Graduating w/ only 1 pair of scrubs

[Beldar_the_Cenobite]

I plan on going to CNA school soon and they're only giving me a pair of scrubs. 1 dark blue top and 1 gray bottom. I was told by a clerk at a uniform store that a travelling nurse she deals with directly says she has different colors for different hospitals. I never thought hospitals gave a damn about the color scrubs you wore so as long as they were clean and you showed up to work on time with what you know you're supposed to have and to do your job.

I don't know where I want to work when I graduate. A hospital that pays CNA's really good requires CNA's to have a year of experience at least. That leaves me open to any facility. The VA doesn't hire CNA's I don't think. Scrubs(I think) are a bit pricey. I thought a top could go for $5-10 but nope. A store here in Vegas sells tops ranging from $30-50 and I'm a college student. I don't have an employer that will give me a stipend for uniforms or a discount for the store. What the F.

I thought about working for Maxim but because I'm not even in CNA school they really didn't give me the details on what I should expect as I contract for them(scrub colors, stethoscope requirement, etc).

When you guys graduated CNA/LPN, or Nursing school, how did you buy what you needed when money was tight? Is it true that anything you buy for your job(pens, scrubs, watches, stethoscopes, etc) can be written off on your taxes?

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

Go to irs.gov and look up Employee Business Expenses. There are rules, of course. Some of the things you might be able to deduct are:

I think the Form you report on is 2206.

scrubs

work shoes, laces, orthotics, shoe polish

work socks or nylons

back brace

meals and lodging required for work and not reimbursed

pens, pencils

malpractice insurance

cost of a license to work

vehicle expenses if required to do your job (like home health, teaching at different campuses)

any supplies (gloves, soap) you supply yourself for work, say carrying alcohol wipes, tape, saline, etc. to home care to make sure they are available for you when you get there. I once got to a home care AIDS case on Saturday and there wasn't a single glove in sight!! The Mon-Fri gal had locked them up in her car!

lunch bag in which you carry your work meal and snacks

I would give a free meal if working OT or otherwise doing me a favor

and a low-cost meal every shift

if I were he boss, I'd provide everyone with at least 2 sets of scrubs and a pair of work shoes. For each anniversary of their hiring, I'd give them another set of scrubs plus a lunch bag or other item of their choice, like a bus pass for a month, free day care on-site for a month and that would include nights, weekends, holidays, evenings, and mildly ill children. Or some free cafeteria meals. They could have the parking spot near mine on their birthday.

I'd make sure moms had time to pump and that my teams worked really well together. There would be free or low-cost pick-up and drop-off on off-hours for employees who lived far away and had to rely on the buses, which usually don't run too often other than Mon-Fri day shift.

Plus gift certificates for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the worker's BD, like a grocery store or uniform shop gift card for $30 plus a free ham or turkey.

And I would let staff sign up for working on those days and during November and December in a way they could try to work out themselves. I'd step in only if no one volunteered for Christmas Eve at all, for example, then it would go strictly by seniority the first year I put it into action if I couldn't get volunteers, and by taking turns after that.

[HeySis, BSN, RN]

I figure I get off cheap. Most people that work as professionals have to "dress up" and look the part. Scrubs are way less expensive (and I think, more comfy) than buying a suit, stockings that always run and are needing to be replaced, or clothes that go out of style and have to be updated but that you don't wear at home.

I bought my school scrubs (when I did my LPN it was a white dress with a blue bib for my school uniform) that were embroidered and not remotely the color anyone uses for anything. I sold it to an incoming student for cheaper then they could buy it and it was finally soft from being washed (so stiff at first, yuck!)

When I got hired out of school I went to the PACU and was super excited that my scrubs were being supplied. But surprise, I was in the residency program, so I needed to buy scrubs to use for the twelve weeks that ran. Again, bought one pair, threw them in the wash at night, in the dryer when I got up, by the time I'd showered I was good to go again. I'll keep these incase I ever get asked to float to another unit.

[caliotter3]

I got new scrubs with the latest new job. First paycheck two tops and a pair of pants, next paycheck another two tops, third paycheck another pair of pants, etc. until I had four pants and 10 tops altogether. I can go literally two five day work weeks before I have to launder my scrubs. I also have a limit on what I will pay for uniforms. I just don't pay for the expensive ones. I look for sales. Problem with sales is when I finally find them, they usually don't have my size. Lots of drug stores, like Rite Aid, now carry a few inexpensive scrubs. If you don't mind used, the thrift shops have a selection too. You have to make the effort to find the bargains.

And for school, had to provide my own uniforms. Luckily they required whites and my jobs at the time required whites, so I used my work whites for school too.

