Everyone wears scrubs!

[calidonrnstudent]

i was just wondering if anyone else found it odd that everyone wears scrubs in medical facilities. i personally do not understand why the dietary staff or the housekeeper needs to wear scrubs. i think it confuses patients because they associate the a person in scrubs as a care provider. maybe i wrong, but i feel like in a way i earned the right to be in scrubs and be a health care provider when i went to school. i even see the wal-mart workers (cashiers, door greeters, etc.) wear navy blue scrub tops now:)! i don't know maybe i'm wrong, what do you think?

[MissJulie]

Although I am a nursing student, I do have some experience as a CNA, so I think that I've "earned" my scrubs (doing medical/health fairs at school, clinicals, etc.) and working at my current job where we have the option to wear scrubs or not. I do, however agree, though that it can be incredibly confusing, not just for patients, but for clinical students! I counted one day and noticed that the nurses (RN, LPN, and CNA), housekeeping, lab, radiology, pharamcy, etc all wear scrubs. But, to top it off, I went to the salon the other day and even the hairdressers wear scrubs.

I was at Wendy's (the restaurant) one day, in scrubs, and a woman in front of me had an whiny child with her. She turned to him and said "You better be good or I'll let her give you a shot!" Thing is, she didn't know what I do for a living. She could have scared that kid for life!

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

i find it very easy to understand. scrubs are extremely practical -- comfortable, easy to launder, and cheap. and in a "free country," there are no laws that say that only people in certain jobs can wear the most practical clothes. it would be like saying, "only cowboys or farmers can wear blue jeans."

however, i do support that facilities that try to help people identify the various types of staff members by doing things like color-coding their scrubs. it does people confusing when everyone dresses exactly alike.

i saw a woman on a plane wearing scrubs -- no, not a travel nurse traveling to a new assignment. she just thought they were cute. (cartoon characters.) that said, i don't support color coding -- it only works if you have a key to the color coding and are capable of reading and understanding it. (that lets out the majority of my patients and their family members.) if the problem is that everyone wears scrubs, rather than color coding the nurses, who worked hard for their degrees, make the housekeeping staff, messengers, pharmacy assistants and dietary aides wear different uniforms. the hospital buys them their uniforms anyway, so why not buy them something that's different from what caregivers wear?

[KeepnItReal]

Ok I know people who work in the lab, are lab workers and they wear lab coats...but patients always think they are doctors, why an all white lab coat to draw blood...just seems weird. Couldnt agree more with the above statements..pretty sure a medical biller doesnt need to wear scrubs

[Not_A_Hat_Person, RN]

A few weeks ago at Wal*Mart, I saw a hotel maid wearing scrubs! I only know she was a maid because the hotel name was embroidered on the top.

I think facilities should crack down on who wears scrubs. There's no reason for housekeepers, unit secretaries, supply people, dietary workers, office people, transporters, or medical records to wear scrubs. Patients may still confuse nurses and aides, but at least they'll be able to tell nurses apart from housekeepers.

I have no problem with color coding, as long as it doesn't include white, which shows everything and is impossible to keep clean.

[DoGoodThenGo]

A few weeks ago at Wal*Mart, I saw a hotel maid wearing scrubs! I only know she was a maid because the hotel name was embroidered on the top.

I think facilities should crack down on who wears scrubs. There's no reason for housekeepers, unit secretaries, supply people, dietary workers, office people, transporters, or medical records to wear scrubs. Patients may still confuse nurses and aides, but at least they'll be able to tell nurses apart from housekeepers.

I have no problem with color coding, as long as it doesn't include white, which shows everything and is impossible to keep clean.

Back in my days as a NA, the only way one could *tell* off the bat who was a nurse versus assistant was the former wore caps. Once that stopped aside from name tags nurses and nursing assistants wore the same white uniforms. Male nuring assistants wore the same tunics (Dr. Kildaires if will) as any other male medical/dental staffer or professional. Indeed male student nurses were spared the aprons/pinafores of most school's female uniforms and wore all whites with a school badge stiched on their sleeves. Will agree that cannot see any reason or why as to ward clerks, unit secretaries, housekeeping and others not directly involved in patient care are running around in scrubs. Why on earth does someone in medical billing need scrubs?As for housekeeping, unless things have changed, the female staffers at Lenox Hill hospital wear the same uniform many schools use for student nurses. Scrubs are everywhere! Local vet's office has everyone in scubs right down to the kid that cleans the cages/takes dogs on walks.It is no small wonder you are seeing an uptick (small, but none the less) in nurses wanting to go back to whites and in some cases caps. At least there, especially with the later there are legal restrictions on whom can wear them on duty.

