Looking for scrubs in all the wrong places . . .

[rn/writer, RN]

i just got a wonderful job on a large post-partum unit and i'm having a problem finding scrubs that don't make me want to cross my eyes. i was out of nursing for five years. before that i did psych and wore street clothes. before that, i did subacute and wore white which i don't miss a bit.

my hospital requires rns to wear teal pants (or skirt :chuckle), and teal, white or compatible print tops/jackets. the problem i'm running into (and would be running into no matter what color was required) is that every store i go into and every website i've visited seems to have an abundance of prints that are either too juvenile for my taste or too screaming loud.

i've opted for the darker version of teal (all right, it's really carribean blue) and i'd love to find something with subdued stripes or a gentle floral print or some other understated design that's easy on the eyes. the look i'm after is something that says, "i've been a nurse for awhile and i'm happy to have some maturity under my belt," without looking stodgy.

i spoke with the owner of a local place and he just shook his head and said i'm not the first to complain about this. he makes his money on young grads and stocks what he called trendy stuff which includes a lot of cartoon characters and funny animals and other funky stuff. don't get me wrong--i think creative, colorful scrubs are a great improvement over whites (or grays, as they sometimes appear :stone), but i'd rather look at them than wear them.

i wish i had the talent (and the time) to sew, but as that is not an option right now, do you guys have any input on where i might find something that i can tolerate? i know i can wear the plain scrubs and i have bought enough of these to get by. i'd just love to combine them with a little color and pizzazz with out going kaleidescopic. :balloons:

has anyone else felt this way?

thanks,

miranda f.

[mommatrauma, RN]

Try here...no fancy prints, just basic unisex solids...reasonably priced...

Angelica Scrubs

[RN4NICU, LPN, LVN]

Speaking of crossing eyes...teal is a hard color to read on a grey background.

As far as where to buy scrubs, www.lydiasuniforms.com has a nice selection. I don't really like the selection at my local uniform stores. I don't know what they are thinking when they place their orders, but every time I walk into one of them I am always disappointed in the selection and wind up ordering online. The only reason I go in there anymore is to gauge sizing, if I am wanting to order a style that I haven't tried before. There is usually something of the same style (even if it is psychedelic) in the store, so I can check the fit before ordering (and usually get it way cheaper online).

[student4ever]

TEALLLL???? First of all, no wonder you're having trouble - that's an awful color to be required to wear!

Try http://www.uniformadvantage.com they have a lot of different styles and colors. They do have a lot of the super bright super bold prints (which I happen to love, but then again, I'm still quite young!) but their serenity and silkyfibre collections have a lot of toned down prints and colors that are still sharp and professional, and definetly not cartoony. Their prices are pretty good. I noticed a couple tops that are sort of teal colored, but they call it "island mint," dunno if that's enough close to teal for you. Good luck with your search!

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

Check out Tafford.com. They've been around a long time, have some very conservative prints (I think) as well as scrubs in all kinds of solid colors. All for very reasonable rates.

Also, if you use the search option on this web page and put in Tafford.com or just the words "cheap scrubs" some older threads will come up with a lot of responses about where to find scrubs on line.

[ERNurse752, RN]

Also check out http://www.nursesstation.com

[Sarah Bellum]

Do you know anyone who sews who could make you some tops? If not and you still can't find anything in the stores check your phone book or with a local fabric store and see if they have some names of people who sew on the side. I do this kind of work occasionally (former professional seamstress) and a lot of folks who do this charge very reasonable rates and just work out of their homes.

Just a thought.

[melloyelloducky]

i havent had much experience purchasing scrubs (i will be a student in august) but i do know that in florida we have a large Uniform City store that has great scrubs in all different prints. does your state have this store? maybe u could find something there?

[jennifersusan]

I have to wear teal scrubs where I work as well. I order my pants and tops, my pants are from Barco and my tops are Landau. I don't like all the prints and cartoon characters either (and I've only been out of school for a year and a half) because I feel that they aren't professional. I either wear solid tops, or my mom made me some that are simple coordinating plaids/small prints. She said they were very easy and quick to sew, and there are patterns available at any fabric store or even Wal-mart.

Good luck finding something! :)

[Lucy4]

One of the colors that was within our dress code was teal and carribean blue - before the recent change. I found those colors more difficult to come by and to match. JC Penneys has a uniform catalogue and I used to order from them when I needed new things to wear.

Good Luck!

[southernchickrn]

i know what you mean about the "crossing eyes" bit. there's an older nurse that i work with on night shift that must be trying to desperatly trying to hold on to her youth. when she wears her scrubs she not only wears the top but the matching pants and scrub jacket. ok if the scrubs are one color, or very subtle but one time she wore scrubs that had a very busy pattern. it was all i could do talk to her without literally crossing my eyes! it almost made me dizzy ! literally!

walk in love, walk in service and you will walk in honor

[RN4NICU, LPN, LVN]

C'mon. You know you love it when someone comes in dressed from head to toe in spongebob squarepants. That is the pattern that makes me dizzy more than any other -- one nurse I worked with used to wear the top and the matching pants. She looked like she was coming to work in her daughter's pj's. We were in a PICU, so the top was appropriate for the patient population, but the bottoms were just too much. The overall picture made my eyes cross.