While some nurses are less-than-pleased with the “back to white” guidelines, research shows improved patient and nurse satisfaction. In fact, when presented with pictures of nurses wearing white and pictures of nurses wearing colorful scrubs, patients and visitors are far more likely to assign professional traits of competence and efficiency to the nurses wearing white, versus nurses wearing colorfully printed scrubs.
What do you think? Would you miss the ability to wear colorful, more stylish scrubs at work? Or should nurses return to all-white uniforms?
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The best thing to be said for requiring a certain color of scrubs is that it makes getting ready for work quick. The downside is it takes away any individuality making going to work tidious and boring. Working with children, this becomes impportant, it helps the kids relate more easily to their nurse if she has “happy” scrubs on.
I’ve noticed that when I work with nursing students who wear whites, patients and family members automatically assume that the student is the RN.
In my facility, we’re required to wear blues. I shrugged when the policy change came through; frankly, to me, a pajama set is a pajama set. Wearing whites wouldn’t bother me, either (except for the outlay on bleach).
The big deal for me, as the commenter above noted, is in pediatrics. I’d like to see our Peds nurses able to wear fun scrub tops, just to make the kids more comfortable.
As an older and retired nurse, I have always thought wearing white uniforms or at least wear a white pant and a colored top. Of course when I trained and for a number of years I wore a cap. I felt I had worked long and hard to earn that cap and R.N. degree and I wanted all to know that. I do agree the cap at times gets in the way, may not be clean, etc., but at least wear some white.
As a nurse and also a scrub provider, i personally know the despair of being forced to wear a paticular solid or solid color uniform. My customers see the colorful and pretty designs that uniforms have evolved to and yet that are denied the right to choose those. It sets the morale to an all time low.
I am absolutley for enhancing our professionalism, however from what I understand at the U of U there was minimal input, it was forced, and has limited support. I also had an intensivist tell me the other day of research showing that white had higher bacteria, and I am trying to get a hold of him again to verify that, and where the article was that he read. I dislike autocratic management, and cookie cutter uniforms where we all march like robots, but there has to be common ground to achieve a common desire for our great profession. White to peds is a doctor, and I do not want a child to think of me like that!
I have worked at the same facility for 27+ years all those years we were required to wear white. The administrator just retired last Friday on Wednesday we got the go ahead to wear colors! I am torn, colors are fun but I do think white looks more profesional for nursing. I plan to continue to wear white…..for awhile anyway
Kinda neither fish nor fowl here…. The wife’s an adult day care aide in a decent-sized nursing home, and my daughter will be an RN in about a month if nothing else breaks. (I’m the guy who pays for the clothes
)
The wife’s employer demanded scrubs about a year ago, and she loves ‘em. NO color/pattern/whatever restrictions that I’ve ever heard of. She loves it from a cost standpoint. Previously it was “whatever you want” with a name tag. The place got busy, and visitors (and residents) had a problem deciding who was what. The couple of RN’s there seem to have been wearing scrubs for a long time with no restrictions. It would be nice for them to be a little more visible (I know ‘em by sight, but….).
The kid’s been wearing whites since she got pinned. I agree that her “student” status isn’t obvious, but she looks even younger than she is. No problems that I’ve heard about. Her new employer, if/when, will take it from there soon….
My own opinion: I had some surgery a few years ago wherein I found it hard to tell which were students, and which were nurses…. Not the end of the world until they sent what had to be a twelve-year-old in to pull my catheter
…. About five years before that, in another hospital, all of the nurses were wearing cheery “cartoon” scrubs, and most looked like motorcycle mechanics. One claimed to have been one…. Nursing quality was fine, even so, but whites would have been nice.
That said, the cost of upkeep has to be a downer…. It was a problem for my wife just to keep “street clothes” up before she went to scrubs. Maybe white caps over appropriate (cartoons for peds?) scrubs would do it.
(I can’t see the bacteria thing unless the nurse isn’t properly cleaning the whites. The color shouldn’t matter at all, but there may be a temptation to “wear it again – it doesn’t look to bad” that $25 worth of scrubs wouldn’t give you.)
(The hospital with the apparent twelve-year-old…. I was there for about four days, and once on the floor, I don’t think I saw ONE nurse that looked to be much over 21. I’m allowed to look
.)
What a crock of “you know what”! To say that a Nurse is not a Nurse until HE and/or SHE dons the “Virginal White ” is lunacy at its finest. Obviously, not a decision made by Nurses but rather that of bureaucrats and those not involved in the clinical setting. Citing examples of the “Cleveland Clinic”, which is a fine institution, but it is know first hand and by reputation not to be Nurse friendly…. It is Physician run, Physician focused and Physician implemented. Having to wear white in a post surgical ICU setting is costly, and difficult to maintain. The idea that a Nurse is not a Nurse until we wear white is probably one of the blunders that perplexes our Nursing world….
