The Today Show

SillyLilly · Sep 23, 2006

As a patient and a nurse, a few months ago i found myself asking housekeeping for some medicine while in the hospital.... because there were no uniformed scrubs....

Recently (yesterday) I was hired as a new nurse, and all the nurses on the floor wear white. Bleeeccchhh!

But, the other job I was thinking about taking, everyone wore wine, which i HATE, even more than white.

As long as no one takes my picture, Ill be ok...

So, my point is, yes, it would be easier to differentiate (for some) if each position wore a similar color. I do not see how it would help other wise, and certainly not enough of a big deal to be talked about on the today show.....

Also, I really wish I could read the actual interview, but the links arent working.....

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Sep 23, 2006

If i were ever to go back to a med-surg floor or LTC nursiing, i'd probably opt for the white shirt, navy pants, white shoes and socks combo. One, it wouldn't be hard to pick out what to wear. Two, the navy pants would avoid that hey-look-it's-my-underwear problem that can happen with white pants.

Somehting like this:

The pants, only they would be in Navy

The shirt, in White (minus the embroidery)

However, neither of those items of clothing would prevent me from making med errors lol.

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Sep 23, 2006

Wow, and here we've been all along thinking the keys to preventing medical errors were things like safe ratios, adequate training and supervision, staffing levels that ensure no one is forced to come in and work while sick, etc. and it turns out that all along the problem has been our SCRUBS! I don't know about anyone else, but I sure feel silly!!!

LOL

shodobe · Sep 23, 2006

I think most of you are missing the point.This is not a fashion show and yes, patients STILL have problems distinguishing who is who no matter where you work. It seems most are more concerned about how they look for the day instead of how they are going to act and be percieved by the public. I guess some of you think your professionalism is going to ooze from your pores and a gentle glow will envelope you saying, here I am your NURSE!. It isn't going to happen. I have been in this game for almost 30 years and go to the floors to get patients and STILL can't tell the nurses from the aides because of the way they act not how they look! The rudest thing you can do is walk up to someone, grab their nametag, look at it and say, "OH, your the nurse taking care of so and so"! I do not advocate going back to whites, even though it might help, but people should understand that getting up in the morning to go to work shouldn't include how "cute" they are going to look for their shift. This is just my two cents worth, probably only one cent now, so have at it.

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Sep 23, 2006

I got the point just fine, 9 pages ago. :rolleyes: I was simply elaborating on the clothing issue alone.

Altra, BSN, RN · Sep 23, 2006

I think most of you are missing the point.This is not a fashion show and yes, patients STILL have problems distinguishing who is who no matter where you work. It seems most are more concerned about how they look for the day instead of how they are going to act and be percieved by the public. I guess some of you think your professionalism is going to ooze from your pores and a gentle glow will envelope you saying, here I am your NURSE!. It isn't going to happen. I have been in this game for almost 30 years and go to the floors to get patients and STILL can't tell the nurses from the aides because of the way they act not how they look! The rudest thing you can do is walk up to someone, grab their nametag, look at it and say, "OH, your the nurse taking care of so and so"! I do not advocate going back to whites, even though it might help, but people should understand that getting up in the morning to go to work shouldn't include how "cute" they are going to look for their shift. This is just my two cents worth, probably only one cent now, so have at it.

I respect your opinion. However, frankly, yes I do think my professionalism "oozes from my pores" when I assess my patient competently, titrate their meds appropriately, educate them, constantly reprioritize the needs of all of my patients, use the sixth sense I'm developing to anticipate when things are going to go badly, and play mediator when docs & patients/families are not communicating adequately.

Having said that, I do believe there are some firm limits - visible tattoos & piercings, excessive jewelry, or any tummy or cleavage exposure is absolutely unacceptable, in my view. But in my town, on football Sundays, you'll find everyone from docs to dietary in their game shirts. :)

Elisheva · Sep 23, 2006

Don't know how to achieve it, but I do wish there was a separate and distinquishable "look" for the nurse.