[Sassylil14u]

Hello Everyone!

I havent posted on here in a while and since I am on break from classes have been pouring over some of the posts. This one caught my attention because I literally had to look at the name of the poster to see if I had posted this myself! LOL

I completely agree with everything the original poster has said. \

I feel that scrubs are earned! I have worked in a facility with color coding that helped the staff identify others but the patients had no clue as to what the coding was. The best identifier I have seen is the large NURSE, CNA etc. badges worn along with your name tag. I enjoy wearing my colorful scrubs have a closet full so I sincerely hope I am not working somewhere that decides to change to color coding (Especially WHITE) I have a hatred for white from years off being forced to wear it waitressing! LOL Maybe a combination of the above mentioned approach (color coding of bottoms only) to help staff identify others and the Large name tag?? I completely agree though that dietary, secretaries etc should not be in scrubs. I have heard patients call them "nurse" and the staff does not correct them.

Tina

[linearthinker, DNP, RN]

I think this is silly. Who cares who wears scrubs? Wearing scrubs is not some achievement to be proud of, lol. They are practical for anyone who is likely to get dirty. If anything, wearing scrubs identifies us as someone working in a less glamorous profession. They are not something that has to be earned, they are just cheap clothes!

[caliotter3]

I think this is silly. Who cares who wears scrubs? Wearing scrubs is not some achievement to be proud of, lol. They are practical for anyone who is likely to get dirty. If anything, wearing scrubs identifies us as someone working in a less glamorous profession. They are not something that has to be earned, they are just cheap clothes!

I wear scrubs for convenience and ease of movement when I am scrounging around on the floor, crawling under the bed trying to reach something, cleaning up various icky substances, and just plain engaged in various aspects of patient care. I have a hard time envisioning myself in a white dress doing all of this stuff.

[Music in My Heart]

I think this is silly. Who cares who wears scrubs? Wearing scrubs is not some achievement to be proud of, lol. They are practical for anyone who is likely to get dirty. If anything, wearing scrubs identifies us as someone working in a less glamorous profession. They are not something that has to be earned, they are just cheap clothes!

I agree...

Identification badges denote what are the roles of each person on the staff.

I think the "scrubs are earned" notion is just silly. Following that notion, one could argue that only surgical staff should be in scrubs... the rest of us: Back into whites...

And personally, I value the heck out of our environmental services folks and if wearing scrubs makes 'em happier, it's fine with me.

[leloscrubs]

i take it as normal to have scrubs at work

[jjjoy, LPN]

Thoughts on scrubs and nursing uniforms...

Only medical personnel in scrubs? Hospital provided surgical scrubs? Any shapeless, pajama-like pants? All style of tops of stiff poly-blend in bold, bright patterns? Or just the boxy pull-over v-neck variety?

Pajama/prison style outfits aren't the only alternative for comfortable, easy care, allow-for-maneuvability professional uniforms, are they?

There'd be no problem with recognizing who's a nurse if the standard professional nursing attire were too unappealing for anyone to want to emulate.

It's not illegal to dress up in clothes that give the appearance of being a police officer or a postal worker or a military soldier so long as your activities are within legal bounds.

Polo shirts swept the customer service world some years back; now if you go into store with a solid color polo, you're mistaken for an employee. Let's take back the polo shirt as middle-class casual wear, not dead-end job attire!

Continuing with polos and comfortable, easy-care work attire.... How do you feel getting on an airplane where the flight attendants wear unpressed polo shirts and chinos? How about if the pilots were dressed that way as well? They aren't at risk for getting splattered like nurses? Seriously, how often do *most* nurses need to change their uniform in the course of their usual work day?

[Kim5/08]

I wonder if surgical staff had this same discussion when their scrubs...origin being for "scrubbing in"... extended out of the operating room to the rest of the hospital staff!? I guess I took it for granted that at my facility ALL employees are required to wear a picture name badge with their job title as the standard across the entire country. Then again, like I've come to realize reading posts on this site, an awful lot of us assume if that's the way it is at our facility, it's the same everywere.