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?

[lilcajunnurse]

In our hospital, we can wear any scrub(printed or colored) but the nurses must wear a white scrub jacket over the uniform. it can be short sleeved or long sleeved or even a vest but it has to be white. Everyone loves the idea. For a small fee, a local will have our name embroidered on the jacket with the hospital logo. very professional looking.

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

Anything but white...uniform colors, or styles OK, but not white!

[aloha551]

I do like the look of the "old" white uniforms caps and capes. I wore them years ago but they were the most uncomfortable attire.It was one step away from a corsett. Not easy to do CPR in a corsett. Ask the patient....Do you want us to look like paper dolls or do you want us to be able to do our jobs. I'll bet that They will pick burlap bags if it increases our ability to save lives.... Yea for scrubs......

[Batman24]

I don't like all white scrubs. They get filthy and no matter how much you bleach them after a few wears they look dingy. Pass.

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

I like whites and have no problem keeping them clean.

[psalm, RN]

I get many compliments on my home-made tye-dye scrub tops, but wear them only over weekend night shifts. Patients like them...and they are definately not boring.

Our hospital is deciding this July what color nurses will wear in our new building. RNs will wear one color, NAs another, we are phasing out of LPNs (until we have staffing crises and then we'll hire LPNs to help with the crisis until someone decides to phase out the LPNs). Stay tuned.

[Irish Nurse 89]

All the nurses who work in the ER at my Hospital are required to wear a white scrub top, with any colored scrub pants, My nurse manager said that she prefers the nurses to wear the white tops to make it easier for our patients to tell us apart from the Techs, Unit Clerks, House Keepers, ect.... And while I agree that it does help us to stand out, I feel that we don't always look as nice as we should,because white tends to show stains more easily than a dark solid color scrub top would.

[psalm, RN]

I don't know if this is true but in the 1970s when I worked at a small Army hospital, I was told we wore white scrub dresses (this was OB), so that it WOULD show any soiling...so we could change right away into a fresh one, which was provided by the hospital. These were long, shapeless, and mid-sleeved and came with a tie belt. The reason surgery used green scrubs, I was told, was coz it was easier on the doctor's and nurses' eyes during surgery.

I also worked in a large civilian hospital nursery and we wore ceil blue scrub dresses, this also being the 1970s. The seamstress would take your measurements and name and you would have scrub dresses with your name embroidered on the front at the change area. There would be some nameless scrub dresses for when you needed a change and were out of your own.

White would be okay for a top with colored bottoms, but only if the hospital provided them and laundered them. But then there would be some nurses who are sensitive to the detergents used for laundering.

I do think that all hospitals should get input from all the people being affected by dress code changes. Most of us don't have time to be on a committee to decide, give us a ballot with space for ideas.

[keludtke]

They wanted to go to an all white uniform at our hospital also with no collaboration from the nurses at all. However, we all got together and wrote letters and emails to our Nursing Director (I work at a small community hospital) listing reasons why we don't want to go to all white. They listened! They formed a nursing uniform committee and all white is now officially out of the question. Now I am just waiting to buy new uniforms. Rumor has it, it will be blue pants and a white top.

[purpil29]

I Have Always Been Proud To Wear White As It Makes Me Feel Good (just Me) However, I Wear Navy Blue Some Days Just To Mix It Up. The Cna's Wear Anything They Want. One Cna Came To Work Wearing White One Day And Some Of The Nurses Were Upset By This. From That Day On Cna's Were Told They Could Wear Anything But White Or Navy B/c The Nurse Must Stand Out From All Others And As We Only Have Two Colors To Choose From They Can Have The Rest. Because Everybody And Their Brother Wears Scrubs It Is Sometimes Hard To Know Who Is Who. Someone Once Told Me That In An Emergency They Dont Have Time To Read Name Tags So Being Able To Spot A Nurse By The Color Of His/her Uniform Can Be Very Reasurring.

[Keepstanding, ASN, RN]

i have always been proud to wear white as it makes me feel good (just me) however, i wear navy blue some days just to mix it up. the cna's wear anything they want. one cna came to work wearing white one day and some of the nurses were upset by this. from that day on cna's were told they could wear anything but white or navy b/c the nurse must stand out from all others and as we only have two colors to choose from they can have the rest. because everybody and their brother wears scrubs it is sometimes hard to know who is who. someone once told me that in an emergency they dont have time to read name tags so being able to spot a nurse by the color of his/her uniform can be very reasurring.

wow, that hurts my eyes to read. lose the caps !

[bobbiegirl]

What is the big deal? I would rather wear white and have people know I am the nurse then be confused with the housekeeping dept or dietary dept. It seems to me that a lot of nurses have become very lazy about their appearance. If we want to be considered professional then we need to look the part. People do judge by appearance. So wear the whites and be proud of the fact that everyone will know who the nurse is!