Couldn't tell who was a doctor or nurse!

[smk1]

my FIL is in the hospital just diagnosed with colon cancer. We were visiting him when he started having a major seizure, we didn't know what was happening and it was very frightening! So i run out into the hall to get help and and the first 3 people i run up to for help, all dressed in scrubs one even with a stethescope, are not nurses or doctors! :angryfire they went to find the nurse for me but it really was annoying and scary to think how few docs and nurses there were on the floor. I realize it was christmas day and for some reason they had admitted him to an ortho floor (no idea why) but I immediately thought about the debates about having a uniform for nurses or not allowing non nurses and docs to wear scrubs. The dietary aide was in scrubs, the NAR, the secretary and housekeeping assitant. My FIL lay seizing and of course we were all freaking out getting my little one out of the room so she wasn't scared, and we couldn't find the button or pull cord to call someone so i m running down an empty hall trying to get help. Maybe nurses could wear scrub tops with the word NURSE in huge black print across the back or something, :uhoh21: all i know is that unit was seriously understaffed with nurses, and had way to many other personell hanging out in the hallways and at the computer areas. They ended up moving FIL closer to ICU because he isn't as stable as they thought. This was a lot better, he was directly across from the charge nurses office and there were more actual nursing and medical staff visible so we felt more comfortable. By the way the nurse on the ortho floor was great when she got there and we certainly aren't going to complain about not knowing who the nurse was because i have a sneaking suspicion that somehow it would be blamed on her not "providing care in a timely manner" when our true complaint was that we simply couldn't differentiate between nurses/docs and other staff.

[Jen2]

Sharon, I really like that badge. I also don't think that housekeeping, cafeteria workers, secretaries, etc, should be wearing scrubs. In the hospital that I signed a contract to work in when I graduate in May The Rn's and LPN's wear navy blue and the CNA's wear teal blue (with a poster in the room telling you which color is which). Housekeeping wears black uniform pants with grey polo shirts, the cafeteria workers wear black uniform pants with royal blue polo shirts, unit clerks wear street cloths with a burgundy smock. I really like this, not too many people wearing scrubs other than who should be. Of course lab, Pt, and resp still wear scrubs but they also have direct pt. contact just like the nurses (different colors of course).

[CarVsTree]

If certain attire was dictated by the faciltiy, they would be required to pay for it. So, scrubs that the nurses purchase themselves save the hospital money in more than one way.

I disagree.

Just because the hospital dictates what you where to work, does not obligate them to purchase it for you.

The hospital I work at requires techs and support partners (housekeeping) to wear royal blue tops, white pants or white top/royal pants or all royal. Transport wears beige. Dietary wears white, etc. The nurses wear whatever they want which is fine by me since I'll be working there as a nurse in about a year.

I agree with (whoever said it above) that this was a staffing issue, not a dress code issue. But I also agree that differentiating staff is difficult.

However I remember in the 70's and 80's nurses wearing white, and dietary wearing white, and transport wearing white. Differentiating healthcare personnel is not a new problem.