what do you wear on your job?

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As a school nurse, what do you wear? White pants with what kind of top?scrubs? shirt? and what color :confused: Is there a standard dress code nationwide or does it depend per school?i am a new nurse who will be on call for a per diem position for public schools in the city. Since,I'm not being hired by the DOE but will work as a contract nurse, I thought I could get some help here re: this topic.

many thanks in advance to whoever takes time to read/answer this.

Since I'm in an educational setting I wear business casual. We are allowed to wear whatever we want. Some of the nurses in our district do wear scrubs. I feel more comfortable being perceived as one of the staff doing whatever it takes to help the kids be in school to learn-not as a separate professional entity. I did try scrubs when I would substitute which was nice because everyone knew who I was. Scrubs are very comfortable but I felt sloppy and unprofessional in them. I asked other staff and they didn't think they were unprofessional so it was just me since I felt like I was in my pajamas.

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Specializes in School Nursing.
Business casual all the way. School is not a hospital or doctor's office, and I am not at work to take care of sick kids. Sick kids are sent home. I wear the same attire that my co-workers wear.

Don't you take care of the sick kids until their parent/guardian picks them up ? :nurse:

Praiser :redbeathe

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I wear scrubs. I am working as a substitute right now, so I am an unfamiliar face to the students and feel that the scrubs identify me as a medical professional. I have asked at the districts that I sub in and they are split-some wear scrubs, some wear business casual.

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Specializes in corrections, MH, geriatrics.
Don't you take care of the sick kids until their parent/guardian picks them up ? :nurse:

Praiser :redbeathe

Hi Praiser,

Of course, there are incidences of hypo or hyperglycemia with my diabetic students, and asthma attacks, and the like just like at any school. I stay with those children until their acute symptoms are resolved or EMS arrives or whatever the resolution is. However, a child who is complaining of a run of the mill tummy ache or something of that sort is directed to the school office to call their parent first.

Not every school has a school nurse on staff five days a week, and the ones that do seem to take advantage of that fact sometimes. Not always, but sometimes.

Back to clothing again, I think if your district allows it_what you wear is apersonal choice and reflection of yourself. I don't have any hidden aspirations to be working at a ped's family practice, so I leave the scrubs alone.

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Specializes in School Nursing, Ambulatory Care, etc..

Most days I wear scrubs - somedays business casual (if I haven't hadd time to iron). Fridays are jeans and a school shirt.

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Specializes in corrections, MH, geriatrics.

I wanted to add something, because I know that the written word can be misconstrued sometimes...I am absolutely not against scrubs (if your workplace allows them). I like their durability and some of them truly are very cute, but I just choose not to wear them because I don't have to. If you can, and that is your choice, there is nothing wrong with that. :nurse:

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Most days I wear scrubs - somedays business casual (if I haven't hadd time to iron). Fridays are jeans and a school shirt.

This is what I do as well. On jean days I usually wear a scrub jacket or lab jacket or something too though b/c I LOVE having pockets for med cart keys, pens, etc. I also always wear some sort of sneaker for the support/comfort (I'm overweight and my feet hurt) and to me that just goes better with scrubs than business casual.

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Business casual all the way. School is not a hospital or doctor's office, and I am not at work to take care of sick kids. Sick kids are sent home. I wear the same attire that my co-workers wear.

Same here. I'm brand new at this. But the atmosphere is definitely not like a hospital or doctor's office.

I could wear scrubs - but I don't like them anyway.

I do wear sneakers sometimes though. :coollook: I like to take walks at lunch.

steph

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Don't you take care of the sick kids until their parent/guardian picks them up ? :nurse:

Praiser :redbeathe

Not really - the health aide at each school does that.

I'm the paper pusher really. Most of my contact is vision and hearing screenings. Not skinned knees or bloody noses.

I was surprised at that.

steph

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Business casual. I would love to wear scrubs, though--for comfort, and so that I don't look like the teachers. I would rather be immediately identifiable as the nurse.:)

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Just a side note: I had being wearing scrubs for a couple months and decided to change to casual dress clothes so I wouldn't feel self-conscious running errands after work and feel more like one of the team. Well I don't know how many staff and students ask why I was no longer wearing scrubs and when I told them they were like "oh". I could tell they much preferred me in my scrubs looking like a nurse and the kids missed my cartoon prints and apparently looked foward to seeing what I was wearing each day. I'm back to scrubs and even though I truly feel more professional in casual dress with a labcoat or even solid scrubs, I stick with what makes the kids most comfortable and happy.

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