The best shoes for nurses, for 12-hour shifts

A 12-hour shift can easily add up to miles of walking, most of it on hard floors, much of it at speed, and some of it while carrying something heavy or being followed by a family member with questions. Your shoes take every one of those steps with you. Get them right and you go home tired. Get them wrong and you go home limping.

There is no single best nursing shoe, because there is no single nurse foot. So below you will find our shortlist by job: the all-rounder, the most cushioned, the one for flat feet, the one for wide feet, the classic clog, the splash-proof option and a budget pair. Then the useful part: how to choose between them.

What to look for in a nursing shoe

Occupational health advice on footwear for standing work is refreshingly practical. Canada’s workplace safety centre (CCOHS) says a good work shoe should match the shape of your foot, hold your heel firmly, leave your toes room to move, and fasten across the instep so your foot does not slide forward with every step. It also says hard floors are the least comfortable surface to work on, and that thick soles and shock-absorbing insoles help when the floor cannot be changed. Hospital floors, sadly, cannot be changed.

Here is what that means in a store aisle:

• Cushioning that lasts. Soft is nice on day one. What you want is foam that is still springy on shift forty.
• A firm heel. Squeeze the back of the shoe. If it folds flat, it will not hold your foot when you are tired.
• Toe room. Your feet swell over a long shift. Wiggle space at 7 a.m. is comfort at 5 p.m.
• Grip. Slips, trips and falls are one of the most common causes of lost-workday injuries in hospitals, according to NIOSH. Floors get wet, and so do you. Look for a tread with real grooves, not a smooth sole.
• A surface you can clean. Mesh breathes, but it soaks up what lands on it. Leather and closed foam wipe clean.

The all-rounder

If you want one shoe and do not want to overthink it, start here. The Clifton is light, well cushioned and has a rocker sole that rolls you forward, which a lot of people find easier on the feet late in a shift.

When you want the most cushion

The Bondi is the Clifton’s bigger sibling: more foam, more stability, more of a “standing on a mat” feel. It suits heavier walkers, sore heels and anyone whose feet hurt from the floor up. It is also the pricier pick here, and it is worth it if you are on your feet for three or four 12s a week.

Not everyone likes a rocker sole. If tall HOKAs feel like walking on a pair of marshmallows, the Ghost is a more conventional shape with balanced cushioning and very little to get used to.

Flat feet and feet that roll in

If your arches are low or your feet roll inward as you tire (look at the inside heel of your old shoes; if it is worn down, that is a clue), a supportive shoe can help. The Adrenaline adds gentle guidance around the heel without feeling stiff.

Prefer to keep a neutral shoe you already love? A structured insole such as Superfeet adds arch support and moves between pairs. If you have ongoing foot pain, a podiatrist can tell you what your feet actually need, which beats guessing.

Wide feet and bunions

Wide feet have a hard time in narrow toe boxes, and bunions have an even harder time. Look for brands that sell true wide and extra wide sizes rather than a “roomy fit.” New Balance is a good place to start, and the Clifton, Bondi, Ghost and Adrenaline all come in wide versions too.

Clogs vs running shoes

This is the great debate of the break room, and both sides are right.

Running shoes are lighter, softer and come in more widths. The catch: most have mesh uppers that are not fluid resistant, and the foam wears out faster.

Clogs have wipe-clean uppers, a firm supportive footbed and a rocker bottom. Many owners get years out of a pair. The catch: they take some getting used to, and open-back clogs can let your heel slip or your ankle roll if you are not used to them. Some units also require a closed back, so check your dress code first.

If you work in the OR, L&D or anywhere things regularly get splashed, a closed foam work shoe is the easy answer. You can rinse it in a sink, and it is light enough to be a second pair you rotate with your trainers.

Plenty of nurses own one of each: clogs for messy shifts, running shoes for long walking ones. Rotating also lets each pair dry out properly between shifts, which your nose will appreciate.

On a budget

Students, new grads and anyone whose pair just died mid-week: you do not have to spend big to get something decent. A slip-resistant work shoe with a cushioned insole will get you through, and you can add a better insole later.

How to get the size right

Most shoe pain is fit, not brand. The first four habits below come from CCOHS; the fifth is plain common sense:

1. Shop late in the day, when your feet are at their biggest. Shoes that fit at 9 a.m. pinch at 9 p.m.
2. Measure both feet and fit the larger one. Feet are often slightly different sizes.
3. Wear the socks you work in, especially if they are compression socks, which are thicker than you think.
4. Do not count on stretching. If a shoe is tight in the box, it will be tight on shift 12.
5. Leave about a thumb’s width past your longest toe.

Buying online? Order your usual size and a half size up, then keep the better one and return the other. Walk around indoors on a hard floor before you decide, so the return is still easy.

When to replace your shoes

Cushioning foam does not last forever, and it rarely fails all at once. It just gets a little flatter every week until you notice your feet, knees or back aching again. Signs it is time:

• The tread is worn smooth, especially at the heel. Smooth soles and wet floors do not mix.
• The midsole has creases, or one side has squashed down more than the other.
• The shoe twists easily or the heel counter has gone soft.
• Aches you had fixed have come back.

If you work full time in running shoes, expect to replace them more often than you would like. Clogs usually last longer. Having two pairs on rotation stretches the life of both.

What to skip

• Fashion sneakers with flat, thin soles. They look clean with scrubs and feel like standing on a parking lot by hour six.
• Holey Crocs. Most hospitals ban them, because things that drip, fall or roll do not stop at the holes.
• Shoes bought only because they are “nurse shoes.” Plenty of shoes marketed to nurses are just ordinary shoes in white. Judge the cushioning, fit and grip, not the label.
• One pair worn into the ground. By the time it feels dead, it has probably been dead for a while.

Do nursing shoes need to be white?

Rarely, these days. Many units have dropped the all-white rule, though some still ask for plain, dark or neutral colors. Check your dress code before buying the neon pair.

Shoes and compression socks work as a team

Good shoes help your feet. Compression socks help your legs. Long standing, as CCOHS points out, affects the whole body, and most people find that the combination does more than either one alone. Our compression sock guide explains the pressure levels and which pairs to start with. For the full kit, see the nurse essentials list, and for post-shift recovery gear, the recovery guide. Shopping for someone else? Good shoes make a great gift, and the gift guide has more ideas.

Follow your own unit’s dress code and infection control rules, which always come first.