white scrub tops and males

[jltbone]

So my current employer's uniform policy is navy, brown, or gray scrub tops and bottom or white scrub top with one of the other color pants. they are now requiring all nurses to wear white scrub tops and black or royal blue bottoms. Does anyone this that this is dumb looking on guys. I wear navy, that what all guys wear for the most part. but the hospital just got a new logo and wants the nurses to be distinguishable from other staff members. I pretty sure the patients know that there nurse isnt the person with the linen cart or cleaning cart and Drs ussually just ask people at the desk who has Mr. or Mrs. so and so. I just think that white tops look so dumb. I mean Im embarressed to get off and go out in public in white tops. it seems to me that they are not taking male nurses into consideration with this choice. Thoughts?

[DavidFR, BSN, MSN, RN]

Since day 1 of my nursing career in the UK I was always required to wear a white top - no issue. In some British hospitals with white trousers, in others with grey trousers, in others with navy trousers - no issues with any of those choices. It's only a uniform.

10 years in France now - all nurses male and female wear white tops and white trousers. Nobody even thinks if it makes them look gay, straight, bi or whatever. May I suggest that either:

1) The original poster is not for real

or

2) He has a problem.

[roscopeeco]

Since day 1 of my nursing career in the UK I was always required to wear a white top - no issue. In some British hospitals with white trousers, in others with grey trousers, in others with navy trousers - no issues with any of those choices. It's only a uniform.

10 years in France now - all nurses male and female wear white tops and white trousers. Nobody even thinks if it makes them look gay, straight, bi or whatever. May I suggest that either:

1) The original poster is not for real

or

2) He has a problem.

So we should do it because France does? Since when do we follow the lead of the french?

[roscopeeco]

Some of us gay people do. It suggests an underlying homophobia, and is simply unpleasant.

I doubt that straight males who enter the nursing profession are homophobic considering the gay population within the industry. That is like a person who is scared of spiders working in the arachnoid exhibit.

[DavidFR, BSN, MSN, RN]

So we should do it because France does?

Please find me the post where anybody actually said that.

[DavidFR, BSN, MSN, RN]

I doubt that straight males who enter the nursing profession are homophobic considering the gay population within the industry. That is like a person who is scared of spiders working in the arachnoid exhibit.

Sadly amongst the millions of OK nurses, there are some homophobes in nursing, as in many walks of life. The OP used the word gay in a derogatory fashion. Dress it up how you like, to me that suggests an underlying lack of respect.

[grpman]

Don't let the white top bother you, but do remember to take off your nipple rings. They might show through.

[ZippyGBR, BSN, RN]

I was just waiting to see the responses....figured it would be entertaining since you used the "g" word. PC stuff what it is these days.

Anyway, don't overthink this, they are just scrubs. It not like they want all white or all pink or something ridiculous. You are the only one to see it this way. I wear blue with white top by choice, just not a big deal. Like what what was mentioned earlier, there are those really loving the old caps. I would have to draw the line there for sure.

BTW, never been a fan of the Navy whites. Gotta respect the MOH though!

exactly, plenty of Uniform dress codes in UK hospitals have or have had male Nursing staff in white tops - although increasingly it does seem that coloured uniform tops are more common rather than white with grade piping / epaulettes - historically Female Nursing staff have worn coloured dresses / tunic tops with the colour desingating their 'rank' or grade ... ( ironically DMS nurses where their service specific uniform tops which are thesame colour regardless of rank with badges of rank attached in the traditional places; sleeve badges for NCO Nurses and epaulettes with bath stars for QARANC officers and stripes for Royal Navy /RAF Nursing Officers)

white scrub tops and navy bottoms sounds fair enough , i'm sat here at work on a bit of down time during a night shift wearing my work uniform of hospital blue round neck tunic, navy trousers and black (training)shoes , as is my (male) colleague at the other end of the unit - our female RN colleague is wearing a simialr uniform - just with the female top and our feale HCA is wearing the same but with a light blue top (as that's the colour for HCAs in the dress code)

[RN_Dan]

I'm a guy and even though I can choose my scrub colors, I often wear all white scrubs, call me traditional :). I notice on days that I wear colored scrubs, I'm more mistakenly thought of as a doctor. I'm happy to wear all white and be more readily identified as a nurse, the people who really do all the work.

[KeepItRealRN, BSN, RN]

Ah and the political correctness runneth over. When I was in nursing school and first started working quite a few year ago, the stereotypical male nurse was "gay". To be a nurse and be straight required blazing trails as the general public just simply didn't get why a guy would go into a female and/or "gay" profession. So therefore if a guy was in the nursing profession and straight it required observational skills as to what constituted a typical "gay" appearance, and avoid that in order not to be stereotyped. That is why you won't see straight men wearing the typical nursing scrub jackets. Some point to the O.R. and say straight men wear them there. We all know that men who work in the O.R. or Anesthesia are much more manly than men who actually have to touch a patient in the course of their job. We would rather freeze with no jacket than be mistaken for gay.

So there you go people. Decades ago men who were nurses were "prejudged" to be gay because of the stereotype. I believe that there is some hold over from that, but it isn't any where near what it was. Not even close.

[caroladybelle, BSN, RN]

First, what does wearing white have to do with political correctness?

Second, in my 21+ years in nursing, I have plenty of straight male nurses wearing warmup jackets. I know of no specific gender preference bias involving nurses and warmup jackets. Please explain.

[AmyRN303, BSN, RN]

And what does working in OR or anesthesia have to do with manliness?

[KeepItRealRN, BSN, RN]

First, what does wearing white have to do with political correctness?

Nothing, it is people who get offended simply by others discussing the word "gay".

Second, in my 21+ years in nursing, I have plenty of straight male nurses wearing warmup jackets. I know of no specific gender preference bias involving nurses and warmup jackets. Please explain.

It is written in the super secret straight male "by-laws". You have to be a member of the club to have access. There is a chance that simply revealing that such a document exists will result in my having to be eliminated.