[NurseJoey12]

Try Wal-mart scrubs are fairly cheap there.

[AvaRose]

I don't get a stipend for scrubs either. Did you dream all of these assumptions? A uniform stipend??? Hmmmmmm, would be nice.........

I just started as an RN at a Transitional Rehab facility in Las Vegas and they gave me a stipend for 2 sets of scrubs (thank goodness since the total price including embroidery was $160) I still had to buy one set out of pocket and will have to pay to have the logo embroidered but I used my Amazon card to purchase those. Credit can be evil but when you are starting out a new career it can also be a good thing (and will be paid off as soon as I get my first full check in Oct). To the OP: Scrubs in Vegas are expensive and each hospital has it's own color coding system. Most do give stipends each year for uniforms however...I'm not sure if that is just RNs or if that goes for CNAs as well.

[JulieManey]

Why don't you buy your own scrubs. There are some cheap scrubs available.

[EDnurseNY]

Just to tack on and answer like everyone else has:

-I had to pay for all my scrubs in nursing school. I didn't think any school paid for scrubs, but hey.

-The school did give us our Littmann SE II stethoscopes for free, though. Some clinical instructors got their groups pen lights and some did not.

-The hospital I work at is a bit strange. There are some roles that are color coded no matter where they are (PCTs always one color on every unit, same with transport, GPS, environmental, and others), some units have all roles color coded, some units have no roles other than above color coded, and in the ED where I am, RNs, LPNs, residents, mid levels, and attendings all wear the same color. This was decided by the medical and nursing EM leads because we're all one team and we should each get respect from all the others and equal respect from patients. Our roles are shown on our badge holders. I love the idea of all of us wearing the same, and the reasoning behind it (especially since our roles are still obvious to avoid confusion).

-In addition to the color, I was required to buy from certain specific styles from specific brands, and have them embroidered.

-I did get a stipend because of the embroidery, enough to cover the embroidery charges for three tops. I had to pay for the rest of it myself, and they did not pick the cheap brands.

[FurBabyMom, MSN, RN]

I just bought them. I budgeted while I was in college. When I was in school as a BSN student - between financial aid, what I paid toward my education and my student loans I had a little more than I needed. For school we had to have 2 sets of scrubs in a specific style, color(s). Those were ordered through school. We ordered them spring term before clinical classes started, they arrived over the summer, we picked them up the first week of fall term. We had the option to order our stethescopes through school too. If I recall correctly, I used to my spring term refund from my student loan to cover the costs of uniforms and books.

As far as when I was employed as an assistant / PCA? I bought them. There were some stores near us who gave you employer discounts if you had either an ID badge from one of the hospitals/other healthcare facilities, a student ID from one of the nursing schools, or had an offer letter from one of the hospitals (and the day you were shopping fell between the offer date and the start date on the letter). I just budgeted the money - and then saved all my receipts for the purpose of claiming the expense on my taxes as a work related. I did the same thing for my moving expenses when I moved out of state the first time (no relocation assistance from my employer - the employer I was moving the second time to work for paid (reimbursed the cost) to relocate me).

[VegGal, BSN, RN]

Initially I purchased scrubs from places like Goodwill and other thrift stores. They were often new or almost new. Just be sure to wash and dry everything really well before you ever wear them, and if it were me I'd wait until I know where I'm working before I purchase too many pairs of scrubs because some employers do require their CNAs (and other employees) to dress in certain colors.

Re tax write-offs, I'm not a tax professional but for our taxes I do get to write off my purchases related to work, such as those you mentioned above, but within limits. However when I was a CNA I couldn't write off anything because I was too poor and always did the 1040EZ, not the longer version where you could itemize stuff. That came later in my career. I hope this info helps!

[emma311]

I live here in Vegas, and the only place I've seen the staff in color coded scrubs is the hospital. In every LTC I've been at, they wear whatever they want. I'm currently in nursing school and they provide 3 sets of scrubs for us. I buy Cherokee scrubs online and they aren't that expensive, but you can find cheaper scrubs at Walmart. I'm not sure why some are commenting about how getting a stipend from your employer is ridiculous. There are some companies that give you one, in fact when I worked at Marquis Care Plaza they provided 2 pairs of scrubs free of charge.

Good luck to you!

[CanadianAbroad]

If you like the Cherokee brand, you can find them on Ebay for cheap. I know my size and will order online with the exact size and style number I need. It saves me a ton of money.

[Tenebrae, BSN, RN]

Our main hospitals provide scrubs. The amount is based on the amount of hours an employee works a week.

I work in a private hospital and was provided with four sets of uniforms. I hate the bottoms so purchased my own and the tops are fairly foul but it beats not having to buy my own