what color is your scrub-achute?

[fungez]

Yes, I am old enough to remember when we all wore white. Some dinosaurs even wore their caps. Then a few years later, we were allowed to wear colored scubs. Yay! Colored scubs are fun! Except now the pendulum is swinging back. Now the scrub colors are unit specific. Boo. Some places even require that you get the hospital's name and RN/LVN embroidered on it. Well, ladeda.

So if your hospital requires a certain color for nursing, what color is it? And do you like this or did you like wearing any old scubs better?

[caliotter3]

Specified colors ok as I see it, as long as I get to wear a color I can stand.

[SweetLikeSugar]

Since I've been employed at the hospital I work at, nurses have been made to wear all white except on Friday, we were allowed to wear a colored scrub top with white pants. Starting in August, it's going to be all white, all the time. Except for the critical care units.....they get to wear blue scrubs. CNA's wear a green top with white pants, unit secretaries wear white tops with navy pants, respiratory wears wine colored scrubs.

[Bobbkat]

The hospital I am starting at shortly has standard colors. Nurses are in bright blue (think 'Smurfs'), and if I recall correctly the hospital name and 'RN' are embroidered on the scrubs. Maybe your name too...I can't recall.

I really can't complain though. It's better than having to wear a white dress, it's better than not having a job to wear anything too, and it will certainly make getting dressed for work easier.

[mikeicurn, ASN, RN]

In our local hospital nurses on the floors wear all white. ED and ICU wear royal blue. Lab is black, Radiology is something else (light blue I believe).

[MinnieMomRN]

I wonder what color MDs wear. Hmmmm....

I wear whatever color suits my mood that day. To my way of thinking, forced color-coding would be a reason NOT to work for a certain place. I can see if I wore my own clothes work and then changed into hospital owned scrubs, changing out at end of shift again; leaving them to launder the scrubs.

I wear a hospital badge that states my name and title, other than that I exercise free will.

[jennrnbsn]

OK, so I must be one of the oldies because I remember the all white with caps. I wore them for about a year and then things changed. As nurses moved into scrubs they began to look like they just pulled themselves out of bed, very messy and unprofessional. I work at a hospital where all RN's wear Navy, CNA's and Tech's wear ciel blue, RT wears green, Pharmacy wears black and white....... It really is nice for the patients, they actually know who is working with them. It looks good too.

[jgcadet]

I think color-coding is organized as well as professional. Leave brightly colored and designed scrubs to Peds and Labor/delivery in my opinion.

[rn-2-b-n-09]

The nurses where I work wear ceil blue and/or white. I like having them tell me what color to wear because it makes getting ready for work in the morning (or night) a no-brainer. Downside is when/if I decide to work with another hospital, I will be stuck with only these ceil blue & white scrubs.

[wooh, BSN, RN]

In our local hospital nurses on the floors wear all white. ED and ICU wear royal blue. Lab is black, Radiology is something else (light blue I believe).

So at all these hospitals where the ED and ICU don't wear white like the floor nurses, what is the reasoning behind them not wearing white in ICU and ED? And since administrators always claim the white is so the old folks will know who the nurses are, how do you know that the nurses in ICU and ED are nurses when they're dressed in such an unprofessional color?

(Or is it just that the EDs and ICUs at these hospitals have employees with enough gravitas to complain instead of doing what they're told like good little worker ants?)

[pers]

Unless every facility in my area went to color-coding with nurses (or at least RNs) wearing white, it would be a reason for me to switch jobs. I'd do it because I hate wearing white but we have a lot of staff who live in rural areas with well water and their "white" scrubs aren't so white after a few washings. Even with designs they look terrible. Sorry to those who hate the cartoon scrubs but I think they look better than white scrubs that aren't actually white.

[jgcadet]

I think dark solid colors for determining differences is the best (along with name tags in bold print) Sorry the white and designer scrubs look silly...

[brownbook]

I was an adult patient in an acute care hospital long before I became a nurse. It is hard to believe how ignorant I was about how hospitals functioned, who did what, etc. I distinctly remember lying in bed and needing something minor yet not asking anyone who came into my room because I was embarrassed I would be asking the housekeeper for more water, or tell the nurse the toilet was dirty! I believe this is what many patients and their families go through! You can't imaging how ignorant and scared non-medical people are about hospitals!!!!!!

I am a big believer in ALL hospital employees and doctors wearing distinct uniforms and large print distinct ID's. There should be a sign in every patients room indicating who wears what. I don't care if I like the color, I am not at work to do a fashion show. I am there to help my patients feel more comfortable! I hate to wear hats, but if administration decides RN's will wear hats I will wear a hat!