should nurse managers wear scrubs?

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does anyone know if Quint Studer addressed this topic directly and if so in which book, and anyone possibly remember a page?

Specializes in ICU.
WHy should they? Its not like they work the floor...... :D

Being on both sides of the spectrum and the management side very briefly......

This ****** me off.

Nurse Managers are exactly what the title implies. A manager. With it's own unique set of duties, which are plentiful, to the disbelief of the bedside nurse.

Why should the managers be working the floor? That's the job of the floor nurse.

I was an active NM, I assisted on the floor when I was there, I would always answer clinical questions, check something out a nurse did not feel comfortable with, start an IV when I was free and the floor nurse couldn't, reposition a patient if I happened to be the one there....... in business attire as was required by my facility!

Sorry for the rant on this, the tangent, but when floor nurses get ****** that the nurse managers don't work the floor, it is just ridiculous. Then they would have stayed bedside nurses. As the same reason why there are floor nurses who wouldn't do management. It is 2 different jobs, although both nurses, which come with their own respective responsibilities.

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I was not implying that nurse managers don't work the floor, i was merely stating what my PREFERENCE would be!!

Also, I've worked at the same hospital for 14 years and YES MANAGERS DO WORK THE FLOOR WHEN NEEDED!!! and since they never know when they are needed some of them wear scrubs daily to be prepared for whatever comes their way!!!

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Quote from Mr. Chicago,

"Nurses are the heart and soul of everything you do. Pay close attention to their wants and needs, and take meaningful steps to address them, and you can transform your entire organization. When nurses are happy, patients are happy--and everything else naturally falls into place."

~ Quint Studer

I like Quint's thinking and I have only just met him.

However....

Where is the page where he states nurses are given the authority

to control their own profession, not the business management/administrators,in achieving the above blissful working environment for nurses?

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Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.
Being on both sides of the spectrum and the management side very briefly......

This ****** me off.

Nurse Managers are exactly what the title implies. A manager. With it's own unique set of duties, which are plentiful, to the disbelief of the bedside nurse.

Why should the managers be working the floor? That's the job of the floor nurse.

I was an active NM, I assisted on the floor when I was there, I would always answer clinical questions, check something out a nurse did not feel comfortable with, start an IV when I was free and the floor nurse couldn't, reposition a patient if I happened to be the one there....... in business attire as was required by my facility!

Sorry for the rant on this, the tangent, but when floor nurses get ****** that the nurse managers don't work the floor, it is just ridiculous. Then they would have stayed bedside nurses. As the same reason why there are floor nurses who wouldn't do management. It is 2 different jobs, although both nurses, which come with their own respective responsibilities.

Yeah it was a joke. I get the purpose of the manager vs the role of the floor/staff RN. I just hate the disconnect between the two. One views nursing as A and the other as B and they never match up. can make our lives hell. I o appreciate when a manager will roll up their sleeves and help out, but I know that is not their primary concern. Relax a little though please. It was not a primary attack on anyone.

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I never cared what a manager wore, as long as she/he stayed out of the way when they weren't actively involved in a situation, responded when they were needed, and left me alone as much as possible. I've had some great managers- I still don't care what they wear...Whether or not they wore scrubs depended on the location/type of nursing. :)

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If I were a manager, I would wear scrubs unless I had a special meeting on a particular day that required me to dress up. My reasoning behind wearing scrubs is: there are times when the manager needs to work the floor due to understaffing or unit needs assistance on busy day. Plus, this shows the team that I am willing to get out on the floor and get dirty with the best of them but if Im dressed up, then automatically it's perceived that I dont plan on doing any work on the floor

Don't see what all the fuss is about.

Back in the days of whites and caps management wore same "uniforms" as staff nurses. Head nurses, supervisors, even DONs. Often it was the last camp that started to quit wearing caps (though still whites), then finally ditched those as well for corporate attire with a white coat better suited to "Senior Director of Patient Care & Vice President/Cheif Nursing Officer".:D

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Specializes in CDI Supervisor; Formerly NICU.

Why would you or anyone else give a rat's orifice what a manager wears?

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Don't see what all the fuss is about.

Back in the days of whites and caps management wore same "uniforms" as staff nurses. Head nurses, supervisors, even DONs. Often it was the last camp that started to quit wearing caps (though still whites), then finally ditched those as well for corporate attire with a white coat better suited to "Senior Director of Patient Care & Vice President/Cheif Nursing Officer".:D

Why would the nurse manager have to refer to a customer service book about whether scrubs are appropriate? In the days of whites and caps ,

seems nurses had more control not only of uniform choices but also in control of patient care and improvement there of.

Sad that with advanced education degrees, a nurse needs to consult a business customer service reference in what is correct attire...

what happened to the autonomy of nursing?

I agree with vvfair, as a manager may need to work the floor at times,

scrubs and a lab coat would be appropriate.

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Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.

I'm coming back to revisit this because I had an interview with a new unit. One of the questions the manager asked of me was what I expect out of the manager. I told him I want him to be visible to us, approachable, understanding to the needs of the floor and available when we have issues. He told me he comes in early every day to come to the floor, talks to the night nurses to see if there were any issues and address it there. Offers to help to get the day started right for the day crew and makes his presence known. After talking to a bunch of the nurses there, they all had nothing but amazing things to say about him.

Oh yeah, he wears scrubs everyday too.....but he hates doing laundry is why ha haha

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Nurse managers should just simply roll up their sleeves and get to work - no matter what they are wearing.

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Specializes in ICU.

It was just the straw that broke the camel's back, sorry to get so upset, I know that wasn't a direct hit on nurse managers.

I see it said very often on here, snide comments about how NM's don't work the floor, or they think it's "below" them or they don't want to get their hands dirty.

Just seeing it again, it was a joke, and it was fine, I understand, but it finally just pis$ed me off enough to say something.

I as a manager preferred scrubs, anyways, I don't think it really makes a difference. The white coat I think should be worn though, just when you need to deal with an issue with a patients family, or a patient, I think it is good to have something visible that identifies you as a manager to be taking care of those concerns.

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