Dear Me!

I had an embarrassing experiencing with wearing what I thought was a Unisex nursing uniform. The suspense unfolds.... Nurses Announcements Archive Article

Dear Me!

I have worked for several years on a busy medical surgical floor and once in awhile my white uniforms would become splotched with a myriad of substances, from patient's peg feeding to ballpoint pen ink.

Last year, I had purchased a uniform set from a former coworker and thought that it was unisex. I could not see the fine uniform details, since the set was neatly wrapped in thick plastic.

The next day, I was in a hurry to get ready for work, so I tore into the wrapper and quickly slipped into the comfortable blue number.

When I got to work, I had focused on getting a patient ready for surgery. While the operating room nurse was getting the paperwork ready, I took the patient's vital signs and recorded them on the patient' checklist. As my patient was being wheeled down the hall on a stretcher, I said, have a nice day to the or nurse. He turned around and said, you too, dear.

I was baffled why he said that to me. I know that I have been told by many people, including my mother that I am cute looking, but I felt that this was a little bizarre. Throughout the day as I was walking up and down the busy hospital floor, I would get some funny stares and some snickering behind my back.

I did not know if someone was playing a silly joke on me or if I had a piece of broccoli stuck between my teeth when I smiled.

Later in the day, one of my unit clerk friends came over and announced, "paul, you have some thick cord hanging out from the back of your uniform. Let me have a closer look!." so she smoothed out the back of my uniform and said, why, you have a large bow in your back!

I quickly crumpled up like a wad of paper and my face turned into a tomato. She said, not to worry, I will cut it from your uniform. After she did that, there were a couple of small holes embedded into the fabric.

I told the coworker who sold me the uniform the embarrassing story and she could not help but laugh. She said she had accidently grabbed the female uniform instead on the unisex one. From that moment on, I always check my uniform to make sure that it is free of bows or other embarrassing surprises. Lol

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rivet32

About rivet32, LPN, RN

I am a new Nurse Educator and have 9 years of nursing experience in Medical Surgical and Telemetry areas. I have lived in South Florida since 2003.

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Specializes in ortho, hospice volunteer, psych,.

funny! thanks for sharing!!

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Specializes in Post Anesthesia.

It wasn't that many years ago a man in a nursing uniform might as well have been in full drag. It was a foregone conclusion if you were a man in nursing you were gay. Sound like the dark ages? Watch the recent movie "Meet the Fockers" with Ben Stiller. It was a running joke that he was a man in nursing throughout the film. The sequil "Meet the Parents" wasn't much better. All that is to say I don't think you have done much more damage to your male image than was already done by being a nurse already. The bow was always there in many peoples minds. It takes a secure man, even today, to be a nurse.

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