Uniforms.. color scrubs vs whites

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Is anyone else sick of hearing "I can't tell the nurses from the housekeeper"? My response is "here's a hint... your nurse is the one who does your assessment, gives you pills, pokes you with needles, etc and the housekeeper takes the trash out, mops the floor, cleans the toilet, etc". A nurse who does not introduce him or herself will not start doing so just because of a white uniform. I wish people would put the responsibility back on the nurse and stop blaming the color of the uniform for pt's not knowing who's who. Does anyone else agree? I'm sure I cannot be the only one who feels this way.

Specializes in Paeds, Gen surg, Coronary Care, ED.

just a few points:

1: we are a proffessional body. they traditional white uniform, while looking smart, conjures up the nurses role of yesteryear, while as fabulous as they were, were not the clinicians we are today.

people remember this. the subservience, "yes doctor, what ever you say doctor"

2: as many other people have said on this thread, the way scrubs are being worn, we look scrappy.

scrubs are only just starting to be introduced in our hospital. but these are hospital issue uniforms, they have the hospital logo on it, and then the department eg "critical care" where it has started to be introduced.

it looks fabulous. but so many people say that they are uncomfortable, the elastic in the pants are too tight. and you cant wear your own pants.

in my honest opinion, if we could have it our way, i think i would prefer to wear smart clothing. not a uniform. why should we wear a uniform? we are professionals! the doctors dont wear a uniform. physiotherapists don't. social work doesnt.

we have earned the right to wear what ever the heck we like. we have studied just as hard as the people i have mentioned. if we want to stop being seen as "para-professional" (something that a surveyor called me..... what the *** would he know?!) we should start dressing like we want to be seen.

bare in mind, that i have no idea what the american allied health workers wear.

this is from observation in australia.

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Specializes in Education, Administration, Magnet.

I do think that house keeping and secretaries shouldn't be in scrubs. There are plenty of other more suitable options.

I agree. Just because people work in a hospital doesn't mean we all should wear scrubs. There are house keepers, kitchen staff and secretaries working outside of the hospital who never wore scrubs in their life. Does a job in a hospital (any job) entitle anyone to start wearing them. I don't think so.

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Specializes in Day Surgery/Infusion/ED.
I am one of those ER nurses who wears scrub tops with pretty, cute, and funny prints. I'm sorry I do not look professional to you, but ya know what? The little girl who was scared to death to even let me take her temperature started smiling when she saw the animals on my top, and she had fun naming them off with her mom. The man who came in last week who was tired and just not feeling good got a laugh out of the comic strip I had on that day.

I think I'll keep my "unprofessional-looking" outfits.

Yep. I wore a new outfit today that got rave reviews; really nice jacket with coordinated pants. Not one pt. complained that I wasn't in white. I have had many pts. brighten up when they see my jackets. Not all of our pts. are elderly; many of us work in areas where we see pts. across the spectrum. I am not going to dress in a manner that is going to terrify a portion of my pts. To me, that is unprofessional.

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Specializes in Day Surgery/Infusion/ED.
Ok this might fan some flames!!!!

IMO this is a huge problem!

Nurses at my hospital look like BUMS! they where mixed match scrubs, printed vests of all description, crazy jewelry, last night's hair!!!...what the hell ever!!...honestly if it weren't for a stethascope and the badge I could not tell them apart from half the skids that stroll into the ED!

What does this say to, patients, co-workers, and prospective employees???

1. We are not a team!----when's the last time you saw the chicago bulls stoll out on the court in whatever they please- as long as it is high tops and shorts

2. We are not professionals!---do you ever see trial lawyer's show up in comfy clothes, to fight for thier clients interests!

3. Respect is not really important!---have't we earned the right to wear a Nurses uniform?---try stripping a uniform off a serviceman..or service women

4. The doctors are the only ones who know anything!-- I mean, you are in an intimidating place, at a vunerable time--and you can't tell between the janitor and the nurse?...who do you want to put your trust into?

5. They must not be regulated very tightly?---The fact that our proffession is so tightly regulated is not represented when we present ourselves like this---when you walk into a casino, every single job has its own very distinguishable uniform, it says: this place is tightly run--and we know what's going on, all the time.

On this board I constantly read posts that have a common thread, how we are not respected and treated like the professionals we are. There are many obstacles to solving this problem, and IMO this is step one! I am not saying everyone in the country must be in starched whites,...but ...there needs to be some cohesiveness with our uniforms, for the 5 reasons cited above.

PS. I know that this is not the case for all hospitals and treament centers, but for many it is.

This makes absolutely no sense.

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I am pleased to say our unit secretaries wear casual business attire. Administration--business attire. And when a couple of senior nurses do a rotation in the nursing office, NO scrubs: business attire!

Housekeeping does wear a uniform that is not a set of scrubs, although I suppose the patients would have to look closely to notice the difference. Beyond that, anything goes.

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Ok this might fan some flames!!!!

IMO this is a huge problem!

Nurses at my hospital look like BUMS! they where mixed match scrubs, printed vests of all description, crazy jewelry, last night's hair!!!...what the hell ever!!...honestly if it weren't for a stethascope and the badge I could not tell them apart from half the skids that stroll into the ED!

What does this say to, patients, co-workers, and prospective employees???

1. We are not a team!----when's the last time you saw the chicago bulls stoll out on the court in whatever they please- as long as it is high tops and shorts

2. We are not professionals!---do you ever see trial lawyer's show up in comfy clothes, to fight for thier clients interests!

