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

Nurses General Nursing

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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 :lol2:) -- 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.

Specializes in EMS, ER, GI, PCU/Telemetry.

we aren't color coded.

the only floors that are color coded are mother/baby, L&D and peds--everyone on those floors wears the same turquoise scrubs with a big emblem that says the hospital name and "women & children's services" and a big pink badge.

we have tags that go behind our name badge that are navy blue with huge white letters that say whatever your title is. they are really hard to miss. we also have the name boards to write on.

people still call housekeepers and secretaries nurse. they can't see, they want help from the first available person and/or they don't listen.

and i can't wear white. i'm a slob.

nurses, rt's and cna's wear whatever scrubs they want at the facility i'm at now, except ob which has hospital supplied blue ones. housekeeping have obvious smocks or a polo shirt made from the same design fabric and khaki pants. volunteers wear a khaki pant/skirt white polo or button down shirt and either a smock or this pull over the head apron thingie (for some reason i think the word is tabard?). pt and ot have their own polo shirts, and wear scrub pants of some color (can't remember which)

Specializes in med-surg 5 years geriatrics 12 years.

We are color coded....and it means absolutely nothing to the patients or visitors. If you have scrubs on they think you are a nurse.

Half of our janitors look like surgeons.

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
we are color coded....and it means absolutely nothing to the patients or visitors. if you have scrubs on they think you are a nurse.

that has always been my point. if you're doing it for the patients and visitors, it does no good because they don't get it. if you're doing it because everyone wants to look the same, i guess you accomplish that goal. i think administration mandates it because they want to keep nurses good and subservient.

Specializes in Gerontology, nursing education.
i worked hard for my bsn, i worked hard to pass my state boards (which is what they were called when i passed them.) i'm a professional; i get to decide what color i wear to work and whether or not i wear scrubs.

:yeahthat:

if the problem is that no one can tell who the nurse is because everyone is wearing scrubs, then get everyone else out of scrubs. housekeeping, pharmacy techs, unit secretaries and diet aides don't need to wear scrubs; they don't do direct patient care. if they weren't wearing scrubs, it would be easier to distinguish the patient care staff from everyone else. then add the huge name tag that says "rn" or "patient care tech" and you're set.

logical. very logical. (maybe that's why the ptb who decide these things haven't come up with that idea themselves...) devil-smiley-019.gif

if you're doing it for the patients and visitors, it does no good because they don't get it. if you're doing it because everyone wants to look the same, i guess you accomplish that goal. i think administration mandates it because they want to keep nurses good and subservient.

i think you're right. it's all about power and control and administrators who want to micromanage details like what color scrubs nurses are "allowed" to wear and could care less about the quality of care that's actually being delivered.

Specializes in Med/Surg, LTC, Rehab, Hospice, Endocrine.

We don't color code, but the idea that management had is this idea. Anyone involved in patient care in any manner got HUGE badges to go under our name tags that have abbreviation for our title (ie NA, RN, MD, LPN, SW) and each one is a different color. MD's are green, resident MD's are a different color, RN's are navy, LPN's are teal, CNA's are light blue, SW is yellow. It kinda works.

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