I have a bit of a dilemma on my hands. I am considering accepting a position in a Level III NICU, and just found out from the staff that I will be required to wear lavender scrubs or all-white scrubs. Lavender I could MAYBE deal with, but all white and even lavender almost makes me want to reconsider. How am I supposed to maintain any dignity while wearing those colors? Any suggestions? Should I approach the manager? Any feedback is appreciated.
Well, I just thought I'd duck back in and give you all an update. I had my interview in NICU the other day, and as it ended, the NM asked me if I had any other questions. So I said: "weeeellllll.....there is this one thing" and asked her if she was really going to require me to wear lavender/white. She laughed and said she wouldn't do that to me, and I could wear any color I wanted, as long as it wasn't what MD's, RT, housekeeping, etc was wearing. I just need to run it by her before I choose a color. SO, needless to say, I took the job and will start in May! Thanks for all your input!
Just to run over a few things that were added in the discussion of this thread:
- Those of you who are women and replying to this thread need to realize that men are wired differently. [news flash, right?!!!] Scrub colors are something that just gets under my skin! Imagine showing up at church in a swimsuit or pajamas. You would feel out of place and distracted by your appearance. Same thing with girly scrubs. I think I would have still taken the job, because my educational experience comes first, but I still had to think long and hard!
And by the way, after 4 years of nursing school looking ridiculous, the last thing I want to do is continue looking ridiculous, especially in see thru white. Face it, what man wears all white? very few it seems. So anyway, thanks for all your help!
You guys rock!
SS :chuckle
Good luck. Just be prepared for the nurses who don't like the color to criticize you for getting preferencial treatment just because you're a man. Good luck and congrats!
"Consider, hypothetically, if someone had decided, "Let's choose a color men won't want to wear, so we won't have to work with men." I'm not saying anyone actually did, but if they had, that would clearly be discriminatory. "
That would be a problem- creating a hostile work environment is a big no-no- when it's done on the basis of race, gender, age, etc etc. But I can't see any nursing unit being organized enough or having enough foresight to plan such a thing, even if they did want to exclude men for whatever reason.
I seriously doubt that the unit planned the color as a way to exclude anybody. Nurses do shoot ourselves in the foot rather frequently, but not with that much organization.
"Again, I'm having a hard time thinking what would be equally uncomfortable to women. A lot of the clothing in male-dominated occupations is ugly, but in many instances, ugly is dictated by function, so it isn't just arbitrary."
When I've worked places that instituted dress codes, there was a lot of anger about it and a lot of argument about what color would be chosen. These color choices ARE uncomfortable with many women. Most women don't want to wear an unflattering color, a hard to find or hard to launder fabric, a color that our underwear shows through, etc. Here, the dress code is dictated by function and color availability. A kinda girly color was chosen, IMHO likely for the completely NON-gender related reasons I mentioned before. Would the OP's life be changed if he wore lavender? I don't think so. Plus, he can wear white- a color equally awful for him AND the women.
I have never heard of a female cop, firefighter, or highway worker asking for more feminine attire. Doesn't mean it has never happened, but... Stuff that FITS should be a no brainer, but special colors? Never heard of such a thing. The few women I've known who entered male dominated fields tried to fit in, not change the rules from day 1. I've never seen a woman ask for a special exemption from a dress code because it's not feminine enough.
"Besides, some women look really good in greasy coveralls..."
LOL
"I really only mean that when decisions like dress codes are made, due consideration should be given to what is likely to make part of the nursing population feel unwelcome or uncomfortable."
Agreed, but NO color makes everybody happy. If color coding is the goal, there are only so many navys, hunter greens, etc. out there. I was interested in how the OP suggested that white was OK for women but not for men. To quote a teenager I know, PUHlease. To many nurses, myself included, white is a color that represents old fashioned, repressed, stand up to give the doctor my chair nursing. Not me. And my Jockey for Her and your Jockey for Him undies will show through equally well. It just seemed interesting that he was complaining about colors leading to assumptions, but suggested that a color not good enough for him was good enough for the girls.
"Not all patients and visitors get the hang of the code, but some do, and at least the employees know who they're talking to."
