I think cutsey scrub tops look ridiculous on adult units

[AZO49008]

The other day a co-worker strolled in wearing a scrub top festooned with furry, smiling teddy bears. On an adult cardiac floor...REALLY? On various adult units I've seen Looney Tunes, Precious Moments, rainbows and clouds, hearts, and yes...oodles and oodles of teddy bears.

I think these types of scrub tops look ridiculous unless you work in peds, in which case they would all be highly appropriate. On one hand nurses are striving to be taken seriously as professionals, yet with the other hand they are taking juvenile looking scrub tops off the hangar.

I'm a guy and pretty much have to wear solid scrubs if I don't want to look like a freak. But I am not motivated out of jealousy to kvetch about print tops on the ladies. If women want to pizazz up their uniforms, I have seen tons of very tasteful, very professional looking print scrub tops coordinated with solid pants.

If I were director of nursing of the world, I would ban dorky print scrub tops.

Okay...talk amongst yourselves.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

So my question is... being a new CNA, will it be okay for me to wear the 'cutesy scrubs?' I was told I could wear any color/print except plain white (would not want to wear white anyway!!)

Maybe I'm thinking into this too far, and here's where I'll take your advice... but I just feel being new I should wear solid scrubs. What's your opinions? It's transitional care & rehab.

When you're just starting out, wear solid scrubs. You'll get a feeling for what's OK in your facility and what isn't, and as you expand your scrub collection (and you will -- we all do), you can choose prints and brighter colors. But you don't want to start out with the reputation for "inappropriate scrubs", and until you work there for awhile, you won't know what's inappropriate and what isn't.

[anon456, BSN, RN]

I'm in pediatrics and wear a mix of cheerful patterns (flowers, etc) and some tasteful cartoonish ones. I have found that balance of the tasteful cartoonish ones where the cartoon is kinda hidden and integrated into a nice pattern rather than just having the character splashed all over the scrub. I have a fav top (fav with the patients too) that has white background with black flower pattern and Elmo's head in red. It looks like red flowers until you look close.

[bwannabnurse02]

I work with adults and I wear printed tops...however I would not wear teddy bears or anything that looks too “cutesy.” I wear things like Pepe le pew, floral, Betty Boop, Kermit the frog, dear God, chipmunks, and tinker bell prints. I’ve yet to have a patient say they don’t like my prints. They enjoy them! I work with middle-aged patients (I’m a home health care nurse), so most of them did watch looney tunes when they were younger. But, I do have several solid color tops & I do wear those often too. So, it just depends!