What is the point of a uniform?

Nurses General Nursing

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I don't understand what the point is. Many nurses wear scrubs, whites, pants with polos, all colors, patterns, prints, animals, cartoon animals, many styles. Many nurses wear their personal jackets or sweat shirts over their tops. Why should we have to wear a uniform if some nurses even wear sweat pants???

Specializes in med/surg/tele/neuro/rehab/corrections.

I always wear a t-shirt under my scrubs. It feels weird not to. I don't understand the policy to not be able to. Men and women do need coverage like another poster said. I enjoy wearing different prints. I hate my school uniform of all white with teal trim but I don't mind it for now. We have to wear it to clinical. :nurse: But I feel good standing in my closet and trying to decide what pretty print scrub top I'm going to wear today to school. We are required to wear any kind of scrubs to school. I like to wear what I feel and I don't think I'd be happy in a workplace where for instance the only thing I could wear was navy.:barf01: At school if students come in jeans they are asked to leave and not return until they are in scrubs. So everyone is in scrubs so its not so bad.

At school if students come in jeans they are asked to leave and not return until they are in scrubs. So everyone is in scrubs so its not so bad.

That seems like an odd policy. I can understand a dress code of 'dressy casual' or no low-rider jeans, but scrubs only? For lecture? What am I missing? I don't suppose they require that the scrubs are ironed? Cuz a set of crumpled scrubs doesn't look any more professional than jeans.

Specializes in Critical Care.

I live in a community that has a higher percentage of older, retired people. We changed to a uniform about 2 years ago - white scrub top (with jacket if you want one) and navy scrub pants. Nurses aides wear all navy (scrubs), house keeping wears all maroon scrubs. The community response was overwhelmingly positive. They loved it, said they can easily figure out who their nurse is and not get confused as to who is who. Those of us who most adamantly fought the change all have admitted at one point or another that it really does look nice, professional. And as the OP pointed out, you can bleach white. Bleach sticks are stashed in a number of places for immediate use as needed. This year at Christmas they allowed us to wear holiday jackets/scrub tops for 2 weeks. After New Years, back to the uniforms.

Specializes in med/surg/tele/neuro/rehab/corrections.
That seems like an odd policy. I can understand a dress code of 'dressy casual' or no low-rider jeans, but scrubs only? For lecture? What am I missing? I don't suppose they require that the scrubs are ironed? Cuz a set of crumpled scrubs doesn't look any more professional than jeans.

Well think about it. How do students dress at school? What do girls wear? How much skin shows? Or is it only in Southern California that skin is in? LOL

The final straw I understand was when they had to ask a girl to put some clothes on because they just couln't conduct lab the way she was dressed. :nono: Other students complained. Sheesh! You would think everyone knows how to dress but they don't. The staff said they didn't like spaghetti straps and low rise jeans at school.

Specializes in ORTHOPAEDICS-CERTIFIED SINCE 89.

This topic tumbles to the top more and more frequently.

UNIFORM=Clothing of distinctive design worn by members of a particular group as a means of identification,

Always the same; showing a single form or character in all occurrences.

Unless you are all lined up wearing the SAME style, color, shape of clothing, you are not wearing a UNIFORM.

Workwear would be a more precise name for what we are to wear.

Someone needs to step up to the plate and set boundaries. That is if they want consistency.

I started wearing a student uniform....looked like a row of little blue ducks we did.

For the next 20+ years white was the word, finally about the late 70s we could wear trousers (also white).

So workwear for nurses either needs advocates of one style/color etc or we are going to have to content ourselves with the image of Sairy Gamp 21st century.

Specializes in Geriatrics and emergency medicine.

We are permitted to wear any type of scrub as ling as it is clean, neat and professional. Shoes, same thing. I work in a small LTC, so everyone knows everyone else and what Dept they work in. We do have "dress down" days, especially if the Steelers are haviing a big game (GO Ben!!) In the summer, we are permitted to wear knee length shorts, closed toe shoes.

I prefer non snap or button scrub tops. Once while wearing a snap scrub top, I was leaving the room and my top got caught on the door latch and HELLO!!!, everything in plain view. What an embarrassing moment in my professional career.

I prefer scrubs, myself. I deal with MRSA, VRE, C-Diff to name a few of the most popular. Home, strip and shower immediately.

Well think about it. How do students dress at school? What do girls wear? How much skin shows? Or is it only in Southern California that skin is in? LOL The staff said they didn't like spaghetti straps and low rise jeans at school.

Have they yet run across the problem of low-rider scrub bottoms and too-tight, low V-neck scrub tops?

I wear scrubs colorful cute ones, I work telephone triage but it helps just

oo have clothes ready to go all the time. I can also wear street clothes (no

denim). If I worked another area in our hospital system I would dress in

scrubs . Besides I wear a badge with a 1inch bright blue R.N. on it. Non pt

care employees don't wear scrubs.:smilecoffeecup:

Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.

My hospital is attempting to obtain magnet status, and how, we are supposed to wear white pants with pastel tops...and they MEAN PASTELS. Personally, I hate the idea. I know that traditionally, nurses wore white, but it was never my thing and I am a recently licensed nurse. Between it being that time of the month, or being exposed to things that damage my white uniform within minutes of walking into work, I find I don't care for the white uniform, personally. But, if this is what the job wants, this is what they get...me wearing white every day and cringing silently.

I don't think that white makes one a better nurse or improves job performance. It is the person, not what they are wearing. To me, as long as the uniform is clean and not too tacky with wild colors, it is fine.

if you look like you just rolled out of bed, the patient and manager assumes that you did

Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
if you look like you just rolled out of bed, the patient and manager assumes that you did

We have many that look like that, and are still wearing white. I think that if the uniform is clean and pressed, the color should not be the main issue. I can understand your point, though...no patient would feel confident with a person looking like they just got out of bed touching them...I wouldn't, either.

Specializes in Emergency Department.

The hospital I work in is also trying to achieve magnet status, and a year or so ago (before I went to work there) they changed the dress code. Since then, all nurses--LPN or RN--who work in direct patient care wear white--tops and bottoms. The only exception are nurses in the OR and perinatal. At first I thought, yuck, not white! I'll be lucky if I make it out of the house without getting something on me. Also, I work in the ER of a Level I trauma center, and you know there are just some stains you can never get out. However, I have come to like wearing white--when I step foot on the hospital campus, everyone one there knows that I am a nurse. Patients know for sure who their nurses are. The only complaint I have is that actually it can be difficult sometimes to find white scrubs, since so many have such an aversion to wearing white, many of the local uniform shops don't stock alot of white scrubs.

I believe we are all professionals and we should look like it. I see to many people out there who look like they just rolled out of the bed, scrubs and all. I don't see anything wrong with an employer asking you to wear a certain uniform.

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