Just accepted a prn psych position : )

New Angel · Aug 22, 2013

Hello! I work at a psychiatric hospital that has a casual dress code. It is suppose to help create good rapport & relax the patients who identify scrubs/uniforms as being 'establishment' oriented. Psych nursing involves a lot of one-to-one verbal contact, and the hope is that patients who are highly paranoid feel they can open up & tell you personal history/feelings.

Everyone mostly wears jeans and a nice shirt. Some wear more business type of casual & some wear street casual. With the Restraint situations, some of us have literally been on the floor with assaultive/combative patients so its not always the best to wear a pant suit or long skirt.

Some wear scrubs and I have not personally observed a breakdown in rapport with patients due to wardrobe. Maybe a 'white coat' would cause tension....

Never anything provocative, of course. Some psych patients have issues with boundaries.

I use the second guessing rule: if I have to review whether or not I am wearing appropriate clothing, then I probly need to change.

Bouncyball · Aug 23, 2013

Hi New Angel,

Thanks for the info. I dont want to wear jeans, thats what i wear at home and i like to ha e separate work and home clothes. I am definitely not wearing pant suits or skirts either, they are so uncomfortable! I ordered some khaki type pants, but not khaki colored. I got a navy blue and a black pair to start with, but can't figure out what to wear for a top. I was thinking either button up long sleeve shirts or some other top with a sweater over it. Does that sound appropriate to you?

GeneralJinjur · Aug 26, 2013

I never wear button down shirts as I don't know how well they would survive some of the wrestling that happens on a rough shift. T-shirts that don't look like t-shirts or knit tops work better for me because it would take an above average tussle to rip open one of those tops. Being a girl, this concerns me. :)

Bouncyball · Aug 27, 2013

It was my first day today, and I wore a button up shirt with a t shirt underneath. To tell the truth, I never even considered that my shirt may have been ripped open, but now that you pointed it out, it should have been obvious! I wore a shirt underneath so i could take the long sleeve off if i got hot. i obviously have a lot to learn about psych. I ordered some knit shirts/sweaters and some khakis last week, but they won't be here until the end of the week. I will have to make sue with what is in my closet until then.

On a random note, I had the best first day ever! I am so happy to be working in psyche and feel like I am right at home.

GeneralJinjur · Aug 27, 2013

I'm glad your first day went well!

SoundRN7 · Sep 2, 2013

I've been working psych crisis for about a year now and I generally wear scrub pants or jeans with a t-shirt. Several others wear scrub tops and bottoms. I've never had or heard of any patients being agitated due to the nurses wearing scrubs. You definitely don't want to wear really nice clothing in psych units. You will sometimes be on the not so clean floor with patients, deal with restraint issues, deal with occasional blood, urine and feces, be spit on, and be in close contact with patients who have horrible hygiene.

Bouncyball · Sep 3, 2013

I wore khaki pants and a normal shirt for my first couple of days, but it's not working out. I have no pockets for the three ginormous rings of keys I have to carry or my pencil and brain sheet / paper for notes. I was the only person not wearing scrubs and the pts seem ok with scrubs.

I tried, but I'm switching back to my trusty scrubs with plenty of pockets. I may try half scrubs half street clothes since I already bought work clothes.