Hi Everyone - this is my first post and my first dumb question - but I'm sure there will be many more to come! :)
Anyway, I am starting an ASN program in the fall (Thomas Jefferson University) and I know it's a long way off, but do nursing students wear scrubs to regular class every day? There is a school by my house and I ALWAYS see nursing students in scrubs even though they are in class and not clinicals.
I will be working all summer so I want to get as many things together before the fall, including clothes shopping.
My instructors considered scrubs "contaminated" after a day in the hospital, what with the MRSA, c-dif, and god knows what else is floating around in there... I guess I am inclined to agree.
Sorry but your instructors need to think that through all the way, for MRSA, C-diff, etc wear the contact/isolation precautions such as plastic gown, disposable stethoscopes in those rooms, no universal bp cuffs, etc. If all of this is not being done as well it won't make a difference about whats on the scrubs because it's all over every single piece of equipment.
And thats just the nasty bugs, I have seen seasoned nurses including some instructors in non contact rooms not wiping their stethoscopes between patients or wearing gloves up cutting a hole in them in order to feel a vein.
Here's another thing for your instructors If MRSA, c-diff, and VRE are already on your scrubs due to only following standard precautions and not isolation ones as well then what do they think happenss when you drive home and it's on your your car seats & now the whole car is contaminated as well. So even w/a new pair of scrubs or regular clothes on it's still in the car reinfecting every new item.
Do they honestly believe that regular clothes in lecture as opposed to scrubs is any less likely to be carrying these things?
Specializes in Urgent Care NP, Emergency Nursing, Camp Nursing.
My school expressly prohibits us from wearing our scrubs outside of clinical or specific community events. If we use private transportation we can arrive/leave in scrubs, but if we use public transport we need to change at the site. We are encouraged to wear white lab coats while in lab sections, but hardly anyone in my cohort does.
We were only allowed to wear them to clinical rotations. Reasoning was you should not be wearing scrubs in community and possibly transmitting bacteria. We are encouraged to change at work.
Your school will inform you as to class policy and dress code. At my school, we have to wear scrubs to school and of course to clinicals. Check w/your school first. Welcome to the world of nursing!
Do they honestly believe that regular clothes in lecture as opposed to scrubs is any less likely to be carrying these things?
Dirty scrubs after working? Yes, they absolutely do.
BTW - some of those isolation patients aren't identified for several days, and therefore nurses aren't necessarily wearing gowns, gloves, etc at first contact.
Specializes in Pediatric Intensive Care, Urgent Care.
Hi Everyone - this is my first post and my first dumb question - but I'm sure there will be many more to come! :)
Anyway, I am starting an ASN program in the fall (Thomas Jefferson University) and I know it's a long way off, but do nursing students wear scrubs to regular class every day? There is a school by my house and I ALWAYS see nursing students in scrubs even though they are in class and not clinicals.
I will be working all summer so I want to get as many things together before the fall, including clothes shopping.
Thanks in advance :)
some schools require you to wear scrubs to both and some only to clinicals. Ours only requires for clinicals and you can wear your own clothes to lecture...
I wore scrubs to class almost everyday, only because I went straight to school from work, where I had to wear scrubs. Packing regular clothes to bring to work to change into for school was just one more thing to have to remember. None of my instructors ever said a word to me about it.
Specializes in Retired OR nurse/Tissue bank technician.
In my RN and BScN program, we never wore scrubs to class, unless we were heading to clinicals right after, say for evening shift.
However, there is a course here for nursing assistants and they have to wear their scrubs every day, even if they are in class, because they will be practicing skills and they don't want them doing them in jeans or skirts.
Plus, when they're walking through the facility, they look more professional in their scrubs.
I wore scrubs my first day of nursing school (was going to work straight from school so I thought it would be ok). My instructor was very nice about it, but basically used me as an example when telling everone what NOT to wear to school. Ugh!
She said it had to do with the fact that the school views the health care environment as a place where germs can be spread about, and I shouldn't be wearing scrubs to or from school that might be worn at work so as to avoid spreading germs.
Nicole2010
127 Posts
Our dress requirment it to wear our school scrubs while on campus & at clinicals. It makes getting dressed easy!