Professional Attire for Nurses

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Hello everyone,

I would just like everyone's opinion on what you think professional attire should be for nurses and what are the requirements at the facility in which you work. Do you think nurses should wear all white or do you approve of colored scrub uniforms? The hospital at which I am currently employed allows us to wear whatever color of scrubs we choose and I've been having a lot of fun with different prints, especially holiday prints. I get a lot of positive comments from pateints and other staff members. What are your thoughts on this issue?

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I think wearing white is totally old-school. All of my uniforms come with matching shoes, and my patients love it. I get the same respect, not because I am in white, but because I am a nurse. My uniforms are pressed, and well fitting. Besides, I know nurses who wear white, and it's yellow/dingy. Let's talk about shoes, how many of you nurses walk around with filthy white shoes. That's gross, and it's unprofessional. Dr Sholls at K-mart only cost 20 dollars. By the way, I even have orange nursing clogs with a matching orange nursing uniform.

I literally DREAM of wearing something more smart or professional looking. Like Susy K, we are issued uniforms, 5 pairs of tops/pants, but we choose to either bring them home to wash, or the facility will wash for us. All nursing staff - that is, UAP's, aides, LPN's, RN's, etc. - wear the same thing: this solid colored smurfy blueish-teal getup. Only our badges identify our "rank". We cannot even wear a sweater or something over this issued uniform as it would detract from what we are (i.e., interns couldn't yell down the hall and say "hey you, nurse"). The only item of clothing we may choose is our sock color. Let me tell you, wearing the same thing day in and day out gets mighty old. Of course the travel or agency nurses get to wear whatever they like. I was also told under no circumstances could we wear a lab coat...heaven forbid a patient mistook us for an intern or resident!! In my opinion, just another method of keeping nurses in check.

Specializes in Peds Homecare.
Originally posted by NurseMark:

Olright Kday...

And I am saying this jokingly. As a straight male nurse, wearing a gay white nursing cap on my head would be a little much. I did work at a place requiring an all white uniform. they let males wear white jeans, a white scrub top, and a white warmer jacket. White is not my color, but it looked professional and everyone knew I was a Nurse. The pin idea though is the best I've heard so far.

OMG MARK...ROTFLMAO....I am laughing so hard and can't stop thinking of you wearing a cap pinned to your head....sorry...just can't stop laughing.

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I would feel really dorky wearing a cap, but if some of us want to wear them, it's cool. I don't like white although I wear a lab coat (more pockets!) and scrubs. I would NEVER wear white pants. Unless you wear pantyhose under them, they just show too much. No matter what I've had to wear over the years, respect had to do with how I presented myself, not with what I was wearing. It would be kind of fun having the guys dress up in caps and white hose once in awhile, just so they could see how comfy they are.

Hello,

What about black uniforms? Black sharp, professional, works for the male population of nurses, and best of all is very slimming!

Just a thought! LOL wink.gif

Specializes in Gen Surg, Peds, family med, geriatrics.

When I started this present job in the peds office, I VOWED that I would never, ever again wear white or pastel...especially light pink and green...GAK! I won't even wear a white lab coat!

I have several uniforms from navy blue to teal to "ciel" (or what I call Johnny Shirt Blue) but my faves are my printed scrub tops...one has teddy bear prints and the other (my utomost fave) has little nurses (caps and all of course) printed all over it with "Nurses Rule" in the back ground. rolleyes.gif

Fact is, kids love the prints and I find are a lot less intimidated by the colours than the white.

So as for me....white be gone!! biggrin.gif

Laura

[This message has been edited by laurasc (edited April 06, 2001).]

This year the dress code went to any color scrubs. The 90's nurses were teal/white .The 80's were all white and before that you got to wear the cap too with the all white. I find the scrubs of the last few years to be extremely comfortable. Most of the patients comments are favorable. Occasionally one say nurses should wear white. I work in a hospital in adult and geriatric areas.

Specializes in Pediatric Rehabilitation.

