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Do the public think nurses should wear uniform to work and back home??

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

I'm not really sure what "members of the public" think, being a nurse. I know I can stop somewhere after work (my mom's house, my sister's house) and no cares if I have my scrubs on.

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Specializes in Family practice.

As a nursing student I do not think so because of the possibility of pathogens. I always change after work and bag my scrubs by themselves. I deal with a lot of MRSA and CDiff and would hate to bring that home!

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Specializes in Emergency.
As a nursing student I do not think so because of the possibility of pathogens. I always change after work and bag my scrubs by themselves. I deal with a lot of MRSA and CDiff and would hate to bring that home!

Do you use PPE? Do you wash your hands before/after pt contact? Use soap & water, not alcohol for the CDIFF pt?

And what about those family members who are in with the MRSA & CDIFF pts? Do they wash their hands? Do they change their clothes?

And to the OP, why the urgency in your title?

Man, am I full of questions today.....

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Specializes in SICU, Peds CVICU.

I'm not "the public", lol.

Do I sometimes wear scrubs to the grocery store or the gym (ha! okay, it's happened twice)? Yes, yes I do. Despite my career as nurse/waitress/saint/all-around rockstar, sometimes I have things to do and worrying about what people think of me isn't part of my game-plan. That said, I gown when necessary, and wash with soap and water ALWAYS before i leave work.

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Specializes in Family practice.
Do you use PPE? Do you wash your hands before/after pt contact? Use soap & water, not alcohol for the CDIFF pt?

And what about those family members who are in with the MRSA & CDIFF pts? Do they wash their hands? Do they change their clothes?

And to the OP, why the urgency in your title?

Man, am I full of questions today.....

I do use PPE, wash my hands with soap and water, but I have a 4 month old daughter at home.

I also work in an O.R. I do not want to track more back than I have to. With my position in the OR we have scrubs given to us because of the potential of tracking something in and out. I am just trying to keep these pathogens from spreading. As for the families, that is their issue if they want to track it in and out. But I am doing a service to those that might be immunocompromised. I feel we as nurses have a responsibility if we do work with potentially hazardous and drug resistant pathogens to protect the general public. Things happen and transmittion can occur and we are unaware. Nurses are in situations with superbugs and we have to be congniscent of it. Taking more than necessary precautions is ethically correct.

As for those that might work in a clinic and superbugs and not as prevelant... I think you catch me. But for me, I will continue to take necessary precautions.

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Specializes in Peds/Neo CCT,Flight, ER, Hem/Onc.

Oh please...my scrubs are cleaner than the clothes of most of the patient's I see, and that's even after my 10 hour shift. Face it, the pathogens we most hear about are all ready in the community cess pool. That being said, I'm not "the public" so I'm sure they will disagree because they heard it from their brother's wife's neighbor's cousin's friend that nurses in scrubs are polluting the environment.

For your reading enjoyment

https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-discussion/wearing-scrubs-public-105850.html

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Specializes in ER, IICU, PCU, PACU, EMS.

Given the limited knowledge the 'public' has on exactly what we as nurses do, I don't particularly care what they think about this issue.

Harsh? perhaps....

But until I see 100% compliance of handwashing after public bathroom use, handwashing after sneezing/picking noses then touching grocery carts/ door handles.....then the public can scrutinize my scrub wearing. :D

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Specializes in School Nursing.
But until I see 100% compliance of handwashing after public bathroom use, handwashing after sneezing/picking noses then touching grocery carts/ door handles.....then the public can scrutinize my scrub wearing. :D

Amen!

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Specializes in Acute care, LTC, Med/surg.

I don't think "the public" really cares, yet. But I work in a place where we routinely culture for MRSA and VRE. When a patient is positive we usually have to educate the family that their loved one was colonized before they got here and did NOT catch it from the hospital. So it may not be long before the hospitals start having a public policy that you need to change before you go home so you won't be seen as spreading disease. I wouldn't mind.

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I don't change and I don't know anyone at my facility who does either except for OB and OR. People who work in OB and OR are provided scrubs at the hospital by the hospital and wear street clothes to and from work.

I don't see my facility requiring us to change any time soon as they would have to provide an area for us to change clothes and that's not likely to happen unless it becomes law.

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we dont wear scrubs. basically we wear the same uniforms as in school days, but hospital-designed. still the same thought though with white buttoned polo, blouse, white pants and all that stuff..

having to bring spare sets of clothes is toiling for us..

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