Professional in scrubs?

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Hello,

I just flipped through the April AJN and came across an interesting article r/t history of RN uniforms. An interesting point was made, that although new scrubs are cheaper, easier to take care of and maybe more comfortable there is a big problem with them: We all look alike, nurses, PCT/CNA, respiratory techs, housekeepers, etc. Patients have a difficult time distinguishing among healthcare professionals, and so do we.

Personally I do believe we should go back to nursing uniforms-it's a great tradition, maybe aside from the cap :chuckle We are professionals and our uniform is our singnature, after all if we respect it others may too. Now don't get me wrong, I do not wish to be looking like Florence, but a new, professional, clean cut design would do it for me. (Maybe that's why I'm going to the military? :rotfl: )

What do you think? :p

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Specializes in Registered Nurse.
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Personally I do believe we should go back to nursing uniforms-it's a great tradition, maybe aside from the cap :chuckle We are professionals and our uniform is our singnature, after all if we respect it others may too. Now don't get me wrong, I do not wish to be looking like Florence, but a new, professional, clean cut design would do it for me. (Maybe that's why I'm going to the military? :rotfl: )

What do you think? :p

I know what you are saying, but I think our badge and our introductions like, "I am your nurse," should be enough to tell nurses from other workers. I kind of like being comfortable.

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I know what you are saying, but I think our badge and our introductions like, "I am your nurse," should be enough to tell nurses from other workers. I kind of like being comfortable.

Yeah should be... but oftentimes other staff, visitors, etc ( and not only patients) address me as someone else regardless of the badge. Who says the new uniforms would not be comfortable anyway?

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry.

Some hospitals already have certain colors for staff mmbers, depending on what job they do. At Palos Hospital, nurses wear white pants and navy tops, CNA's wear white pants with ceil blue tops, etc. My friend works there and says it really helps.

Kora- Good luck with finals this week and the military. Maybe I'll see you at your pinning ceremony!!!! :)

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After crawling on the floor trying to read a Pleur-evac, climbing on beds to transfer patients...no white would not do for me. And dresses...I like the look, I really do, but no. That would require pantyhose with runs in them.

That *new* uniform in AJN didn't do much for me. You'd have to be in perfect shape for that.

I'm sure there's an answer out there somewhere.

Instead of color coded scrubs, why not color coded badges?

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After crawling on the floor trying to read a Pleur-evac, climbing on beds to transfer patients...no white would not do for me. And dresses...I like the look, I really do, but no. That would require pantyhose with runs in them.

That *new* uniform in AJN didn't do much for me. You'd have to be in perfect shape for that.

I'm sure there's an answer out there somewhere.

Instead of color coded scrubs, why not color coded badges?

But who says ANYTHING ABOUT DRESSES OR WHITE???? On the contrary, maybe pants, color appropriate, just professional looking and comfy most of all. Something that will say, I'm a nurse and I'm proud of it, and there is no mistake about it. :p That's all (President Bush would like the "make no mistake about it" :rotfl: )

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When I was a new nurse I wore a white scrub top and white pants. That was my preference. I was never mistaken for anyone other than the nurse. I would hate to see nurses forced back into white dress uniforms, white stockings and old white nursing loafers or tie-ups. I can't imagine working in a dress and I haven't had on a pair of pantyhose since 1998. :rotfl:

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When I was a new nurse I wore a white scrub top and white pants. That was my preference. I was never mistaken for anyone other than the nurse. I would hate to see nurses forced back into white dress uniforms, white stockings and old white nursing loafers or tie-ups. I can't imagine working in a dress and I haven't had on a pair of pantyhose since 1998. :rotfl:

I agree with orrnlori, and I fear that by putting nurses into a "nursing uniform", no matter how comfy or up-to-date it might be, would take nurses back two steps in their fight for people to understand their pivitol role and that they aren't just some little assistant to a doctor. Could be wrong, but that's what I think! :)

-j

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Specializes in critical care; community health; psych.

If nurses are to be taken seriously as professionals, we have to get away from the uniform idea. Do we put our physicians in a uniform? How do we know that they are physicians? Their paychecks!

I get really thrilled when I see nurse practitioners blending in with the physician crowd. Getting rid of the uniform has set us free and has helped opened the door to the male gender. Nursing, as a whole, is trying to integrate into health care as an equal independent team players on par with the physicians. The caps and starched whites of the nurse of previous generations is romantic and something to be proud of. However, it also served to oppress and stereotype them. If they can read and they're not confused, the patients know who we are. If they can't read or they're confused, I don't think it's going to matter what we wear.

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Specializes in Acute Medicine/ Palliative.

On the surgical floor where I am on a rotation, 3 of the RN's only wear white. they look great and look very professional and YES! they stand out and ppl know they are RN's. I am concidering doing this after I grad...

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I really don't think that the lack of professional uniform makes us more respectable in the MD's eyes or anyone else's point of view. Maybe if we carried ourselves in a different manner, less of that eating-your-young-alive and less gossip, more leadership and independence, more emphasis on advancing our education, research, and getting involven in the political world and being heard, and striving to be PROFESSIONALS, (which we all know the field is in need of a bit more), maybe we indeed could be respected more. Until then, we will be watching ourselves being portrayed as a naive, angel-like delikate figures, and not as aggressive, assertive and intelligent individuals we are (or need to be).

Please tell me that these individuals below do not convey leadership, power and respect. . .

(applies to all branches of course)

http://rds.yahoo.com/S=96062857/K=women+in+the+navy+summer+whites/v=2/TID=I001_0/SID=e/l=II/R=1/*-http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images/view?back=http%3a//images.search.yahoo.com/search/images%3fsrch=1%26p=women%2bin%2bthe%2bnavy%2bsummer%2bwhites%26ei=UTF-8%26n=20%26fl=0&h=432&w=188&imgcurl=www.rhydin.org/uniform/usnavy/usnsw.jpg&imgurl=www.rhydin.org/uniform/usnavy/usnsw.jpg&name=usnsw.jpg&p=women+in+the+navy+summer+whites&rurl=http%3a//www.rhydin.org/uniform/usnavy/usnavy.htm&rcurl=http%3a//www.rhydin.org/uniform/usnavy/usnavy.htm&type=jpeg&no=1&tt=2

Once again I am not saying skirt or white color is necessarily the way to go

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Specializes in ICU, CM, Geriatrics, Management.

Many previous threads on this topic.

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