First, recognize that the success of your hospital depends not on the color that Nurses wear but the compassion that lays in their hearts and the Professionalism that gets exhibited in their daily care. Second,…. How about leaving the “decision making processes” on issues that affect Nurses up to the Nurses….. Pro self governance, now there’s a concept!!!!
Third…. how about recognizing that what is wrong with our health care system has little to do with what color scrubs we wear but rather , our delivery models of said health care.
Wearing virginal white is an egotistical and antiquated idea that is neither historically correct or even practical. Even “Florence Nightingale” herself saw this as the first nursing uniforms of the 19th century were blue.
RN
Registered Nurse
Mgmt in our hospital just decided we wear white tops with blue or white pants. No sweaters allowed, just uncomfortable white scrub jackets. I think this decision sets our profession back 50 years. Also, I can see nurses underclothing. And they aren’t always white. Nurses have enough rules and stress. The cute scrubs were our one freedom.
as a critical nurse for 25 yrs i have never had a problem with patients and families knowing who their nurse was. maybe thats because i introduce myself before anything else and go to see my families during visiting hours; they know who i am! as far as wearing colors… they make me feel better about myself and enjoy when the pts. appreciate seeing cheerful uniforms! there will always be the pts. and families who will find anything to complain about; that just seems to be how some people are!
It should not matter what color or type of uniform a nurse wears…….in a perfect world. However, truth be told, first impressions have lasting effects. I do not advocate that nurses everywhere should be required to wear all white uniforms but I agree that there should be some consistent elements of uniformity and identifying features amongst RNs apart from other healthcare or non healthcare professionals. I was a pediatric nurse for many years and I never did or ever would wear all white scrubs. I did make it a point to wear white stockings and white nursing shoes with my colorful scrub dresses in order to be distinguished as the NURSE. I received many compliments on my appearance from patients, families, and co-workers. Law enforcement, military, and many government agencies have required uniforms for their employees for centuries. I believe it fosters a bond between the profession; a brotherhood/sisterhood camaraderie in the organization. The community immediately identifies the member and takes them seriously. It may also be the reason they support each other in large numbers when they lose a member of their organization. I wish nurses would support each other the way other organizations do.
All in all, as nurses we should look our best, feel our best, know what we are doing, work together with our colleagues, help each other, be part of the team, stand up for one another, and set ourselves apart!
I have never worn whites… and I don’t plan to. To me, the “angel-in-white” pinafore and dress combo reinforces an old stereotype of nurses being somewhere between a maid and what we now know to be nurses. You will know me by my specialised body of knowledge, my interpersonal skills, my skills, and my little “RN” pin right next to my name tag!
I usually wear solid-colour scrubs, no patterns (mostly d/t personal taste) and never had a problem with someone not knowing who I was and what I’m doing there. As a CCRN noted above, it helps if you introduce yourselves to your patients and families.
I think the important thing is the patient knowing who the nurse is. It’s a patient safety issue in a hospital. If all nurses wore one color and no one else wore that color, and the patients are made aware of this, that would solve the confusion problem. I know it’s more fun to be able to have choices in what you wear, but patients needs come first.
alot of you speak for RNs. I am an LPN and have been for 22 years. By some we are not considered nurses. I trained in white and wore a cap. At the end of my 2 years I got my red stripe on that cap and have always been proud of it. I think nurses, RNs and LPNs should wear white. It identifies you as the nurse. I guess I’m old fashioned and went to a strict school.
Personally I like wearing white, I can bleach it and kill all the germs. Granted we come in contact with germs daily when in the public but the medical setting lends us to more concentrations of these germs since we see mostly people that are ill. Unless you have a washing machine that has a sanitizer cycle, you will probably be passing the germs on your uniform to your other clothing. Just google washing machines and germs.
In regards to nurses wearing white and how it reflects on health care delivery, there is a difference depending on the patient setting. In home care, doctor’s office, nursing home, etc, the patient usually knows who the aide, SW, nurse are because they see the same people. A hospital setting is different because the patient there has more acute health care problems and sees a multitude of people in a short period of time. Unless the nurses and aides verbally identify themselves each time they enter a patient room by saying I’m So and So, your aide/nurse how can I help you, then coloring coded uniforms are the best way for patients to make sure they have the correct person to address their needs. In pediatric settings, color code the scrubs and allow different “happy” jackets to distract the children.
As a nurse who has been a patient in a hospital, I agree that staff should be color coded according to their job. I had returned from surgery, didn’t remember who my nurse was because she assessed me while I was still under pain meds. Several hours later I called for my nurse as usual the unit clerk asked what I wanted and sent an aide in. Had I known it was an aide and not a nurse like I requested I would have insisted on my nurse. The aide’s report to the nurse was that I wanted my catheter out because I said it wasn’t draining but there was urine in the tubing and I appeared groggy which the nurse determined from the aide’s report was due to the medication and she would see me later on rounds. THE TRUTH-septicemia had set in less than 6 hours from recovery room, the urine had backed up into my bladder which was really bad since I had one kidney left since I had donated the other a few years before, blood pressure 70′s/40′s, WBC went from 7,000 pre-surgery to over 21,000 and my bladder was distended. The nurse made rounds as I was calling my co-workers in the ER to tell them I had an incompetent nurse that wouldn’t listen and needed one of them.
