more than nursing professionals wearing scrubs

bethin · Jan 4, 2008

Honestly? I could care less who wears scrubs or not. I don't see how it affects me that a hairdresser wears them...
As far as color coding goes-I think it's stupid. Unless we provide patients with a cheat sheet with the colors and their matching titles I think it's useless. Plus, I don't like people telling me what to wear.
My patients (who are awake) know that I am the nurse. My pt family members know I'm their nurse.
That's all that matters.

This mirrors my exact words. I worked houskeeping in LTC and we were required to wear scrubs. Lets face it: scrubs are comfortable when you're bending and twisting, and as a housekeeper, you're down on your knees cleaning underneath the bed. Yes, we had to do that. I don't have to worry about my scrubs slowly making their way down to my butt crack. With jeans and khakis I do. And I'm also constantly having to pull them up even when I'm out shopping.

Also, while scrubs aren't cheap, neither are jeans and nice shirts that housekeeping and dietary employees would have to wear if they couldn't wear scrubs. It's much easier to label scrubs 'germy' and launder them seperately and only wear them at work. If other employees wore jeans, khakis, shirts, etc then possibly those could not be only work clothes. I find it repulsive if a housekeeper cleaned up a pile of fluids, washed her clothes and then wore them out to WalMart.

But, this is my opinion. I'm not a nurse, but I did study and work hard to obtain my certification. Many may think that obtaining a CNA certification is easy, but I take my certification very seriously.

To those who think that housekeepers and dietary employees shouldn't wear scrubs, what do you propose they wear?

Virgo_RN, BSN, RN · Jan 4, 2008

I think it's important for patients in a busy hospital to be able to distinguish the functions of the individuals involved in their stay. If they see a person walking into their room wearing scrubs, they know that person is nursing staff. If they see a person pushing a little cart full of tubes and wearing a white lab coat, they know it's the phlebotomist. There are so many people coming and going that it can be difficult for the patient to know why this person is coming into their room. Of course, anyone entering the room should have permission to do so and should introduce themselves and state their intentions, but I have seen many instances of patients being confused about who is who regardless. Some patients don't hear well and will nod their heads as if they understand even when they don't.

I think housekeepers should be able to wear what is comfortable, but not scrubs, simply because at my facility, scrubs=care provider. I can see how it might be different in LTC because the residents actually live there and have time to get to know who is who. It's their home and they get to know the routines. Patients in the hospital are often in an unfamiliar environment and face a whirlwind of staff coming and going constantly, and having visual cues such as clothing to assist the patient is, IMO, a courtesy.

I think badges need to be more easily readable as well. Many patients do not see well, and so an ID badge is useless to them. Even the patients with no visual deficits can have a hard time reading the person's name and function. I think larger, bolder lettering and color coding would be immensely helpful. I say give patients as many cues about their environment as possible. That includes the people in it.

Okami_CCRN, BSN, RN · Jan 4, 2008

I think all Nursing Personel should year SCRUBS, not a t shirt or collar shirt. Scrubs are by far superior since they are relatively inexpensive, if soiled can be cleaned easily and it helps assure the patient that I will be a care giver. As for distinguishing between NA's and RN's at my faciltiy our badges state very clearly our position.

Dietary wears black dress pants with a white botton down shirt and a black apron.

House Keepers wear a light blue buttondown top that states Enviromental Services with navy blue pants.

Our clinical specialists and managers wear dress clothes with a lab coat.

plumrn, BSN, RN · Jan 4, 2008

There are several companies that sell uniforms out there. Look at the uniforms they wear in hotels, fast-food restaurants, grocery stores, etc. They are usually no-iron & wrinkle free, and some are very sharp. They don't look anything like scrubs. I wouldn't want to wear my own everyday clothes to do ANY job in the hospital.

cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN · Jan 4, 2008

I think it's important for patients in a busy hospital to be able to distinguish the functions of the individuals involved in their stay. If they see a person walking into their room wearing scrubs, they know that person is nursing staff. If they see a person pushing a little cart full of tubes and wearing a white lab coat, they know it's the phlebotomist.

Ooooor, we could all introduce ourselves to the patients when we enter the room! :idea:

Hello, I'm CardiacRN and I will be your nurse today until 7pm. If you have any questions or concerns, please ask for me.

See how easy that was? And for the confused patients, or the ones who won't remember that? Well, they won't remember your color of scrub or what it means either.

As for Nurses only wearing scrubs...

I was a tech for 10 years. God help someone if they told me that I wasn't considered a part of nursing and that I shouldn't wear scrubs. I've gotten far dirtier as a tech then I ever will as a nurse. If anyone deserves to wear them, it's housekeeping and CNAs/techs.

Virgo_RN, BSN, RN · Jan 4, 2008

Ooooor, we could all introduce ourselves to the patients when we enter the room!

