I think cutsey scrub tops look ridiculous on adult units

[AZO49008]

The other day a co-worker strolled in wearing a scrub top festooned with furry, smiling teddy bears. On an adult cardiac floor...REALLY? On various adult units I've seen Looney Tunes, Precious Moments, rainbows and clouds, hearts, and yes...oodles and oodles of teddy bears.

I think these types of scrub tops look ridiculous unless you work in peds, in which case they would all be highly appropriate. On one hand nurses are striving to be taken seriously as professionals, yet with the other hand they are taking juvenile looking scrub tops off the hangar.

I'm a guy and pretty much have to wear solid scrubs if I don't want to look like a freak. But I am not motivated out of jealousy to kvetch about print tops on the ladies. If women want to pizazz up their uniforms, I have seen tons of very tasteful, very professional looking print scrub tops coordinated with solid pants.

If I were director of nursing of the world, I would ban dorky print scrub tops.

Okay...talk amongst yourselves.

[morphed]

I believe I am a professional. But I don't feel that I have to dress to conform to the standards of another profession to remain a professional. Maybe my comfort in dressing LIKE A NURSE displays that I'm more sure of my professionalism than someone that thinks that a trivial thing like what jacket they wear is going to undermine them.

Attorneys don't say, "Well nurses are the most trusted profession, and I want to be trusted, so I'm going to choose a white skirt-suit and wear white hose and white shoes and a kicky white hat or maybe I'll wear a cheerful print jacket with this suit so that I'll get as much trust as nurses do." No, because they are confident in what they do for a living, they dress like other attorneys, in a prim and proper boring but expensive looking suit.

I'm a nurse, I wear scrubs. I don't feel the need to dress all in one color because of what other professions do. I realize my worth as a nurse, and dress like a nurse. And I pick the scrubs that look best on me. Not the ones that I imagine an attorney would wear if they were a nurse. Sometimes they're cutesy. My pediatric patients and their parents like cutesy. When I worked in a nursing home, my geriatric patients often found them cheerful. When working with middle-aged adults, more often I got asked about how comfortable my shoes were, but of all the complaints I may have heard from my patients, none of them seemed to be about my scrubs.

What profession are people trying to make you conform to? The only profession you need to represent is nursing...so who is implying you need to dress otherwise? And completely distorting the attorney example and making ridiculous comments about them dressing in white skirts and hose doesn't make you right. The POINT is that each profession has an image that they should portray. You're just choosing to not understand. And mostly semi-decent people aren't going to tell you "Hey, thanks for the bed bath and removing my bed pan, and just to let you know, your scrubs are so tacky and I can't believe you wore them to work." They may think that, but they're not going to say it.

And needing to dress in all one color? No, you're right, you don't need to. The OP said CUTESY patterns were what he didn't like and I thought that's what we were all talking about. I don't mind patterns as long as they aren't rainbows or something. I like geometric tops, etc. I don't think there's anything wrong with adding a little bit of pattern or color.

[cmw6v8]

I know this thread has already taken new and interesting turns, but I just wanted to say that I agree with the OP 100%. As a patient and a future nurse (student right now), there is something in me that just respects a nurse who looks like a professional more than a nurse who looks like they're wearing pajamas. I think prints might be acceptable maybe on the occasional holiday, but other than that, I really wish nurses would avoid them.

I think cutesy cartoon scrubs only perpetuate the stereotype that nurses are only there to hold your hand and wipe butts. In the professional world, appearance matters, and as a nurse, I would want to be respected and taken seriously by patients and coworkers. I don't think I could seriously expect that while wearing scrubs with hearts or animals on them.

[morphed]

They make Winnie the Pooh and Superman sneakers in adult sizes? Sweet!

Forget cutesy scrubs--as a patient, I'd be very underwhelmed and suspicious the minute I saw my nurse wearing a pair of those Shape-Up shoes. It would suggest that he or she probably bought hook, line, and sinker into a massive marketing gimmick to "tone" at work. That would be somewhat unsettling to me, because my nurse with critical thinking skills should know better. If they just like wearing the ugly things, well, I guess that's their thing, but I'd suggest the Superman sneakers as an alternative.