Talk about a nursing shortage??!!!! I can see us trying to encourage the kids into nursing and saying, "..but look Johnny, you get to wear this bright, crisp, STANDARDIZED, white uniform with the pretty little hat". YUCK! When I went to nursing school (in the early '90's), we were required to wear the hats. I literally burned mine the day I graduated. I love nursing, but would absolutely leave if I was required to wear all white and/or hats. I'm at a pediatric hospital and everyone wears scrubs. I've never been mistakened for Enviromental Services, Respiratory, Dietary, Maintenance, etc. I simply introduce myself at the beginning of the shift, and the patient/parents knows who I am from there. I do not gain respect by the color of my uniform. Perhaps by my appearance, yes, by the color of my uniform, no. White IS extremely intimidating to children. Many scream when the doc's walk in with the white coats. We are required to wear white shoes, which I think is stupid. Colored shoes don't show dirt as bad, and germs do not stay off white any better than color (knows somewhere out there is someone who has researched this and will prove me wrong).

one more thought...

Does one have to be white to be considered professional? No. Neither does his clothing.

Originally posted by kaknurse:

Hello everyone,

I would just like everyone's opinion on what you think professional attire should be for nurses and what are the requirements at the facility in which you work. Do you think nurses should wear all white or do you approve of colored scrub uniforms? The hospital at which I am currently employed allows us to wear whatever color of scrubs we choose and I've been having a lot of fun with different prints, especially holiday prints. I get a lot of positive comments from pateints and other staff members. What are your thoughts on this issue?

Originally posted by kaknurse:

Hello everyone,

I would just like everyone's opinion on what you think professional attire should be for nurses and what are the requirements at the facility in which you work. Do you think nurses should wear all white or do you approve of colored scrub uniforms? The hospital at which I am currently employed allows us to wear whatever color of scrubs we choose and I've been having a lot of fun with different prints, especially holiday prints. I get a lot of positive comments from pateints and other staff members. What are your thoughts on this issue?

Proper attire depends on where you work. For example, if you work in an office or clinic setting, casual attire with a lab coat is appropriate. All white uniform are not practical in my opinion. Colored or printed scrubs are fine, especially if there is chance of them getting soiled.

I think that all nurses should wear ID tags in clear view, and should always introduce themselves as a nurse to the patient.

The bottom line is that in order to be treated as a professional, one must conduct themselves as a professional. I have seen nurses dressed in white, capped, pinned,

"nursey" uniforms act embarassingly unprofessional.

OK, just have to add my 2cents worth.

I have been a nurse for 24 years. Started out with whites and the cap. It never bothered me then--everyone wore them. Once the cap was on, you never noticed it any more, we were used to wearing them. Would I want to go back to them? It does not really make a difference to me, I am not there to make a fashion statement, I am there to care for my patients.

Then, in OB, we had to wear hospital supplied scrubs. Were they comfortable? Yes. And, I did not have to buy them or wash them. Both were done by the hospital.

Then everyone started wanting scrubs. The hospitals were not stupid-- they save a lot of money on the scrubs they had to supply in the past. At our hospital even the OR persons have to buy their own scrubs and the hospital only launders the scrubs for the OR crew and doctors now.

I have seen the attire deteriorate to not only scrubs but now tee-shirts as tops (an ER nurse had a Garfield tee on last night). Boy, didn't that look professional!!!

Standardized uniforms?? Whatever, as I said before, I am not there to make a fashion statement but we as nurses should have enough pride in our profession to at least look like a professional.

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Sheryl

If you enjoy word puzzles come visit me at www.CrosswordsForNurses.com

Specializes in Ortho Rehab, LTC, Med-Surg, Telemetry.

I don't think that standardized uniforms ought to be required. If you introduce yourself to the patients as a nurse then the need for a certain color uniform isn't necessary. And the argument that "Nurses who wear white garner more respect." is ridiculous to me.

As previous people have said white, for a lot of people, isn't practical. For those who work in Peds... it's almost the kiss of death. Those kids see you in all white and think you're the enemy sometimes.

I think professional attire is relative to the environment you work in. For me, having worked in LTC & Ortho Rehab, as long as the uniforms were clean and pressed and not tattered... I think most can pull of a professional look.

What I don't like seeing are nurses with tshirts, stained scrubs, drag queen makeup, wrinkled uniforms, etc.

If you are comfortable in a dress and can work in support hose then go for it... that just isn't for me. I'd rather be in scrubs. Ones that I got to pick out, not the facility I work for.

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