as they are designed for a variety of different activities and actually have purchased by nurses who state that these shoes are comfortable for those who spend long hours on their feet. The breathable upper will help keep your feet from overheating while the rubber soles will help keep you from slipping. The only issue is that these shoes won’t last very long because they lack durability.

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Best for Running Nurses: ASICS Gel Excite 6

These sneakers come in a wide selection of sizes and colors and have a breathable fabric upper that will keep your feet from overheating no matter how many hours you wear these shoes. The rubber sole helps prevent slipping on wet surfaces. In addition, these sneakers have AmpliFoam midsoles, rearfoot gel cushioning that absorbs shocks and Ortholite sock liner for moisture management. These sneakers are designed for people who have normal arches.

Who is ASICS Gel Excite 6 for?

Many nurses choose sneakers for their working footwear and these ASICS Women’s Gel-Excite 6 Running Shoes may be considered the best sneaker for nurses since these shoes are designed to provide comfort for those who spend long hours on their feet working, playing, or engaging in sports.

ASICS Gel Excite 6 User Experience

Reviews for these Women’s Gel-Excite 6 are exceptionally good with the vast majority of users finding these shoes exceptionally comfortable to walk in. They find the shoes to be supportive as well as stylish. The choice of colors is amazing and the fit is great.

FAQ: Is the toe box roomy? A. Yes the toebox is plenty roomy

FAQ: Do these shoes come in wide widths? A. Yes, the D stands for wide width

These ASICS Women’s Gel-Excite 6 Running Shoes gets excellent reviews and seems to provide comfort for your feet even when being worn for long hours of standing or walking. While it is recommended that you choose a ½ size larger than you normally well, most people find these shoes to fit well and provide the cushioning they need.

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Stylish Sneaker for Nurses: Nike WMNS Metcon 3

Just because nurses need shoes that are highly functional doesn’t mean that their shoes can’t be stylish as well. These Nike Women’s WMNS Metcon 3 Trackers are both incredibly stylish and functional as well. These shoes are designed for people who are into cross-fit, but also seem to be a favorite shoes of people who do a lot of walking making these ideal shoes for nurses.

These trackers are extremely stylish and come in several different color blends, have a synthetic breathable upper, rubber soles for better grip, and a firm drop in the midsole at the heel with more flexibility in the forefront. These shoes also have Embroidered TPU in the high wear areas of the shoe.

Nike WMNS Metcon 3 User Experience

The reviews for these Metcon 3 Trackers are good. Users find the shoes to be quite comfortable, although they do not have a great deal of cushioning. They like that these shoes are lightweight and come in a wide variety of colors.

FAQ: How are these shoes for walking? A. Many people find them quite comfortable for walking all day.

FAQ: Do these shoes have removable insoles? A. Yes, they do

FAQ: Are these shoes Men’s or women’s? A. They are women’s.

These nike Women’s WMNS Metcon 3 Trackers get good, but not great reviews. While these shoes are definitely stylish looking and have a roomy toe box and grippy soles which nurses need in work shoes the fact that a number of users feel that these shoes do not hold up well should make you consider your choice carefully.

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Most Popular for Nurses: Skechers D’Lite

The Skechers Women’s D’Lite Memory Foam Lace-Up Sneaker seems to be one of the most popular shoes for nurses. These shoes come in a wide variety of sizes and colors. The synthetic upper portion of these shoes is made from a material that is easy to wipe off and keep clean. The leather soles of these shoes are grippy and the shoes are lightweight with thick memory foam insoles. These shoes have 1 ¼ inch high built-in heel and the sole of these shoes are extremely flexible.

Who is Skechers D’Lite for?

These sneakers are made for people who do a lot of walking whether for work or for pleasure making them ideal for people who spend a lot of time on their feet. Although the arch support is not as good as Dansko, they have a very good arch support design for sneakers. It can be considered as one of the best shoes for nurses with flat feet in the sneaker department.

Skechers D’Lite User Experience

Reviews for the Skechers D’Lites are good with most users finding these shoes very comfortable for long hours on their feet. They find these shoes to be lightweight and they like that these shoes are offered in wide widths. They also like the sole of these shoes.

FAQ: What is the heel height of these shoes? A. About 2 inches

FAQ: Are the insoles removable? A. No they are not

FAQ: Do these shoes have arch support? A. Yes, they actually have fairly decent arch support

These Skechers Women’s D’Lite Memory Foam Lace-up Sneaker are well made and the right combination of support and cushioning to make these shoes comfortable for nurses who are on their feet for their long hours each and every day.

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How Wearing The Right Footwear Help Nurses Get Through Their Day

Nursing is an incredibly physically demanding profession, which means that poor quality shoes can cause some serious problems—not to mention pain—over time. Good nursing shoes will help you avoid accidents and injuries; reduce the chances of pain in your legs, back and the rest of your body; and help you maintain correct posture and range of motion as you go about your day. Let’s take a look at what will be the effect on you when you find the right pair of nursing shoes.

Clogs vs Sneakers | Which One is Better?

As you can tell, there is no right answer to this. This debate is somewhat subjective depending on which nurse you’re asking.

The short answer is, some nurses who run around in bigger hospitals prefer sneakers, and nurses who are more focused on standing all day prefer clogs.

There are exceptions to this of course, but in general this is the split road explanation. In comparison, clogs are favored due to their durability and slip-resistant traits.

Sneakers are preferred due to their flexibility and lightweight. If you’re struggling with the decision and need more information on this, here is the in-depth comparison of Clogs vs Sneakers.

