Back to Traditional Nursing Uniforms?

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ImThatGuy, BSN, RN

2,139 Posts

I don't think anything in that picture says "competent." If anything it indicates date and lack of progressivism.

The police officer uniform has changed over the years to keep up with the times. Let the nurse outfit do so as well.

grandmawrinkle

272 Posts

Specializes in adult ICU.

My nursing school attire was whites (pants, if you chose) and I HATED it. I was constantly worried about my panty lines and whether or not my ...shall we say... "feminine protection" was going to hold up. I don't even buy white pants/shorts/capris/skirts as casual wear for that reason. I have small children and pets; I'd be stained up by 10AM. The same goes for the hospital -- the large majority of my patients are surgical and have all manner of tubes/drains/lines. That uniform would be toast not even 1/2way through my shift.

I can't see it going over. There are better ways to garner respect and credibility than putting on a Nurse Rachet costume.

I don't agree with the "traditional" argument either. There is past tradition, and there is modern tradition. The modern tradition is that nurses wear scrubs.

Flying ICU RN

460 Posts

I don't think anything in that picture says "competent." If anything it indicates date and lack of progressivism.

Yes indeed a lack of "progressivism."

But mostly, it's indicative of my age. The image is from the 1975 Jack Nicholson film "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."

Specializes in LTC Rehab Med/Surg.

Polarized. I would not have guessed that emotions would run so deep over what color pants one wears to work.

SURVEYS indicate the public likes white uniforms. Patients like white uniforms.

There is no debate.

Granny thinks I look more professional in a white uniform.

Is everybody in a bad mood today or what?

ImThatGuy, BSN, RN

2,139 Posts

Yes indeed a lack of "progressivism."

But mostly, it's indicative of my age. The image is from the 1975 Jack Nicholson film "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."

I thought it looked familiar. :lol2:

ImThatGuy, BSN, RN

2,139 Posts

Polarized. I would not have guessed that emotions would run so deep over what color pants one wears to work.

SURVEYS indicate the public likes white uniforms. Patients like white uniforms.

There is no debate.

Granny thinks I look more professional in a white uniform.

Is everybody in a bad mood today or what?

Who cares what they prefer? The job gets done by people in scurbs, and I doubt uniform color or fabric is correlated with efficacy. The job can get done with people in business casual too, lol. Why would one prefer white ? It seriously shows up the body juice.

Seriously though, this kind of thing is like a snowball effect. If you let the movement start downhill then it gets bigger and bigger and you can't stop it. Surveys show that officers in hats are less likely to be assaulted, yet most officers can't stand wearing hats. Campaign hats look awesome on the shelf, and they SCREAM professionalism. However, in this day and age, with the environments that officers operate in; clearing houses, getting in and out of their car a lot (really bad for us over six plus footers) chasing thugs, etc the hat just doesn't work. It blows off by, gets dirty, gets bent, and like nurses in white I was constantly worried about my hat looking messed up. We managed to get wearing it scaled back and kept that snowball from rolling anymore.

I start my second degree next week. It'll be a BSN. I'm only commenting on this because I'm not gonna wear that crap.

Specializes in LTC Rehab Med/Surg.
Who cares what they prefer? The job gets done by people in scurbs, and I doubt uniform color or fabric is correlated with efficacy. The job can get done with people in business casual too, lol. Why would one prefer white ? It seriously shows up the body juice.

Seriously though, this kind of thing is like a snowball effect. If you let the movement start downhill then it gets bigger and bigger and you can't stop it. Surveys show that officers in hats are less likely to be assaulted, yet most officers can't stand wearing hats. Campaign hats look awesome on the shelf, and they SCREAM professionalism. However, in this day and age, with the environments that officers operate in; clearing houses, getting in and out of their car a lot (really bad for us over six plus footers) chasing thugs, etc the hat just doesn't work. It blows off by, gets dirty, gets bent, and like nurses in white I was constantly worried about my hat looking messed up. We managed to get wearing it scaled back and kept that snowball from rolling anymore.

I start my second degree next week. It'll be a BSN. I'm only commenting on this because I'm not gonna wear that crap.

Hospitals operate on surveys. The patient is king or queen. What they want is paramount.

The hospital very much cares what the patient wants, and will give it to them if at all possible.

grandmawrinkle

272 Posts

Specializes in adult ICU.
Polarized. I would not have guessed that emotions would run so deep over what color pants one wears to work.

SURVEYS indicate the public likes white uniforms. Patients like white uniforms.

There is no debate.

Granny thinks I look more professional in a white uniform.

Hospitals operate on surveys. The patient is king or queen. What they want is paramount.

The hospital very much cares what the patient wants, and will give it to them if at all possible.

So that must be why all hospitals nationwide are surveying this and we have all reverted to white scrubs.

(side note - my hospital doesn't survey diddley-squat. According to some of the posts I read on here, I must work in heaven.)

There is a debate, actually; isn't that what this is?

Specializes in LTC Rehab Med/Surg.
So that must be why all hospitals nationwide are surveying this and we have all reverted to white scrubs.

(side note - my hospital doesn't survey diddley-squat. According to some of the posts I read on here, I must work in heaven.)

There is a debate, actually; isn't that what this is?

You are absolutely correct. Thanks so much for showing me the errors in my thinking. There is no chance that we will ever go back to white uniforms. Those idiots at JFK hospital are clueless. Imagine forcing a unit of nurses to wear uniforms just to please the customer. I hope it fails miserably so there is no chance we'll be forced to give up our neon orange hip huggers. Well, I for one will fight to the death for my tiger print scrub top. And don't even think about parting me from my hot pink camos. Yikes! What's the world coming to.

missjennmb

932 Posts

To be perfectly honest, I think the white nursing uniform is beautiful and incredibly symbolic of what a nurse is. (female only of course, lol) I would love to wear a white scrub dress, cute little nurse hat, shoes with a little bit of a heel.....

But seriously, I would be so uncomfortable and so preoccupied with keeping it clean that I would be totally ineffective. I cant drink a single can of soda without wearing some of it, and pretty much all of my food bounces off my boobs otw to my mouth lol. It would be a failed attempt at best, and a full scale adventure in humiliation at its worst. I'd have to keep spare scrubs in my desk just to make it through the day.

ImThatGuy, BSN, RN

2,139 Posts

It's now certain. Men have no place in nurse-dom.

MInurse.st

181 Posts

To be perfectly honest, I think the white nursing uniform is beautiful and incredibly symbolic of what a nurse is. (female only of course, lol) I would love to wear a white scrub dress, cute little nurse hat, shoes with a little bit of a heel.....

But seriously, I would be so uncomfortable and so preoccupied with keeping it clean that I would be totally ineffective. I cant drink a single can of soda without wearing some of it, and pretty much all of my food bounces off my boobs otw to my mouth lol. It would be a failed attempt at best, and a full scale adventure in humiliation at its worst. I'd have to keep spare scrubs in my desk just to make it through the day.

Symbolic of what a nurse is? ... Feminine? And therefore, required to wear ridiculous clothing based on cultural norms and expectations? :eek:

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