The retro nurse's outfit has returned

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Here is a soultion to the nurses being confused with other hospital personal. One of the hospitals in my area requires the nurses both LPN and RNs to have their first name and their title

embroidered on ther scrubs.

That embroidery costs extra time and money and means that scrubs can't be given to anyone else (or returned if there is a problem). The same thing can be accomplished by having a name tag with a large RN or LPN or PCA or whatever on it. We can also introduce ourselves and write our names on the message boards in the rooms.

I see a loophole in this retro scenario based on the fact that men would not have to wear caps. If they were ordered to wear something like a baseball cap and that was also an option for women, maybe it might not be as big a pain as the typical nurse cap. But really, why are we even discussing this kind of window dressing hoopla when there are so many more serious issues that need our attention.

IMO, this is a Band-Aid being applied to a hemorrhage by people who won't have to do it. And it's a paternalistic throw-back to a time when the image of The Nurse was romanticized and impractical.

Frankly, I think the suits are just jealous that we get to be comfortable and they don't. :D

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Specializes in Trauma/Burn ICU, Neuro ICU.

I worked for a time at the Detroit Medical Center. We wore scrubs, of course, but the RNs all had a big ole hard plastic badge with RN on it, that hung below our ID badge, and the RN was very visible from a good distance.

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We have the big RN tags too. Works fine for us. I think these uniforms look like its Halloween. I wonder how the housekeepers would feel if we put them in black and white traditional maid uniforms? Hey, fair is fair right??

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We have the big RN tags too. Works fine for us. I think these uniforms look like its Halloween. I wonder how the housekeepers would feel if we put them in black and white traditional maid uniforms? Hey, fair is fair right??

Actually the black silk dress of maid's uniforms was only worn either in the afternoon or evening, after the hard work of cleaning the house was done, or by a maid who was not maid of all work such as a lady's maid or strictly parlour maid. That is a maidservant who did not engage in hard manual labour.

The traditional "working" maid's uniform was either shades of solid blue or gray, or blue or gray with small stripes. Quite similar to what student nurses and even some nurses wore back in the day. Such uniforms were made of hard wearing textiles such as serge or twill, better to withstand hard work the wearer would be doing.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
So, people can't tell nurses from housekeepers because everybody wears scrubs. Solution: nurses shouldn't wear scrubs.

Is it just me, or has the world lost its mind?

Why are nurses expected to change? Why can't ancillary services have different uniforms than scrubs. I think it's crazy that nurse are supposed to be inconvenienced.

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I'd wear it. Because my hubby would think that it was totally *hot*.

I don't know that I could take myself terribly seriously in a white dress. I won't wear a hat. But the cute little dress, hose, and some high heeled clogs? I'm considering it.

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Specializes in NICU.

Ummmm, I'm 5'8 and amply chested. Seriously, I think I'd look like a Media star in a traditional white dress. Not a look I'm going for.....although as a jobless new grad, maybe if I wore this on a job interview it would show the hiring manager how respectful I am of the position, and how hard I worked to get where I am. Because apparently my grades, years of hard work, and license just don't communicate what an outdated white dress can, according to so many of the comments on following the article.

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, educator.

We wore white for a while...didn't mind it except when some kid barfed some of the speciality formulas and med on me...then I had to trash the uniform.

As for hats, they are retro, but they not only used to show who was the RN, but every school and different countries had different hats, so you could tell who was from where. At the hospital I went to school at, the nurses could easily id which students were from where by their cap! Of course we all had a bald spot on the top of our heads from the bobby pin we had to use inside to secure it down lol

We wear different colored scrubs now, but our ID's have a HUGE RN on them.

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Specializes in NICU.

So many schools don't use caps anymore (including my own), so that makes the cap that more 'costumey'. If I had to wear one, it would be meaningless, just a goofy looking thing sitting on my head.

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Specializes in OB.

How did the hospital staff get the nurses to go along with this ridiculous idea?

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Specializes in Acute Care Cardiac, Education, Prof Practice.

I don't care what kind of white scrubs you get, my big boobs don't need the attention of completely visible bra lines. White, nude, beige, you name it, it shows.

No no no.

It has been my consistent opinion that ancillary staff should NOT be allowed to wear scrubs.

Tait

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I don't care what kind of white scrubs you get, my big boobs don't need the attention of completely visible bra lines. White, nude, beige, you name it, it shows.

No no no.

It has been my consistent opinion that ancillary staff should NOT be allowed to wear scrubs.

Tait

Why do they wear scrubs?

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