When did it become the responsibility of the acutely ill patient to decifer who is delivering their care each time they come in contact a health care provider? Which is more important and true health care, making health care delivery more convenient for the patient by color coding such as white for nurses OR satifying our own wants/needs to wear what we find appealing/attractive. Wearing white does NOT make you a better nurse, deliver better care or mean you are egotistical. It is about making things easier for the patient.
In regards to comments about professional attire, wearing white is based upon public perception and equated to other professional dress which is something that is difficult to change. Let’s say you are the person in charge of the hospital and you need to find a company to handle the hospitals and employees financial investments. You have narrowed it down to three institutions that have great reputations with similar returns and competency, so you go to these institutions to talk business. Institution A reveals everyone’s dress is clean,neat and business casual, no suits, just looks like a fun place. The executive is dressed in nice casual shirt/blouse and pants. Instution B reveals people in business suits but the women are wearing trendy attire such as bright flowery print dresses and the man you meet with is wearing a cartoon character on his tie. Institution C reveals clerical wearing traditional business attire, the people you meet are wearing traditional business suits, knee length skirts and mundane stripped ties. While the dress of the employees at Institution C doesn’t make them more competent or professional than the other institutions, the public would generally perceive them as more professional due to traditional perceptions of what constitutes certain professional attire.
Granted when going to lunch or leaving I get stopped alot more in the hallways or parking lots because someone needs help. They see a nurse and equate nurses with someone who will help them. Guess that is why I became a nurse, to serve the public. When I’m tired I just have to remember, it’s not about me, it’s about them. If I don’t like it and when I think health care is about me, that’s when I need to quit nursing.
I am having a problem of not feeling like a nurse when I wear scrubs. Plus they tend to look too comfortable and sloppy. I would love to be able to wear white again. Here is a solution for both people who wnat to wear white and people who want to wear colors. Wear a white uniform with a colored sweater or scrub jacket. There you go. Best of both worlds.
I am nurse that has been on both sides of the coin. White looks nice if you keep it up? If it is wrinkled dingy or dirty How professional is that? The color does not make any more professional it may look nice but we’ve all seen whites with non white undergarments! Is that professional? Nurses in white is a stereotype. that needs to go .
I have worked at hospitals and been forced to wear white and the patient STILL asks me if I am the doctor. The doctors and male nurses love the white scrubs because we can see what type of panties you are wearing. If you think white is the way to go, it is because you are old enough to retire and move on. We do not practice medicine the same as we did 20 yrs ago, so why still wear the silly white?
Recent graduate here. All throughout school in clinicals we were required to wear the stiffest boxes of white known to man. However in doing my preceptorship I was allowed to wear my own scrubs. The difference in level of comfort and ease that I noticed with my patients was more than I would have ever thought. This being said though I do think that white in school is still appropriate to mark students as “in learning.”
As for RNs go, requiring them to stand apart from hospital auxiliary staff should be taken seriously by all hospitals. At one particular local (nationally recognized) hospital, you’d be hard pressed to find any employee who did not wear scrubs (be it nurse, patient care tech, dietary, or housekeeping). I am not saying that white for RNs is the answer, but I could see a “nurse only” color being good for all. Maybe every profession should have there own color.
My point is that I’d rather not spend my time staring down another’s name tag on an unfamiliar unit just to figure out what they do there, especially if the tag happens to hang over “you-know-whats”. I doubt that a half-conscious patient really wants to either.
I graduated from nursing school in 1978. I spent many years wearing white uniforms. I know that patients complain they can’t tell who the nurse is anymore. Years ago you could tell who was in the room by the color of the uniform. Nurses wore white, doctors wore white lab jackets, nursing assistants wore pale blue, dietary wore yellow, housekeeping wore brown. It might help patients identify staff if the slacks worn were a specific color. I would hate to see nursing go back to the old uniforms. It was awfully boring to wear white every day.
As a nursing aide caring for the elderly wearing white would get expensive. Not all stains come out even with bleach so that top or pant would have to be replaced. I also have another issue as a female…dark pants for about 7 days per month is much needed!!
It shouldn’t matter what color scrubs a nurse wears, a professional is a professional. White is easily stained, hard to keep white, and a nightmare for any female nurses are still menstruating. I’ve worked in facilities where they color-coded the departments because it would be easier for patients to identify which staff worked where … even with nurses wearing all white, the patients still asked the housekeepers medical questions. I see no logical reason for requiring nurses to wear white uniforms.
I am a strong advocate for nurses wearing the traditional white uniform. Scrubs make the nurse look sloppy and unprofessional. They need to color code the uniforms of everyone. Nurses should wear the exact same uniform separate from doc scrubs and housekeeping uniforms.
