Does your hospital require color coded scrubs?

Nurses Uniform/Gear Nursing Q/A

The hospital where I work is instituting color coded uniforms for all staff (except MD's) in patient care areas (RN/LPN-royal, PCT-teal, Radiology-black, Transport-brown, etc) to help patient's be able to identify who is who. Tops and bottoms are the same color. They are providing all staff with a ONE TIME only stipend toward buying the new uniforms. Full-time staff will receive $100, part-time $60, and per diem $40. Staff will be required to buy the scrubs online through the hospital and there is one brand (Cherokee) with 6 styles to choose from. If your scrub order costs more than your stipend, you pay the difference. The scrub prices range from $12-$24 each piece with the unisex being on the low end and the more fashion forward and maternity scrubs being on the high end. You will not be allowed to go to your local scrub store and buy another brand of scrubs, even if they are the correct color. If you choose to wear a shirt under your scrub top, it must be the same exact color as your scrubs or black, no prints. Also, no jackets are to be worn over the top.

Currently the hospital provides scrubs to the OR staff at no charge and will continue to do so. They also provide uniforms to the environmental staff at no charge and will continue to do that. If they are limiting our attire to one specific brand and specific styles and we have to purchase them from the hospital that seems like a uniform and not a dress code and the hospital should be providing them like they do for the other departments wearing uniforms. As far as I know, other companies outside of healthcare that require uniforms actually provide the uniforms.

I, like many of my coworkers, am fine with the required colors but am upset that I have to use my own money to buy the scrubs and can not even buy what fits me best. I wear tall length Koi cargo scrub pants, they are available in royal blue (I own 2 pairs) but I can not wear them. Instead I must buy pants I don't like for $24/each, because that is how much the tall length pants are through the vendor. My other option would be to buy the cheaper regular length scrubs and have them be 2 inches too short or buy the unisex pants and worry about my butt showing every time I bend over or feel gross and unprofessional because the crotch is sagging halfway down my thigh. According to the head of the uniform committee, staff should feel lucky though that they did not dictate what type/color shoes we must wear.

For those of you that work in hospitals with color coded scrubs, can you buy whatever brand fits you best as long as it is the right color? If your hospital does require a specific brand/color, do they provide you with the scrubs or do you have to purchase them from the hospital?

Obviously I am going to suck it up because I love my job and certainly am not going to quit over something like this, I just needed to vent my frustration and also wondered if this was the norm.

132 Answers

Specializes in L&D Endo Pre-Op.

In my hospital, we also have mandated colors. Royal blue for nurses too! Well, except for the ER. They were allowed to keep their black scrubs. When every other department protested the unfairness, we were told the reason was because they were learning a new computer charting system, and admin didn't want to add additional stress by changing scrub color! Does this make sense to anyone???? Sorry- got off topic! We are allowed to buy whatever brand we want. No prints, jackets must be white or royal, and undershirts white or royal as well. We were offered no money to purchase new scrubs. Seems like royal has become the "go to" color for nurses in many facilities these days. I wonder why????

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

We're allowed to buy any brand we want.

Our color is navy, one of my favorite scrub colors, so it doesn't bother me much...

My first job let us wear whatever we wanted, then a new manager was hired and picked out scrubs for the staff. Well, she had the front office staff (billing and surgery scheduling) pick out the scrubs. Brown pants and blue/brown solid tops for M/W/F, brown pants and blue/brown floral print for Tu/Th. The nurses were not given any chance for input. It had to be Cherokee also, which means no scrub pockets for pens and script pads. The nurses pointed this out before they were ordered and the manager said it didn't matter, we could figure it out on our own. Company bought three sets, employees had to buy the other two. One nurse was pregnant and asked if she could get the soft elastic-waist pants and was told no because they wouldn't be "the same" and would stand out. That nurse had to buy two sizes larger for her pregnancy, then turn around and buy (out of her own pocket) her normal size after she delivered. When the two billing girls were pregnant, the company bought them two sets of maternity scrubs. Company didn't buy me any scrubs at all because I was leaving in a few months and it wasn't worth the expense. Another company had the mandatory color-coded scrubs for each division of power (RN royal blue, LPN teal, MA navy) but they only bought two sets of scrubs and one jacket; you had to buy additional sets out of pocket. Since I was a temp, they didn't buy me any and I had to try and find teal scrubs at my local scrub shop.

Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

If the scrubs are embroidered would the hospital logo I would think the hospital would be required to pay for them because they are a uniform. Especially if they provide uniforms for other departments. Sounds like the hospital is trying to make you wear uniforms but call it a dress code so they don't have to pay.

Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
While I do not love royal blue, I wouldn't care if the scrubs were paid for by the hospital or if they let us buy whatever brand we wanted.

The Cherokee scrub styles are are the itchy cotton/poly stiff scrubs. Reminds me of being back in nursing school. I work hard for my money and want to spend it on things I actually like.

I actually like Cherokee and they fit well on me...I use the Cherokee Workwear cargo style pants and the mini wrap top. The unisex cargo pants fit comfortably.

I begin my new job tomorrow! Woot! Woot! My company also mandates color and brand. They use Cherokee and only allow 2 pant/top combos, both of which do not fit me correctly. I am cool with uniform colors but at least let people choose what is comfortable and fits for their body types. They do not pay for scrubs, it is payroll deducted or out of pocket, and they change colors every 3 months and cycle around. They also require white shoes, no clogs, etc...I still feel like I'm in school...I am thankful for a job so I guess I will have to suck it up :)

Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.

I wonder why it is legal for them to create this for profit agreement with a scrub company and then require ALL of their staff to give that company $$?

Perhaps someone will challenge this level of corporate control in a future court system. It seems to me that the employer has every right to detail a professional dress code and expectations for appearance. It also seems to me that they have no authority to tell employees WHERE they must obtain these articles of clothing unless the employer is exacting deep discounts on the products on behalf of the employees.

My hospital has mandatory colors, but we can wear 2 different color pants (royal/gray) and 3 different colors on top (royal, gray, white). Have to buy the tops from a specified store because of the logo embroidery, but can buy pants anywhere. However, FT staff are allowed 7 items annually, paid for by the hospital. Basically 3+ outfits a year.

Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

Any brand we want in the appropriate color but must be embroidered with the hospital logo, which they make pretty easy to do. All at our own cost. I shop the outlets then turn them in for embroidering.

Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

Buying uniforms is a tax write-off for YOU and benefits your tax base much more.

I write off my uniforms EvERY year, including shoes, and other items as well.

Specializes in Med Surg.

My hospital did this. Employees wailed, the union filed grievances, everyone freaked out.

It was one of the best changes I ever saw implemented. I was a patient at a facility owned by my employer and I knew the role of every person I ran into. Bonus: Not one Medical Assistant tried to pass herself off as a "nurse."

We were given a one time stipend to buy new scrubs. Embroidering with company logo was included if you wanted. You can wear any color undershirt, but it has to be a solid color. You can buy from any manufacturer, but the color has to be solid a pretty close match. It has worked out great.

Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.

At our hospital, we can buy the scrub tops only from one place (it embroiders the hospital name on it, as well as your title). Bottoms can be same color or black, any style. Undershirts can be any color, as far as I know (at least, I've never been told I couldn't wear them). We can wear a fleece with the hospital name over the shirt. The tops are Cherokee, and there are about 4 or 5 styles to choose from.

We are not given any type of scrub stipend. It all comes out of our own money. Which is fine, I wouldn't expect them to pay for my scrubs. The last hospital I left, which also had the hospital name embroidered, I just gave the 3 scrub tops I own to coworkers. No big deal, I was out $60.

And yes, the last two jobs I worked where the staff is color coded, the RN has been royal blue.

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