Nursing can be very physical work; you have to bend over patients to take their vitals, shift patients from the bed to the gurney and so on. Invest in nursing scrubs that allow you to all of this without compromising your comfort, style and modesty. Follow the tips listed in this article to avoid the top blunders people make while selecting nursing scrubs.
Buying Scrubs Against Employer’s Dress Code
Some employers insist on white scrubs, while others want their nurses to wear scrubs of a special color combination. It’s also possible that your employer wants to separate nursing staff based on their medical specialties’ by assigning them different colored uniforms. Don’t make the blunder of investing in the latest designer scrubs without finding out your employer’s dress code first.
Buying Deep V Neck Scrubs
If you’re busty woman, or a man with a very hairy chest, you need to stay away from tops with deep V-necks. In the course of your day, there can be many slippages in modesty due to your deep V-neck. No one wants to see what V-necks reveal, whether it’s chest hair or flesh.
Buying Pale Colored Scrubs
Do you end up having stains on your scrubs that show up even after you’ve washed your scrubs several times? You need to invest in dark, solid colored scrubs if your work entails spills and stains, such as OR work, or nursery work, or working with the elderly. Dark colored scrubs hold stains better; stains won’t show up clearly after a thorough cleaning, even if they’re still present.
Buying Too Tight Tops
Tight clothing is unprofessional and uncomfortable, and also very distracting at the workplace. This goes for both men and women. Tight clothing can split open when you are performing a physically taxing task, causing embarrassing wardrobe malfunction at the workplace.
Buying Small-sized Scrubs
Everybody loses some weight and gains some weight in life; clothing sizes must be adjusted accordingly. Make sure you wear scrubs that are true to size, and not those that are a size smaller and used to fit you well. Yes, we do understand that it’s expensive to buy scrubs every time your weight shifts. However, when you wear ill-fitting scrubs, not only will you be uncomfortable all day long, there’s the ever present danger of your scrubs ripping open or your extra flesh being displayed.
Buying Scrubs That Don’t Offer Full Coverage
Some scrub sets are designed only from a fashion perspective, without taking into consideration the needs of a hard working nurse’s lifestyle. If your pants fit you below your waist, they will inevitably slip down and cause you some serious embarrassment. If your short top rides up, your midriff and back will be exposed. Ensure that your scrub pants fit you at the waist and not at the hip. Make sure your scrub top covers your hips completely.
Buy Scrubs With Loud, Garish Prints
Just because nursing scrubs are now available in all kinds of prints and colors doesn’t mean you should walk around your workplace in a full cartoon print top and bottom set. A set like that is fine if you’re working with very small children, but if you wear it while doing serious work, you will give off the impression that you’re not serious about your job.
Buying Semi-transparent Scrubs
Fashion scrub sets come in different cloth thicknesses. While it’s hard to wear thick cotton all day long, stay away from thinner cottons as these tend to stick to you when you sweat. Even when they’re dry, thin cottons can be see-through. If you wear dark colored underwear under a thin cotton scrub, you’re setting yourself up for some serious embarrassment.
Buying Poor-quality Scrubs
Everyone wants to save money; however, buying cheap, poor-quality scrubs will cost you in the long run. Poor quality scrubs wear out sooner, are not very resistant to stains and might even split at the steams when you strain them. Also, poor quality nursing scrubs do not give you a professional look and this may hurt your standing at work.
Buying Scrubs In Bulk
You might be tempted to loosen the wallet if you find good scrubs at great bargains, and end up buying in bulk. This is always a mistake, as you might not know if you’ll always fit in those scrubs. You might put on weight, or lose weight, causing your scrubs to become redundant. Again, if you change jobs, your current bulk scrubs may not suit your employer’s dress code. Always buy only as many scrubs as you will logically need, taking your shifts, laundry and maintenance into consideration.
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I have had to send many a nurse home in the past over uniform malfunctions. Please remember to mirror check yourself and especially make sure that your underwear pattern is invisible!