I think the people who notice anything will notice that there is a system. They might not figure out that blue is dietary, peach is lab, and fire engine red is the RN, but the fact that there IS a system comes across.
BTW, I'm not a fan of black scrubs for just this reason- who does the patient think is coming for them? Black would be particularly bad for Transportation!
"Consider, hypothetically, if someone had decided, "Let's choose a color men won't want to wear, so we won't have to work with men." I'm not saying anyone actually did, but if they had, that would clearly be discriminatory. "
That would be a problem- creating a hostile work environment is a big no-no- when it's done on the basis of race, gender, age, etc etc. But I can't see any nursing unit being organized enough or having enough foresight to plan such a thing, even if they did want to exclude men for whatever reason.
I seriously doubt that the unit planned the color as a way to exclude anybody. Nurses do shoot ourselves in the foot rather frequently, but not with that much organization.
"Again, I'm having a hard time thinking what would be equally uncomfortable to women. A lot of the clothing in male-dominated occupations is ugly, but in many instances, ugly is dictated by function, so it isn't just arbitrary."
When I've worked places that instituted dress codes, there was a lot of anger about it and a lot of argument about what color would be chosen. These color choices ARE uncomfortable with many women. Most women don't want to wear an unflattering color, a hard to find or hard to launder fabric, a color that our underwear shows through, etc. Here, the dress code is dictated by function and color availability. A kinda girly color was chosen, IMHO likely for the completely NON-gender related reasons I mentioned before. Would the OP's life be changed if he wore lavender? I don't think so. Plus, he can wear white- a color equally awful for him AND the women.
I have never heard of a female cop, firefighter, or highway worker asking for more feminine attire. Doesn't mean it has never happened, but... Stuff that FITS should be a no brainer, but special colors? Never heard of such a thing. The few women I've known who entered male dominated fields tried to fit in, not change the rules from day 1. I've never seen a woman ask for a special exemption from a dress code because it's not feminine enough.
"Besides, some women look really good in greasy coveralls..."
LOL
"I really only mean that when decisions like dress codes are made, due consideration should be given to what is likely to make part of the nursing population feel unwelcome or uncomfortable."
Agreed, but NO color makes everybody happy. If color coding is the goal, there are only so many navys, hunter greens, etc. out there. I was interested in how the OP suggested that white was OK for women but not for men. To quote a teenager I know, PUHlease. To many nurses, myself included, white is a color that represents old fashioned, repressed, stand up to give the doctor my chair nursing. Not me. And my Jockey for Her and your Jockey for Him undies will show through equally well. It just seemed interesting that he was complaining about colors leading to assumptions, but suggested that a color not good enough for him was good enough for the girls.
"Not all patients and visitors get the hang of the code, but some do, and at least the employees know who they're talking to."
I think the people who notice anything will notice that there is a system. They might not figure out that blue is dietary, peach is lab, and fire engine red is the RN, but the fact that there IS a system comes across.
BTW, I'm not a fan of black scrubs for just this reason- who does the patient think is coming for them? Black would be particularly bad for Transportation!
I'm actually doing transport, at the moment, and our colors are black pants and gray tops! It is a little grim, and, now that I think of it, perhaps even less flattering to my female cohorts, but there is one advantage: camoflage. We've found that if you stay completely motionless, the Charge Nurse can't see you.
Just for the record, my cat, Peaches, assures me that there is nothing inherently feminine about lavender. I tend to respect his judgement on this, as he is surely the manliest of all housepets. Given the opportunity, he likes to sleep all day and run around all night. He isn't terribly keen on hunting, but he very much enjoys fighting and chasing...female cats. Even neutering and middle-age have only settled him down a little bit.
I probably wouldn't have named him "Peaches," but I'm not going to be the one to tell him it's a girly name. I've seen him when he's mad.
Discrimination is a pretty strong word. If the department requires a particular color due to organization of departments that would be a little tough to prove. Judging by the emoticons you chose I did not miss any sarcasm.
