uniform?

Nurses General Nursing

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When I am a nurse, in a few months, if all goes well, I really want to present a professional image to patients. What should I wear? Studies show that patients like to see nurses in white uniforms.

I was thinking of wearing white uniform pants and a short white lab jacket. I think these jackets look great. But I never see floor nurses wearing them. Why not? Are they "reserved" for only certain personnel?

What do you wear and why?

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Because they get in the way and they're hot, that's why. You can wear it if you want, but if the rest of your floor does not, you will stand out.

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What studies? Does white help people heal better, or make you more efficient at your job? If you want to wear white, go for it. I do have one pair of white pants (we can wear white or navy pants and any top that goes with the pants) that I wear with my red top, otherwise it's all navy and coordinating colors for me. Why? Because white gets dirty and shows EVERYTHING. I think it's more unprofessional to show up in white pants that have a streak on them because I brushed against my car on the way in than it is to wear colors, but do what you want (as long as it's in your units dress code). We have one nurse who wears all white scrub dresses, sort of old-fashioned looking. But I get just as many compliments on my "pretty tops" as she does on her white dresses. I think it's more important to carry yourself well, have confidence in your abilities, and interact well with your pts/families than to worry about what color you're wearing. Just my :twocents: .

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I agree with Miko!!

I know so many people who look professional but once they open their mouth nothing smart comes out. Come to the floor with clean scrubs, hair up, short fingernails and minimal amount of jewlery, perfume and make up. For me, a big smile and showing your patients you care and there for them worth so much more than wearing the "right" color.

Good luck !!!

pumiky

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Don't be too quick to buy a lot of nursing clothes until you have worked a while.

On your first job, pay attention to what the other nurses are wearing. It can be a difficult task to look like you belong if you look radically different.

A professional look does not always need to be white. I do have a nice crisp white uniform top that I wear sometimes. I also buy my own ciel blue well fitting uniforms. The hospital issue scrubs do not fit well and have a bagged out, frumpy look.

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Can I read between the lines here and wonder if nurses who wear white or white uniforms are seen as putting on airs? Does it bother other nurses somehow?

I've worked at plenty of desk jobs where almost everyone was business casual and one or two folks always wore suits. No one thought anything of it.

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Specializes in MPCU.

I don't think you can read anything into the whites. White is just not a practical color. Miko is right. Also, well body fluids sometimes splash and it's about impossible to get the stains out of a white uniform.

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Specializes in Ortho, Med surg and L&D.
Can I read between the lines here and wonder if nurses who wear white or white uniforms are seen as putting on airs? Does it bother other nurses somehow?

I've worked at plenty of desk jobs where almost everyone was business casual and one or two folks always wore suits. No one thought anything of it.

Hello,

I would not associate it with being viewed as putting on "airs" rather I'd associate it with, "obviously too new to not have gotten over wearing the white yet".

When I started as a tech all the assistants and nurses had to wear white. I didn't have anything to compare it too but, am really glad to not have to wear plain white anymore. I do not like to know that people have my panty outline blaring in their face or my bra outline blaring at them either or my camisole strings blinking from underneath the white top too.

Just me,

Gen

p.s. oh yeah and here in the midwest the road slush is junky on your car and does not wash off your pants in case you do not notice it right away...

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My school requires us to have short white lab jackets, but none of the students (except me!) wear them during clinicals. I've never seen a floor nurses wearing one either. I like mine because it gives me enough pockets and keeps me warm, but I DO stand out and the nurses seem to think it's stupid but let it pass because I'm a student. I had a patient ask me if I was a doctor!

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No, looking different doesn't mean you'll be seen as putting on airs, but you will be noticed and you might spend time explaining why you look different.

White is traditionally the color of nursing but it is also very impractical. You will get dirty and it's hard to get the stains out sometimes. You can hide it in colored scrubs but you'll never get it out of white. I don't mean just body fluids, I mean Betadine too. Even food stains, if you spill while eating your lunch.

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Specializes in FNP, Peds, Epilepsy, Mgt., Occ. Ed.

I'll echo everyone else here: white is not very practical. Whites stain easily and a lot of things- including ink- can be difficult to get out. Additionally, if you live in an area with hard water, white becomes yellow or gray pretty quickly.

If you think that print scrubs don't present the appearance you wish, think about wearing solid colors- navy, black, red, or whatever.

If you really want to wear the white coat, go ahead, but don't spend a lot of $$ on it; it will become stained or dingy long before it wears out. I have several of those in my closet right now that I need to get rid of!

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I had forgotten about this when I originally posted...about a year ago (maybe 2), we had a new grad. She was very pretty, skinny, etc. She made it clear that she got into nursing to meet a rich doctor so she could get married and "never have to work again". Don't get me wrong - this girl was very smart and very nice. She wore white shoes, white stockings, white scrub dress, and her cap. I don't even know where she *got* a cap, lol! But anyway, it worked. She met a doc, fell in love, moved away with him, and got married. Did anybody think any less of her for wearing white? No. Did she stand out? Indeed!! Aww, now that I remembered her, I kind of miss working with her, haha.

Really, I don't care what you wear as long as you look professional and SHOW UP FOR YOUR SHIFTS!!!!! There are a lot of RNs that I work with who wear jackets, but they always end up tied around waists or on the backs of chairs in the station, or hanging from the handrails that line the hallways. I always wear a long sleeved t-shirt underneath my scrub top. That eliminates the problem of being able to see down my top when I bend over, and also keeps me warm. Plus, if I get too warm, I just roll up my sleeves. I've been doing that for years, and it works pretty well for me. I also get the 2 pocket tops and I get them a size larger than I need - that way, not only do I have pockets available, but I have room to put things in there.

You do what you want and what makes you comfortable, but I do agree that you should work a little bit before you invest a lot of $$ in your uniforms - and make sure you know what is allowed by your unit policy! Don't go out and buy 10 sets of green scrubs and then find out that you're only allowed to wear blue!

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