Question: Why don't hospitals color code the scrubs?

[DolceVita]

This is my first thread so please go easy on me.

It is so hard for me to know who is what (it is all about me after all ) -- RT vs Tech vs RN vs housekeeping vs. volunteers vs. lab personnel and so on. Patients seem to find it hard as well.

I know that if you are working on a unit you get to know everyone and such. That's great...really. Also, love the whole express yourself thing (well not all of it), but is it me or are women's scrub tops becoming more and more like fashion tops? I come from a different professional background so the very girly tops, although pretty, wouldn't really go down well.

I am interested if anyone knows the history behind this move here too.

No I am NOT suggesting that nursing goes back to the starched caps etc.

[BroncoSmoLVN]

I hear all you are saying with the whole "nurses wear white" thing, but seriously don't make it harder for a guy in nursing. Here is an idea:idea:... be honest with your patients and introduce yourself! If you are a CNA, RT or housekeeper then be proud of it and don't lie when asked. If you are not proud of it then do something about it. Stop blaming dishonesty on the lack of uniformity. And another thing, it's not the seventies any more. Times have changed (progressed) and so has the nursing profession, for those of you hanging on to your whites...go back to school if you want to wear them. However if a hospital feels like they have to color code their staff than so be it, but the first pair should be free at time of employment.

:usarm:

:mnnnrsngrk:

[BroncoSmoLVN]

Apron = Lame!

[loriangel14, RN]

We can wear whatever we want but we have oval name tags with our first name and title on it. Everyone has one, nurses, PT, housekeeping etc. Our pt rooms have white boards that have a space for the nurse's name and we fill it in each shift (plus introduce ourselves)

[leslie :-D]

Our pt rooms have white boards that have a space for the nurse's name and we fill it in each shift (plus introduce ourselves)

we do too, except it has nurse's, nsg asst, and md's names as well.

leslie

[Wise Woman RN]

We are color coded, but I usually wear white, because our techs DON'T correct the patients all the time. The only problem I have had with the white uniform is that I am an easy target for anyone looking for a nurse, or people thinking that I am in charge... weird, I know... but I work with the elderly, and they really seem to respond well to the white. RNs can wear their color, or they have the option of all white... and JMHO, I think black on any health care worker is kinda bad...

[HM2VikingRN, RN]

No white...I look like the Michelin Man...

Navy Blue and a NAME TAG does the trick...:>>

[RNKel, ASN, RN]

Our hospital went to color-coded 2 years ago. Everyone who works there knows who does what, but patients still don't. LOL

RN = ceil blue and/or white

LPN = purple

radiology = black

resp = navy

housekeeping = maroon

unit clerks and PCA's = khaki

pharmacy = teal

[Cul2]

This is just a small example of the lack of national standards in American healthcare. Most in health care

don't want to see socialized medicine, or nationalized health care. But unless the profession can clean

itself up (which seems impossible) and create some standards in even more important areas than with

uniforms, that's what we're going to see. National standards forced upon the system. And it will be the

systems own fault. My main concern with this scrub issue is that the patient doesn't know who he or she

is dealing with in some hospitals. Few wear name tags anymore. Few name tags have RN or CNA on them.

Few even announce who they are and what their position is. Now, some hospitals are better than others.

But that's the point. All patients have the right to know is working with them without confusion. And we

all know one reason this situation is so popular. CNA's and techs don't mind at all being seen as a nurse.

It's a status boost. And then people wonder why some patients get angry and confrontational.

[PostOpPrincess, BSN, RN]

Because we have to wear surgical scrubs, our department has a specific color. We know who is what. I cannot say the same for the floors because they don't adhere to that policy.

I think perhaps our L & D and the NICU, but that's it. Everyone else walks around in rainbow colors.

I'm not crazy about it because I personally think they look very unkempt and unprofessional.

*shrugs*

[jazz_is_my_game]

That would be nice. But how will the patient know unless they are told of the colors...some people don't know who "techs" or RTs are. I was a volunteer and I did not on any scrubs..a patient still thought I was a nurse.

Verbal identification is the key!

[BrnEyedGirl, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN]

I've worked for the same hospital for almost 13 yrs now and this issue comes up about every 3 or 4 years. They have decided once again to "make it clear at a glance" who is the nurse vs the aide vs resp. So we all voted on colors we wanted to wear. The only problem is,..ER RN's are in one color, NTICU RN's voted on their color, SICU RN's on their color, unit sec in ER are one color but on diff floors they are all diff colors! And of course everyone is in scrubs,..registration, housekeeping, physicians, RT, PT, radiology etc. No one has offered a color guide to pts,...I just don't see how this will help at all. I do wear a very large red tag that hangs down below my name tag that has RN in large white letters. I do think that helps,....but honestly,..anyone in scrubs is a nurse to the pts. Unless the entire hospital puts all RN's in one color I don't see this helping, then of course what do you have the LPNs and the EMT's in. I work ER and our EMT's start IV's,...if the pts are told that everyone in light blue is a "nurse" what will they think if the guy in navy wants to start a line or place a foley? I like the large name tag with RN and I always introduce myself as "one of the nurses in the ER", not sure much else is really going to help,....I don't want to go back to all white with a hat!

[NurseWannabe1129]

The last hospital I did clinicals at color coded. As a student, I loved it! Really easy to tell who was who. The nurses wore all white. There is something about the all white thing I just like. I know I'm not going to say that when I need to wear it! But I just like the tradition of it I suppose.