Nurses wearing white

Nurses General Nursing

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The hospital has decreed that all nurses will wear white in the near future. Despite a petition to administration voicing the opinions of the nurses that overwhelmingly the majority of nurses working at the bedside do not want to wear white, the policy has stood firm and the deadline to change to white is rapidly approaching.

My quesion is......do you think that nurses should be forced to wear white? Do you think nurses should all wear the same uniform?

I finished nursing school in 1977 so I actually wore white uniforms (no scrubs) and a cap. It didn't take long to lose the cap and slowly, the trend to wear colored scrubs evolved.

The thought of wearing white all the time just really turns me off. I find it totally impractical and over time, it will gray and stain and tend to need more frequent replacing.

What do you think?

Thank God Firemen don't wear white,

Thank God Policemen don't wear white

Thank God Lawyers don't wear white,

Thank God that teachers are not forced to wear white....

The ONLY professionals who should lay claim of identity to wear WHITE are NURSING....LVNs with a bar and an RN with two...if we don't accept professional idenity then the public will NOT either!

Actually, culinary service workers (chefs, etc.) also wear/are identified with white. White does not belong to nursing alone.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

...........and butchers. and just LOOK how nice it looks, all that blood on their clothes.....yuck. :rolleyes:

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Thank God Firemen don't wear white,

Thank God Policemen don't wear white

Thank God Lawyers don't wear white,

Thank God that teachers are not forced to wear white....

The ONLY professionals who should lay claim of identity to wear WHITE are NURSING....LVNs with a bar and an RN with two...if we don't accept professional idenity then the public will NOT either!

Oh Boy! Do I ever agree with you. It is all about PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY.... not the individual I don't like it... look good in it... can't keep it clean ... kind of personal identity concern we see over and over here. It is about ONE easily identifiable image ... that also echos UNITY. There is strength in unity.

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...........and butchers. and just LOOK how nice it looks, all that blood on their clothes.....yuck. :rolleyes:

OK well here is my opinion on the matter. I am a medical assistant and am going back to school starting March 8th to be an RN. I am really excited to be going back and can't wait to be able to wear my scrubs again (I have a scooby one that I adore.) I remember how excited I was the first time I put a pair on and how professional I felt, and that was just in school for my MA degree...lol. I know work is not a fashion show, but I am hoping to get a job where I can wear what I want to wear for the simple fact that I think it expresses individuality. :) I have like 15 scrub sets already and they are so comfy too (lol...ok getting off the subject, and I am sure some of you are saying, yeah, wear them every day). I probably would not leave a job over the white scrub issue but I know it would be a bummer to not wear what I like...

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Some of us are perfectly capable of being BOTH professionals AND individuals at the same time. And we don't need a color code to do it. I think it is sad that some people feel it necessary to rely on a color to identify them as professionals.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
Some of us are perfectly capable of being BOTH professionals AND individuals at the same time. And we don't need a color code to do it. I think it is sad that some people feel it necessary to rely on a color to identify them as professionals.

ITA!

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Some of us are perfectly capable of being BOTH professionals AND individuals at the same time. And we don't need a color code to do it. I think it is sad that some people feel it necessary to rely on a color to identify them as professionals.

I agree.

steph

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
Some of us are perfectly capable of being BOTH professionals AND individuals at the same time. And we don't need a color code to do it. I think it is sad that some people feel it necessary to rely on a color to identify them as professionals.

Very well said.

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Specializes in Step down, ICU, ER, PACU, Amb. Surg.
So with all that said, I need to find white boxers with Big Red Hearts to wear under those white pants and for Valentines day!

Teeheehee!! :rotfl: Actuall, it would be more impressive if the boxers had big ol' kisses (puckered lips) all over! (Oh, how wicked and twisted I can be!)

Personally, I never saw too many folks in white with panties lines. Sometimes you just couldn't help but notice them. For the most part i was too busy to notice.

I have wore whites and can tell you that white is not flattering to any person except a bride and that is just a fact. I personally ama dirt magnet in white and am glad for the option to wear coloured scrubs.

A person acn look equally professional in colours as they can in whites. It is all a matter of personal hygeine and clothing maintenance. If you keep your self neat and clean and carry your self with professionalism and do your job to the very best of your skills, knowledge and ability, it will shine through no matter the coclour of your clothing (or underwear or lack there of for that matter!)

I wear solid coloured scrubs (usually navy blue) with bright and bold, cheerful scrub jackets that match. I have never had any complaints from my patients. Always compliments....especially telling me how bright and cheerful they are and how it takes their mind off their troubles. Do I own Sponge Bob or Strawberry Shortcake or Scooby? No, do I disagree with those that wear them? No, as long as they maintain their professionalism and their skills are competent and it makes them happy and is not endangering the patients.....wear it. Sure a friendly word and a cheerful smile help but during a particularly stressful time, even the cheerful smile and friendly word does nothing to boost moral and cheer.

Hospitals and other facilities trending back to white...well, I think it is just a way to try and improve their image. For a variety of reasons there are many hospitals out there that are trying to bolster revenue as well as their image and they feel that making nurses wear white is one way to do it. I was on a unit in a magnet hospital this past week, accompaning my MIL and FIL while he had a cath........Not all nurses in magnet facilities wear white. Some do the white pants and coloured top, still others wore neatly pressed scrubs and a handful wore all white. But as was mentioned, the only true identifier for RNs was "Hello, my name is _______ and I am your nurse today". You would need "spy"noculars to see the title RN on the ID badges.....just like you would need they to see it on my ID bade as well.

RN4NICU said:

Some of us are perfectly capable of being BOTH professionals AND individuals at the same time. And we don't need a color code to do it. I think it is sad that some people feel it necessary to rely on a color to identify them as professionals.
I could not have put it better. A certain colour does not make one a better professional than another. Professionalism is an attitude, it is an aquired behavior melded with who each one is as a person and that is what makes us unique!

~Christie

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What an interesting reply! I really enjoyed your view of things. I have worked in healthcare for 26 years, and have seen all sides, whites, single color scrubs, anything goes, etc.

The basis of it all is true. Yes, it is hard to take care of whites, but in the end, it is the job I love, no matter what I wear, that keeps me working.

Thanks for the interesting perspective! :balloons:

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... did you ever see anyone in a law office color coated?? :rolleyes:

I've never seen anyone in a law office wearing what too often looks like "pajamas" with Sponge Bob Square Pants or Puppy Dogs and Kitty Cats or any one of a number of "cutsie" motifs either.

White isn't necessarily the answer, but if we expect "professionals" to decide their dress code, something more "professional" is definitely needed.

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I really enjoyed wearing my white uniform when I worked on the wards. In our hospital the uniform issued is so impractical apart from the scrubs worn in OT and ER, but as we don't pay for our uniform and get new unifarm every 2 years I am not complaining. My only complaint is about people who do not wash and change their uniform daily.

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