I know that some hospitals require “discipline badges” that say what they are ie: RN,LPN,TECH,MD,UDC, and so on and so forth.
Why not try something like that?
Nametags with roles (LPN, RN, CNA, etc) seem the least expensive and easiest answer for this issue. After all, in medicine, isn’t it “least invasive first”?
ED nurse for 28 yrs. Wore white for years and started with cap. Ruined several expensive white uniforms with stains that would not come out . Caught cap in curtains. Just not practical at all. I now wear scrubs. I make sure they are clean and in good condition. I always introduce myself as their nurse and my techs as techs. They still ask who is who. Color does not matter nor does the large RN tag on my name tag. They are sick and in pain and/or don’t pay attention.Act professional and you will be seen as such no matter what you are wearing.
I don’t understand why nurses feel they should be able to get away with wearing any kind and assortment of scrub and/or t-shirt they want. In my region of the country, all the area EMS services require us to wear uniform shirts and duty pants, although some make exception on very hot days (>95). Colors vary, but dark blue and white are both common. In addition to the spills and splatters that nurses have to deal with, we also deal with grease from our cots and ambulances, dirt from the street, who knows what from some of the places we are called to work. The uniforms are hot and restricting; we don’t have the benefit of climate control. And most of us feel that the dress-style uniforms are appropriate attire; few complain, and mostly that is regarding color preferences, not style of uniform. I’m ashamed that the nurses, many of the resident doctors, and other clinical staff in the hospital aren’t held to similar standards. They look sloppy and unmatched; you can’t tell who from who. And oh yea, housekeeping, secuirity and even some (not all) techs all wear specific uniforms, too. It’s part of our job and culture.
By the way, I DO believe that the pediatric setting is an exception. Although there should be standards, it should be more relaxed and visually pleasing for the kids. (And before I’m accused, I’m not saying all the nurses should dress like Dixie McCall, but some uniformity and professional attire is sorely needed, not just at my hospital, but all the hosptials in our area.)
The hospital I did my clinicals for school at, dietary & cleaning staff had uniforms, and the nurses wore their own choice of scrubs, nurses in specialty areas had specific scrubs for those areas of course (OR, Cath lab, etc). There was talk about requiring CNAs to wear prints and RNs to wear solids, I don’t know if, when or how soon they will implement this, but I think it would help provide a nice balance between visual clues and individuality.
I miss wearing all those fancy scrubs I spend $$ on last year. Now when the magazines come to the house, I have to toss it in the trash. Our hospital wears colors by discipline. RN’s wear Navy, LVN, wears dark green and all others beige. Good grief.
Yes it is nice knowing who is who by color. (did I say that?). And getting ready for work is faster, no choices. But i MISS
sCRUB PET PEEVE IS THAT OUR CLINIC THE BILLING PERSONNEL WEAR NICER SCRUBS THAN THE OFFICE NURSES , EMPLOYER DOES NOT RECOGNIZE NURSE LEVELS…meD TECH , rN , ALL THE SAME…WHAT IS THAT CHANGE ALL ABOUT?
I never felt burdened by wearing white. My uniforms were always fresh & clean & bleach sanitized and I was happy to be “visible” as the nurse on duty & ready to assume the responsibilities that came with that title.
I was taught to wear a clean lab coat over my uniform when I left the unit… so as not to carry germs out into other areas of the hospital or to public areas, stores, etc.
Currently we see these “maybe they are nurses-but who knows?” out in public in their scrubs all over the place…from the septic bedside to Walmart across the land!
Something needs to be done, for the sake of the appearance of being professional, as well as being clear who is or is not a nurse.
We are a healthcare TEAM, and I get that. However the phlebotomist, registration representative and the environmental services aid should not be confused with or assumed to the nurse because they are all wearing scrubs. The folks who work in HIM/Medical Records at my hospital wear scrubs for goodness sake!
I wear OR scrubs at work , because I’m in PACU, but even then you can’t tell a nurse from a specialty tech or environmental services aid.
I personally – as a patient, family member and RN – would love to see all nurses, that aren’t in an area
that necessitates OR scrubs, wear a white uniform top/scrub top/jacket and whatever solid color pants you prefer – whether you are in a hospital setting or a doctor’s office.
I know that we are in the real world, and not in the world of Dr. Kildare or Marcus Welby, but when you watch those shows today, there certainly isn’t any question with regard to who is or isn’t the nurse!
If you get something on your white top, use bleach, peroxide or BriteWite when you launder, and press on!
I do agree that peds environments should be exempt – the character tops do help with the kids, but there should still be something CLEARLY identifying the nurse as the nurse.
We nurses are not always respected professionally, and there seems to be a lack of understanding why this is happening.
I know I certainly don’t want to be wearing a dress and hose, muchless a hat and cape when I’m caring for patients in the ED or the ICU, but we have do something to distinguish ourselves as nurses – in our appearance – beyond that of our ID badge.
