color coding staff

KaroSnowQueen, RN · May 12, 2004

I would vote for anything other than white. Making people wear white, when they have to mess around with body fluids, funky colored meds, etc is just stupid!!!

However, I have to say I have worked at facilities where they attempted to color code the staff and it does not work. People, including doctors have no idea who the nurses are and they call everybody from the housekeeper to the lab tech to the transporter a nurse. This is hospitals and nursing homes. But if we all wore white like in the old days, they'd still be calling EVERYONE nurse, so what's the difference????

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · May 12, 2004

I like a combo of navy blue and white for RNs. Ceil blue for LPNs, and green for CNAs.

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · May 12, 2004

The majority of places i worked used ceil blue for CNAs.

The only color coding we have now is that housekeeping has to wear a ceil blue top and navy pants. And they are not allow any print on the pants, shirt, or jacket.

suzanne4, RN · May 13, 2004

I have worked at quite a few hospitals where all of the scrubs were color-coded and there was never a problem with it. Actually it made it easier for everyone to distinguish who was the nurse, who was the aide, respiratory therapist, etc.

howie122832 · May 13, 2004

Where I work, Nurses have to wear navy or royal blue scrubs with a white lab coat, techs wear teal or cranberry scrubs with a matching lab coat. White lab coats are reserved for the nurses. This works well to us employees as we can recognize each other, but I don't think the patients have a clue! :coollook:

UK2USA · May 13, 2004

We are in the process of changing from a variety of uniforms to a colour coded system. It has come about because of a patient survey which summarised that patients and families found it hard to distinguish who was who. A valid point.

However, it does have implications that are not entirely within the parents domain... let me explain.

All uniforms are the same cut and style - nurse consultants through to unit housekeepers. The only difference is the colour.

Last week I attended an internal collapse (resp arrest within the hospital) - as the PICU nurse (I work in a dedicated peds hospital). Usually I am recogniseable as part of the team by the fact that I wear scrubs. Not any more. I arrived wearing the same uniform as 4 other nurses in the area. There was huge confusion as to who had the necessary skills to hand ventilate, perform a rapid assessment, take over the management of the arrest and provide an acceptance of admission to PICU. Two of the other nurses had never had acute care experience and physically paled when being asked to assist. Even though I wear a namebadge that states my job designation and my unit it is not always so easy to check in the middle of an arrest.

In my opinion, albeit humble, I feel that certain team members should be easily differentiated. I never again want to have the nurse educator from dermatology using a calculator to work out 'first line' drugs in that sort of situation.

P_RN, ADN, RN · May 13, 2004

When the CEO decides to pay for color coded uniforms is when I'd possibly consider it. We had it during the first gulf war when we were the first unit to wear scrubs. It lasted about 2 years......so many float and agency staff wore other uniforms that weren't our colors that soon everybody wore what they wanted....worked for me.

dansamy · May 13, 2004

Our hospital is color coded. Care techs (me!) have to wear PURPLE (aka grape) pants, white/purple/or/print top. I haven't figured out yet what all the other colors are!

mattsmom81 · May 13, 2004

A former employer color coded us...and took lifesize pictures "This is your nurse" ..."This is your Nurse Assistant" etc and posted them all over the hospital. It seems politically correct for administrations to be doing this these days...makes them look 'responsive' to the general public. LOL.

Dixiedi · May 13, 2004

My facility wants to color code the RN/LPN's. Our choices are: black, green, navy blue, white (yuck), burgundy. Some nurses are angry. I really don't care...old private school uniform person here. Any opinions on favorite color choices from the mentioned list?

Color coding staff can only work if ALL visitors/patients understood the color coding and job duties of each classification of staff member.

It was my experience in the hospital that when a visitor pops into the hallway looking for the nurse just about ANY employee (even housekeeping) can respond by simply asking "what do you need?" and then calling the correct staff member to room.

Unless the hospital is going to spring for the uniforms and have their logo all over them, how can posting pics of the classifications offer any usable info for the pts/visitors? The logo would (until a bunch were stolen or otherwise acquired by "unwanted visitors (if ya know what I mean)" identify an individual as an employee.

When I worked post op trauma and chief service at a university hospital, the special care units all wore hospital supplied scrubs. When I was pulled to a "unit" I used my name tag to get scrubs out of a vending machine. If they weren't returned, you would be charged for them. While having a smoke break one day, I talked with a lady in the laundry. She said you wouldn't believe some of the junk that gets "returned" to the vending machine. Obviously that system didn't work either.

We might as well go back to starched white dresses, caps and old lady shoes! Yea, that's pretty much what we wore when I first got out of school. Pants were available at many of the uniform shops but my first hospital was a couple of years allowing them and then we still had to wear our cap. 30+ years sure has made some changes!

sharann, BSN, RN · May 13, 2004

My patients know I am their nurse , RN, because I introduce myself as such plus I have a nice BIG RN with my name under it in smaller letters. If everyone wore their badges right side up(not hidden like many) and introduce themselves honestly and clearly then who needs to dress nurses and staff up as barbie dolls? Oh and here is LVN barbie nurse, wearing a lovely shade of grape...heres RN barbie with his white lab coat over his lovely studly burgundy velvet scrubs... (Sorry, carried away here)