I was reading the paper this morning, and this topic was mentioned in teh "Ask Marilyn" column. The question and answer was this
"A question has been bothering me since I moved to a city that is home to some of the finest hospitals in the world. When I use public transportation, I see people wearing scrub suits to work. Is this acceptable? I had thought employees were supposed to change into scrubs provided at the hospital in order to leave outside germs at the door"-
and her answer
"You're right. I've noticed the same phenomenon in other cities, too. If those people are hospital employees they are endangering patients and should be reported to hospital authorities. Another growing problem is scrubs being stolen and word in other places, such as the subway, to convey an impression of respectability. Anyone seen wearing scrubs outside an appropriate environment should be regarded with caution"
What do you think?
WHen i was a student, so recently, we had to wear our scrubs into the hospital, we were told not to change at the hospital. Here I saw the OB nurses and OR nurses were the only ones who had uniforms provided to them to change into at the hospital.
The problem with scrubs is that not everyone, who wears them works in the medical field or provides direct patient care. I've worked in clinics and offices, where the receptionist wore scrubs. Also, dental assistants, vet techs, etc., wear scrubs- so those people who want to complain about someone wearing them in public are going to have a tough time figuring out where that person works.
Maybe the high guys in the tower want us spreading germs...it's good for business....
I do think, however, that only those directly involved with patient care should wear scrubs. The hospital I just left let anyone wear scrubs and when you have people keeping their badges in their pocket, turned around or covered in stickers-how is the patient suppose to know who is who? Plus patient safety could be an issue. What if there is a woman whose husband put her in the hospital and he dressed in scrubs to get to her to room to cause more harm? In a city near me, they had a man go into his wife's room and dump poison into her feeding tube to kill her. (It worked)
I don't know how it is in your facility, but where I've worked, we had to wear lab coats over our scrubs to leave the OR. We also changed our shoe covers when returning. There has been recent discussion about the purpose of this though, esp. since several surgeons wear their scrubs all over the hospital & return to the OR w/out changing. I might also add that this facility has the lowest infection rates in the state. When you think about it, we're bringing a patient- say a total hip- to the OR, sometimes in traction, in their own bed, roll the bed into the PACU for lines, then into the OR...onto the OR table....using a draw sheet on the bed....alot of literature says shoe covers, masks, etc. are all part of "sacred cows" of nursing. I don't know....I guess until proven otherwise we'll continue to do what we're told (& the surgeons will do what they want!).
To me its very interesting to discover that we use allmost the same procedure at the other side of the world: We have to cover OR scrubs with a new coat, if leaving the area.
Also its interesting about what Y'r wrighting about masks! I have also read a study about that, that made the same results!
We dont use shoe-covers anymore in OR, we'r changing shoes,- in a special locker zoone. Visitors can borrow visitor shoes. The manager of Hygiene in Nursing and our Cheif of Infection Medicin have come to that conclution that if you have to cover y'r shoes, Y'l probably touch the floor, and THE FLOOR IS THE MOST CONTAMINATED PLACE in the hospital at all....
But; IF Y'R WORKING ON WARDS ON ISOLATION ROOM: F.EX. WITH MRSA AND CL.DIFF.; THEN Y'Ve TO COVER Y'R SHOES (PROBABLY B.CAUSE Y CROSS THAT CONTAMINATED ZONE OFTEN, WITHOUT HAVING SPECIAL SHOES IN THAT KIND OF ROOMS ON WARDS..)
I have never read any study about this infection threaths. It has to be a threath because, the floor is the most contaminated place in the hospital, and f.ex. Cl.diff. AND OTHER MICROBES, make toxines that can survive for weeks, if not desinfected. Dust is a growing place for both yellow staph., Mrsa and Cl.diff....
AND sometimes these pt. are in need for surgery procedures in OR.... Sometimes if Y have to bring the pt with your contaminated shoes along to units that require special high level of hygiene, as orthopedic, onchology chemo-units, PICU...NICU...and the md. still using their scrubs all over the hospital...
I also have to tell about some of my study-tours, (and mark; this tour was 20years ago), but this was in one of the famous privat hospital - I can tell the name of the country: England; but of course no other name. The floor was covered with carpets in EVERY SINGLE UNITS AND ROOMS, EXCEPT THE ROOM OF THE OPERATING THEATER!!!!!
15 YEARS LATER: I VISITED A PUBLICH UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL IN THE SAME COUNTRY, But a different place of the c. I WERE COOMING DIRECTLY FROM THE AIRPORT, INTO THE HOSPITAL, INTO ICU, OR, AND PICU, AND THIS WAS "THE END OF THE OPERATIONS TODAY, AT 2.PM", SO WITHOUT ANY HANDWASHING, CHANGING OF CLOOTHS, WHITOUT A SPESC. GOWN: I WAS NICELY ASKED IF I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THEIR OPERATING THEATER...