Seriously? And you've never bought anti-aging creams? Because, you know, it would totally seem like you fell hook, line, and sinker into a massive marketing gimmick to "get rid of fine lines" while at work. I didn't know a pair of shoes that look like basic sneakers except admittedly "clunkier" did away with your degree when scrubs with rainbows on them didn't. That's pretty interesting.

[CuriousMe]

Yes, these would look awesome on you

At least she looks like an adult.

[Baloney Amputation, BSN, LPN, RN]

Seriously? And you've never bought anti-aging creams? Because, you know, it would totally seem like you fell hook, line, and sinker into a massive marketing gimmick to "get rid of fine lines" while at work. I didn't know a pair of shoes that look like basic sneakers except admittedly "clunkier" did away with your degree when scrubs with rainbows on them didn't. That's pretty interesting.

No, I haven't bought anti-aging creams. There is nothing wrong with wrinkles.

Well, you tell me what the point of wearing Sketchers Shape-Ups is when Sketchers has many other very comfortable and good-looking shoes, many of which are cheaper than Shape-Ups. A person doesn't wear Shape-Ups as a fashion statement; it's for the "toning" effect promised by these shoes. There are much more effective ways to build muscle and strength, and continue to build more strength, in an anatomically useful fashion than these heavily marketed shoes. I would hope a nurse caring for me would know this rather than hope that a shoe gimmick is a shortcut to his or her desired butt and thigh shape.

[CuriousMe]

No, I haven't bought anti-aging creams. There is nothing wrong with wrinkles.

Well, you tell me what the point of wearing Sketchers Shape-Ups is when Sketchers has many other very comfortable and good-looking shoes, many of which are cheaper than Shape-Ups. A person doesn't wear Shape-Ups as a fashion statement; it's for the "toning" effect promised by these shoes. There are much more effective ways to build muscle and strength, and continue to build more strength, in an anatomically useful fashion than these heavily marketed shoes.

I think if you feel so strongly about this, then you should start a thread about your feelings of nurses who wear Shape-Ups. Because your opinion of these sneakers has nothing to do with nurses wearing scrubs made with childish prints.

[mywayyou]

no I don't think so. Adult can also be cute style

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

no, i haven't bought anti-aging creams. there is nothing wrong with wrinkles.

well, you tell me what the point of wearing sketchers shape-ups is when sketchers has many other very comfortable and good-looking shoes, many of which are cheaper than shape-ups. a person doesn't wear shape-ups as a fashion statement; it's for the "toning" effect promised by these shoes. there are much more effective ways to build muscle and strength, and continue to build more strength, in an anatomically useful fashion than these heavily marketed shoes. i would hope a nurse caring for me would know this rather than hope that a shoe gimmick is a shortcut to his or her desired butt and thigh shape.

why are you paying so much attention to the shoes worn by the nurses caring for you? i would hope you'd want a nurse who could recognize problems and quickly intervene rather than someone whose idea of footwear mirrors your own.

i've heard it said that sketcher's shape-ups prevent back pain. if that's the case, i'm all for wearing them. i prefer danskos, but everyone's anatomy is different, so wear whatever works.

[Baloney Amputation, BSN, LPN, RN]

why are you paying so much attention to the shoes worn by the nurses caring for you? i would hope you'd want a nurse who could recognize problems and quickly intervene rather than someone whose idea of footwear mirrors your own.

i've heard it said that sketcher's shape-ups prevent back pain. if that's the case, i'm all for wearing them. i prefer danskos, but everyone's anatomy is different, so wear whatever works.

i've been under some nerve-wracking medical care very recently, and all i remember from the doctor's appearance is that my doctor had shorter hair and white paint on his hands. i only remember the nurse was wearing scrubs. i guess i'm not paying attention to shoes (or the scrub shirt, for that matter).

i don't like those particular shoes because of what they are trying to promise will happen with a person's body when they are worn as far as muscle development. my beef has nothing to do with the wearer. if the wearer thinks he or she is going to get all fit and "toned" simply by wearing the things while walking and standing, then i scratch my head with a quizzical look on my face, but i still don't have a beef with the wearer.

in the grand scheme of things, it's about as big of an issue as silly scrub shirts.

