NICU nurse scrubs question...

[KTLou06]

HI, this is my first post, hope it works out ok. I am a nsg student set to graduate this Dec. with a BSN. I want to work in the NICU and had a probably silly question about their scrubs...do NICU nurses dress from home and wear their own scrubs or do they change into hospital scrubs once at work like in L/D?

[llg, PhD, RN]

It depends on the particular hospital. I have done it both ways.

However, in most places, the current practice is to dress at home -- assuming you will be coming straight to work. Then wear a cover gown if your clothing will be in direct contact with a patient.

Let's face it: The chairs, tables, telephones, etc. are full of bugs and everyone is "dirty" in the work environment. Dressing at work won't change that. So cover gowns would still be needed. If that is the case (and it is), you may as well dress at home.

llg

[prmenrs, RN]

Cover gowns (at least in my experience) are gone. Not even parents wear them. (gasp!) No "evidence-based" data to continue the custom.

If you are going to a C-section, and are the person to actually receive the baby from the surgeon, you scrub, gown and glove just like you were participating in the surgery. That way you don't contaminate the surgeon. And you might wear a gown for a regular delivery to keep from being slimed. Usually the blanket is enough, unless you have an OB w/bad aim. Thank you, Doctor.

[Gompers, BSN, RN]

It really varies from hospital to hopsital.

The NICU I worked at during nursing school had nurses wear their own scubs, but they wanted them to bring them in from home in a plastic bag and change at work, so they weren't exposed to the outside. This was an inner city children's hospital where many employees took public transportation to work.

The NICU where I work now has surgical scrubs provided by the hospital, but we can wear our own cute warm-up jackets while on the unit. We have to take them off for any patient care, though, and when we leave the unit and venture into the rest of the hospital we have to wear white lab coats, to the knees, buttoned up, so that our scrubs aren't exposed.

Other NICUs around here let you wear your own scrubs in from home, no problem.

[KTLou06]

Thank you so much for your responses, ladies!

[NICU_3_RN]

we wear our own scrubs in from home - but have to disagree with prmnrs about cover gowns. The hospital i last worked in and the one i work in now, all still use cover gowns when holding... the staff and the families.

[Mimi2RN, ASN, RN]

Cover gowns (at least in my experience) are gone. Not even parents wear them. (gasp!) No "evidence-based" data to continue the custom.

If you are going to a C-section, and are the person to actually receive the baby from the surgeon, you scrub, gown and glove just like you were participating in the surgery. That way you don't contaminate the surgeon. And you might wear a gown for a regular delivery to keep from being slimed. Usually the blanket is enough, unless you have an OB w/bad aim. Thank you, Doctor.

Up to now, our parents wear cover gowns, that is changing, though. We couldn't find any reason to continue, even with a lot of research. We used to wear cover coats when leaving the unit, that went away years ago. The department used to provide our scrubs, but quit doing that as a cost saving measure. Now we buy our own, but they tell us what we can and can't wear!

We don't scrub in for c/s, but do gown and wear sterile gloves, and use a drape and sterile blankets for the baby.

[Imafloat, BSN, RN]

The NICU I am doing my senior practicum at wears their own scrubs from home. We are allowed to walk around the hospital in our scrubs too. The hospital mandated different color combos for each area of the facility so the scrubs have to be a certain color. We wear cover gowns and glvoes when handling the patients. The families don't wear gowns or gloves, they just have to do a scrub routine.

[BittyBabyGrower, MSN, RN]

No cover gowns or lab coats here. We did away with those a lot of years ago. We wear our own scrubs.

[roxycat]

No cover gowns. Scrubs provided by hospital, colour identifies seniority. Change at work in locker room on the unit. Uniforms washed at the hospital also.

Parents do not where any special clothing, just wash hands and alcohol rub also provided. Visiting is open no time restrictions, so many people coming and going.

[justjenny]

Scrubs provided by hospital, colour identifies seniority.

That is really interesting.....I have never heard of the scrub color identifying seniority! In our hospital scrub color identifies staff (Blue=RN Burgundy=RT etc..)

We wear our scrubs in from home and do not attend deliveries

Jenny

[lovemyjob]

We wear a cover gown when holding. You can wash your hands in between caring for pts, but you cant change your clothes. I think we see it as bringing one baby's germs over to the other baby. Parents dont need to gown, only if isolation. They do a 3 minute scrub.

In the newborn nursery, they dont gown, but those dont have the same risk of being sick or being as imunocompromised.