Nurses wearing white

[rnmaven]

The hospital has decreed that all nurses will wear white in the near future. Despite a petition to administration voicing the opinions of the nurses that overwhelmingly the majority of nurses working at the bedside do not want to wear white, the policy has stood firm and the deadline to change to white is rapidly approaching.

My quesion is......do you think that nurses should be forced to wear white? Do you think nurses should all wear the same uniform?

I finished nursing school in 1977 so I actually wore white uniforms (no scrubs) and a cap. It didn't take long to lose the cap and slowly, the trend to wear colored scrubs evolved.

The thought of wearing white all the time just really turns me off. I find it totally impractical and over time, it will gray and stain and tend to need more frequent replacing.

What do you think?

[allamericangirl]

What i quoted wasn't from your post, it was from someone else's. Sorry for the confusion.

By the way Marie, I just wanted to know that I think that you look great in your uniform in your photo, cap and all. I know by your posts that you work in surgery, so I assume that you wear scrubs, and that would be an awful place to wear white.

I don't think that nurses necessarily should have to wear white, but office nurses and some areas of the hospitals it really would look better to see a more attractive uniform than scrubs. Scrubs were designed to be worn in the OR and ER. The uniform manufacturers are getting away with murder, giving minimal choices in styles and the fabrics are crumby. They use the cheapest stuff they can find. Uniforms don't have to be non functional to look better than the workmanship and thought that goes into a pair of scrubs.

Another thing I noticed is that most people where I was in the hospital didn't do much to make them selves look very well groomed. They were pretty sloppy looking at both of the hospitals where I was a patient.

I have been a patient several times in the hospital the past few years, and really, I couldn't tell who the nurses were, and yes, they had name tags, but I couldn't see the stupid tags half of the time, and then by the time I figured out who the nurses were, the next shift came on and I had to figure it out all over again. I was always talking to the wrong person about the wrong thing.

[Mystery5]

My nursing attire poll is doing well! I got 7 votes that folks would want me for their nurse!:) :) :)

NURSING ATTIRE POLL

[nursegoodguy]

Okay first of all I must be in a mood today...

I don't want to quote anyone but, why do some people still refer to the nurse as "she" and the patient as "he"?

You know that's getting about as old as the history of white uniforms and it is really condescending!

So... Just how many people who think white is so great have actually been told by their employer, "by the way the beginning of next month all the nurses MUST wear white or a lab coat over their scrubs! Thank you, Management"

Do the nurses have a right to complain? Uhh I would say YES! (not that it will do any good but it's nice to be able to vent!) One nurse I work with makes all her uniforms. Her patients all Love the variety and they each had a favorite scrub top! This nurse has so many scrubs that she has made that she can wear a different one every day for probably a year, most hand made! She dry cleans all her uniforms and always looks the epitome of a caring professional regardless of if she has frogs, chile peppers, or John Deere tractors on her scrub top! (and yes I have my eye on that John Deere scrub top!)

Incidentally I have never had a problem with a patient not being able to distinguish that I was the nurse regardless of what color I wore.

Maybe it's because when I have a new patient I go and introduce myself to them and spend as much time as I have with them. My techs also introduce themselves. Everyone in my facility answers call lights. If it's something they need a nurse for they come and tell me and I go to the room and take care of it. Even if the patient "thought" the housekeeper was a nurse in scrubs the housekeeper is not going to bring them a pain pill, I am!

Nurse-Pill, Shots, Tx's Housekeeper-Cleans the room (and does a heck of a job at it)!

I have a lot of patients with mild dementia and they still know the difference! It's really not that difficult for them to figure out!

Oh yeah I did mention before that I have to wear white or a lab coat right?

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

By the way Marie, I just wanted to know that I think that you look great in your uniform in your photo, cap and all. I know by your posts that you work in surgery, so I assume that you wear scrubs, and that would be an awful place to wear white.

The picture is Corporal/Sergeant Klinger from the show M*A*S*H dressed as a nurse.

