Survey: Do you think hospitals should require a uniform code for nurses?

SmilingBluEyes · Nov 19, 2003

I am sorry but whites conjure up an image of the "good humor man"...esp on men.

whites have NO place in OB or OR IMO.

DeeDee71 · Nov 19, 2003

I'll have to be different then the rest and say yes there should be some sort of dress code. I have seen to many CNA's tell pt. that they will be their nurse for the evening. A clear name tag isn't enough to ID a nurse for a pt. To many people all the titles are confusing: CNA, LPN, RN, BSN, MSN, PT, OT, RT. We know what all of that means but the average person on the street does't. I don't think all white it the only way to go, but why not dress nurses in blues, CNAs in greens, PT in purples.....whatever color you want, just something to help the pt know who's who. just MHO. :)

MrsWampthang, BSN, RN · Nov 19, 2003

At our hospital, all the nurses wear either white over blue, blue over white or all white. They went to this so the patients could easily identify who the nurse was. I don't think CNAs have a dress code, but xray and RT does.

I don't have a problem with it. I do think that patients and visitors should be able to tell at a glance who their nurse is. We can wear holiday scrubs on holidays but other than that we all are conformed to the blue/white theme.

JMHO,

Pam:)

TLS · Nov 19, 2003

The hospital that I use to work in (before nursing school) had dept colors for non nursing personell: x-ray was teal green, US was purple, unit secretaries wore dressy street clothes slacks, RT were in blue, andhouse keeping did NOT wear scrubs : dark blue slacks with corderoy light blue, long sleeve shirts. etc. nursing wore all the cute and professional multi design colors taylored to their own departments (peds had cartoon type charact) Anyway, as a non nursing person, i could identify nursing from afar and I couldn't wait to wear my pick of scrubs when I was to become a nurse (a sense of pride and accomplishment) and now that I have graduated and worked in the ER this summer to see that the unit secretary is excited because "we are dressed alike, you must've copied me" No, i'm a nurse and you are a secretary...it just kind of took the pride of dressing as a nurse away because i just look like everyone else....I know what the real accomplishment is, is ability to care correctly and knowlegably for my patients not the fashion design. It would be nice to be group uniformed with other nurses. i worked hard and this is what WE all accomplished (i'm not putting down non personel either) I'm just suggesting continuity for pts and visitors to be able to identify their nurse and a sense of comradary..JUST NOT WHITE It's see through underware, bras, tatoos: Yuk!

Also, one more incident to add: When I was doing my rotation at L & D, everyone wore the same color scrubs, including enviromental services.. As a student, I was sitting at the desk doing some charting and an ES personell was nearby. She had no broom or mop or whatever in her hand and some family members came down the hall asking her where their mom-to-be was and of course she pointed to me and I was able to help and not more than 5 min. went by and a doctor's office assistant came by with some medical records on one of our clients and was about to hand them to the enviromental services person, not even asking if she was a nurse here (they were in a hurry) and i immediately got up and told them politely i would take care of them. What do you all think of this???? :rolleyes:

Theresa

mother/babyRN, RN · Nov 19, 2003

Well, then I think docs shouldn't be able to round in plain clothes....

purplemania, BSN, RN · Nov 19, 2003

The question is a little vague. A dress code should be required, IMHO, but a uniform code should not. Having expectations of neatness, type of shoes, jewelry, etc. is appropriate, but I would not like to be told I had to purchase certain uniforms of specfic styles and colors. What if you float to another unit or work extra on another unit?

mother/babyRN, RN · Nov 19, 2003

Thats how I feel too...

BobFromER · Nov 19, 2003

IMHO I think some uniform guidelines are necessary to protray a professional image. We have some staff members who would come to work in shorts and sandals if they could get away with it.

I would add that I think that a hospital should PAY for the level of uniform that they desire, either by clothing allowance, or uniform (scrub) exchange. In this biohazard awareness, I'd sure love to leave the bugs in the locker room and have a fresh set to wear next time.

I was in the firefighting business for 25 years and they were very specific as to what you wore and how it looked, but they gave you $750 a year to make sure it was covered. Of course, that was negotiated in a contract, which few nurses have. (A whole 'nother thread, for sure!)

Bob From E.R.

P_RN, ADN, RN · Nov 20, 2003

First of all the word UNIFORM is soooo out of date.

Call it Work clothing, workwear, scrubs etc but UNIFORM implies that everyone dresses the SAME.

Workwear should be clean, nails should be short etc.

We're killing ourselves out there and some CEO from the late 19th century wants to mandate how stuff works.

StreetRN · Nov 20, 2003

As for docs rounding in street clothes, I agree they should have a lab coat on over their office attire. All our docs wear photo id badges, too. But, I have to say (meow) that we as nurses shouldn't be using docs as our benchmark for behavior or dress.....:roll

crispynurse2B · Nov 20, 2003

As a current student required to wear white, I tend to wish for the day when I can pick my own work attire!

As a prior patient, it is definitely confusing in a hospital setting, to figure out who is who. :confused:

I think maybe the solution is to color code work attire. Maybe have assisstive personnel in particular colors. I also like the blue white idea as long as it includes prints (I get bored easily).

crispy

lmd32 · Nov 20, 2003

As a student, I wear the most hideous all white uniform: white polo shirt (I have never looked good in polo shirts, too busty), see through white pants, white lab coat, white shoes, socks, and undies (yes, you can see my undies). You can't bleach the tops and labcoats because the school logo is on them in black and gold. When we did clinicals at the local hospital, we were told that all the nurses were required to wear white because there was research that showed that patients preferred white. I looked it up and there really is a study:

First impressions of the nurse and nursing care

Journal of Nursing Care Quality; 1997 Jun; 11(5); Mangum S; Garrison C; Lind

The researchers showed a large group of nurses, patients, and administrators pictures of nurses in various garb and asked what they preferred. The white pants uniform with stethoscope won hands down. Last was street clothes, followed by scrubs.

Personal opinion: I don't care for all white, it makes me look dead and reminds me of bad horror movies with evil psych attendants. When I graduate, I plan to wear white pants and patterned tops. I think it looks professional and allows some creativity. As a patient, I prefer names embroidered on lab coats or bigger tags that are pinned on and don't flip.

What do your tags say? At this hospital, all the nurses, techs, support personel tags said FIRST NAME (big letters), last name (tiny letters) TITLE (big letters). But the doctors' tags said DR. SO-and-SO, MD in big letters with no first name. They said it was to protect us from the patients knowing too much about us. Well, they could still read my last name if they had good eyesight and apparently the doctors (being super human) didn't need the same protection?