[P_RN]

First of all the word UNIFORM is soooo out of date.

Call it Work clothing, workwear, scrubs etc but UNIFORM implies that everyone dresses the SAME.

Workwear should be clean, nails should be short etc.

We're killing ourselves out there and some CEO from the late 19th century wants to mandate how stuff works.

[StreetRN]

As for docs rounding in street clothes, I agree they should have a lab coat on over their office attire. All our docs wear photo id badges, too. But, I have to say (meow) that we as nurses shouldn't be using docs as our benchmark for behavior or dress.....

[crispynurse2B]

As a current student required to wear white, I tend to wish for the day when I can pick my own work attire!

As a prior patient, it is definitely confusing in a hospital setting, to figure out who is who.

I think maybe the solution is to color code work attire. Maybe have assisstive personnel in particular colors. I also like the blue white idea as long as it includes prints (I get bored easily).

crispy

[lmd32]

As a student, I wear the most hideous all white uniform: white polo shirt (I have never looked good in polo shirts, too busty), see through white pants, white lab coat, white shoes, socks, and undies (yes, you can see my undies). You can't bleach the tops and labcoats because the school logo is on them in black and gold. When we did clinicals at the local hospital, we were told that all the nurses were required to wear white because there was research that showed that patients preferred white. I looked it up and there really is a study:
First impressions of the nurse and nursing care
Journal of Nursing Care Quality; 1997 Jun; 11(5); Mangum S; Garrison C; Lind
The researchers showed a large group of nurses, patients, and administrators pictures of nurses in various garb and asked what they preferred. The white pants uniform with stethoscope won hands down. Last was street clothes, followed by scrubs.
Personal opinion: I don't care for all white, it makes me look dead and reminds me of bad horror movies with evil psych attendants. When I graduate, I plan to wear white pants and patterned tops. I think it looks professional and allows some creativity. As a patient, I prefer names embroidered on lab coats or bigger tags that are pinned on and don't flip.
What do your tags say? At this hospital, all the nurses, techs, support personel tags said FIRST NAME (big letters), last name (tiny letters) TITLE (big letters). But the doctors' tags said DR. SO-and-SO, MD in big letters with no first name. They said it was to protect us from the patients knowing too much about us. Well, they could still read my last name if they had good eyesight and apparently the doctors (being super human) didn't need the same protection?

[JefferyRN]

Hospitals should not have to dictate a uniform code to professional nurses. As individuals in the field of nursing we need to care about our image in the professional world and in our individual communities.

I agree with the one comment that scrubs look like pajamas. Although, that is the mandate of the hospital where I am employed. They have made an attempt to separate all departments by assigning scrub colors to each. For nursing, it is royal blue. This helps to differentiate departments for the patients.

White has been the traditional color associated with nurses in the past. No, white is not appropriate for the OR, ICU, L&D, ER, Cath Lab settings because of the duties performed by the nurse in those areas. In my opinion, white uniforms should be worn by all other nurses. And you can give up your argument that white is so hard to keep clean. I wore white uniforms for 10 years and never once had any trouble keeping them clean and/or white. I worked on a number of different units changing soiled dressings, cleaning patients who were incontinent, etc...

I am disappointed that a good number of younger nurses and some older nurses as well, don't see the value of white uniforms. It is both good for our professional image and good for patients. I would wager that anytime an individual entered a patient's room in United States wearing white, the patient would automatically know that that person is a nurse.

Be proud of your profession! It is a wonderful and exciting one! Embrace your heritage! (And don't give me that handmaiden argument either. This is about the uniform of the professional nurse.)

Jeff, RN (The Good Humor Man) LOL!

[uk_nurse]

Sorry but I agree with uniforms. If we wish too we can wear a tabard on top (it is a childrens ward). I for one would not like to wear my own clothes to work it would work out more expensive! Parents and children (patients) can identify us nurses straight away. If we had our own clothes they would not know who were parents and who were the nurses. Even tho i dont like mainly white, it is clean and 'fresh' looking and above all we all look smart and should be proud!

[VivaLasViejas]

Again I say: those who believe nurses should wear whites or uniforms, ought to wear them. Enjoy wearing them, glory in it, look down your nose at the rest of us slobs......but PLEEEEEEEEASE don't try to make us conform!

I may not LOOK like the starched-white professional nurse in my patterned work tops and solid colored pants. However, I can catheterize anything, hit the spindliest vein with a 22g angio from across the room, and smooth over some of the most ruffled feathers with a few well-chosen words. I can counsel the grieving, teach the willing (and sometimes even the UNwilling), and coach the newly ambulatory total-knee patient with the best of 'em. And I'm sorry, but wearing whites or a uniform doesn't make you a nurse any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.

And that's all I have to say about THAT.

[batmik]

I remember when I first started in nursing some 20 years ago I actually wore dresses. With the tightness of patient rooms and the climbing I do some nights, you will never catch me in a dress again.

I have had several older patients compliment the patterns of my scrub tops. They have used the word "cheerful" to describe them.
We can show our individuality and wear colors that suit our skin tones.

All white reminds me of one of my older nursing instructors that still stood up when a doctor walked on the unit.

I agree with what someone said that there should be a strict dress code but not a uniform code.

[gingerzoe]

Yes I think there should be a visible difference in who is the RN, LPN, nurses aide, cleaning person, clerk whoever works there. I don't know if this would be uniforms, or visible name tags. I think whatever your classification, it should be noticable by the patient. I think nurses should see this as a positive issue. Let people know your classification and be proud or your title.

[mother/babyRN]

Why???That is what the introduction and the name badge is for..Next we will be having dresscodes for the nutritionist or physical therapist that comes to visit, which will be different from that of their assistants..To me this assumes the patients are idiots, who can't remember which nurse introduced his or herself....Sorry, but this gets to me when it gets to this....Everyone in the street should have different uniforms so I can pick them out of a crowd when I have a specific question to ask...