Top 3 Benefits of a Good Nursing Shoe

Nurses provide a very important service seeing to the health of the public. This often requires them to spend long days working on their feet while ministering to those who need tender care.

Along with proper training and experience one of the things nurses need to perform their duties to the best of their abilities is a pair of good nursing shoes. This buying guide is designed to help you choose the best nursing shoes to meet your needs.

1. Comfort

One of the major benefits of a good nursing shoe is simply the fact that a good shoe provides comfort and for someone who spends most of every day on their feet. A comfortable shoe will allow a nurse to provide better service because their full attention will be on caring for their patients rather than worrying about feeling discomfort or even pain.

2. Feel Less Tired at the End of the Day

When you have good fitting nursing shoes that support you properly, you will feel less tired at the end of the day. Working all day on painful feet can leave you feeling too exhausted to spend quality time with their family or tend to home chores.

3. Better Leg and Back Health

Buying the right nursing shoes can have both short term and long-term benefits for your feet, legs, and back. Poorly fitting shoes or shoes that lack adequate support can result in short term foot, leg, and back pain.

Wear those less than adequate shoes for long periods of time and you can end up long term and even permanent foot, leg, and back problems. Good shoes can help you to maintain your leg and back health for many years to come.

Now that you know what the benefits of buying good nursing shoes are let’s look at some of the things you should consider when purchasing nursing shoes.

How to Find The Right Nursing Shoes

Now that you know why good nursing shoes are so important, it’s time to tackle what exactly makes a nursing shoe “good.” Good nursing shoes need to have certain characteristics in order to keep you safe and comfortable throughout the day. Some of the most important qualities that you will find in good nursing shoes are:

• Treading on the bottom
• Durable design
• Protective material
• Easy to clean/maintain
• Lightweight design
• Supportive design

In general, good nursing shoes are shoes that are easy to clean and maintain, while still retaining a durable and protective design that will last for a long time while keeping your feet and socks protected.

As a general rule of thumb, nurses working full-time shifts will likely have to replace good shoes about twice a year—or more if you have conditions which cause you to wear out shoes more quickly, such as a chronic injury.

With this in mind, it’s easy to see why good nursing shoes are important from a financial standpoint alone: the lower quality the shoe, the more often you will have to replace it. It is much more cost-effective to replace good shoes twice a year than lower quality shoes 4 or 5 times a year. Let’s take a look at what you need to look for in choosing the best shoes for nurses.

What to Consider When Buying Nursing Shoes

Buying a good pair of shoes is more than just walking into a shoe store and choosing a pair of shoes in your normal size in a style and color you like. Choosing the best nursing shoes takes a lot of consideration. Here are a few things you need to consider when purchasing the best shoes possible.

Work Function

You need to remember that nursing shoes must function for the job they are in. This means that you are going to want your shoes to have closed toes and be durable enough to last for months of regular wear. Remembering the function that you are purchasing the shoes for it the first step in finding the right nursing shoes to meet your needs.

Fit

Just like a dress or skirt, just because a pair of shoes is your size doesn’t mean that they will fit properly. There are a lot of variables that go into how well a pair of shoes fit including the manufacturer, shape of the toe box, and a variety of other things.

To check the fit of a shoe you not only need to try it on but also you need to walk around in it and take note of any areas that feel too tight or too loose in order to determine if any given shoe fits properly.

Design and Shape

Individuals have different shaped feet and therefore a pair of shoes that is perfect for one person may be totally wrong for someone else. Often people make the mistake of choosing shoes that are stylish before ones that are comfortable.

Keep in mind that nursing shoes come in a variety of shapes and designs, but it is always better to choose a pair of shoes that are basic and comfortable over stylish.

Weight

The next thing you need to consider after determining that a shoe fits is its weight. Even if that nursing shoe fits like a glove the weight of the shoe could make it a poor choice.

Heavy shoes can feel like you have cement blocks tied to your feet by the time you work an 8 or 12-hour shift. By the end of the day your ankles and legs may feel uncomfortable leaving you feel tired and irritable by the end of your shift.

So make sure that you choose a pair of shoes that are light enough to feel comfortable when worn for long hours.

Support and Stability

While you want a shoe is that lightweight enough to be comfortable it is just as important that the shoe you choose have proper support for you feet. You need shoes that provide with the proper heel, and insole support as well as some additional cushioning for added comfort.

Having shoes with good support and stability will result in helping with your long-term foot, leg, and back health as well as your daily comfort level.

Slip Resistant

Nurses often have to rush from room to room in order to care for patients. Anything spilled on the floor of the hospital or exam room floor can result in slipping and falling resulting in injury. You need to look for a pair of nursing shoes with good grippers on the bottom to help prevent you from slipping on wet or damp floors.

Easy to Clean and Maintain

You also want a pair of shoes that are easy to clean and maintain. Nurses are expected to keep themselves looking immaculate and a nurse with shoes with all types of marks and fluids on them can make patients concerned for the overall cleanliness of the facility itself.

Look for shoes that are easy to wipe off with a damp rag and perhaps just a little soap, and won’t look dirty or gray within a few times of wearing.

A Word From Love At First Fit

Nursing is a physically demanding profession; it is also a profession that requires high-quality shoes in order to ensure that you stay safe, comfortable, and as pain-free as possible as you work your shift. These shoes we recommended all had great feedback from users on the market. We picked Dansko as the overall best shoes for nurses because there are many reasons why nurses love Dansko, but you can also consider other great choices mentioned above, as everyone is different and only you can decide your best fit.

Also Read: Top 10 Best Shoes for Back Pain

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Last update on 2024-03-30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API