Do all nurses wear scrubs?

[APP]

Not a nurse (yet, amd considering it). I am old enough to remember when nurses wore uniforms! Back int he late 80s I volunteered at Gearge Washington University Hospital, on a gen med unit. There, the dress code was 'nurses have to wear white' - that was the only requirement, so people could tellt he nurses from the docs. Many wore white jeans and a whote t-shirt, mayve with a lab coat.

Now scrubs seem to be the norm. Any places have a different dress code?

Does having everyone in scrubs make it hard for patients to tell who is who?

[JaxiaKiley]

Some hospitals color code everyone's scrubs. Nurses in one color, respiratory in another...etc. My sister's hospital switched to that, and everyone really likes it.

[tlhubbard]

I do not wear scrubs for my job. I go in and out of many facilities, I see most nurses in scrubs (typically not matching each other, doing their own colors/patterns). There is one LTC facility I go to and they are still required to wear HATS. They wear all white and the hats. Which is honorable, however some forget their hats and use "community" hats kept at the facility or they are not keeping them cleaned properly. So some look great, while others look like they've been mudwrestling in their hat.

Of course at the hospital I worked at in surgery, we all wore hospital supplied/laundered scrubs which was GREAT! We also had the administrative nurses that people referred to SKIRT nurses or carpet nurses. I'm happy to say I have a great job (not in the hospital setting) and have crossed the line to the carpet/skirt nurse side.

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

Our dress code allows scrubs for "RNs, LPNs, CNAs, and orderlies" (orderlies wear their own hospital provided color). Anyone who does not provide hand-on pt. care is not to wear scrubs of any kind. Recently, knit pants were banned, reasoning that they aren't scrubs.

[mandana]

Some hospitals color code everyone's scrubs. Nurses in one color, respiratory in another...etc. My sister's hospital switched to that, and everyone really likes it.

I really like the idea of this. I have had problems (maybe PROBLEM is a little strong!) trying to figure out who was who with everyone in scrubs at times. I love the idea of color coded scrubs. The only drawback is that I want to pick the color I wear! I look terrible in brights.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Everone in our facility wears scrubs. I still think it's odd to see secretaries in scrubs, but that's just me, because where I come from the secretaries didn't wear scrubs.

Responding to patient complaints that they didn't know who their nurses were the RNs and LPNs now have big "RN" and "LPN" tags under their name tags so it's clear.

I wore a uniform for the first year or so and don't pine for those days at all, I'm sure if I were a female I'd feel the same way.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

At the nursing home where I am employed, all nurses and aides must wear scrubs (solid or prints) that are non-denim.

I also work per diem at a psychiatric hospital where no one is allowed to wear scrubs, even the nurses. Nurses are allowed to wear polo shirts, khakis, slacks, lab coats, and casual shoes.

In my opinion it is a bad idea for other employees to be seen in scrubs. Often a middle-aged male wearing scrubs will walk into the patient's room to do housekeeping, but the patient will ask him for medical advice.

[Saoudishabiba]

I work in an outpatient crisis stabilization program for children/adolescents and we are not to wear scrubs. I haven't worn scrubs in years!

[Aussie19]

I work at an ICF/MR and we wear street clothes. I usually wear jeans and t-shirts. I only dress up for meetings. I haven't worn scrubs in almost eight years now.:monkeydance:

[SharonH, RN]

I currently work in occupational health and I always wear street clothes. I didn't wear them when I did telephone advice or corrections or preadmission testing either.

[JMBM]

Like the answer to most questions - it depends. When I did community nursing, we wore office clothes or jeans - whichever was appropriate to the place we were working that week. Now I'm in an ED, where we are routinely coughed, puked and bled upon. Scrubs are comfortable, easy to clean, and cheap enough that you don't mind tossing out a stained set. The idea of wearing a white uniform in our zoo is frankly ludicruous. A routine part of my assessment is to introduce myself, the other nurse (we team-nurse in pairs) and the doc(s) on duty. With the exception of folks with diminished faculties, I have never had any serious instance of mistaken identity.

[LPN1974, LPN]

On my job we can wear anything that is comfortable.

Some of our nurses wear scrubs, others wear regular street clothes.

I wear a scrub top with jeans.

A new nurse was hired a few months back and I got a shock.....she came in that first day in a white uniform, white hose, white shoes, and a clipboard thingie with a calculator on it. The only thing missing was the cap.

She had to change her attire very quickly... we are not allowed to wear all white.

It has been years since I've seen a nurse in an all white uniform.