Socializing after work in your scrubs

Nurses Relations

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Yuck! Who does this? So my husband and I are on a long weekend in Taos, NM. Friday night we were at a local bar listening to a band. In walk a group of women in their mid-twenties. They appeared to have just gotten off work, as they were all wearing scrubs. They hung out at the bar for several hours, drinking, shooting pool, dancing, flirting with men. Wearing their scrubs. Yuck! Of course, after having a couple beers, myself, I was tempted to approach them and ask if they knew how gross and unhygienic that was, but I'm not a big person, and these women were all somewhat large and could have broken me like kindling, and luckily I hadn't had so much to drink that I was that foolish (my husband, of course, bet me $5 to say something to them).

All I could think of all night was fomites!

Specializes in LTC.

I have no idea. It is warmest 1st thing in the morning. Here we are running around trying to get stuff done before breakfast and it's SO HOT, especially in certain rooms. It's usually cooler by the afternoon but by then it's too late and I feel swampy. The shower room is especially gross. I looked at the thermostat in there the other day and the heat was off but the thermometer read 90 degrees.

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Specializes in Care Coordination, MDS, med-surg, Peds.

i would say something to maintainence when it is so hot! if you are hot... what do you think the residents are?

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Specializes in Obstetrics.

I honestly don't see the big deal. I don't expect people to eat off of my scrub top when I'm out. There's a big chance that the grocery cart handle we all touch has more microbes and germs residing on it than on my scrubs. It's just because I happened to be in a facility with "known" microbes. We come across many germs every day. That's why we wash our hands and learn at a very young age to keep our hands out of our mouths. I often stop at the grocery store on my way to work and I have on scrubs. I don't care if people think I'm gross. I think people who wear pajamas and look grungy in public are gross but I'm not going to say anything to them. It is what it is. There are bigger problems to deal with. ;-)

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Specializes in Post-Surgical, Urology, Short Procedures.

You do know some secretaries or other dental or medical staff that are not currently seeing patients wear scrubs? I'm a nurse and on the days that we don't have patients I still am required to wear scrubs. They are clean and I simply sit in them at my desk during the day and I have met my family for dinner on my way home on those days.

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i would say something to maintainence when it is so hot! if you are hot... what do you think the residents are?

I never worked in a nursing home, but I can tell you that the hospital floors I worked were ALWAYS too warm--and the elderly people were the ones that wanted it that way! We could be pulling sticky tops away from our skin, but they'd be asking for another blanket....

I think they keep it that warm for all the half-naked people who aren't keen on covering up, either.

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Specializes in Trauma Surgery, Nursing Management.

It just plain looks trashy as heck regardless of how clean they are. I won't leave my house in sweat pants for the same reason.

OMG! I thought I was the only person on earth who thought that wearing sweat pants outside of the house looked trashy!

My late Mother was British, and she had very strict views on dressing properly. She didn't own a pair of sweatpants, and she didn't buy me any until I needed them for gym class. Heck, she wouldn't even let me wear shorts-EVER. (To this day, I will not wear shorts, but wear tennis skirts instead.) I was 15 at the time, and my friends were coming to pick me up for a sleep over. I threw on my sweatpants and a rugby shirt (I was a tomboy) and proceeded to walk out the door. Mom immediately stopped me, apologized to my friends for the delay while offering to serve them softdrinks, and pulled me aside. She said that the last time she checked, I wasn't a gym instructor, a coach, or a boy. She further explained that ladies do not wear sweatpants in public. She picked out a pair of khakis that went well with my rugby shirt, and I looked like a Ralph Lauren ad. Even though I was grumbling under my breath at the time, I am thankful that she instilled in me the importance of a polished appearance.

I will never forget the morning my visiting ex-MIL wanted me to go with her to the grocery store. I was in sweat pants and a sweatshirt, and I said, "Sure, I'll go. Just let me change into jeans." She looked at me like I had three heads and replied, "It's just the grocery store. You don't have to get all dressed up." I bit my tongue and on the way up the stairs to change, my ex FIL chimed in, "Your MIL goes to the store all the time in her sweatpants. Sometimes she even wears them to dinner. She's more comfortable in them. What's the big deal? You aren't going to the Oscars or anything!" I didn't have a witty retort for that statement, so I just excused myself.

I don't think it looks professional to be knocking back ETOH and cutting the rug on the dance floor while wearing scrubs. Besides the total ick factor, it just reflects poorly on medical professionals, no matter their title. I'll be the first to join my co-workers for a night out on the town, but if it's a planned night out, I'll bring a change of clothes. If not, then I will either go home and change or decline. My scrubs have the hospital name ink-stamped on the scrubs, and I don't want to have a picture of me show up on someone's FB page wearing hospital scrubs while taking a shot of Patron.

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Specializes in cardiac-telemetry, hospice, ICU.

"

my late mother was british, and she had very strict views on dressing properly. she didn't own a pair of sweatpants, and she didn't buy me any until i needed them for gym class. heck, she wouldn't even let me wear shorts-ever. (to this day, i will not wear shorts, but wear tennis skirts instead.)"

then how the heck can you go to wal-mart?

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I dont think anyone should assume someone is in scrubs so they just got off work; sometimes after class when I was in the night program for LPN wed have a final or HESI and go to chilis or somewhere and have a drink to celebrate.in our ALL white scrubs... Food for thought

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There is a pizza place/bar in Boston that encourages scrubs. Every Thursday. You get a free beer or pizza or something, I don't quite remember.

I take the train home from work so on my walk home I will stop at the grocery store, bank, really anywhere. I am not about to go home, change, and go back out. I am usually tired and hungry, the last thing I want to do is make a second trip. Also, it's not like I am touching everything. I grab what I need and go. I don't know if I would go out, out in scrubs. Opportunity hasn't presented itself. My fiance won't even touch me in scrubs so usually if we are going out he will wait for me to change.

Oh and yeah, you can be wearing scrubs and be totally clean. I worked PDN and did nothing all night. She slept and I watched TV. I don't think I picked up any microbes from her couch.

Had me ad me at free pizza. I'm working in Boston post nursing school what's the restaurant name

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Going to a bar or any social setting off hours in scrubs is tasteless. It's plebian and ugly.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Going to a bar or any social setting off hours in scrubs is tasteless. It's plebian and ugly.

If you want to participate in spontaneous liver rounds with your team and you live an hour away, you go to the bar in scrubs.

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