[cmw6v8]

In the grand scheme of things, it's about as big of an issue as silly scrub shirts.

I respectfully disagree with this statement--not about the shoes, but about the issue of silly scrub shirts being meaningless. Sure, there are more important things nurses must be concerned with at work, but I'm a big believer in nursing as a profession, and I just hate to see it get the bad rap that it does. Nurses are highly-skilled, intelligent, educated, and critical members of the health care setting. They are professionals. They should be respected.

But then you see a bunch of nurses walking around in cartoons, looking like they are wearing pajamas....it just doesn't fit, and it doesn't help contribute to nurses being viewed or treated like they professionals they are.

[nursel56]

My comments about shoes were liberally laced with dry humor. I am sorry if I offended anyone. The nursing students very concerned that nurses wear staid and conservative clothing in order to be perceived as highly respected members of the health care team, I hope I can set your mind at ease.

Most people, nurses included tend to dress appropriately for the environment, and they usually take their cues from what the others around them are wearing. It just doesn't happen very often that you will have 15 nurses in navy blue or hunter green, and 1 with an oversized Bozo the Clown print to ruin the look of respectability.

My job is to be there for the patients. It really doesn't get much more lofty than that. In the grand scheme, it really isn't that Hello Kitty jacket that will be our undoing. If a patient with necrotizing fasciitis tells me that blue print cheered her up, I say what is your favorite shade, ma'am? The monotony of life in an LTC can be stifling. Those who work there say the residents perk up and smile when they see the prints. I would go toe to toe with anyone who wanted to take that away. Someone who works or goes to school far away working with abstract concepts is not more important to me than that.

[CuriousMe]

My comments about shoes were liberally laced with dry humor. I am sorry if I offended anyone. The nursing students very concerned that nurses wear staid and conservative clothing in order to be perceived as highly respected members of the health care team, I hope I can set your mind at ease.

Most people, nurses included tend to dress appropriately for the environment, and they usually take their cues from what the others around them are wearing. It just doesn't happen very often that you will have 15 nurses in navy blue or hunter green, and 1 with an oversized Bozo the Clown print to ruin the look of respectability.

My job is to be there for the patients. It really doesn't get much more lofty than that. In the grand scheme, it really isn't that Hello Kitty jacket that will be our undoing. If a patient with necrotizing fasciitis tells me that blue print cheered her up, I say what is your favorite shade, ma'am? The monotony of life in an LTC can be stifling. Those who work there say the residents perk up and smile when they see the prints. I would go toe to toe with anyone who wanted to take that away. Someone who works or goes to school far away working with abstract concepts is not more important to me than that.

Not sure who you thought was offended by your comments about sneakers (is taking offense to sneakers even possible?), I wasn't offended....just think they're irrelevant to this conversation. I have a fine appreciation for dry humor (I'm from NY originally, I love sarcasm and dry humor), but it's a style of humor that really doesn't translate well on discussion boards. So, to me, your comments came off not as dry wit.....but as petulant, redirection of the topic due to the lack of a meaningful reply.

Nothing you've said has set my mind at ease (in fact I find the fact that there are professionals out there with your perspective rather disheartening). I've seen far to many nurses (and as I've repeatedly said, I'm speaking about adult, acute care units) throughout the hospital wearing scrubs with childish prints. Thankfully, it's not generally the whole floor, but two or three nurses per unit per shift. So, 15 nurses who look like adults and one or two in Hello Kitty or Sponge Bob is exactly what I've seen.

Of course our job is to be there for the patient, but I can't think of any reason that we can't be there for the patient---while dressed as adults.

As another person posted earlier, no adult (patient or health care professional) is going to tell you that your scrubs are ridiculous---they'll just think less of your judgement. It seems to be a very silly reason to shoot ourselves in the foot professionally.