After years, my hospital is going to a dress code. I actually think I am going to like it. T-shirts have been allowed (hospital name only) and that has been getting abused horribly.
Peds get to have cute print tops (EBP shows it helps).
I just have to find a home for all my old scrubs! many are pretty new, I had weight loss surgery and had to buy smaller size. I think I am going to call my old HH agency and donate. CNAs don't get paid enough to buy alot.
For those of you that had to change, do/did you get a stipend or a vendor discount? I need at least 2 weeks of scrubs (if not more).
We wear whatever we want, as long as it is scrubs and not street clothes. However, we have a uniform shop that is really cheap. It is a medical supply store, so they make their money off the durable medical equipment they sell/lease, and not the scrubs, so we can get a top for ten bucks, bottoms for about ten.
I've only worked at one facility that required color coded scrubs, and the only reason why color coded scrubs were beneficial was that they the management was so negligent that they couldn't staff appropriately to the point that a patient wouldn't commonly know who their nurse was.
In general, if it gets to the point that a facility is considering color coding scrubs, they should just do the right thing and just shut down all together.
Our facility once gave discount for scrubs to staffs. I did take advantage of it and bought a bunch of scrubs that are enough for 1 weeks. It saves me a lot of money. :)
In Europe, color coded scrubs are found pretty much everywhere.
Navy blue for the charge nurse, sky blue for RNs, pale blue-gray for CNAs, etc. Doctors scrubs are different colors in different hospitals, but are still uniform so that you know who is the Attending and who are residents.
It looks far more professional and the patients know who is who.
Its difficult to know who is who when everyone wears different colors and style, some block colors, some in patterns. etc.
Scrubs are usually provided free, the exceptions are usually agency nurses, who generally wear white scrubs.
Skylark, actually the length of the white coat is supposed to signify who is the attending, the mid-level, etc., but today it seems like everybody wears whatever length coat they want to. I even see respiratory therapists wear the doctor's length coat.
I work in a place that has gone back and forth a few times with color requirements. Now we are back to wearing whatever we like. I am glad that I learned my lesson the last color coded requirement and saved several of my better uniforms. This company doesn't supply scrubs at all. The previous owner would provide scrubs, supposedly 2 sets a year though if you wanted more they'd give them to you. Probably because the scrubs they provided were so awful very few people took advantage of the free ones and bought our own anyway.
Skylark, actually the length of the white coat is supposed to signify who is the attending, the mid-level, etc., but today it seems like everybody wears whatever length coat they want to. I even see respiratory therapists wear the doctor's length coat.
I haven't seen a doctor wear a white coat in Europe for decades!
It was phased out long ago as it seemed to promote a kind of arrogance among white coat wearers!
I've never worked at a place where color-coded scrubs were required. But I know others who have, and from what I'm told, they received a stipend to purchase their initial sets; after that, replacements came out of their own pocket.
We get $200 the first year and $100 annually afterwards. They have a logo so we cannot substitute something from home. I am wondering what to do with my old scrubs, though some are definitely worn looking.
applewhitern, BSN, RN
1,871 Posts
We wear whatever we want, as long as it is scrubs and not street clothes. However, we have a uniform shop that is really cheap. It is a medical supply store, so they make their money off the durable medical equipment they sell/lease, and not the scrubs, so we can get a top for ten bucks, bottoms for about ten.