I am unsure of the age of people in here but i would say that perhaps those that are younger would be concerned with "feminine" colors. As confidence, experience, and age mellows you the last thing you worry about is what someone thinks of you in a particular color. My wife thinks pink looks good on me and she has bought me several shirts with a hint of pink. I have yet to have anyone say anything to me. Colors do not make you a good nurse or anything else. I still get an eye twitch thinking of the white uniforms I am required to wear by my College of Nursing. It is not a matter of the color but the fact it makes me look like Chef Boyarde and my wife says I look like Nurse Ratchet (One who flew..).
If the work is important does anything else matter?
Well I just finished my secind round of awful white uniforms!!!! Once in LPN school, and just finished RN school. The ladies outfit was bad enough, but the guys looked like cheerleaders, it was awful and uncomfortable!!! I will never wear a white uniform again!!! Jennifer
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
Discrimination is a pretty strong word. If the department requires a particular color due to organization of departments that would be a little tough to prove. Judging by the emoticons you chose I did not miss any sarcasm.
I am unsure of the age of people in here but i would say that perhaps those that are younger would be concerned with "feminine" colors. As confidence, experience, and age mellows you the last thing you worry about is what someone thinks of you in a particular color. My wife thinks pink looks good on me and she has bought me several shirts with a hint of pink. I have yet to have anyone say anything to me. Colors do not make you a good nurse or anything else. I still get an eye twitch thinking of the white uniforms I am required to wear by my College of Nursing. It is not a matter of the color but the fact it makes me look like Chef Boyarde and my wife says I look like Nurse Ratchet (One who flew..).
If the work is important does anything else matter?
Ah , I love the confidence of a mature man. Nice post!
Just for the record, my cat, Peaches, assures me that there is nothing inherently feminine about lavender. I tend to respect his judgement on this, as he is surely the manliest of all housepets. Given the opportunity, he likes to sleep all day and run around all night. He isn't terribly keen on hunting, but he very much enjoys fighting and chasing...female cats. Even neutering and middle-age have only settled him down a little bit.
I probably wouldn't have named him "Peaches," but I'm not going to be the one to tell him it's a girly name. I've seen him when he's mad.
Specializes in Critical Care, Emergency, Education, Informatics.
Get over it. Look how long Shock Trauma in MD wore Pink Scrubs.
Hi All,
I have a bit of a dilemma on my hands. I am considering accepting a position in a Level III NICU, and just found out from the staff that I will be required to wear lavender scrubs or all-white scrubs. Lavender I could MAYBE deal with, but all white and even lavender almost makes me want to reconsider. How am I supposed to maintain any dignity while wearing those colors? Any suggestions? Should I approach the manager? Any feedback is appreciated.
I think he handled it perfectly. I love the guy threads cause I learn so much about what to expect once out of school. I for one am not a super macho man but I understand that when working in such a demanding environment it's at least nice to be able to feel comfortable with what you wear. As an employer I would prefer my people be focused on the task at hand rather then self-conscious about their appearance. The fact is that standards aren't the same across the board in other professions. Woman firefighters have lower entrance requirements for strength and stamina testing and that I consider much more critical to their job than the color of clothes one wears. Now I would never pursue legal action because I doubt it is an overt attempt to make a group of people feel uncomfortable but the fact is that it does make some individuals uncomfortable and that should be recognized and considered. In a field that is in such demand for people you would think an attempt to somewhat accommodate a huge demographic like males who on a whole do not consider the nursing profession would be a smart idea.
I, myself, don't know what I would necessarily do in your position. I am a 3rd year nursing student and a part time CNA on the side.
In my opinion though, I would probably consider the fact that everybody else will be wearing the same color as you, some what comforting. Look at Malik on ER...he wore pink scrubs for like six seasons!
I must say though, white is rather yucky! I had to wear all white scrubs through CNA school. And I now wear forest green scrub pants with off white scrub tops for nursing school. Not so bad...
Just go for it! If it's really that big of an issue...talk with the NM...
I guess if I were a guy I wouldn't be comfortable with some colors either..everyone is diff., male and female...my son wears pink a lot and is a 'manly-man' LOL...I think he wears it to aggrivate his Dad though...even has a T-Shirt that says "Only Tuff Guys Can Wear Pink"
Tweety, BSN, RN
36,345 Posts
Good luck. Just be prepared for the nurses who don't like the color to criticize you for getting preferencial treatment just because you're a man. Good luck and congrats!