Banner Hospitals to go to Uniforms

[WoosahRN, MSN, RN]

I work at a Banner hospital in AZ and in the last few weeks we just found out that our hospital is going to uniforms in January. Uniforms will be color-coded for job title. RNs will be in Navy blue and we are only allowed to wear the assigned uniforms bought through the hospital (must be Cherokee uniforms, in the chosen color-can't find the color at a store in case it doesn't match, with the hospital logo on them). We are also being told that we have to match any undergarments (i.e. long sleeves) to the top and any coats/jackets have to be the same color with a Banner logo on them.

So far there are now three AZ Banner hospitals doing this but we have now heard that they are taking the system wide and every single Banner hospital will do this. It may take a while to get to everyone but that is the plan so we were told we can't argue it.

The kicker is that I work in Peds and the hospital I am at is building a 7 story Children's Hospital. The adult and peds ER will connect but the Children's Hospital will be independent. The rules only "bend" slightly to allow pediatric RNs only to choose from 3 assigned "kid friendly tops". Meanwhile all their advertisements regarding the pediatric department is "Creativity" and "Through the Eyes of a Child".

I just talked to another Banner employee (that works at a different Banner) tonight and that was the first she had heard about any of it. She knew the newest Banner was uniforms but thought they had voted that was and that it was just the one hospital. She is now going to inform her co-workers of the new decision.

People are mad and feel discouraged and disrespected. My patients know who I am (job title) and now my kids will associate my blue uniform with the last person who stuck them with a needle. Let the kicking and screaming begin (for the kids AND the employees).

Hopefully this can be stopped but right now we are told we can't do anything. The decision, I imagine, was made by some suit who never steps foot in the hospital and has never worn scrubs or worked a 13 hour day on his/her feet. I really like where I am but if this goes through I am considering going to the other Children's Hospital. As far as I am concerned they need me, along with the other several thousand employees that work at Banner, more than I need them.

Ok, so those are my two cents. Sorry to those that this is news to.

If you work at Banner you can go on the intranet and search for "fashion show" or "uniforms" and you can see pics of the new uniforms.

[november17, ASN, RN]

Thank press-ganey and the fact that customers give higher scores for being able to identify their caregiver by color coding. I hate press-ganey sometimes, but most of the time it makes sense.

[nrsang97, BSN, RN]

I work with a color coded system. We don't have peds at my hospital. My thought is: Why can't the peds staff wear scrub tops that match the color pants they are assigned to. Peds RN to wear any top he/she choses and they have to match the top and pants. As long as we wear a ceil blue pant and top with pattern that matches we are ok. I think the peds nurses should have cartoon characters on their shirts. We also have a large colored badge that lists title. This is a bright colored badge that has in large letters RN, CNA, NURSE EXTERN, MD, etc. Those could easily be added to help identify one staff from another.

[nrsang97, BSN, RN]

As far as Press Gainey goes, what a load of crap. They don't ask if your care was good it asks about the room temp and crap like that. I can see asking if the room was clean but sometimes I need to turn the temp down to help decrease a fever. Those things aren't taken into account. I have gottent the survey and refuse to fill it out. If I have a problem with the treatment I received I will ask for a supervisor and etc.

[EmmaG, RN]

After I walk into a patient room and sign My Name, RN on the board... wear an ID stating "RN" underneath my photo... introduce myself as the patient's nurse... if by then they can't figure out my position, that's their damned problem.

I agree this is demeaning and unnecessary.

[jjjoy, LPN]

In general, I do think some kind of uniform that looks smart and differentiates the staff makes the facility look more organized and together. I realize that many patients will never figure out who is who, but others do appreciate and remember the differences. Name tags and face recognition only go so far with so many coming and going, patients without their glasses on, etc.

It would be nice if there were some clear indication of nurse status (vs CNA, resp tech, etc) like the old caps that when patients saw them they knew it was a nurse. While I by no means suggest returning to caps, different color scrubs still doesn't do much to clearly suggest "nurse" as different from any other assistive health personnel coming and going.

As a staff member, I appreciate being able to recognize who are the nurses on a floor even from down the hall - especially if it's a nurse transferring a patient or someone floating from elsewhere in the hospital.

I agree the cartoon tops are appropriate in peds but I can see the pressures to limit choices as some tops are so loud that it can seem almost obnoxious. Certainly, there are those patients who do enjoy those really unique tops, but a line must be drawn somewhere... and we often disagree over where exactly that line needs to be drawn.

Of course, dress is only a cosmetic thing and changing the dress codes won't magically change anything else - such as poor morale, understaffing, poor management, unprofessional behavior, etc. I certainly agree that those other components are much more important than dress when it comes to patient care. And when a hospital seems to be overlooking the real problems in favor of cosmetic changes, that only lowers morale further.

[EmmaG, RN]

I've worked hospitals with 'color codes'. It didn't make a bit of difference to the patients; they see a female in a uniform (regardless of design or color) and they think "nurse".

[blueheaven]

Thank press-ganey and the fact that customers give higher scores for being able to identify their caregiver by color coding. I hate press-ganey sometimes, but most of the time it makes sense.

WOW talk about going backwards!!! The hospital I worked at in the late 70's had color-coded uniforms. It seems like only a matter of time and we female nurses will have to start wearing our caps again.

[nightmare, RN]

I've always worked in hospitals/nursing homes with colour coded uniforms and I can't say its ever bothered me.However I can see the point of wearing scrubs in areas with high body fluid splatter danger,like ED ,ICU etc.Most UK hospitals now wear white with different coloured epaulets to identify different nurses.I like the idea of children's nurses wearing cartoon tops etc.

[woody62, RN]

I am sorry but I see nothing wrong with color coding different departments. Granted, everyone generally wears ID badges but how many times have I attempted to look at someone's, only to find it turned around and unreadable. And children associate those that cause them pain with just about any color or print of a uniform, not just with one color.

I came from a generation of nurses who were required to wear a white uniform, with white stockings, white shoes and your school cap. But no one had a problem telling who was a R.N., L.P.N., aide, lab tech, x-ray tech. I'm not advocating a return to those days but if all RN's wore navy blue, it would be easier on me. You can come in and introduce yourself, just as everyone else does but I may not be able to remember your name or your job duty.

Sorry but I don't see what the problem is.

Woody:balloons:

[meownsmile, BSN, RN]

My facility also tried the color coded uniforms in the late 90's and it didnt work. We are all back to wearing what we want for the most part. Are you sure they dont have a deal worked out with Cherokee to provide these logo scrubs? It sure sounds like a big windfall for them if a large corporation is contracting with them to only allow that BRAND of uniform. It would be real interesting to find out what the cost from Cherokee is and what they will be charging you for them. Me thinks the cheese smells like its wrotting.

[NursingAgainstdaOdds]

I see nothing wrong with color coded scrubs, as long as it is not overdone. On the floor, the only person who patients need to be able to identify quickly is the nurse and hospital aide. To have nurses in navy blue and aides in light blue and ward clerks in teal and x-ray techs in grey...you get the idea, it's confusing. I think it's overdone in most places, which doesn't improve the ability of patients to identify who is who.

My suggestion is one color for RNs, another for techs, and everybody else gets a LARGE PRINT tag which hangs behind and below the other name tag with just lists their job - "DOCTOR", "WARD CLERK", "LAB" and so forth.