Everyone's wearing scrubs...is this good or bad?

[caregiver1977]

I was reading a thread last night that brought up the subject of staff wearing scrubs who are not nurses, but being mistaken for nurses. I have noticed that this is not so much at my local hospital, but at my local state health department everyone wears scrubs. The file clerks and the social worker wears scrubs. How do you feel about that? In this thread, some people said that this isn't good because people who are medical assistants, etc., may act in ways that are not professional and then are mistaken for nurses because they are in scrubs. What do you think? Should non-nurses, file clerks, social workers, etc., wear scrubs?

[savnlivzPRN, LVN]

I feel that only those providing medical care to the patient should be wearing scrubs. Yes, I know that they are comfy but, hey.... how about a polo shirt and scrub pants as a compromise.

[Not_A_Hat_Person, RN]

I think scrubs should be limited to people who do direct patient care. There's no reason for janitors, secretaries, medical records people, or supply people to wear scrubs.

[savnlivzPRN, LVN]

Agreed hat person

[shannonrn02]

The hospital I work at went to specific colors for each patient care area to wear. Patients still think that the CNA's are their nurse. Also some of the techs that come up to the floor to do echos and such where white jackets so they can be mistaken for doctors. Now the nurses have to where a big "RN" sign below our name badge indicating that we are a nurse. Not all patients pay attention to this. We still have to educate them.

[savnlivzPRN, LVN]

Ya I don't feel color coding does much... how are the patients supposed to know what colors mean what?

[direis09]

I work at a hospital that requires 'color coding' and the computer in the patient rooms explains the various colors... yet housekeeping walks around in surgical scrubs. Some places require nurses to have an additional RN tag.. maybe we should try a big tag that reads ' NOT an RN' for non-nursing staff. Just a thought or attempt at humor. ;o)

[savnlivzPRN, LVN]

Lol or a sign like those circles with a line through...

[Beccasaur]

The hospital I work at went to specific colors for each patient care area to wear. Patients still think that the CNA's are their nurse. Also some of the techs that come up to the floor to do echos and such where white jackets so they can be mistaken for doctors. Now the nurses have to where a big "RN" sign below our name badge indicating that we are a nurse. Not all patients pay attention to this. We still have to educate them.

I am a CNA and at the begining of my shift I let the patient know what I am and who their RN is. I usually write this on a white board in the patients rooms. I also give them a quick run down of the difference between a CNA and RN. Most of the time, when a patient calls for their nurse, I'm the first paged. If they're asking for pain medicine, have a question that I can't answer, or question that an RN can only answer then I tell them I will get their RN. Other times, when patients refuse to use call lights and decide to holler out 'Nurse!' at two in the morning, I still answer. Most times, patients still call me still nurse.

[savnlivzPRN, LVN]

Hey Bec... I'm totally fine with CNAs I'm scrubs its house keeping... and random others that makes me diva face...