Birkenstock Nursing Shoes: Comfortable Arch Support Footwear for Medical Professionals

Birkenstocks are far more than "hippie" sandals - they're supportive shoes for people who stand on their feet all day, such as nurses and other healthcare professionals. Birkenstock makes neutral-colored black, brown and white man-made and leather models suited to working in a hospital setting. Nurses with flat arches, plantar fasciitis, a tendency to overpronation, or simply feet that need extra support are target candidates for Birks. The company is famous for their arch support, molded cork footbeds, and gender-neutral styles (great for feet that don't fit the typical last, like narrow-footed men and wide-footed women). I have worn Birkenstocks for over ten years and for people like me who are prone to foot pain, they provide essential relief.

Although I'm neither a nurse nor doctor, I worked in customer service for many years, in jobs where I had to stand a good portion of the day. As a large person with wide width feet and plantar fasciitis, I've found Birkenstocks to be hands-down the most comfortable throughout the day. If you're a medical professional, my vote for "best shoe" is any of the following selection.

Read on for a reader's poll and more information, or skip the information and go directly to the comfort footwear.

As I said above, if you're a medical professional - a doctor, RN or healthcare staff - the most comfortable nursing shoe with good arch support will be the one suited to your individual foot. Some people have flat feet, others have high arches. Some overpronate, others underpronate (supinate).

For some people, the best nursing shoe is Birkenstock. For others, the best shoe for nurses is Dansko clogs, which have a raised heel and a significant arch. Yet others recommend Nurse Mates, Rockers or one of the other comfort shoe brands, like Mephisto or Ecco.

The reasons I favor Birkenstock for nurses and medical professionals include:

• Certain Birkenstock shoe models are made to accommodate professionals such as chefs and nurses, who must do constant standing.
• Some have removable footbeds to accommodate the insertion of orthotics.
• Though Birkenstock makes lace-up shoes in many models, Birkenstock shoes for nurses and other on-their-feet professionals are slip-on rather than with laces and are very easy to slip on and off. Even when they are closed back, they fit rather like a clog - without a clog's nosebleed height.
  
• While not cheap, Birkenstock shoes tend to be durable and well-made. My Birks last me years, even ones I wear all day.
• Birkenstock shoes are made to be roomy in the toe box. That gives them a somewhat clunky look, but they're made that way for a reason - comfort. When you're standing all day, your feet probably tend to swell throughout the day. The right size Birks will never get tight and pinch your toes.
• The classic Birkenstock style has a natural neutral heel. A neutral heel mimics the level of the heel when going barefoot and neither stretches nor compresses the achilles tendon behind the ankle.
  

In addition, Birkenstocks stabilize the foot with a contoured anatomical footbed. The footbed underneath the suede or manmade insole are made with cork, which has many advantages, including:

• Cork is supportive, while still being somewhat cushiony. This is great for people who are overweight or on their feet all day.
  
• Cork molds to the individual foot's contours over time.

Here are more Birkenstock shoes suitable for nurses. Unless noted in the listings or here, the footbeds are not removable, but rather contoured and made of cork so they mold to your feet as you wear them.

Note: I own the Annapolis (but in brown suede leather instead of black smooth leather as shown). It uses alternate sizes, so you'd usually go up a size. It is part of the Footprints collection and as such, has a more modest arch support than the classic shoes. It has a low raised heel and the footbed is not removable.

If you're new to Birkenstocks, you may find the looser fit at the heel a bit funny.  The back of the shoe will allow your foot to slide out at the heel, as if it were a clog, even if it's not one of the clog styles.  This is intentional and part of what makes Birkenstock shoes ergonomic to wear.

And then there's arch support.  If you've never worn shoes with really good arch support, you may have to ease into your new Birkenstock shoes showly.  Before you bring them to work and wear them all day, wear them just for a few minutes the first day, a few more minutes the second day, and gradually increase the length of time until the muscles in the bottoms of your feet get accustomed to the arch support.  Eventually, if you're like the many people who are obsessed with Birkenstocks, you may find the Birkenstock arch support to be the most comfortable shoe design ever.

However, although the fit and arch support might feel funny at first, the shoe should not hurt your foot or feel uncomfortable.  Birks are designed to feel good, not hurt.  So if they don't fit right, maybe your feet are not a good match for Birkenstocks, and you might consider trying a different comfort shoe brand for nurses, like Dansko clogs.

The main other comfortable shoe brand I'd recommend for nurses and medical personnel is Dansko. Dansko makes traditional-style clogs that have the super thick sole.  I have also owned Dansko clogs and absolutely loved them.

My biggest problem is my clumsiness - I was always afraid I would trip because of the thick sole.  But they do seem to have a built-in stability somehow, because I never did trip over them.

The clogs and shoes have excellent arch support and a bit of a raised heel - though not extreme.  They are very durable in my experience.

See the author's disclosure statement regarding compensation for this article.

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