Go ahead, flame me for it, but I wore all whites 10 years ago. Often, I wore white dress uniforms, even - oh, yes, I'll say it, the hose! No cap, though. Maybe it was just my imagination or my "legend in my own self-important mind", but I felt I commanded more respect - not because my uniform was white - but because patients knew who and what I was!

There's something to be said for a uniform and a polished look: policemen know it, the military knows it. It says I belong to a group of professionals who had to pay a price to get where they are.

Shoot me. I liked it.

ArmyMSN · Sep 23, 2006

This is actually the policy for the facility where I work. All nurses wear purple scrubs, CNAs/techs all wear yellow, unit assitants wear pale green, etc. It is helpful for staff but doesn't seem to help patients, except that we can ask "do you recall what color the person was wearing?" and then explain the color system to the patient (not that they ever remember it). I don't have anything against the policy, makes shopping for work clothes easier
RNin'08
~my reality check bounced~

I'm embarassed by what some of our colleagues wear. I ran into an LPN from another unit - he was dressed in blue camaflaouge (sp) scubs. He might be the best nurse ever, but the scrubs don't give him or the hospital much credibility. I prefer that nurses represent their profession by dressing more professional -

LeahJet, ASN, RN · Sep 23, 2006

hey-look-it's-my-underwear problem

~snicker~

parrotmom · Sep 23, 2006

Did everyone miss the post a page or so back that said she worked a shift with poop on her uniform???? If this happened regardless of your clothing color can I say hazardous? I keep a spare set of work clothes in my car as I work far from home or in my locker. It is the fact that someone would work with stains all over their clothes that lends the criticas to say we do't dress professionally. With white you are right there is no hiding a stain so no choice but tochange. I am not a white fan wore them for clinicals and just in case kept a TIDE pen in my pocket. I didn't get bllod poop or pee or any food products on them and yes I had to kneel down on the floor a few times as well. This is an issue like many othrs never to be resolved until AMerica as a whole takes prie in itself and stops wearing yard work clothes to go shopping and clubbing cllothes to church and work. It's not about what others think but how you respect yourself and I for one am old fasioned and believe you dress nicely when you go out in public to eat or shop or work. I believe I am treated better by the places I go as well. Have tried the dress two different ways and see how I am treated experiment. Dress for success!

shodobe · Sep 23, 2006

I respect your opinion. However, frankly, yes I do think my professionalism "oozes from my pores" when I assess my patient competently, titrate their meds appropriately, educate them, constantly reprioritize the needs of all of my patients, use the sixth sense I'm developing to anticipate when things are going to go badly, and play mediator when docs & patients/families are not communicating adequately.
Having said that, I do believe there are some firm limits - visible tattoos & piercings, excessive jewelry, or any tummy or cleavage exposure is absolutely unacceptable, in my view. But in my town, on football Sundays, you'll find everyone from docs to dietary in their game shirts. :)

You are an exception. Unfortunately it doesn't apply to everyone. Where I work it seems the staff, not all though, are of the opinion they are "over priced babysitters" that don't need to have an air of professiomalism. They just don't look or act the part. We do, however, have quite a number of very good, well qualified, dedicated nurses who have about them the aura of what it takes to be a nurse. The others are from waaaaaaaaay out of town and brought with them many, many bad habits from around the world. They really give their fellow country men and women a bad rep. I blame alot of this on upper management who mostly doesn't give a rat's a*s on what goes on in their departments. You don't have to be hard nose but need to show some discipline in how your staff acts, I know mine does.

thumperRN · Sep 23, 2006

how in the heck can staff even remember who's who and who's what when the administration has purposefully created labelling smoke screens. invented, imho, to keep the patient from realizing that the housekeeper from yesterday has now become the phlebologist.

couldn't have said it better!!! what happened to rn, lpn/lvn, nurse's aide, and unit secretary?? at the job i have been at for the last couple of months they have the most ridiculous terminology for the employees!! give me a break - no wonder know one knows who we are!! :uhoh21: