Published
I Listened to a news story this morning about Grady Memorial Hosp in Atlanta going back to all white uniforms for Nurses. The overall feeling is that we are indistinguishable from anyone else in the hospital. Other reports discuss the overall lack of a professional image with all the cutsy scrubs and or tired wrinkled scrubs that look like we slept in them then came to work.
I have to agree with the assesment that we all look the same from environmental services to nurses. It is confusing to patients and visitors who we are and what we do (all of us ). They may think "do I ask that person a question about my illness or is that the tray lady." Some of the scrubs have gotten out of hand too...at times it is more than my eyes can take.
I see this problem comming from Physician staff as well and this is confusing for patients. I work with Physicians who hire office personel and even surgical assistants to work with them who have no formal training, who may at best be a CNA or ORT at worst someone with little or no medical background and a high school diploma, and they introduce them to their patients as their "Nurse". I have been in rooms with physicians who place all of us RNs, ORTs, CORTs, LPNs, CNAs ect and say "I never can keep up with all you Nurses" around here. They dont even seem to know or care to make a distinction between any of us and to them we all are Nurses. So how can we expect the general public to know or even care when the Hospitals and the Physicians dont seem to care.
I cannot imagine what would happen if a PA, RNP or RN who had been mistaken for a Dr. by a patient didn't correct that error in perception. I cannot imagine knowingly introducing someone as a nurse to a patient who is not a nurse. I cannot imagine standing there smiling and letting that person think I am something I am not.
I am not sure all white uniforms are going to restore our identity. How did we lose it in the first place? What is the general feeling out there on this issue?
rainbows and blue skies
J
I was in the hospital after major surg. I had a tough time telling who was who when they came into the room. Must be a lot worse for lay people who are ill. No need for nurses to be in a white uniforn though. Prominant badges that are easy to read would do it. A lot of hospitals encourage all staff to "blend" together. That way the patients and visitors will not know how few RN's are actually on duty.
There are lots of threads on this issue. I'll just say what I always say in regard to someone not knowing by their dress who the RN's are. When you walk into a bank, can you differentiate between the bank manager, the financial aid officer, the bank president or the teller by the way they dress? (NO) Do you ask? Do you look at name tags?All someone has to do is ask "Are you a RN/LVN?". All we have to do is wear name tags with our "RN" prominently displayed. All we have to do is introduce ourselves. It isn't that hard.
We are professionals based on our abilities, our schooling, our attitude.
I prefer being able to choose my own style of dress. I'm not a robot. I don't like all white. I'm as professional as I want to be ... . :)
"Clothes don't make the man" ... . or woman either.
Now, unclean and rumpled . .. .now that is a whole different ball of wax.
steph
I couldn't have said it better, Steph!! I agree 100%!!
Mary Ann
I have to disagree with RainbowSkye on 2 levels. "Back in the day" when we wore all whites, we had no more respect and stature than we do today. In fact, we had to stand when a doctor entered the nurses station, follow him on rounds and take orders, make his coffee and give up our chairs at the desk. Also, if you live in an area where you rely on a well for your water, or you have lots of metals in your water, you can not keep uniforms white. After a few washings, all of my whites are a dull gray. I have tried all kinds of laundry additives to no avail. Short of sending all my uniforms to the dry cleaners, I would have to buy new clothes every few weeks.
I wear scrubs at work like most of us. I wear solid colors that have my first name followed by R.N. boldly embroidered on it. If someone knows their basic ABC's, they should be able to see that I am an RN, plus I introduce myself as such. I worked at a hospital that had a plastic plate under the name badges that had 1 inch high letters saying, RN, LPN, RT, etc that were color coded and hung under the regular name badge so it was prominantly displayed. You may not know if you are looking at an RN from across the room, but when they came within speaking distance, you would know. I think all whites is a BAD idea. We have enough to worry about without worrying about how to keep betadine, blood, ink and any number of bodily fluids from permanently ruining our clothes! Most school lunch ladies wear white, do people think they are nurses because of their uniforms?
babynursewannab
669 Posts
:rotfl: omg i'm laughing so hard i'm crying here!!! ok. how about babies, girls. scrubs with multicultural babies! lol.
ahhh...grady....the wonderful center of nursing h*** on earth. leave it to them to find one more reason for nurses to actively avoid working there. now, if you want the ultimate in trauma nursing experience...you go there, you burn out quick, but you go there.
we can look professional and have other methods for distinguishing ourselves from others...op's have pointed out some ideas. wrinkled scrubs are just bad. i just know that i, myself, hope never to walk through my nursing career imitating a marshmallow. i also agree with the comment about it reminding people of the "handmaiden" days. jez my opinion.