Wearing scrubs home?

[Lee_Ryan]

Hi, I'm curious about nurses' scrubs in US. Is it true that you need to buy your own scrubs and wash it yourself at home? I saw on tv, some people wear scrubs on their way to/from home and somewhere in between, is it also happening? In Finland where I work, the facilities always provide uniforms for their staff (nurses, doctors, students, therapist, etc). We leave them at work after shift and the hospital laundry will take care of it. We just need to bring our own shoes. I would like to learn about nurses in other countries too! What is it like in your place?

Thanks!

Ryan

[applewhitern, BSN, RN]

I would be THRILLED if someone provided my scrubs! I've always had to buy my own, and wash my own. I have never worked in any hospital that gave us a clothing allowance or assisted in any way. I have noticed that lab personnel are given lab coats (disposable, but nice) but nurses aren't. I find that odd since I work in ICU and draw specimens, etc., all day long. We can't even borrow scrubs from the hospital if ours get soiled, we are expected to bring an extra set to work with us, and put them in our itsy-bitsy, tiny lockers.

[ponymom]

I've posted about this in the past:

I always changed before leaving the nh or hospital. I started doing this during clinicals.

In my nursing career I never once, ever, wore scrubs or nursing shoes home or even inside my vehicle. At end of clinicals or shift, I put down newspaper on the floor, pulled off scrubs inside out and stuffed them in a plastic bag, which I placed in my work bag. Changed clothing but put nursing shoes back on. Proceed out to truck, nursing shoes kept in a foil or repurposed catlitter pan in back box of said truck. I kept Cavi-wiped and Lysol out there and used it on shoes. Nursing shoes never, ever were inside my house.

I never hung my coat up at work, it was kept folded inside my bag, which was kept on sheet of newspaper in the corner or in a Cavi-wiped locker, also on a sheet of newspaper. I didn't want smoke stink on it. It was also a specific coat which was only worn to work.

When I got home, nursing clothes went straight to the cellar and we're washed out there in a Pine-Sol solution. Coat, hat and gloves were kept in the cellar and washed several times during the season.

In my factory job, we are supplied work clothing, which the company also launders and returns to dedicated lockers. The clothing has our name on it and they hang them in our lockers for us. We also have full-sized lockers in our lockers room and out on the shop floor; all dedicated. Everyone has three lockers, some people (myself included) have four. They also supply shoes.

[Green Tea, RN]

I work in OR in the us. I go to work in my street clothes, and I get my scrubs from a scrub machine before my shift starts. I like this way because I need to do laundry less at home.

[Orion81RN]

Just had an awful image of Davey's tighty whiteys showing through his white scrub pants, mind bleach please. I hated the white scrubs too, ah the good old days.

This had me dying!

[Orion81RN]

When I was a working nurse, I wore my scrubs to and from the hospital/nursing home. I'd come home and go down the back stairs to the bottom floor of our house where our laundry room was, and peel off clothes as I went. I tossed everything in the washer and headed straight for the bathroom to take a shower. Shoes were left out in the garage...no way was I tracking all the little germies I brought home across my living room.

Exactly. My clothes are already halfway off by the time I'm past the long entrance hallway heading right toward the laundry room. My shoes are the 1st to go....right along with my bra. Although, my bra comes right off no matter where I've just returned from. I would insert an emoji here, but for the life of me can't figure out how. And this is where I'd insert an embarrassed emoji for not knowing how.

Gosh darn it. The emoji option is only popping up when I edit or start a new thread myself.