3. Respect is not really important!---have't we earned the right to wear a Nurses uniform?---try stripping a uniform off a serviceman..or service women

4. The doctors are the only ones who know anything!-- I mean, you are in an intimidating place, at a vunerable time--and you can't tell between the janitor and the nurse?...who do you want to put your trust into?

5. They must not be regulated very tightly?---The fact that our proffession is so tightly regulated is not represented when we present ourselves like this---when you walk into a casino, every single job has its own very distinguishable uniform, it says: this place is tightly run--and we know what's going on, all the time.

On this board I constantly read posts that have a common thread, how we are not respected and treated like the professionals we are. There are many obstacles to solving this problem, and IMO this is step one! I am not saying everyone in the country must be in starched whites,...but ...there needs to be some cohesiveness with our uniforms, for the 5 reasons cited above.

PS. I know that this is not the case for all hospitals and treament centers, but for many it

:nurse: Aren't we trying to get away from the Nun image of nursing??

I don't think judges and trial lawyers have to deal with body fluids on a daily basis either!!!!!!!!!

Some people are slobs and look like slobs no matter what they wear!!!!

You should introduce yourself to your clients every time you walk in if they are disoriented.

I think it is your fault if your patient does not know who you are!!! It has nothing to do with dress code!!

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You might start changing you mind about some of this anit-white stuff when you get a little older and start being the paitent

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Specializes in Day Surgery/Infusion/ED.

I doubt it, because my frame of reference for a nurse will not be of a female dressed in starched whites and a cap.

If you're hot for wearing all whites, by all means do so. But some of us do find it possible to wear colored scrubs without looking like slobs. FWIW, I use light spray starch on all my scrubs to maintain a crisp look. I've seen plenty of all white outfits that lloked more befitting a dishwasher in a restaurant.

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I have been a patient and so has my husband.

The color of the uniform makes no difference what so ever in quality of care.

I would personally much rather look at something colorful and with a little style than a boring white uniform.

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IMO this is a huge problem!

...Nurses at my hospital look like BUMS![/b] they where mixed match scrubs, printed vests of all description, crazy jewelry, last night's hair!!!...what the hell ever!!...honestly if it weren't for a stethascope and the badge I could not tell them apart from half the skids that stroll into the ED!

What does this say to, patients, co-workers, and prospective employees???

...

AND

...Some people are slobs and look like slobs no matter what they wear!!!!

You should introduce yourself to your clients every time you walk in if they are disoriented.

I agree in part, yes we should introduce ourselves, but mixed up and sick patients will still think that the janitor who comes in wearing scrubs is a health professional too, if not an actual RN. Same for anyone else in scrubs who do not introduce themselves. And for 'what does that say about ourselves'? I do think that nurses need to think about appearances, but the mix you describe is same everywhere...in all walks of life, some women wear unflattering clothes, unflattering hairdo's, too much jewelry, and so on...its not just related to nurses. All it screams is "I have bad fashion taste" and all it reflects upon is the person wearing "last night's" makeup & hair.

I used to be in the 'special color' for nurses school of thinking, but now I've changed my mind (that's what I get for forming an opinion before I was a working RN). Now I vote just for nice large name tags, or perhaps the idea of a sewn patch on scrubs which say RN. My rationale: 1) about one color just for RN's: unless every other department stops allowing scrubs, and unless nurses can't accessorize with other color jackets and sweaters, confused patients will never keep the colors straight so issuing a special color for nurses is a moot point 2) about scrubs in general instead of a uniform for nurses: scrubs in general are comfortable and nurses of old who work starched white did not work 12 hour shifts. 3) scrubs are inexpensive and can go right into washer and dryer numerous times, most of my other clothes can't and we all know that nurse's scrubs cannot be worn a second day without laundering- EVER!!! 4) about the color white: white scrubs get wrinklier and show more general wear and in a 12 hour shift are more likely to be speckled with tiny reminiscents of the patient care we provide all day and which I have to confess that I'm happy not to see until I go home and wash my print top... and lastly 5) about spongebob and Betty Boop: I think these are appropriate in Ped's but not in adult ICU. But then again, I really don't care all that much if a co-worker happens to prefer cartoons to Hawaiian flowers. The patients don't ask us what we think about THEIR taste in clothes, so we don't need their approval about ours. All that should be required is that we show up with a set of fresh clean scrubs, and without truly unprofessional stuff like rings through our lips (that can look shocking/scary especially to an elderly patient) ready for our shift! (but I DO like the idea of special and larger name badges or perhaps a sewn on patch...even if patients can't really read them, others can.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Peds, NICU, PICU, adult ICU.

I think that color coding personel is a good idea, However white is symbolic of a time that has passed. Nursing has evolved.

I do not believe I will ever wish that nurses wear white, I have never known this. Even the nurses in the pictures from the day I was born were not wearing white they were all dressed in Navy blue (which still happens to be what the nurses in maternity wear to this day @ that hospital)

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I like the idea of some kind of clear identifying something for nurses on the floor that can be observed from down the hall at a glance - something like a certain uniform or colored jacket or I don't know - something obvious.

As a nurse, I want to know at a glance who the other staff are and where they are. With shiftwork, floating staff and agency staff, it can be hard to figure out who is who on the floor each shift. I don't want to have to walk up to a person and see their badge to realize that they're the physical therapist or an aide and not another nurse. If I need a housekeeper or an aide, I want to be able to scan the halls and readily see if there's one nearby. While not many people like wearing white as students, I think it's good that regular staff can easily identify who the nursing students are when they're on the floor.

In a small unit, these things wouldn't be such a concern, but in larger units with lots of people coming and going, quick recognition would be a help in my opinion.

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