white uniforms vs. colored/printed

jen42 · Dec 2, 2005

WHITE?

Nonononononono.

I wore white as a student nurse. I HATED it. Why? Because of leaky babies, vomiting cancer victims, ICUers who just had diarrhea, ER patients bleeding all over the place, neuro patients who can't swallow their spit, and, of course, CHILDBIRTH. Not to mention the spaghetti I might have for lunch and the colored underwear I pull out of the closet because I'm out of white ones. I mean, if the argument is that people can't tell who we are, we might as well start wearing little hats again.

If we have to color-code the nurses- which I'm not sure we do- let's at least have a color that doesn't have to be thrown out the minute we doing anything vaguely messy.

AuntieRN · Dec 6, 2005

I'm still a student..but...the hospital I work at is color coded as well. The nurses wear a port wine and white or all white, us techs wear caribean blue and so on...I agree with other posters...since when did housekeeping start to need to wear scrubs...I hope we do not have to back to wearing white. I remember years ago as a CNA we had to wear navy blue scrub tops and white pants...Hated it!! Also I hate teal..thats what our uniform for school is..I swore I would never wear it again once I graduated. I did not go to school all these years to have to go back to white...please, please, please don't make me..LOL...:rotfl:

imenid37 · Jan 11, 2006

Colour of the uniform doesn't make any difference. It is truly what's inside. If you are clean, neat and knowledgeable, it doesn't make any difference whether you are sporting Snoopy or starched whites nad a cap. I have seen this w/ pt's. of all ages. I have been a nurse almost 19 years and have worn both types of uniforms. If anything the cloured scrub type of clothing makes us more approachable, but no less professional. Patients do associate scrubs w/ nurses and doctors and to a lesser extent lab, x-ray techs and other allied health professionals. I do agree that housekeeping and dietary do not need to0 wear scrub clothing.

KrisRNwannabe · Jan 11, 2006

while I am not an advocate of wearing all white, I see how it could be easy to explain to the patient. But.... color coding? what do we do? pass a chart out to the patients when they are admitted? here's a thought only nurses and nurse aides wear scrubs!!! housekeeping can wear black or kahiki pants and polo shirts or something??? same for other ancillary staff. I think this system would work better than color coding. just my 2

Kris

**RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN** · Jan 11, 2006

while I am not an advocate of wearing all white, I see how it could be easy to explain to the patient. But.... color coding? what do we do? pass a chart out to the patients when they are admitted? here's a thought only nurses and nurse aides wear scrubs!!! housekeeping can wear black or kahiki pants and polo shirts or something??? same for other ancillary staff. I think this system would work better than color coding. just my 2
Kris

Definitely! It's the most reasonable way to go IMHO. Housekeeping doesn't NEED to wear scrubs.

future~pedis~RN · Jan 12, 2006

sorry but i think whites are the most professional attire for nurses. People respect that look more and it is comforting to allot of our elderly patients. And as for the "vomit, blood, and leaky babies" ........... What? If u cant see it, its not there?? YUCK!! I feel that not all....but some people forget being a nurse is not just a job....its a profession!!!! Take pride in the nurses who came before you....these brave women fought a male driven society to gain respect, trust and honor to a once "undesirable" profession.

Just one persons opinon....I do respect u all in whatever color u choice to wear :nurse:

jen42 · Jan 19, 2006

Not "if you can't see it it's not there," more "It won't leave a stain on my dark blue scrubs after washing, but will on my white." And also the nice benefit that if they're light enough to breathe, everyone can see what color underwear I'm wearing!

How bout we just get "RN" tattoed on our foreheads? :)

blynn · Feb 16, 2006

Funny.. I was just talking with one of my coworkers.. she is the front desk receptionist, and she was saying that she wished that she could wear scrubs to work, they look so comfy, and it'd be so easy to get dressed in the morning, and I told her that she would change her mind about wearing scrubs to work the first time someone walked in the clinic and showed her something she'd rather not see. Or what would she do if someone got hurt and wanted her to help? She doesn't know first aid.