I stated that in my post. You didn't quote that part.

cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN · Jan 5, 2008

It's response to the entire thread! Who cares if the hairdressers and dietary folks are in scrubs?

My patients (or family members) KNOW I'm their nurse. I could come in to work in jeans (which we do on Rodeo days) and they would still KNOW I'm their nurse-because I tell them so.

So the whole color-coded scrubs, or who wears what and what job do they do thing is silly, IMO.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Jan 5, 2008

i have been more aware lately that there are all sorts of people wearing scrubs.... dietary, housekeeping, and just recently, i noticed the hairdresser at the ltc where i do agency staffing wearing scrubs.
it really bugs me.... i worked long and hard to be an lpn, and feel that if you are not in medicine, you should not wear scrubs.
along those lines.... i would love to see a "color" code.... ie, nursing wears bright prints, lab wears ____, etc.....
what do you think?

what i think is that if you're not doing direct patient care, you don't need to wear scrubs. that includes housekeeping, dietary, supply associates, unit clerks, pharmacy techs and anyone else who wears scrubs that doesn't need to. lab, x-ray, rt and nursing staff are doing direct patient care and should be allowed to wear scrubs. as far as the color code -- fine, as long as it's for non professional personnel. as nurses, we're professionals and i'd hate to see a color code applied to professional staff.

husker_rn, RN · Jan 5, 2008

I don't care for color-coded scrubs either. I started my last job when we were able to wear what we chose and my patients enjoyed seeing what we wore. When we went to all-navy for nurses we grumbled and the patients grumbled even more. The oriented ones knew I was his/her nurse and the disoriented ones weren't helped a bit by the color coding.

Tait, MSN, RN · Jan 5, 2008

Oddly enough there is a brad of scrubs out there based on the Grey's Anatomy show that are very sharp. Even on a DD busted gal like myself with a tummy I feel very comfortable (and slimmed down!) in their tailored look.

Scrubs look dumpy on people who let them look dumpy.

leslie :-D · Jan 5, 2008

it honestly doesn't bother me who wears scrubs.

my name tag, my mouth and my attitude, says it all.

and knowing who i am, i'd feel just as strongly if i were wearing a potato sack.

for me, it's all about feeling comfortable with who i am- and not what i wear.

leslie

JaredCNA, CNA · Jan 11, 2008

As of January 1st, 2008, the hospital where I currently work implemented a uniform policy.

The initial memo we received last July stated that nurses on all units were to wear either navy blue tops and bottoms or maroon tops and bottoms with a matching scrub jacket. (Of course, the Women & Children's unit could continue to wear lilac or periwinkle.) The CNA's were to wear a white polo shirt with navy blue or maroon scrub pants, which I believed would have looked sharp...others didn't agree. Transporters/lab were to wear solid brown ("chocolate") scrub tops and bottoms with a lab coat of the same color.

Due to, I'd assume, the numerous staff complaints, female CNAs now have to wear something that honestly and truly looks like that of a maid and male CNAs must wear a top that seems to resemble either a barber or a dentist. The uniforms look very sharp and I'm sure these are VERY traditional styles of nursing uniforms, but I don't think they are modern. They're not stain-resistant, you burn up in them (a 75/25 poly/blend), and they are very uncomfortable and tight, thus making proper body mechanics quite difficult.

Unit clerks wear a variation of the female CNA uniform except it is more of a blazer type and looks like something straight out of 1980. IMO, clerks should wear business casual clothes. I know that clerks and aides alike are both nursing support staff, but I do have three letters behind my name that I attended (albeit a month) of school and passed a state test for. Not to insult unit clerks in any way.

I do see the need for uniforms, but only since my daughter was at a children's hospital in Dallas and I couldn't tell who ANYONE was...nurse, CNA, doctor, housekeeper, you name it. I can also understand why nurses and CNAs don't wear a separate color of scrubs d/t the fact that most patients (especially night shift when you don't turn on the lights just to check a pt's vitals) either couldn't tell the difference between the two colors...or wouldn't know who is who unless given a 'cheat sheet' of sorts telling which titles wear which color.

The thing about the uniforms that makes THE MOST UPSET is that transporters...yes, transporters...can wear scrubs. I mean, don't get me wrong, I value what they do and they are a huge help, but why can they wear scrubs while aides can't? I would much rather have a pt confuse me with a nurse, as I might be able to answer their question or take them to the bathroom, whereas a transporter would normally have no idea what to say.

All in all, the nurses' uniforms look sharp, and it is nice that patients and employees can tell who is who, but I absolutely despise the uniforms aides must wear...I think they are degrading because they really don't look like the uniform of a nursing profession. Several patients have wondered why "the janitor" or "housekeeping" is now taking V/S, ambulating them, etc.