Is there power in the color white?

Still Riding · Oct 8, 2006

But it also had the power to make my But look big. I would be happier with a uniform of navy Blue or hunter green.

Does it have to be white?

Retired R.N. · Oct 8, 2006

Yes, but welcome to modern nursing where men are here and growing. That cap would look pretty stupid on me.
And a white uniform on a guy DOES bring to mind that funky ice cream truck music. . .or images of a washing machine repairman.
Again, No, thanks.
~faith,
Timothy.

What does the U.S. Navy demand in the way of uniforms for their nurses?

UM Review RN, ASN, RN · Oct 8, 2006

I wear navy blue a lot.

As far as respect goes, when I identify myself, I bring my badge up close to the patient and say, "Hi, my name is SallySue and I'm your Registered Nurse tonight. JoanieJoan is your Tech. I'll be giving your medications and Joanie will be taking your vitals and helping you to the bathroom."

The most recent challenge I had was when we had a retired doc as a patient, and he wanted to help. We had a couple of lively discussions about new treatments, and he calmed down pretty quickly and got respectful when he realized that I knew my stuff. (And a big thanks to allnurses for the info that I picked up in the IV Lovenox thread! )

RN and Mommy · Oct 8, 2006

I take students to clinical two days a week. I am from the "old school" - I still wear white pressed uniforms, white hose, white polished shoes and my cap. Patients often put their call light on and ask for the nurse - when their regular staff nurse goes into the room they say "Not you, the real nurse." On days that I am not there patients often ask the staff "When is the nurse going to be here?" And family members of patients from other units often come to the floor to "ask the nurse a question." I do not work with an older population - I am on an OB/Women's Health Unit. I find it amusing, the regular staff finds it annoying. I am never confused with the lab techs, house keepers, kitchen hostess, or CNA's. I am often compared to Florence Nightengale by staff nurses - a put down on their part, but I take it as a compliment.

I do kind of agree with this, although I wouldn't like to wear white from head to toe, it seems that nurses are getting pushed aside when trying to care for patients. On more than one occasion I have had lab, physical therapy, or respiratory therapy enter the room while I was in the middle of my assessment and begin doing what they need to do. Excuse me, but I was here first and I need to do this! RN's are the center of the patients care and are often treated like they have no importance what so ever and that whoever comes in the room is more important. It just really frusturates me! I would like to be respected for who I am! I am the nurse and it is a very important part of the job and I would like to be treated like it is!

gonzo1, ASN, RN · Oct 8, 2006

I am greatful to say that I have only rarely felt disrespected as a nurse. The times this happened it was from other nurses, management and the local drunks and drug users. Until we treat each other with respect how can we expect it from the rest of the world. The color of our scrubs is not going to help us until we support and uplift each other.

LeahJet, ASN, RN · Oct 8, 2006

I know this may be a silly notion.......

But male nurses dressed in all white remind me of Psych Orderlies from the 60's/70's..... ready to take down mental pts. and jab them in the leg with a "shot" and throw leather restraints on them. (One Flew Over the Cucko's Nest)

beachmom · Oct 8, 2006

Who wears uniforms? In our society those lower in the heirarchy wear the uniforms. The service workers wear uniforms, the doctors and administrators do not. I was told that going to scrubs instead of uniforms was a step up, not a step down.

I do, however, wish we had something more than our name badge to identify ourselves to patients. I don't like wearing white, but it would be nice to at least color code ourselves so the patients can figure out who does what.

At our hospital the housekeepers and kitchen staff wear uniforms. The lab techs wear lab coats. The OR folks (doctors, nurses, techs) wear surgical scrubs. Maternity has a uniform worn by their nurses and techs. Any men that work in that department wear surgical scrubs. (The uniforms are rather feminine.)

Retired R.N. · Oct 8, 2006

I do kind of agree with this although I wouldn't like to wear white from head to toe, it seems that nurses are getting pushed aside when trying to care for patients. On more than one occasion I have had lab, physical therapy, or respiratory therapy enter the room while I was in the middle of my assessment and begin doing what they need to do. Excuse me, but I was here first and I need to do this! RN's are the center of the patients care and are often treated like they have no importance what so ever and that whoever comes in the room is more important. It just really frusturates me! I would like to be respected for who I am! I am the nurse and it is a very important part of the job and I would like to be treated like it is![/quote']
After you have had some pleasant experiences with the difference in respect you get while wearing a white uniform and a cap from patients, visitors, and other staff, you just might want to admit that it's not such a bad idea after all. In time, you will probably learn to be a little more careful about many details so you don't have so many spills and don't get your cap tangled up in the curtains.

casualjim · Oct 8, 2006

As a student I dont feel qualified to talk to "what gives power" or "professionalism" in nursing.

When I was in the military though, every once in a while someone would pull out the "professionalism drum" and beat it. What I learned in fairly short order is when they said professionalism, what they really meant was appearance. It wasnt until I had 15 or 16 years in and was a senior leader though that I learned that there was an entire world of incompetance that some people attempted tohide with a snappy crease in their pants and a good shoe shine. From that point forward my yardstick for measuring professionalism is "how professional (knowledge, demeanor,drive etc)does this person appear. You can teach a monkey to dress up fancy and shine his shoes. My thoughts,

aloha

Jim

imenid37 · Oct 8, 2006

I really hate all white. I agree w/ people who have said that introducing yourself helps to dispell confusion. I do think elderly like the white uniforms. They like tradition. They can get used to neatly dressed people in coloured scrub clothing, especially if they are told who those people are and if they are recieving good care from those people. The lack of respect issue goes way beyond uniforms. Many of our employers have little respect for us. They create perilous situations where it is very difficult for nurses to do a good job. This increases patient dissatisfaction and increases nurses job frustration. Having to keep a cap tethered to one's head and keep white uniforms clean, white, and pressed just adds another task to our already way too long list. Dressing us all in white is just that. It is dressing, unless what is behind it is better staffing, better patient care, more time at the bedside. If that occurs care will be better no matter how we are dressed.

mdoze911nurse · Oct 8, 2006

I am somewhat amused by the talk of white getting "dirty". Although I understand white is not always a good color on some folks, I do not think there is anything wrong with a little tradition. I have to question, are we hiding 'dirty' behind colors. If a uniform is soiled then maybe we should not be wearing it. When I began nursing in the early 80's, we all wore white and I do not remember ever having to work too hard to keep it that way. Spot treating when I got home and washing usually did the trick. When I went to mother/baby (L&D back then) we wore footprints scrubs :nurse: and boy did I think I was something to wear that special uniform and oddly enough when I went to ER we wore navy in the early 90's.

The person who talked about the military and some people hiding behind a crease is right. The crease does not show what they really know but it does help the respect issue and we are talking about patient/family perceptions of the nurse not who really knows there stuff. :rolleyes:

I am still in ER and the hospital where I work now (as a traveler) has all RN's wearing navy blue or white. It is amazing how fast the patients/families have caught on. Techs/CNA's wear forest green and other dept wear whatever colors. However, the point is EVERYONE knows the "ladies (and men) in blue are the nurses".

runningfool · Oct 8, 2006

As casualjim said, I'm not yet qualified to talk about power and problems in nursing, but in my humble opinion I wouldn't say it's power. You're just conforming to how people think you should be or look and it makes them more comfortable to have you in the little box they want you in - that's all. Every time I read the debates about white uniforms on here and someone mentions positive reactions from the patients I think back to my sociology classes. I can't remember the concept but it's about how people unconsciously act more negative towards people who don't conform to their personal beliefs or standards in an attempt to beat them down so that they will conform. I can see that as clear as day when I read people's stories of how they were treated when they wore all white solely by the words other people use when they "compliment" the nurse when she wears white, for instance, "Now you look like a real nurse!"

If every nurse wore white they wouldn't have any more power or be treated any better than you are now. The problems in nursing are beyond uniform colors.

Hi all. I'm looking for some opinions on whether you believe that returning to wearing all white uniforms might give us back some power.
Now let me explain power. I've been an RN for 21 years and we (the profession) seem to have gone from "thank you nurse" to being treated less than a house keeping staff (and their role is important in hospitals too). I just find patients, their families, government, even our own supervisors do not treat "hands on" nurses with the respect we deserve.
Please be bluntly honest.