With so many types of nursing uniforms out there nowadays, there has been more talk about standardizing nurse uniforms. Do you think this is a good idea? What type of uniform would you prefer?

I don't think they should make all uniforms alike... I like being able to choose from difefernt styles and colors and cuts. I agree that anything showing your stomach is not right, you should not be showing too much "skin" when you work, some patients may get the wrong idea. It is up to the individual to make the right choice. I can't wait to finish nsg school and not have to wear the same thing every clinical day!

I've seen the same kind of confusion mkixmiller described when all personnel wear scrubs. Patients don't know who's who. I've also worked in hospitals that decided to standardize colors for various disciplines and lost good nurses because those good nurses had already bought uniforms in other colors. Hospitals were not willing to back their decisions for nurses to wear all one color by off-setting the additional costs to nurses. I think it's important for patients to know who their nurses are. I keep thinking of police uniforms--like for bike police. They wear a uniform of blue short and white polo type shirt and just so nobody mistakes who they are, their shirts spell out "POLICE" in big bold letters all across the front and back. I think that if we spelled our RN boldly and brightly on the front and back of our uniforms, patients would know who we are nomatter what else our uniforms looked like. Perhaps we could wear whatever color we want or like, or a style we like, as long as it has RN on it big enough for all to see. All disciplines could do the same. Let nutrition say, "NUTRITION." Let transportation techs say, "TRANSPORTATION." Let nursing techs say, "NURSING TECHNICIAN." Let labs say, 'LAB TECH." Etc. I've worked where all the RN's had to wear a certain color, but nobody routinely told that to patients, so they still didn't know who their nurses were. I say let's spell it out clearly so there's no confusion about it. I know name ID badges usually say who and what we are, but they can be difficullt to read.

I like the different colored scrubs. I don't think it matters as long as you look professional. Everyone should wear name tags. That's the first thing patients look for. However, the all white look for nurses is very professional and identifies a nurse immediately.

Our local hospital has gone to white on top for nurses. One of the hospitals in a neighboring city has gone to All white for Nurses. I personally like the colored scrubs, but something to differeniate nurses from housekeeping staff; beyond name tags needs to be in place. Some of the nurses here wear a white vest over their colored scrubs and this is acceptable to our hospital. Some type of standardization across the board would be great; but I am not in favor of all white. My nursing school uniform is all white except for a blue pinstripe on the button on bib and our school badge. It is a nightmare to keep clean.

I am glad that the hospitals here we can wear what we want. My nursing school uniform is light blue.. not so bad. i am glad it's not white!

I absolutely hate the idea of a all white uniform. I have it now in school and I look like a big white stop sign and when kids see me they start crying. I think that the tags a good enough and besides I can't wait to be able to wear all those cute uniforms with different colors and designs

Standardized uniforms can be a good thing. At our hospital, nurses and other staff could wear pretty much whatever they wanted. Nobody could tell who was who, especially the patients. Our department, the ED being the trailblazers they usually are, went to solid black scrubs with our department logo embroidered on the chest about 3 years ago. Our techs, paramedics and sec's wear a different color. Directors and admin around the system liked it so much they made the remainder of the hospital go to standardized uniforms. Now you know who's who. Nobody chose all white, of course. That would be insane.

We went to standardized colors not too long ago. As a practitioner running all over the hospital, not just staying on one floor, it made my life SO much easier! If it was less confusing for me as an NP, I can just imagine how much easier it is on patients and families as well. Not only that, but for some reason there is an added sense of professionalism with it as well.

The cool thing? Although the staff screamed up a storm about losing their individuality, they have still found SUBTLE ways to be a bit different. Very cool in my book because it takes a bit more thinking then just grabbing a bright orange shirt with purple pants.

I remember my mother (who was required to wear all white) comming home soaking her dress in an acid (we had hard well water) and rinsing her nylons and polishing her shoes every night to be ready for the next day. It was a ritual. I like the uniform look and would wear it too but the white is hard to keep spotless and it needs to be spotless or you look like a slob. I think the idea of the all white was to project a cleaner than clean professional appearence, and any hospital still requireing it should use a service for their nurses.

If nurses expect to be paid as the professionals that they are, then they need to look the part! Isn't it amazing how one will go to any length to look their best on that job interview. Less than 6 months later they look like slobs walking down the hall. Unkept hair with 2 or 3 different colors hanging on their wrinkled scrubs, long painted nails, wearing make-up as if going to a New Years Eve party. And then the shoes look as if they have been working in a garden befor they came to work. Most nursing schools address grooming issues early on in their education. What happens? Patients look to us as a unit to meet their needs not our own. We have to set the standard on professionalism. Hospitals have to have dress codes and they can't bend to current fashion fads. Scrubs are fine if they are ironed. However most hospitals who do prvide them, don't iron them well. I used to take mine home and do it. What a difference! Put on a clean pressed lab coat over it and all set to go.

i think thaj pt.s like the dfferent colors on the healthcare staff. my experience as a nurse aide or med tech, pt. often share how they likr so n so uniform color or flowers etc. i think there should be a standard but not aparticlar one.

I disagree that all nurses lost respect when we stopped wearing all white and the caps. Could be my military background, but I am all about a smart uniform and uniformity. It doesn't have to be white to be professional and garner respect. It needs to be uniform and the person wearing them does the rest.

I think the main thing is that everyone be coordinated. That seems to give the best impression, and can look professional with almost any style. But to do that you have to find a brand that can fit EVERYONE at your workplace. Probably the best is Cherokee Workwear because they have 5XL's and Talls, Petites, the whole deal. You can also outfit an entire group in Dickies Scrubs, but you have to order from the EDS line or you won't be able to get bigger sizes to match. Of course many of the girls want to roll down their pants at the top, and their underwear shows. But that is more about rules than the uniforms.

I know it's been a while since anyone has posted on this subject but I need to just get this out... I'm frustrated by my organization telling me EXACTLY what I need to wear even though they want to project that our nurses have "autonomy". How autonomous can we really be if we're all running around looking like perverbial penguins? I am trained to use critical thinking and to use my professional judgement on a day to day basis in order to allow my employer to dictate the colors I wear? I think it's time to move out of the dark ages... give me freedom of choice to dictate the colors of my own threads.