Help - What style of scrub tops do you prefer?

Lys · Sep 10, 2004

daisee,

i live in ontario...and from what i've seen here it's extremely common for nurse's to purchase their own scrub sets for every day, general use on many units. or scrubs are usually provided to be laundered by the facility though.

i've often wondered about the infection control issues going along with this too and have heard unconfirmed reports that large percentage of nurse's families have been exposed to vre, mrsa, etc. at my school though, we have a policy that you are not to wear your uniforms to and from placements, you are to change once there...on the pretense of infection control measures though.

to answer the op's question though :-) i generally prefer v-neck, two bottom pockets, with slits, untucked. recently though, i've found a great style that actually looks pretty good, it's a wrap style with a snap closure to keep the top "v" closed. one bad thing though, is that it only has 1 bottom pocket, it feels kinda lopsided ! *lol*

laughingfairy · Sep 10, 2004

Why are you buying your own scrubs? Are you washing them yourself at home? Are they fresh and clean every day? Is this a language problem and these are not the tops getting covered in blood, vomit, and any other possibly infectious material? Is this an infection control issue? I certainly wouldn't want to wash my work stuff in with the family's ...

All nurses that I know purchase there own scrubs. Except if they work in a specialty area such as OR, Nicu, or LD. Yes there is some concern about taking the crud home with you, however hotwater and bleach kill all those buggers. One of the reasons most of my uniforms are white. That or I use Lysol disinfectent in my laundry...personally I'm more concerned about my shoes.

Quincke · Sep 10, 2004

Some ORs and specialty areas now allow nurses to wear their own scrubs in as well. As for taking the crud home, I am lucky enough to walk into my laundry room from the garage and leave my dirty clothes and shoes there.

P_RN, ADN, RN · Sep 10, 2004

2 front bottom pockets plus I have several vests with additonal 2 pockets.

Daisee are you in the US? Do nurses in other countries wear scrubs as often as the US nurses do?

ERNurse752, RN · Sep 10, 2004

I hatehatehatehate all scrub tops! Too stiff and itchy and don't fit me well (tall.)

I wear a plain knit fitted shirt underneath a scrub jacket. (And scrub pants too.)

begalli · Sep 10, 2004

I tuck in my top. I almost always wear ceil blue drawstring scrub pants with either an un-busy scrub top (no spongebob here!) or a nicely colored fitted knit shirt (usually pink - it's a soothing color). I don't use pockets because the set-up of my work area is such that everything I need is pretty much at the bedside and at my fingertips.

I wear a blue OR gown (I work Cardiothoracic ICU) over my scrubs (scrubs that I personally purchase and clean), so my issue with bringing home bugs, blood, etc is only with my shoes which I sometimes cover with booties.

OOooOo wait, I take something back...I do carry a black sharpie in the back pocket of my scrub pants! :)

JessicaL · Sep 10, 2004

2 front bottom pockets - (pockets are very necessary) with slit sides (they're not so tight across your bottom)

If you need a jacket - I just saw a new one come out with 3/4 sleeves. Seems like a good idea to me, long enough to keep your arms warm but short enough to stay out of the way.

Hello, I'm new to the nursing world - just started school a few weeks ago. I'm trying to figure our what type of scrub tops to buy. We have full freedom in terms of scrubs, just have to look neat and professional.
So....what type of scrub tops do you prefer? Do you like the ones with the pockets at the bottom? Do you prefer to tuck your scrub tops in, or do you leave them hanging out. I'm just trying to get an idea of what others prefer before I place an order. Thanks!

HillaryC, RN, CRNA · Sep 10, 2004

First let me say how jealous I am that you get to wear real scrubs in school. I just graduated in May, and my school required a hideous 80% polyester (I'm not kidding) white mid-thigh length "tunic" with pants. It was horrible! And of course, only one uniform store in the area carried it, so it was like $35 per top.

Count me as another vote for the scrub top with at least the two patch pockets in the bottom, hanging out. That one patch pocket on the chest can't hold more than a pen and a piece of paper. I agree with the poster who said she hates scrub tops. They're not particularly comfortable or flattering. The ones that are at least 50% cotton are more comfortable, but they can be difficult to find. Unfortunately, I'm new at my hospital, and they told us it's against policy to wear knit tops instead of a real scrub top -- though people do it anyway.

Good luck with school!

Hillary

Hello, I'm new to the nursing world - just started school a few weeks ago. I'm trying to figure our what type of scrub tops to buy. We have full freedom in terms of scrubs, just have to look neat and professional.
So....what type of scrub tops do you prefer? Do you like the ones with the pockets at the bottom? Do you prefer to tuck your scrub tops in, or do you leave them hanging out. I'm just trying to get an idea of what others prefer before I place an order. Thanks!

nurseygrrl, LPN · Sep 10, 2004

I work in LTC with HIV and psych, so usually I stay pretty clean of vomit, feces etc. Everyday when I come home from work, my shoes are left in the foyer on their special little mat and my uniform goes straight into the wash. We do, however, have laundry downstairs who will wash our stuff if it gets particularly soiled, but to be honest, at that point, I'd just throw it out. I once had a patient projectile poop on my top and I chucked it right in the garbage! :rotfl:

KacyLynnRN · Sep 10, 2004

gotta have my scrub tops with 2 big pockets...have to have all that room to carry all my stuff in!!! :)

I don't see how people that wear those shirts with just one little chest pocket do it. Where do they keep all their stuff????

Katnip, RN · Sep 10, 2004

Two big patch pockets in the front. I'd like to tuck the tops in, but I don't feel like cargo pants give me the easy access I need. And in summer, jackets are too warm.

I don't know any place around here that supplies scrubs for employees outside OR or L&D. Like others, my shoes have a special mat of their own, and my scrubs have their very own laundry basket. I was my scrubs and socks separately from family laundry and run a hot cycle through when it's empty. Weird, I know.

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Sep 11, 2004

My absolute favorite scrub tops are cotton ones, preferably with 3 front patch pockets! They're cool and comfortable---so important for someone having hot flashes roughly every 5.5 seconds---and having that extra pocket up in front for my pens is sooooooo nice because then they don't get mixed up with all my other crap (I once started a thread here called "Butter in my Pocket", about the array of junk that finds its way into my pockets during the course of a shift). :)