The only actual uniform for nursing i've worn was my student's uniform. Only cap i've worn was for graduation, and that was for 3 hours.

Even if i didn't work in surgery, i'd never wear white. For one, it wouldn't stay clean, and the other is for personal reasons.

[Mystery5]

The picture is Corporal/Sergeant Klinger from the show M*A*S*H dressed as a nurse.

The only actual uniform for nursing i've worn was my student's uniform. Only cap i've worn was for graduation, and that was for 3 hours.

Even if i didn't work in surgery, i'd never wear white. For one, it wouldn't stay clean, and the other is for personal reasons.

LOL! I recognised Klinger! :chuckle He was always trying to get out of the army by cross-dressing. Didn't you ever watch MASH, All American???

[marilyn hickson]

Sorry to go against the tide, but I wear all white and really don't think it's a big deal. I wash all my uniforms after 1 wearing anyway .Yeah it shows blood or whatever I get on them but so what? Just b/c it doesn't show doesn't mean it's not there.

My older population seems to like the white, Im always hearing: "honey I got to go to the bathroom but I know your a nurse so could you please send me your aid" Hee Hee.

I feel like I get a liitle bit more respect b/c people know Im the nurse not the housekeeper.

Oh well, to each their own.

I agree with you, white has been associated with nurses for a long time. Seems there is some sort of comfort. I wear white, have never had a hard time keeping it clean. Most of the uniform materials are fairly stain resistant, and I like being able to be identified as a nurse rather than a tech, lab assist., cna, whaterver else!

[Mystery5]

I won't mind wearing white after menopause, if you know what I mean...

You can always tell if I'm done with my period, that's when I wear my white pants. On days when it's due or I'm on the rag, that's when I wear colored pants...

[allamericangirl]

The picture is Corporal/Sergeant Klinger from the show M*A*S*H dressed as a nurse.

The only actual uniform for nursing i've worn was my student's uniform. Only cap i've worn was for graduation, and that was for 3 hours.

Even if i didn't work in surgery, i'd never wear white. For one, it wouldn't stay clean, and the other is for personal reasons.

LOL ... Marie that is so funny... I have thought a dozen times ... she is so nice ... but God love her, she just looks like a boy! LOL! And I have also thought it's too bad she doesn't know to thin those eyebrows, and know someone that could do something with her nose. My oldest daughter had wide dark thick eye brows and a really large nose. She has very fine facial features and a small frame and was absolutely beautiful... but her nose really hurt her looks. I never told her though... she was gorgeous as far as I was concerned. One Christmas about six years ago when she came home, she looked really amazing. She had, had her nose done. !!! I am such a dummy. I can't believe that I didn't recognize Klinger! LOL :rotfl:

[RNview]

I wouldn't mind wearing white again. In some hospitals, nurses are still wearing white. OR and PEDS nurses wear scrubs. I asked why. Someone once told me, Peds are scared of someone who wears white (overtime) for some reason, but not with someone who wears colorful scrubs. Colors and characters catch their attention and somehow change their moods. This probably applies to other departments too.

Anyway, either way would look professional. It depends on how we carry ourselves or present ourselves. I wore white uniform in Nursing school and I was very proud to wear white. I enjoyed wearing scrubs at work too 'coz they are very fun to look at. Cost-wise I think they are just the same. Colored fades, whites sometimes get rusty or grayish, it depends on the material.

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

Anyway, either way would look professional. It depends on how we carry ourselves or present ourselves.

Exactly.

[covenurse]

Thank God Firemen don't wear white,

Thank God Policemen don't wear white

Thank God Lawyers don't wear white,

Thank God that teachers are not forced to wear white....

The ONLY professionals who should lay claim of identity to wear WHITE are NURSING....LVNs with a bar and an RN with two...if we don't accept professional idenity then the public will NOT either!

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

The ONLY professionals who should lay claim of identity to wear WHITE are NURSING....LVNs with a bar and an RN with two...if we don't accept professional idenity then the public will NOT either!

White is not exclusive to professional identity.