Each job title wears it's own color.

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We are being told by our administrators that if all the RNs in the Hospital wear one color, the LPNs one color, NAs one color, etc. that it will improve "willingness to recommend" because pts will be able to tell who is caring for them, who they are talking to, etc. Our VP of Pt Care Services is saying that this is "studied and proven" and is becoming the standard throughout the country. Any comments?

We do this where I work. All RNs have to wear royal blue or white plain scrubs with the exception of peds nurses and they wear royal blue or white pants, but can wear a printed top. The LPNs wear Caribean blue, RTs navy, and therapists wear green. I am not really sure that this helps patients, but I like it because I can always tell who I am dealing with if I transfer a patient to another floor or a nurse floats to us, or someone is in pts room that you do not know, etc. And it makes getting dressed for work a lot easier and quicker!!! It took some adjusting, but I think overall everyone loves it!

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Specializes in Nursing Ed, Ob/GYN, AD, LTC, Rehab.

I believe pts only recognize a nurse if the color is all white. Anything else no one will understand

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Specializes in Maternal - Child Health.

Been there, done that, have the multi-colored scrubs to prove it.

It doesn't work. Patients can't remember who is whom.

My hospital tried this almost 20 years ago. I guess there is always some late-comer willing to resurrect an old, failed scheme.

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Specializes in Cardiac step down unit.

I'm a PCT and at the hospital I work at the nurses can wear any color/print they want. The PCT's have to wear cranberry colored pants and either a cranberry top or a print that matches. The unit secretaries all wear dark blue and white, transporters green, lab wears purple under their white lab coats, housekeeping wears sage.

That being said.....the patients still don't really know who is who, they just know we all wear scrubs and we all take care of them. It is usually a couple hours into my shift that they can differentiate who does what for them, and even then I am explaining that I have to let the nurse know they have pain, etc..

I do think it helps the staff differentiate...........If I need a quick hand and I stick my head in the hall and see someone wearing purple scrubs I know right away the lab tech isn't the one to grab for assistance, etc....

I agree though, the nursing standard has always been white, and even though the patients might not recognize it as anything but a color choice, nurses have earned the right to wear "whites" :bow:

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I have not seen that it makes any difference to patients, docs, or families. They don't remember who is which color. If facilities would issue nametags that clearly showed the persons's credentials, rather than hiding it to avoid questions about the staff mix, AND staff would actually introduce themselves and reiterate their roles - this color coding stuff would go away.

Truth is, most patients don't care who you are. They don't take the trouble to care for themselves and as long as you bring them coffee and food - you could be the queen of England and they wouldn't know the difference!

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Specializes in Neuro ICU and Med Surg.
The RNs in all the hospitals here have a bright red sign that hangs below their nametag with the initials RN in white. The LPNs, APNs, CNAs, etc all have one. No one still knows who is who.

We have that in addition to the color code. At my facility the nurses wear ceil blue, the aides wear burngandy, and the externs wear white. Still our patients are so sick they aren't sure who is who no matter the extra sign that hangs below the name badge, or what we wear.

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Specializes in Pediatric ED.
It would infuriate me if my right to wear white was taken away. I am an LPN, and I earned the right to wear the whites of a nurse.

Good lord, I'll be ticked if I'm ever MADE to wear white again. I'm paying my dues wearing them for clinicals. *shudders*

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Specializes in Hospice, LTC.

At the hospice I work for nurses, RN and LVN's wear ceil blue, aides wear Royal blue. Continuous care team wears Khaki. It does no good, except when we have a conference with the other offices that are out of town. Then I know what department they are in. I showed up at a nursing facility to see some Evacuee's from Hurricane Ike. The aides had been there for two days, in their Royal blue. They were scheduled to work 6-2. I showed up at 9 to do my assessments and was hollered at for being 3 hours late. They then proceeded to tell me to get down the hall and get the emergency light and start my showers. I did get the emergency light, went back to the nurses station, explained that I needed to visualise the charts and do my assessments. They said, "You mean you're a nurse." Had my badge on too. It does no good. My thought, no matter if I was a nurse or not, they shouldn't be treating my aides that way. I don't, no one at my office does, and they sure as heck don't have the right to. I reported it immediately.

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.

I think it's great. I've been working in a hospital that does it.

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I do think it helps the staff differentiate...........If I need a quick hand and I stick my head in the hall and see someone wearing purple scrubs I know right away the lab tech isn't the one to grab for assistance, etc....

I agree with the above. If you're always working with same people or there aren't many different job roles on your unit, then it might not make a difference. But if you've got lots of different techs going in and out of rooms all day, being able to quickly identify the job role of other personnel can be a help.

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Specializes in ED.

Our department used to have color-coded scrubs. As far as I know the docs were the only ones who cared. I know they appreciated knowing RNs wore ceil blue. We had a name change, and instead of paying the have the scrubs re-embroidered, they just decided to change our name badge color. Now we're allowed to wear any scrubs we want. I haven't noticed any complaints from the patients. I'm not sure they ever knew anything about the color coded scrubs (even though we had signs throughout the department).

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Good lord, I'll be ticked if I'm ever MADE to wear white again. I'm paying my dues wearing them for clinicals. *shudders*

Who said being made to wear it? I said losing the right to wear it while RN's can. Big difference.

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