how many uniforms to buy?

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I'm starting nursing school this fall and my orientation is in June. We are going to be fitted for uniforms then and order small equipment. My question is: How many uniforms should I have? I would think that I would need more than one but I'm not sure exactly how many.

Specializes in ER, progressive care.

Clinical is once a week at my school (except for my current summer class - we have clinical 3x/week!) and I bought 2 navy blue tops + a white one (which I was told was NEEDED for my public health rotation but they don't care if you wear navy or white) and 2 navy blue scrub pants and 2 navy blue warm-up jackets. If you have clinical once/week I would stick with 1-2.

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Specializes in Junior Year of BSN.

I had clinical once a week last semester for 16 weeks for Foundations of Nursing. I had 1 set I wore the entire time. I just threw it in the washer as soon as I was done with clinicals so it would be clean for the next week. This fall semester is basically the same Med Surg and OB for 16 weeks once a week so I'm just going to wear one uniform but if I get a good deal online I may buy 2 sets. We just have to buy the patches from the uniform store and it's free to have stitching done on your uniform. So as long as you buy a royal blue scrub set it doesn't matter where you buy it from.

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Uniforms are more expensive than scrubs.

Yea, our school has uniforms too. I think the tops are $36 a piece and the bottoms are $22 a piece. But we also have to get the lab coat (forgot how much). Once we buy all three pieces it will come out to about the same price as your uniform. I wish we could just buy scrubs though, that would be so much easier and cheaper.

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We had clinicals twice a week our first semester. Our local uniform shop gave us a student discount so the uniforms themselves (2 white fitted Landau uniform tops, 2 pleated Landau pant bottoms, and a long labcoat) ended up being around $84. They made us all get the same exact type so that we looked more professional when seen in a group. The patches were $5 a piece and $5 to be sewn on. We had three patches. Grand total of around $114. The school sugested we purchase only two sets in case we have to purchase a larger size later in the program due to the "inevitable weight gain from stress."

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We have clinicals once a week, and also have insanely pricey uniforms. Ours were $100/uniform (not including price of patch, or sewing the patch on), plus $50 for the coat, but it is just one of those hoops to jump through. :)

That being said, I bought 2. One to wear and one "in case". I never had to use my backup, but better safe than sorry :p

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Specializes in CNA.

We have to order our own uniforms and the deadline is July5. I think we have to have 2 sets of uniforms and 1 pair of shoes

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kattalack, do you have to buy your shoes from the school too?

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My school tells us to get two. But a friend of mine who just graduated said to count on getting a new scrub top every semester. They're white with our school patch so they can't be bleached. The instructors are sticklers on nice clean tops so... If the types weren't white, maybe we wouldn't need more.

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If it is a patch, not embrodry, you can sew it on by hand. That would allow snipping it off to bleach the top. Even on $15 scrubs, it would be worth it.

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I just ordered mine last week, we had to get them from our local life uniform store. We get a 10% student discount like any student at life uniform does. The set includes a royal blue v neck, scrub pants, and a white scrub jacket. All are embroidered with our school logo. The price for the set goes by size. xs-xl 64.99, 2x-3x 74.37 and 4x-5x 80.60. I know they are expensive but when I tried them on at my fitting they seem like good quality and I figure once I get my first sets I can find the brand of scrubs somewhere else and take them to our local embroidery shop for much cheaper.

I ordered 2 sets because I have clinical twice a week. Also I would feel more comfortable always having a backup set in my bag after hearing all the gross horror stories from clinicals. You never know if you might have to change.

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If it is a patch, not embrodry, you can sew it on by hand. That would allow snipping it off to bleach the top. Even on $15 scrubs, it would be worth it.

Ours are iron-on. I guess they could be sewn on but I just can't imagine myself removing it to bleach the top! Good suggestion though...

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

If it's a custom uniform, I would get at least two: that way if you slack on doing laundry or one gets damaged/stained, you have a second ready to go.

Also as far as dealing with stains, treat them immediately when you get home--that will minimize staining and help prolong your uniform's life.

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