Tony35NYC · Feb 17, 2006

We got new uniform standards back in January. Prints, themes, and bright colors are all out. Our CEO says they look unprofessional and makes the nursing units look like a circus. The scrubs must be solid colors and they can only be from a short list of pre-selected colors (the traditional navy, ceil, white, or seafoam green). Nurses can wear just one color or we can wear any color scrub pants with white scrub shirts. However, nurses who don't wear a white scrub shirt must wear either a white jacket or lab coat over whatever other color top they've got on.

I used to say I would never wear all-white, but I now own several sets of white scrubs and I have to admit I like the way they look. More and more nurses here are wearing all-white now. I've personally heard many compliments from patients and visitors about how professional we look. And, they are right. It does look VERY professional.

imenid37 · Mar 15, 2006

We got new uniform standards back in January. Prints, themes, and bright colors are all out. Our CEO says they look unprofessional and makes the nursing units look like a circus. The scrubs must be solid colors and they can only be from a short list of pre-selected colors (the traditional navy, ceil, white, or seafoam green). Nurses can wear just one color or we can wear any color scrub pants with white scrub shirts. However, nurses who don't wear a white scrub shirt must wear either a white jacket or lab coat over whatever other color top they've got on.

Sorry Tony, I totally disagree. Unless someone is weraing dirty uniforms or has Marilyn Manson scrubs..it ain't the uniform. The med-surg floors at my hospital often look and run like a circus. It's called staff stretched too thin. Admin. always wants staff to "be more professional" yet they also expect us to act like waiters and waitresses. Professionals make $. If you want professional, you have to pay for it. b How about better salaries and better funding for education? I am so sick of customer service programs, computer equipment released just yesterday, a new building project evey month, and these directive from about about silly stuff like how to dress. Pay your staff, treat them well. Give them an envioronment where they can do a good job and they will. This builds professionalism. Why are so many people in the hospital allowed to wear scrubs, because admin. doesn't want the patients to see how few nurses there really are. Do only nurses in your facilities wear white? or do techs and aides wear it too?

SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN · Mar 16, 2006

I plan to wear white once I earn it for several reasons.

Nurses are an iconic figure, and should be immediately recognizable to anyone entering a facility. I've also discovered, in my limited experience, that people are very comforted to be treated by someone who looks "official."

Plus, it makes putting together an outfit in the morning a real no-brainer.

imenid37 · Mar 16, 2006

Good luck with your career Suesquatch. I am a nurse for 19 years. I am very human, not iconic. I can tell you it is the person and his/her manner in which he/she brings the art and science of nursing to the bedside. As they say, IMHO, it's all in the delivery. It is important to be both knowledgable and able to bring that knowledge to life in the care that you give. We are very much the whole package, as the saying goes. You can't be knowledgable and be an automaton who comes across as unfeeling, nor can you be kind, but not knowledgable/skillful and be a good nurse. Patients want people contact. They want someone who has the time of day for them. They love a smile and a joke while you do their assessment and their teaching. The human touch in terms of things like a backrub are very appreciated by patients. When they're ill or in need of care (like when my ob patients are having a baby) they want YOU..their nurse because YOU have the knowledge and compassion they need. It doesn't matter if you are physically lovely to look at or fair,fat, and forty like me, they want you to do for them in a caring and competent way. The only way you can do this on a consistent basis is if you are allowed to practice in an environment where you can give your patients more than a cursory once over. As long as you are clean, the vast majority of people don't care if you wear white, the wrinkled blue hospital issued scrubs, or something with pandas. When I go to a med-surg floor, patients may complain the nurses don't wear white anymore, but it is usually part of a larger rant about how they feel they are not being cared for in an appropriate manner. Some patients are whiney and unpleasant it is true. It is very frustrating to sit in a bed all day unable to get up with the same old stale water or to have not been asked if you'd like your pain med. Plus sick people are often a bit dissatisfied, so cut them a break. Solving the problem of providing the patients with the attention they need isn't a quick fix, like wearing white or putting a cap on your head. It involves planning, spending time ,and spending money. I guess that's why it is rarely offerred as a "solution". I am lucky to work in a place where we only have one labour patient ususally, so we are able to give personal attention. My patient last weekend told me "this is what birth is supposed to be like, where everyone helps you and treats you like you're the most important thing at the time." She's right. That's what being a nurse is supposed to be. I guess I will keep wearing pandas and count myself as one very lucky nurse.