Looking for scrubs in all the wrong places . . .

[rn/writer]

i just got a wonderful job on a large post-partum unit and i'm having a problem finding scrubs that don't make me want to cross my eyes. i was out of nursing for five years. before that i did psych and wore street clothes. before that, i did subacute and wore white which i don't miss a bit.

my hospital requires rns to wear teal pants (or skirt :chuckle), and teal, white or compatible print tops/jackets. the problem i'm running into (and would be running into no matter what color was required) is that every store i go into and every website i've visited seems to have an abundance of prints that are either too juvenile for my taste or too screaming loud.

i've opted for the darker version of teal (all right, it's really carribean blue) and i'd love to find something with subdued stripes or a gentle floral print or some other understated design that's easy on the eyes. the look i'm after is something that says, "i've been a nurse for awhile and i'm happy to have some maturity under my belt," without looking stodgy.

i spoke with the owner of a local place and he just shook his head and said i'm not the first to complain about this. he makes his money on young grads and stocks what he called trendy stuff which includes a lot of cartoon characters and funny animals and other funky stuff. don't get me wrong--i think creative, colorful scrubs are a great improvement over whites (or grays, as they sometimes appear :stone), but i'd rather look at them than wear them.

i wish i had the talent (and the time) to sew, but as that is not an option right now, do you guys have any input on where i might find something that i can tolerate? i know i can wear the plain scrubs and i have bought enough of these to get by. i'd just love to combine them with a little color and pizzazz with out going kaleidescopic. :balloons:

has anyone else felt this way?

thanks,

miranda f.

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

i havent had much experience purchasing scrubs (i will be a student in august) but i do know that in florida we have a large Uniform City store that has great scrubs in all different prints. does your state have this store? maybe u could find something there?

Once you get your license you will start getting scrubs catalogs in the mail by the dozens. I have no idea where they get their mailing lists, but I get these catalogs in the mail all the time. Do a search for scrubs on the Internet and most of these major companies will come up on your search results because they have websites. You can look at all the different patterned material they have--there are so many out there. Some of the companies have fabric designed exclusively for them.

You can also find scrubs at Sears, Penny's and some of the big discount stores.

For those who sew, I believe that both Simplicity and McCalls (and maybe even Butterick) have patterns for scrubs. I used to buy good cotton calico prints that I liked to make into scrub tops. They really are not hard to make--just straight line sewing. I had an old jade scrub top that finally went into the tatter stage that I disassembled and turned into a pattern. If you can make some easy alterations you can turn a pattern for a button down blouse into a slip over scrub top. The V-neck is not as hard to create as you might think. The one thing I liked about making my own tops was that I could make a larger pocket to accomodate my flashlight when I worked the nightshift (kind of a Captain Kangaroo size pocket!)

I have worked with nurses who have a little side business sewing scrub tops for the people they work with. You have to ask around because it is usually by word of mouth that you will find these people. I would occassionally make scrub tops for people I worked with. I also made elasticized scrub or uniform pants for pregnant nurses, or would sew the elastic panel into a pair of uniform pants for them.

[jeepgirl, LPN, NP]

I love cottonscrubs.com

[bellcollector]

I am 37 don't know if you consider that old or not but I personally like www.scrubsxpress.com they have some funky but also some very tasteful patterns. Very reasonabley priced and though light weight wear well. Good luck

[rn/writer, RN]

Thanks to all of you who took the time to post links and give me other ideas. I checked out the online sites and did some actual shopping over the weekend as well.

I bought a few things and am considering others. This should get me through the summer.

I did look at some scrub patterns and fabrics, as well. If I get really bold, I may decide to stich a few simple scrub tops myself.

I may also write a few letters to manufacturers suggesting that they offer a line of kinder, gentler scrub prints.

It's nice to know that help and encouragement is available for just about any kind of question. Thanks again for your input.

Take care,

Miranda F.