What do you wear to work?

[asp40]

Hello to all of the school nurses out there. I recently accepted a position as a school nurse in a small school. I am a new grad but I did do sleep-away camp nursing this summer which was a great crash course. I am going to have plenty of questions I am sure and I have already read through many threads.

I am wondering what you wear to work as the school nurse? They told me that regular clothing is fine, which is great, but I don't have a lot of business casual, so I would need to buy a lot of clothing. I kind of want to wear scrubs but I am embarrassed to ask. So - what do you wear?

THANKS!

[ladybugsea]

I am also a new school nurse. I subbed over the past school year and wore business casual with a lab coat on top (to be recognized as the sub nurse). Like you, I don't have a lot of work clothes and have no scrubs. I started as a full-time school nurse last week wearing business casual, and by the end of the week I decided to buy scrubs (or wear a mix). Several reasons - pockets (walkie talkie, keys, pen, etc), ease of getting ready in the morning, and finally because sometimes it can be messy (I cath a student 2x/day, kids are sick, etc), it seems to make sense. I went back and forth a lot. I don't want to feel weird being the only person in the whole school dressed 'different'. I also didn't think it was necessary since the job is not that 'messy'; but it can be, with kids throwing up on occasion, having to crouch down in the bathroom to cath a student, etc. I chose some simple Koi scrubs that don't scream 'scrub', plus I plan to also sometimes wear the pants with regular shirts. I asked my teacher friends in the district what they have seen over the years and in general the older nurses tend to wear business casual and the younger tend to wear scrubs.

[bergren]

I wore washable collared shirt, slacks or skirt and had a lab or scrub coat I put on for the dirty stuff. I also kept a sport jacket hung behind the door for meetings. The only thing I changed about that for casual Fridays was I wore the school colors. I did not wear jeans, tee shirts or sweatshirts.

I shared this once before about an incident in my area were a principal had deemed Fridays "casual". He was wearing shorts and a college sweatshirt when the press found out a music teacher had sexually abused kids during private lessons in the school buiding over several years. He was on the evening news being interviewed in that outfit.

You never know when there is going to be an occasion, an accident or a lockdown, where the press could show up filming for "live at 11".

[HazelLPN, LPN]

I'm in the minority here, but I still wear my white uniform and my cap. I wore it for over 50 years when I worked in critical care nursing, and nothing can ever convince me to give it up. Many folks want to say that they carry germs or are degrading to women. No peer reviewed study has ever been done that caps cause infection more than any other part of the uniform. As for being degrading, nurses of my generation see the cap as something you worked hard for and were proud of.

Best to you,

Mrs H.

[bergren]

Mrs H, thanks for your post and your viewpoint, but please speak for yourself and not the generation.

You are two years younger than me and I have never seen a cap worn in any clinical or K - 12 school setting in my entire career following graduation. I have worked east coast, west coast, deep south, midwest, urban, suburban and rural. Even my own school nurses in middle and high school did not wear caps.

[Purple_Scrubs, BSN, RN]

I wore whites and a cap for career day last year and the kids really got a kick out of it. I found them very impractical, though. Very hard to cath a student in a scrub skirt, and even though it is a "clean" job, every speck of dust in the building seemed to be magnetically attracted to my clothing.

Today I went 50/50. I have on scrub pants with a white polo shirt. I'm thinking of getting some more neutral scrub pants (navy, khaki, brown, and black) and having several white polos embroidered with an RN logo and "School Nurse". I'd get the look of business casual with the comfort and practicality of scrubs. Top it with a nice lab coat and I'm good to go :)

[HazelLPN, LPN]

Mrs H, thanks for your post and your viewpoint, but please speak for yourself and not the generation.

You are two years younger than me and I have never seen a cap worn in any clinical or K - 12 school setting in my entire career following graduation. I have worked east coast, west coast, deep south, midwest, urban, suburban and rural. Even my own school nurses in middle and high school did not wear caps.

I am 77 years old and graduated from nursing school in 1955. I am guessing that you confused my years of experience with my age.

Best to you,

Mrs H.

[bergren]

I did!!! Thanks for the correction!!

[Sudsy]

I wear business casual w. a lab coat. It never even occurred to me to wear scrubs!

Good luck in your new job!

[KrystinaRN]

I dress business casual- usually black or grey slacks and a nice top. However, I want to make the switch over to scrubs. I work at an elementary school and I just think I would look so much more approachable by the kids if I wore cute, colorful scrubs with cartoons, etc on them .

[fireball98]

I wear scrubs. I used to be a substitute surse and some schools had scrubs and some street clothes. I never saw a nurse in buisness casual it was more relaxed than that. My school teachers just can't wear jeans except on special fridays. I was going to ask my princial if I could wear street clothes but for now I am good with the scrubs. Some days a wear slacks with my scrub tops, usually when I am behind in doing the laundry!