Uniforms and dress codes

[inkedRN]

I currently work in med/surg (although I will be moving to the ED in a week ). The hospital I work at has a committee looking into requiring their med/surg RNs to wear "uniforms". Essentially they will tell us what color scrubs to wear, but we will be required to buy and launder our own scrubs, so my thinking is it's really a dress code and not a uniform. Their reasoning for doing this is the claim that MDs can't tell between the RNs and the Techs and the RNs don't look "professional" enough.

Personally I think it's a terrible idea, as do many of the other RNs and techs, but we're pretty much being over ruled by a handful of older RNs and bigwigs. If a MD wants to know if I am an RN they are free to ask me at any time. Additionally, while they have said they will not provide us with scrubs, nor will they give us an allowance to buy them, the currently provide our L&D and OR RNs with scrubs which seems kind of unfair.

So my questions are;

1) Does your hospital require a uniform or dress code and if so, what color, type, etc

2) Do they purchase and launder your scrubs

3) How do you feel about it

TIA

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

horrorxgirl, hem your pants! If you can't sew buy the iron-on tape. Even in dark colors dragging hems look awful and sloppy.

[horrorxgirl]

Most of my pants are already hemmed and this still hasn't corrected the ring around the bottom of the pants problem. You just can't see it on my dark pants. And I don't dare wear white ones.

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

If they have a ring around the bottom they aren't short enough. :)

Make a past from Oxyckean and let it sit for awhile then stick them in a cold wash, then hot. I'll bet the rings come out.

[sunnycalifRN]

Where I work, you can wear whatever you want (within reason, of course). Scrubs are not required. A few nurses just wear street clothes. A couple of the guys wear a scrub top with jeans. But, 98% of the nurses wear scrubs . . . but, every color in the rainbow, some of the young at heart wear "pedi" scrubs with teddy bears or Hello Kitty! But, your ID badge must be visible, of course.

[imaRN08]

everyone in my facility is allowed to wear whatever color they want. we all have extra large ID tags that hang under our badges in contrasting colors (dark green with white lettering) that say RN, Tech, Secretary, Chaplin, etc. the only rules we have regarding our attire is no crocs or open toed or open heel shoes. we can wear whatever color shoes we want, but we are strongly encouraged to wear white.

[cardiacmadeline, RN]

As I said before, Cartoon scrubs are inappropriate in adult patient units - Your credability goes downhill when trying to assess a patient at 0400 with Strawberry Shortcake scrubs

I have mixed feelings on this issue. I have a couple of print tops (not cartoon characters) that I wear when I am running low on scrubs. I don't like wearing them much, because I don't feel as professional in them. But that is just me. I personally will never wear cartoon scrubs at work, but if others want to do it, that's their decision. I do think with certain patients, your credibility does go downhill wearing a Sponge Bob top, but other patients may like them. I also think it would be hard to be seen as a professional wearing a Care Bears top, but then on the other hand, it has a lot to do with your personality and professionalism. I wonder if there are studies out there comparing nurses who wear cartoon tops (on adult units) and nurses who wear plain colored scrubs and if they are perceived any differently among other health care professionals, patient, and families. Hmmmm, that would be interesting to see.

[KParkerRN06]

The hospital I work at has a dress code more than uniforms. Nurses have to wear ceil blue pants and whatever top you want. MCTs wear navy pants and respiratoy wears royal blue pants. Its not great when you think about all the cute scrub outfits out there that you want to wear but can't. It is good because you can easily identify the role of people you don't know. Patients and visitors dont get it because they dont pay attention to such things. But it is convenient to know what your coworkers can do, and for them to know who you are as well.

[OldnurseRN]

Our facility "requires" nurses to wear white. Most wear white pants only and whatever they want on top, t-shirts with hospital logo, print scrubs, colored scrubs. I always wear white; pants, tops, shoes, and shirts. I do have many printed and colored scrub jackets that I wear over my uniforms. My only exception is that "regular" staff have designated Fridays as"Wear Red Day Support Or Troops" and if everyone can do that I think I can, too. I wear red scrub pants, and printed scrub top and a red scrub jacket. The last hospital I worked at we all wore navy blue scrubs and a blue palid scrub top, all provided by the hospital. If you worked full time you received 5 sets of top and pants and 2 jackets. Didn't particularly care for the color but was nice to not buy them. Every year you turned in the worn ones for new.

[husker_rn, RN]

Nurses and CNAs wear purple and each department has their own color. And it means nothing to the patient population....if you wear scrubs they think you are a nurse. We buy and launder our own scrubs.