The best thing my system did was require all RNs to wear white and/or cobalt blue or combination of the 2. Other depts have their own colors too, so with brief explanation, pts. and visitors know who’s in the room. Much mor professional than prints, is unisex, looks good on all. Wearing blue pants prevents underwear showing ,if you don’t like to bleach you can wear all blue–I prefer the white traditional nursing color top and blue pants. Peds wears kiddie prints.
I graduated in 1984 and we were just starteing to not wear our caps. I remember white hose and nylon slips. What a pain! As a human being, I love the variety of clothes that you can wear. But, I must reluctantly admit that when I wear a white uniform I am perceived as being smarter and more professional. These days with all the conflict with families and malpractice, I’ll take all the help that I can get!
As someone who will be entering the field of nursing in the next two years, I don’t like the idea of being forced to wear white. Mainly because it, as another commenter put it, hearkens back to the days when nurses were seen as “virginal” and pure. Plus it shows dirt, grime and body fluids much more readily (a fresh urine stain on white looks like URINE- a fresh urine stain on a darker color just looks like a blotch).
I’m all for hospitals color coding scrubs for different duties- one color for MDs, another for nurses, etc.- and requiring a uniform other than scrubs for housekeeping staff and others who are not directly involved in patient care.
I know that people like being able to choose what to wear to work- but patient care really needs to come before nurses’ desire to choose the colors they wear- we’ve all got days off and vacation days to express ourselves with the clothes we wear. I can see how it might be very confusing for a patient in a hospital where nurses and doctors and janitors are all wearing scrubs of their choice- color-coding scrubs at a hospital would make it much easier for patients to understand the roles of the people working on their unit. Plus student nurses would stand out more, as they would be in the color assigned to them by their school (I have to wear purple, the University of Portland’s school color). As others have mentioned, I think pediatric nurses should be given more leeway in picking scrubs with patterns or cartoon characters on them, as doing so positively impacts patient care by making children feel more comfortable with them.
I strongly dislike white scrubs. They are too see-through, no matter how many layers. Tops, bottoms, both are see-through and I find that unprofessional if I can see someone’s underwear. I would prefer to have a large RN on my badge, but unfortunately my hospital doesn’t do that. They write out registered nurse in small letters on the badge. It should be big and in red.
I graduated as an RN in 1977- it was automatic that the nurses wore white. What’s the big deal ??? Now after all these years I wear anything I want, and do feel sloppy and look unprofessional, but I won’t wear all white and a cap- and be the only one on the unit. The patient would think I’m the head nurse, and all of those nurses in goofy colored outfits are aides. No way !!!!!
Well…my teachers require white uniform. They were telling us that the color shows that we are nurses and because it’s very easy to get dirt that will learn us to be really careful in our work. I like white because I look good in white
But now as I work in the ER I think that this is the most unsuited color. And no matter how careful I am I can always get one or another spot on my scrubs…If I am suppose to wear white I must have at least 2 or 3 sets of scrubs. I think we must choose the colors of our uniforms but still there must be some basic requirements. And I think that the female nurses have right to wear more girlish scrubs ( as every other women at her workplace)
I graduated as a nurse in 1973,and wore white uniform dresses. NO pants were allowed at most places, and caps were required as well. I wore the first pant suit at my hospital, and it was scandalous! The best outfit was the old US Army white dress with the tiny waist – we looked fabulous! That being said, nurses aren’t all female any more and we need to consider that as well. Are scrubs the answer? They are more comfortable, practical and easier to keep clean, but they can look sloppy. Maybe the scrub itself needs a re-design, to look less like PJ’s and more professional.
Ah yes….I may be older than most of you, and yes I am retired from nursing….. but….as a youngster I looked up to the nurses I knew, all of whom wore white, caps, etc. I wanted to be like them. When I graduated from nursing (1962) it was considered a PRIVILEGE to be able to wear white and a CAP. I worked for more than 40 years as an RN, full-time, floor duty, ICU,etc and always wore white. I EARNED IT!!!! Through the years I changed from dresses to pants, had to remove my cap in some situations, wore white scrubs, but I never had my position questioned. Having been a patient in a hospital where everyone wore anything, it is confusing, and I appreciated when the RN’s came in and identified themselves.
White was not “virginal” as many nurses were married…..but a sign of cleanliness and trustworthiness…..not a bad signal to the public.
I would love to see the return to wearing white, but don’t foresee it happening as so many are opposed to it…sadly they really don’t know what they are missing.
