Frequently asked questions

No, and we say so on every page. Shift & Sole is a research publication, not a testing lab: our picks come from published manufacturer specifications and the failure modes owners report consistently. For footwear especially that matters, so treat these guides as a shortlist to try on rather than a substitute for trying them on. Full detail in how we pick.

No. Nobody here holds a nursing, medical or podiatric credential, and nothing on this site is medical advice. We compete on being current, consistent and fully sourced rather than on credentials we do not have - see about this site.

Because we hold no live price data for this site, and Amazon’s program terms require displayed prices to come from their API and be refreshed or removed within roughly 24 hours. Rather than print a number we cannot keep honest, every price element goes to the current price on Amazon. Of the six pages currently ranking for our main searches, four carry prices from 2019 to 2021 presented as current - that is the thing we are avoiding. More in the affiliate disclosure.

They are our own editorial assessment of how well a product suits the specific job on that page - nothing more. They are not a product rating, they are not derived from customer reviews, and they never appear in our structured data, because marking an editorial opinion up as a review rating would contradict our own methodology.

We have no first-party rating data, and restating a retailer’s ratings is not our data to restate. One of the pages ranking for these searches shows star graphics that do not match its own numeric scores, which is what happens when a site displays ratings it did not collect.

Amazon Associates commission on qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you, under the tracking ID jr-shiftsole-20. No brand can pay for placement, no brand sees our copy before it publishes, and where the cheaper option is better we say so. Amazon is currently the only retailer we earn from. Full detail on the disclosure page.

Buying guides every 90 days, comparisons and reviews every 180, guides annually, and off-cycle whenever a pick is discontinued or a specification changes. Every page shows the date it was last reviewed, and we only move that date when something was actually re-checked. The full schedule is published in our editorial policy so you can hold us to it.

We check it, fix it in place, note the correction with its date, and reply to tell you what changed. Corrections are answered before anything else in the inbox. Email contact@shiftandsole.com or use the contact form.

It depends entirely on what hurts, which is why we do not publish one ranked list. Heel pain wants a firm heel counter and real arch support; flat feet want structure rather than cushioning; wide feet want a genuine wide last rather than a roomy standard. Start at the main footwear roundup, or go straight to the 12-hour shift picks.

Clogs win on cleanability, a rocker sole that assists walking, and a rigid shank. Sneakers win on cushioning, heel retention and weight. The deciding question is how fast you move - an open-back clog has no heel retention and is wrong for anything quicker than a brisk walk. Full comparison in clogs vs sneakers for nurses.

15-20 mmHg for most people. Published podiatric guidance points to 20-30 mmHg for established varicose veins, chronic ankle swelling or a previous clot - and notes that a clinician confirming the indication and sizing is recommended even though 20-30 is available over the counter. Starting at 20-30 is the most common way people decide they hate compression socks. See compression levels explained.

It comes down to who launders them. At home, a polyester-rayon-spandex blend is genuinely softer and better-draping and worth the money. If your employer launders centrally at industrial temperatures, rayon and elastane will not survive it and a poly-spandex scrub at half the price is the better buy. See the scrub brand comparison.

For routine lung and bowel sounds, the Classic III is enough and 3M positions it for exactly that. A cardiology chestpiece earns its price if you listen for subtle sounds daily. Direct comparison in Classic III vs Cardiology IV.

Less than you think, in a layout you can repeat without thinking about it. The actual list - and the things people forget - is in what to pack for a 12-hour shift.

Check your employer’s footwear policy first: many units require a shoe rated to a named standard, which rules out every running shoe regardless of comfort. “Slip resistant” on a listing means nothing without a test standard attached - we name the standard where a product publishes one and say so where it does not.