Uniforms

I've worked in places with all levels of uniforms. All white for everyone, specific colors for departments, ceil for CNA's and nurses in patterned or solid scrubs, white coat for Supervisors and above, street clothes for everyone. I think every facility has it's own needs for distinguishing staff, so different or changing requirements are common. Where I currently work it's street clothes for supervisors and above, different colored polos with black pants for everyone else, no titles on badges.

Changes are tough when you've invested time and money in a work wardrobe that works for you, but to be honest it's cheaper and easier to have to wear the same thing everyday. Plus, I do think having a way to distinguish different staff roles in healthcare is a good thing.

I have always worked for an organization that requires certain colors. In our area RN's wear either navy or royal blue.

I have had to wear every color of the rainbow; right now we wear hunter green except for Friday's when we can wear what we want. Nurses normally wear royal blue

Why white? No one likes white.....

I do like color coded scrubs based on role, though. Where I work nurses wear steel-grey and aids wear burgundy.

Visitors and family never, ever, seem to pick up on it, though. No matter if they visit every day for years. The coded scrubs seems more for staff, even though it's always said it's for visitors. And the residents already are well aware of who's who. Usually even the demented ones.

I hate the damn white pants. We all have color coded name tags already anyways. But our LPNs/med cart RNs have white pants, other RNs scrubs and white lab coats. Admin RNs can wear dress clothes but I've been wearing scrubs because it's easier. CNAs can wear anything but white pants. I think the white is bs because I always manage to get blood or treatment creams and ointments or dirt on my lab coat. The temps around the building are always messed up so wearing a long sleeve coat is annoying. It's not the worst but not the best...

The only type environment that I have NOT worn a uniform in is as a psych RN. We wore street clothes and were encouraged NOT to wear scrubs. It honestly did effect how the patients reacted with us. But in every LTC facility I have worked in, we wear uniforms. As a SDC, I wear business casual, but when needed on the floor, we were scrubs. Our CNA wears royal blue, our nurses wear ceil blue, and out management wears black.