I graduated nursing school in the late 1970s, the era of starched white uniforms, white hose, duty shoes and caps. I saw the transition to scrubs happen shortly after graduation. I liked it at first, but since I’ve left the field I’ve come to appreciate the professional look of the old uniform. Those hideous colored, baggy unisex outfits worn with giant white sneakers are a nightmare. Spare me the rap about changing nurses’ roles and cleaning up body fluids. There is no reason why a nurse would find it more difficult to work in the original uniform, and one has to clean body fluids off a color uniform the same way as a white one. Spare me the rap about relieving patient anxieties–kids and adults know you’re coming at them with the needle, you’re not fooling anyone. Spare me the comfort excuse–white uniforms can be made out of the same stretch material as yogawear. The fact is, there’s nothing professional about cutesy printed bears, Hawaiin prints, hearts, themed tops, garish flowers…awful. Seriously, how can anyone stand to work in a clown costume? I hope the pendulum is swinging back towards professionalism.
I graduated nursing school in the late 1970s, the era of starched white uniforms, white hose, duty shoes and caps. I saw the transition to scrubs happen shortly after graduation. I liked it at first, but since I’ve left the field I’ve come to appreciate the professional look of the old uniform. Those hideous colored, baggy unisex outfits worn with giant white sneakers are a nightmare. Spare me the rap about changing nurses’ roles and cleaning up body fluids. There is no reason why a nurse would find it more difficult to work in the original uniform, and one has to clean body fluids off a color uniform the same way as a white one. Spare me the rap about relieving patient anxieties–kids and adults know you’re coming at them with the needle, you’re not fooling anyone. Spare me the comfort excuse–white uniforms can be made out of the same stretch material as yogawear. The fact is, there’s nothing professional about cutesy printed bears, Hawaiin prints, hearts, themed tops, garish flowers…awful. Seriously, how can anyone stand to work in a clown costume? I hope the pendulum is swinging back towards professionalism.
I do think that patients and their families need to more easily recognize the tile/job position of their caregivers. This could be done with name tags with the first name and title/job position are in large print. Or standardize uniforms for each position. This identification could be incorporated into the welcome packet and explained during the admission process. Or there could be a “map” in the patient’s room.
As an RN with 30 yrs experience, white looks great & if the hospital wants to launder the uniforms for me – OK. I’ve worn white, light blue, dark blue, blue stripes of various stypes, usually hospital mandated & colour coded for position, both pants & top or dresses. I now wear dark blue pants and a blue patterned top, in easy care fabric with a high cotton content. This is easy to wash, hides marks & looks smart. If someone in management wants nurses to wear all white, like the ‘old’ days, maybe they can do the uniform washing for us like they did in the ‘old’ days. Looking professional isn’t about colour, but it is about style & presentation of clothing.
I love the idea of having nurses wear traditional white nursing uniforms. Quit all the belly aching about having to actually wash your clothes and for God’s sake wear modest white underpants and invest in decent quality fabric if you don’t want people staring at your butt. Bring back the hats too. From a patient perspective, It is nice to know who the nurse is. Scrubs are shapeless and ugly and really do not convey a professional look outside of the OR.
As a patient last April and a family member of patients several times in the last year, I must say I like the colorful and playful scrubs. It puts you more at ease and makes a stressful situation, being in the hospital, a little less stressful. The more cheer nurses can disseminate the better for healing of the patients.It feels less overwhelming and this is a good thing!
I am working on researching a possible book on “nursing” in early, early Texas. I have tried to find something on caps and run into a lack of pictures and information. I miss seeing nurses (meaning RN’s and LVN’s) in a uniform and cap which differentiates them from nurses aides and ward clerks. I do understand the concern about germs and caps from the few pictures I have seen. Knowing that the caps would need to be laundered, starched, reshaped and buttoned and having seen the ODD assortment of designs, I too would probably want to ditch the cap. Sorry about that. I know each school has its own design and everybody is proud of their school cap BUT I think nurses would start wearing them again if they were “user friendly”. Just a layman’s opinion.
Nurses wearing all white would get costly not to mention it’s “old school”. It’s not very often you’ll see white scrubs on the clearance rack. Plus it doesn’t take much to stain white. I don’t care how strong bleach is….it WILL NOT get the stains out COMPETELY. So then your nuses are wearing “dingy” versions of your “white is professional look”.
As for wearing white top and colored pants, I might could do that. From a pts stand point and a family member of a pt it was VERY easy to see who were the nurses when my father-in-law was recently in the hospital. I liked that. All wore blue.
But with my ADD…there’s NO WAY I could wear the same color day after day after day……it would literly drag me down. Maybe with the white top and a choice of colored bottoms to choose from it wouldn’t be so bad.
But people….please….all white……come on……how about you “paper pushers” wear all white everyday, let’s see how you like it.
I ‘d have to agree, but I don’t necessarily like the idea. There has to be some way to diferrentiate.
The last hospital I was employed with,the RN’s wore ceil blue only, but no one really pays close attention to the color codes, I found myself repetitively explaining to patients and family members , what department wore what color. So that really didn’t solve the issue and when your sick who’s going to remember or pay attention. One way to make it less confusing is to stop letting the ancillary departments wear scrubs,they should have a specific dress code or uniform .
I just graduated with my RN I worked my way up from a CNA. I earned my cap and uniform. When I put it on I feel I am a different person a proffessional nurse You do get all the questions The patients do think you are the head nurse. What is the problem with that? Are you not the one responsible for care That is just alot of that is not my patient stuff I keep my uniform and cap clean. I mean how much does bleach cost really. sorry if you cant just throw that uniform in with the rest of your laundry. It is special a privilage and you should have to take care of it. The only issue I have with my whites is finding a place that will let me wear them. Get back to the basics of nursing and identify who you are the nametag thing does not work because most of the time employees think they are cute and turn thier nametag back side out. Sorry people but that is just my opinion
I graduated in 1962 and still work full time–for 15 months more. I like the white but am most willing to compromise. For a long time I have worn a print top in any color I choose and white pants. I buy non uniform pants “Bend Overs” which are very difficult to stain and look good after four years of washing. Underwear do not show through if you wear white undies. I have at least five uniform outfits. I wear a white lab jacket over the uniform unless I am giving direct pt care, in an isolation room etc. I am always recognized as the RN. We all wear name badges with our ID and picture. Many of the comments say they use bleach. Wrong. Bleach and polyesther make yellow dinge that is not removable. Get modern. Read labels. Wash uniforms separate from rest of laundry for safety. A cap is beautiful but how many schools still have caps. They can be very unpraactical and not gender friendly. I did work with a young male nurse who insisted he get a cap for graduation even if he didn’t wear it! I dislike the shapeless scrubs that look like pjs and the ones that look like anything but a clean uniform due to color or design. I do think many of the newer designs are lovely and would look good in solid or print tops with solid color pants if that is what your institution chooses. It is fun to read what everyone thinks.
Our hospital recently went to standardized uniform colors but took it another step…RNs wear a dark blue and LPNs wear a light blue. RNs can mix and match their dark blue and white combinations (i.e., blue pants, white top, all blue, all white, etc) LPNs must wear blue tops but can wear blue or white pants.
But with this being said, for the first time in my life I was asked “Are you a nurse?”. Because they knew that nurses wore dark blue and white combinations, they could not relate the light blue to an LPN and I experienced for the first time doubt that I was a nurse at all.
I feel very sad.
Like many of my colleagues, I wore white pants and a colored (Navy Blue) top while in nursing school. Like a few other colleagues and posters on this forum, I worked my way up from CNA/CMA to LPN and finally to RN. I spent the majority of my early career working in long term care facilities whose decor mirrored the institutional phase that ran so rampant for so many decades. A decor that was made up from a limited selection of colors; typically cheaply bought colors such as beige, institutional green, and the ever present white. When I began as a CNA, we were required to wear all white; under pinnings, socks, shoes, pants and shirts. Unlike the Nurses (LPN’s and RN’s), CNA’s where able to wear any type of white pants and shirts that buttoned up. I opted for white denim jeans and business casual shirts that had few buttons. I also spent over half of my earnings on replacements as my ‘uniforms’ became permanently stained. When you make $2.50 an hour, you cannot afford to spend $1.25 an hour on uniforms of any kind.
Additionally and personally, I do not ever wish for Nursing to take such huge steps backwards as to force nurses (LPN’s or RN’s) to wear all white dresses, hose, white dress shoes, or the dreaded caps. Not only are all these things impractical for those of us who still get out on the floor and work side-by-side with our CNA’s/Tech’s, they place us squarely back in either the days of being prostitutes hired by the Church to care for the sick or in the Marcus Welby days of Nurses being mere handmaidens to the physician … when in reality, we are their professional and well educated equals in the TEAM of healthcare providers.
I am in agreement with the preceding posters who have pointed out that the majority of patients and family members do not recognize/acknowledge color coordinated uniforms/scrubs. When one is in pain or has an emergency occurring, the last thing on their mind is what color uniform/scrubs the staff were wearing.
Being a woman of child bearing and therefore menstruating years, the thought of trying to keep all stains off of white pants horrifies me. Nothing says unprofessional than a blood stain in a certain location; be it fresh or old. As to others seeing your underwear, my very wise instructors taught us to wear flesh colored underwear under our white pants; and it works well for both thin and thick materials.
As to wearing a white sleeveless frock/vest, or lab jacket – excuse me but not all nurses are skinny mini’s who don’t pour sweat when working on the floor, transferring patients, doing ROM exercises, or cleaning rooms in preparation of new admits when housekeeping is either gone or preoccupied elsewhere. For some of us, adding another layer of uniform is just not a feasible option.
And no, not everyone looks good in white. Personally, with my red hair and skin tone, I look like a sallow faced, death warmed over zombie in white. And I doubt any patient would like that specter leaning over them at any time, day or night.
As to facility mandated color coded uniforms – since I own several weeks worth of scrubs, including tastefully decorated holiday tops; I am all for the switch over to a decent color that looks good on all persons … especially if the facility where to reimburse me for the thousands of dollars I’ve spent on my uniforms and the upkeep of them over the years. Additionally, I further support this move if the facility provides the uniforms to me at no cost … and provides the laundering for said uniforms. I don’t know about any other nurses out there but, I have a family to support and am the only bread winner at this time. I need every penny I can keep in my household to pay for bills, gasoline, and food for a family of 4. The added expense of purchasing additional uniforms just isn’t financially feasible for me.
That’s not to say I don’t find today’s fashion trends in the wearing of uniforms/scrubs disturbing. I find myself fighting the urge to de-pants techs who’s pants legs are so long on them that they wrap under their shoes; or those techs (typically female techs) who wear their scrubs two sizes too big so that they can roll the waist band down to their hips. This kind of “dress behavior” throws all nursing professionals into that distasteful light of “Ladies of the Night” who began our profession. There is absolutely no need to look tacky in your uniform; you have an important job to do and you should always look your best. If your pant legs are to long, buy them shorter or have them hemmed to fit you correctly. If your tops are to tight, buy a larger size for goodness sake! We are here to do a job, not look like we are going out on the town to have a party. Uniforms needs to be loose enough to allow free and full body movements but not so loose as to look like a vagabond. And every facility I have worked at over the last 19 years has had a dress code policy; it is up to the employees to have enough self respect and courtesy to follow that dress code and it is the responsibility of the supervisors to ensure that employees are educated and redirected when they cross the dress code policy.
Should nurses go back to wearing all white dresses, hose, and shoes and the infernal hat? Emphatically NO. Should nurses have well fitted, job appropriate, nice looking and individuality respectful uniforms? Yes. Does a uniform make one automatically professional? No. It is that person’s dedication to their chosen profession, their commitment every day to be the best nurse he/she can be, and to give the most compassionate (“it could be me lying there”) care that they are humanly possible of giving? Yes.
As much as I have enjoyed this debate and listening to the pro-white and pro-choice nurses, maybe we should ban together and tackle the really tough issues facing Nursing today … like nurse-to-patient ratios so that we can give the best possible, competent, and compassionate care we can? To borrow a phrase from one of my nursing instructors, when you are at work and faced with a decision, ask yourself, “What would Flo[rence Nightingale] do?”
Just my tuppence.
I’m not a nurse, but my mother was, “back in the day” when all nurses wore white and caps. She had earned her BSN at Indiana U. in the ’30s and couldn’t have been prouder to wear the uniform.
As a patient, I have to say I’d MUCH rather see nurses in white than sporting their “individual expressions” of often-terrible taste. At least I know which staff are the nurses, and am not made to feel any more sick than I already am by looking at splashy combinations of fuchsia, teal and hot pink.
I’m a nursing instructor and also teach clinical courses. Several years back, the Nursing Education Powers That Be in our county decided that all of us teaching here in this county (regardless of whether one’s school is located in a different county) HAD to wear white scrubs in all clinical areas except psych. Hitherto, we had been able to wear khakis or dark solid colour slacks and white shirts with lab coats, or solid colour scrubs ad lib. Students – being students – understandably drop stuff, splash things, and make other “liquid mistakes” on their way to becoming proficient. Since we are right next to them in the clinical sites, we also get splashed. It’s much harder to get betadine or medication stains bleached to invisibility than it is out of navy or ceil blue or khaki. I vote for ditching the whites, and I wore them along with my cap (proudly, and never outside of the hospital) for many years. I think neatly worn solid colour scrubs are far more professional than the whites I see with faded stains. If you must wear whites, for gawd’s sake, spend the money on new ones when the old ones just won’t come clean.
RN
Registered Nurse
My facility requires nurses to wear all white (exceptions being ER, critical care- navy scrubs, and peds- white tops, navy pants). After having to wear white scrubs for nursing school I wasn’t a fan of having to wear it to work. I’ve gotten used to it but it is a pain to keep clean. We have to borrow scrubs from surgery when ours get dirty at work so then we’re walking around in light blue. I understand the point of professionalism (I did clinicals at a facility with no policy on type of scrubs- everyone wore scrubs, from nurses to custodians- and there was always confusion) but we introduce ourselves to patients and family and have name badges with our position. Right now we are petitioning to be allowed to wear navy pants. This would avoid the issue with colored panties (not much of a problem for us) and keeping pants looking clean.
Student
Nursing Student (you can change this when you graduate!)
I think that getting nurses confused with other staff is really the other staffs problem. I see this all the time, why are the cleaning crew wearing scrubs? To me, thats the real problem. I don’t care for all white because it’s too easy to mess up, but thats just me.
Fan
Because nurses deserve their own fan base
As a patient, I would prefer that everyone in contact with patients wear all white. I’m sorry but if you cannot bleach your clothes, then you are carrying germs. All laundry should be done by the hospital staff along with the hospital gowns. The issue should not be about what makes the medical staff comfortable or individual or make nurses feel superior to the bed pan girls or whatever. Nurses can wear a special (washable) nurse hat. And doctors should not wear ties and the same coat all day. It is filthy and gross.