Does your nursing school/hospital provide scrubs/uniforms?

ashleyisawesome, BSN, RN · May 14, 2011

I can count at least 5 different kind of fluids that splashed my uniform (white) while during clinicals (i'm only at the beginning, i know there's more). Yet the next day I'm expected to show up with a clean uniform.
I'm sorry, but I can't afford 4 pairs of uniforms, and if I did the washing the day before it wouldn't be dry before 7am rounds.
I know many people that wear the same uniform day after day if there is no physical sign of a stain. I refuse to do this, i hate to think that what bacteria I encounter and would pass on--- though oddly enough, I have to wash it at home!
I mean, even the cleaning staff have hospital scrubs!
The only way to get hospital scrubs is if you are on payroll and I find this absolutely ludicris--- and as they are also students and not employees, I highly doubt that the med students I see walking around in scrubs, buy them.
I'm just frustrated. This hospital is an integral part of the university and it's where we'll be for 4 years (2 and a half left, but who's counting?).
Sorry, needed to vent as I just pulled my uniform out of the machine...

the "med students" are probably residents or interns, in which case they ARE on the payroll. either way the scrubs are more than likely coming out of their pay so they are paying for them as well.

we had to buy ours, and its a special uniform top with our schools name embroidered on it so we had no choice as to where to buy it, so everyone payed the same price. i have two sets and havent had any problem having a clean uniform for my two clinical days a week.

Despareux · May 14, 2011

We have to purchase our own. Ours have to be white. I'm in my 3rd quarter and have not had any problems getting blood, coffee, or other stains out--I use bleach every time I wash them. I have never had any problems with the colors of my patch bleeding out onto my whites.

I don't think I would want my school supplying my uniforms. They would probably choose the ugliest, ill-fitting, most stain-prone uniforms.

cgravier · May 15, 2011

man I wish we could wear scrubs! we have to look like students-ie stick out like turds in a punch bowl, thats why we have to wear bright white pants and horrible ill fitting blue polos. Sartorial Fail/

DarkBluePhoenix · May 15, 2011

I am not in NS yet but from what I have heard from friends in the programs around, you have to buy your own.

The school only provides the patches and name tag, you provide the shoes, uniform, equipment etc...

Also I think what she means by not being dry is maybe that she hangs-dry?

I basically hang-dry anything like denim, shirts, blouses, skirts etc... I only don't hang dry is socks and pjs. If you get home too late to hang dry outside (or if your in a really cold area) you hang dry inside and that could take forever!

I would recommend to put a fan next to what your drying that rotates.

Luckily I live in SOCAL and its always hot! So hang drying doesn't take very long (only denim takes forever!)

Streamline2010 · May 15, 2011

Actually, providing scrubs to employees and students is not so farfetched. One hospital conglomerate that I won't name has been blasted in the press for enormous high rates of nosocomial infections. They now provide uniforms to all personnel, and the hospital also launders all uniforms, because they don't want employees' clothing to transport germs in or out. All uniforms originate at and remain at the hospital. Employees wear street clothes to and from work, and no scrubs or uniforms leave the premises.

No, my school does not provide uniforms. For students they dictated a Cherokee scrub top (white) and choice of two Cherokee scrub pants styles (either white or the prescribed color.)

Required: One scrub top, one pair of pants, and solid white shoes without color splotches, mesh, holes, etc., and one white lab coat. And socks. And the wristwatch. That is considered "a uniform."

Recommended:

three tops

three pairs of pants

warmup jacket

lab coat

shoes and spare pair

brillohead, ADN, RN · May 18, 2011

My school dictates the manufacturer, color, and style # (two types of tops [one with a chest pocket, one with two waist pockets], two types of pants [one drawstring, one elastic]) for scrubs. We have an optional white jacket, same manufacturer, one style #.

We don't need any patches or anything embroidered on them, so we can get them anywhere, but only that brand, that style, that color. Fortunately, they're only about $15 each.

I'm in a part-time program, so I only have clinical one day per week from this point forward. The first semester we did "lab" instead of clinical, and that was on back-to-back days, but we weren't getting anything icky on us, and we weren't around anything infectious -- just each other and hospital beds/equipment/gear.

Because of my part-time status, I only bought one set of scrubs. I wore them twice during lab (4.5 hours per day), and I'll be wearing them once/week from this point forward in clinical.

Streamline2010 · May 18, 2011

My school makes us buy our own.
They are the most hideous scrubs on this green earth.
The fabric is hot and the color is ugly.
As soon as I put it on, I immediately look pale, pasty and sick.
The cut is flattering on no one.
We look like we came from The Poor Slobs School of Hobo Nursing.
Sorry, I had to get that out there for therapeutic purposes.

Therapeutic reasons! :D:D It's like how the bridemaids should never outshine the bride, lol! :lol2: