Would you quit over white uniforms?

If your facility went back to white uniforms for licensed nursing personnel, would you quit? Just wondering as I've heard discussions about some facilities going back to all white for nursing staff.

I would not quit.

However I am truly the snark monster around here. My protest would be in the form of trying to get all of my friends to wear bright colored flowery or zebra striped panties under the scrub pants. I think management would change back to dark blue pretty quickly! :-)

Specializes in PACU, OR.

Just to be clear on this, are we referring to scrubs, ie pants and tops, or are we talking about the real old-fashioned dresses? Because if it's the dress you're talking about, then pantyhose will almost certainly be mandated. There will also probably be exclusions as to what shoes you are allowed to wear as well; when we still wore white dresses (made of 100% cotton and creased like you wouldn't believe) we had to wear brown or navy lace up shoes. That was still in my student days. The Rns were allowed to wear court shoes.

Scrubs, however, are very comfortable and I wouldn't be bothered about which color they were. I think the biggest question is, who's going to wash the things? No getting away from it, we come into contact with fluids that stain, and which don't wash out easily. If the company is going to cover the laundry bills, then fine.

However, before letting any hospital mandate what you're wearing, you should insist on a consultative process in which the nurses first debate about what is the most practical, and long-term cost effective choice, and then come forward with their decision. Non-nursing personnel should not be determining what nurses should wear. They don't know what the job entails, they don't know what our working conditions are like and half the time they don't even research the type of material that would be suitable.

Specializes in ICU.

I wear white all the time. I am not required to, I can wear whatever I like, I just happen to like white.

Specializes in ICU.

I see a lot of younger female nurses who wear thongs under their white pants. (Yes, you can see them.) That said, I think it looks worse to wear those and look like you aren't wearing any underwear, rather than simply wear full-coverage panties. I would rather look like I have a panty-line, than look like I am naked underneath my scrub pants.

I wouldnt quit. Its no big deal. I heard our facility is going back to issued scrubs that cannot be taken home due to studies of bacteria brought from homes of nursing staff. (ie; dirty house, pets, kids sick, etc.).

Specializes in Med/Surg, OR, Peds, Patient Education.

White uniforms, blue uniforms, purple uniforms, who cares as long as they are pressed and neat? The issue in nursing is staffing or lack thereof, and the lack of collegiality of staff. The lack of collegiality is due to the stress of working without breaks, sometimes no time to even attend to one's own bodily functions.

I am retired, and when I was young, we did wear white uniforms, but I doubt that anyone would quit if asked to wear white, today, if the hospitals were adequately staffed, if older, more experienced RNs had the time to mentor the younger grads.

The BSN issue is another "bone of contention," as unless the new BSN grad has been a LPN, CNA, AD or diploma nurse first he/she does not have the clinical skills needed to "hit the ground running."

Quite frankly, I prefer white and always wear a white uniform with white shoes and pantyhose!

Patients and their families appreciate the fact that they know who you are....without asking.

They can spot you immediately if they have a question because you "look" like a nurse.

You are treated with the respect you deserve because you look the part.

Shabby wrinkled colored scrubs and dirty tennis shoes are much too common these days and disgust everyone.

I wear a lab coat over my uniform which I remove for the "messy" RXs, dsgs etc..or use a johnnie.

That "stuff" is slopped on your uniform no matter what color you think hides it...it's still there! Yuk!

You not only carry it to the next patient and to your home, but to the cafeteria as well, for lunch.

Everything goes in the washer with bleach and hot water...it's easy and no big deal.

My biased opinion is that all hospital nurses should go back to white and represent what they are!

Specializes in GI & Liver medicine, Intensive Care..

Started my career in navy blue bottoms whith a white tunic and blue epilletes.

I found them far more proffessional looking than what we wear now (google Scottish national nurse uniform).

That said at least in blues all those lovely marks that seem to get past PPE dont show up as well. ;)

Nah i dont think id quit if i had to go back to whites.

Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

IMO that is not the wisest reason to quit a nursing job, especially given this job market where experienced nurses are struggling to get hired just as much as new graduates are.

REALLY quit a job over the color white? NOT!! I too started in white. It's crisp and clean. Not to mention easy to wash. Throw it in clorox or Oxyclean and you are good to g. Just don't use hot water since it seems to yellow your uniform. I do like colors especially the neon ones but it can be harsh on the eyes. I like the printed ones as well. Can be refreshing. The elderly patients enjoy those. The colors and printed can't be put in clorox though. But to quit over white o Nah!!:(

Specializes in ICU, PACU.

I would absolutely quit. I would not have even gone into nursing school if I had to wear white then...

I'm on the fence.

I think this would be a symptom of the administration's basic disregard of nurses, and I would probably leave.

However, I am agency/travel, so I wouldn't have to put up with it long in any case. I would just finish out my time and request to be made "Do Not Return."

Hmmm. I may have a different view if I was dependent on a single facility for my paycheck. (Probably not, I can be a jerk about lost autonomy and perceived condescension.)

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