Tooniforms

[fergus51]

What do you all think about uniforms with patterns or cartoon characters? I have a Marvin the Martian warm-up jacket that I use mostly on Peds, but I don't see anything horrible about wearing it in L&D or PP at the nursing station where it is ALWAYS freezing. One of the other nurses I work with finds it offensive...Any thoughts?

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

I work peds ICU now, and before that special care nursery. I have always dressed for my patients. Little kids become so terrified of lab-coated people that they start screaming if one simply walks by. Wearing white, as Matt has advocated, would be the height of impracticality for me. Ever tried to get povidone-iodine out of white clothes? Or pyridium out of anything? Tooniforms can be very helpful in certain instances, such as with the head-injured child who is suddenly noted to be following the nurse's uniform top with his eyes. :) Having cheerful scrubs on also helps diffuse parents' anxiety a little, because they can see at a glance that I understand kids. When we have adolescents in the unit, I sometimes will wear my "Ricky Martin La Vida Loca Tour Road Crew" t-shirt; can't tell you how many teenagers will talk to me when I have it on. And if my patient or their family can't quite remember my name, they usually remember what I'm wearing.

[live4today, RN]

Originally posted by Susy K

Actually, Renee, your post points out how uniforms DO help to differentiate who is who, even to a 4 year old.

Nowadays, that 4 year old wouldn't be able to tell - trust me.

Hi Suzy K, :)

To children, teens, geriatric, psych, and even many "other" patients unmentioned, they enjoy the tooney tops versus the all white. Children are especially less fearful of tooney tops than they are of the all white effect. Psych patients do not like the white effect either.

My motto is: When in Rome, do as the Romans do, so if a hospital's policy is for their nursing staff to wear white, then white it should be. If the hospital's policy states tooney tops, different color scrubs, or white are all acceptable based on the unit's choice of what they desire to wear to work, then I go with the flow there too. How we dress or don't dress is NOT the major issue that we need to be arguing over. The BIG issue that we need to continue our focus on is all this animosity and crown wearing that is going on in the field of nursing. :imbar This is what embarrases me as a nurse.

[Momma_Penguin]

:) I think those kind of uniforms are cute!! In fact I just got a compliment last nite from 1 of our residents who told me she liked " the pretty hearts and flowers" on my scrub jacket and esp liked when I showed her my 'easter bunny' (LOL) pink scrubs.... she said "you girls always try to dress so colorfully" I bet she'd love to see a few toony scrubs.....I think that being "Professional" is in your approach, knowledge, how much you care to do the job well. I have seen very 'professionally dressed' nurses with poor skills and attitudes. Now I do think you need to be very well kept and clean, not looking like a bum. But as for colorful scrubs, my residents like them, administration says we can wear them, and I am quite happy to do so!!! :) :) :) Laura LPN

[duckie]

Both my husband and myself are in LTC. We are permitted to wear any type of uniform we want to. So we have ours made. Our residents love the different scrubs we all wear. My husband is the "harley" type, complete with long hair and one of his residents told him she had to stay alive just to see what he'd be wearing the next day. He has some very colorful shirts and the residents always love them. I love the ability to express myself in what I wear. I wear lots of Snoopy, Tweety, any cute critter, smiley faces (my residents love those) and about four dozen more varieties. Our residents love the bright colors and the fact that we don't "all look alike". Of course, in a LTC setting, the residents know who each staff member is, I can see why perhaps in a hospital setting it could be different. I've always said I can't change jobs because I've spent too much money on my scrubs.

[teeituptom, BSN, RN]

Howdy Yall

From deep in the heart of Texass

For me personally, I prefer wearing a color that tells everybody who and what we are. Im 50 y/o gray hair and beard. The blue we have to wear here identifies us as a nurse. Just because Im older and gray does not mean Im a doctor. Never wanted to be actually. Either a doctor or old and gray. One Im not by choice and the other I cant avoid. So for myself I love the idea of different colors representing who and what we are.

keep it in the short grass yalll

teeituptom