Lab coats

[rse3]

Are you required to buy a lab coat for your program? I'm really just curious because it never crossed my mind that I would need one, and I've never seen a nurse wearing one. Do you wear it for clinicals? I'm just a little confused... :)

[bagface]

We are required to purchase lab coats. The only time we use them is for clinical prep. We cannot wear our scrubs since we are not actually on the floor but they identify us to the staff as people who can be using the computers.

Same here.

[blackvans1234]

Are you guys talking about lab coats, or nursing jackets?

Lab coat:

Nursing Jacket:

It's all about the length

At my school, you can get a nursing jacket (white) if you want, but it's not very lab coat looking.

We are forbidden to wear our clinical uniforms to the college (they have germs on them)

[rse3]

All of this is very interesting. It feels like such a waste of money, but oh well.

And yes, ours are actual lab coats, not nurse jackets.

[Philly_LPN_Girl, LPN]

My program gave us lab coats to wear in the class just in case it got cold because we werent supposed to wear regular jackets although we still did and to wear on clinicals but none of us ever worn them except one girl in my class. To me they were a waste of money and many nurses dont wear lab coats

[CT Pixie, BSN, RN]

My LPN program had a lab coat that you were required to purchase along with the scrub set. The lab coat was not white, it was the color of the scrubs (ceil blue).

My RN program did not have a lab coat and you could not wear one on the floor.

[RunnerRN2015, ASN, RN]

Are you guys talking about lab coats, or nursing jackets?

We're required to get a lab coat -- just like the doctors wear.

[RLtinker, LPN]

It was an option, but not a requirement. The only students I know that used them were the ones that always complained about being cold.

[psu_213, BSN, RN]

At my school, we were required to purchase a lab coat and wear it for our clinical prep days and for our HH rotation (over "business causal" apparel). I was not too thrilled with the look of a bunch of students cluelessly milling around in lab coats waiting for their instructor, but it was what we were told to wear.

For the actual clinical days we wore the white scrub pants and a white scrub top with a school patch on it. If someone wanted long sleeves, one could purchase a nursing jacket that was white with a school patch on it. No lab coats during clinicals.

[CT Pixie, BSN, RN]

Mine was more the length of the 'nursing jacket'. We did not wear the long (doc like) white coats.

[SENSUALBLISSINFL, BSN, RN]

While in the ADN program, we were required to get one to use during our skills labs and when we would go to get the patient information the day before our clinicals (during clinicals we wore our uniform). I purchased one with no school insignia, but wore my Student ID.

Now, in the BSN, we are required to get one to use when going to class. So hopefully I will be able to wear the one I used during my ADN. I do not want to spend $45 for one.

[Jenngirl34RN]

We are required to get a lab coat with the school logo and our names embroidered on them. I haven't actually started my program yet, so I am not entirely sure when all we will be wearing them. The only mention of them in orientation was that we had to wear them over nice street clothes (no jeans) for "clinical on-boarding." I am assuming that is the clinical prep some of you guys are talking about.