Do you dress up on Halloween?  I have mixed feelings about nurses dressing up.  In Pediatrics, I can understand it;  I think the kids and families expect it.  And if the whole nursing unit goes with one theme on an adult unit, I think it might be kind of fun.

It seems awkward, though, for the patient who is critically ill and possibly dying; hard for the family to take comfort from a nurse dressed as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz or Princess Fiona.  If it's a hospice patient, that might be different.  Maybe things like dressing up for Halloween and celebrating holidays are important and bring a little joy and laughter to the situation. 

BUT, if it's a sudden and very serious illness or injury, I don't think the patient and family want to receive bad news from a clown.  I'm pretty sure that if I was in a bad motor vehicle crash today or found out I have cancer, I'd like to have health care team attending to me who are concentrating on their job and not taking selfies in their costumes.