AFTER TRAVELLING AROUND THE HUGE HOSPITAL, WE WERE DISCUSSING THE INFECTION RATE IN THE COUNTRY, MY COUNTRY AS WELL AS AT THAT HOSPITAL. THEY HAVE THE SAME LOW RATE OF MRSA, TBC, CL.DIFF, URINE-INFECTION, UPPER AND LOWER RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS AS IN MY OWN COUNTRY. EVEN IF IT SEEMD TO ME THAT THEY USED AN TOTALLY DIFFERENT WAY OF PREVENTION AND HANDLING INFECTIONS.
IS THERE AN SINGLE ANSWER TO THIS Q.? PROBABLY NOT!!!
ALL THE THING I HAD LEARNED IN MY NURSING EDUCATION WAS DONE IN AN OPPOSITE WAY. WE USED, AND ARE STILL USING LITERATURE FROM US, MOSTLY, BUT SOME OF THEM ARE FROM ENGLAND, TOO.
I'M following an interesting debate about "nurses tossing the white uniform..", Its about hygiene, contamination, infection, too. Still very much to learn from other sides of the world.
I'M NOT SO SURE ANYMORE THAT OUR WAY TO DO OUR NURSING IS THE RIGHT WAY...
(Still, I apology for my English, I wish it was exellent:clown:...sure, Y think that, too...)
Our Level 1 Trauma Center very recently made the decision to have all employees wear scrubs of their own despite working in OR, PACU, L&D etc. We feel it was a financial decision while they claim infection does not spread via uniforms. The most interesting twist however, was to have ALL RN's monogram the hospital logo AND "RN" over the left shirt pockets. My initial reaction was that anyone wanting to represent themselves in this fashion could easily get the same monogramming at the local scrub shops. Also what happens when your getting rid of old scrubs with "RN" monogrammed on them to charity, trash etc.? The new policy is being strongly enforced where I work and I know other local hospitals are following the same trend. I guess we could all go out and get monogrammed white coats with "MD" however so maybe i'm being too critical. I just have a lot of resistance to this new trend.
At first I found this offensive,since (being no slave to fashion) I tend to wear my scrubs even on days I'm not going to work. On the other hand, I find it kind of tacky when I see people at Wal-Mart wearing scrubbie covers over their shoes and the blue or green OR scrubs that have such-and-such hospital stamped on them. They are either too lazy to change or they want everyone to know they work at a hospital.
One provided uniforms for all the staff. The nursing staff wore teal, housekeeping blue, kitchen red... ect.
The one I work in now is much smaller and allows the staff to wear our own scrubs. They want us to pick out our own so that the home feels more like... home instead of an institution. Our scrubs let our personalities come out and the residents really enjoy commenting on the latest fun scrub set. Plus, if they can't remember our names, they will often ask for "the one in the bubbles top"... then we know exacty who they are talking about.
Both places let us wear scrubs from home. We didn't have to change into them there. Both cautioned about wearing scrubs out in public BEFORE our shifts, but afterwards didn't mind because they knew they'd be washed before we wore them to work again.
I wear mine in my own car, straight to and from work.
However, if one of us got bodily fluid on them, the facility doesn't have extras there to change into. That is a good thing to bring up at our next meeting. Thanks for the thread! :wink2:
sometimes my husband will call me at work and ask me to pick up something at the store.....unfortunately I don't take other clothes to work with me so I have no choice but to wear my scrubs to Wally World or wherever....we don't even have anywhere to change even if I took clothes, as our unit has one bathroom the size of a small broom closet, and our locker room is coed. I have had to change into OR scrubs after a code brown using the public restroom. How embarrassing :imbar
Scrubs in public, okay, no biggie. But is it REALLY necessary to wear your stethescope while standing in line at Starbucks or walking around the grocery store?! ATTN. EVERYONE!! HEAR YE! HEAR YE! IMA NURSE!!
Don't you think it's inflammatory though to say anyone in scrubs should be regarded with caution?
Hi,
I do not necessarily think this was bad advice. I live in Chicago but, would guess that any area could have the same situation where the scrubs, as a uniform, give an impression of credibility. I have seen this abused.
As a side, there are three beauty schools that I know of that require their students to wear scrubs too and the uniform definately can give the wrong impression of a health care employee.
Just as we are all cautioned to look upon our blue uniformed police officers with discernment i would also suggest the same right back at us. Any one can purchase and wear a uniform and if their intent is to deceive I hope that they will not find victims to rip off or do harm to.
Scrubs in public, okay, no biggie. But is it REALLY necessary to wear your stethescope while standing in line at Starbucks or walking around the grocery store?! ATTN. EVERYONE!! HEAR YE! HEAR YE! IMA NURSE!!
:) Ha,
Something else that baffles me is how people must think hanging them as a rear mirror ornament somehow would exclude them from becoming a dangerous -take your eye out or worse- type of projectile in an auto accident! Yikes.
following the same trend. I guess we could all go out and get monogrammed white coats with "MD" however so maybe i'm being too critical. I just have a lot of resistance to this new trend.
hipab4hands
366 Posts
The problem with scrubs is that not everyone, who wears them works in the medical field or provides direct patient care. I've worked in clinics and offices, where the receptionist wore scrubs. Also, dental assistants, vet techs, etc., wear scrubs- so those people who want to complain about someone wearing them in public are going to have a tough time figuring out where that person works.