All Your Scrubs

For nurses, as with other people who are on their feet all day, comfort needs to be the foremost consideration. Never put style over comfort when you must be standing the majority of your work shift. You won’t be seeing nurses wearing high heels! Being on your feet for ten hours or more is very stressful on your legs, ankles, feet and your lower back as well. Choosing the proper shoes with good padding and support will help to alleviate this.

When you are looking for shoes to wear in your nursing profession you also want to look for shoes with non slip soles since there are many situations you may find yourself in where the floor may be slippery. There is always something wet on the floor in a hospital.

It is best to choose rubber soles because not only do they give you stability but they are also protective against foreign substances that you may step on. You can simply wash your shoe off and go about your business. You want to be sure that you buy shoes with thick soles as well.

I just had to go into the hospital a couple of months ago and the nurses and doctors alike were almost all wearing the new rubber shoes called “Crocs”. Undoubtedly they must be extremely comfortable for so many of the staff at the hospital to be wearing them (they seem to double as mens nursing shoes). Another cool thing about them is that they are very much in style too, especially in my area. These shoes are made totally of rubber so they are very easy to care for, all you have to do is just wash them off with soap and water and you are good to go. This makes an excellent choice for an environment such as a hospital where you may be coming in contact with all kinds of biohazards that you have to deal with on a daily basis.

Nurses put on their medical uniforms and perform their duties in many different venues.  They work in hospital settings, nursing homes, assisted living centers, and doctors offices.   Home health care nursing is one of the newer settings for nurses to perform their duties. 

Home health care nursing is a growing phenomenon as more patients and their families elect to receive care in their own homes.   This is also a way to keep the cost of nursing care down.  The patient and the insurance company do not have to continue to pay the high cost for hospital care when a home health nurse can provide the same level of care in the patient’s own home. 

The history of home health care stems from Public Health Nursing where public health nurses made home visits to promote health education and provide treatment as part of community outreach programs. Today academic programs train nurses in home care and agencies place home health care nurses with ailing individuals and their families depending on the nurse’s experience and qualifications.  In many cases there is a shared relationship between the agency and the academic institution.

Perhaps you want to be that professional wearing nurses scrubs.  Or maybe you are already a nurse and don’t want to work in one place all the time such as a hospital or a clinic.  If this sounds familiar, you might want to think about becoming a home health care nurse.

This type of care offers variety and the opportunity to be a little more independent because you can often make your own schedule and yet you get to offer care and services to people in their homes. 

People who use home health care nurses are often those who have had surgery and are recovering at home and still need some care from a professional to administer medications, change dressings or offer other types of care.  Many of the patients are recovering from accidents or illnesses and just need this type of assistance for a short time or over a few months time.

Helping people convalescence and return to health is a rewarding experience and one that makes both the patient and the home health care nurse and the family feel good.

What do you look for when selecting a pair of scrubs?

One of the most important factors is the proper fit.  Most people like their scrubs to have a fairly loose and comfortable fit.  Many nurses work long shifts and are required to perform physical tasks that would be very uncomfortable and difficult if wearing close fitting garments.  For this reason, many nurses select scrub pants that have either elastic or a drawstring for the waist.  Most scrub tops are loose fitting and designed to be worn over the pants or tucked in depending on your individual preference.

A second factor to consider in selecting scrubs is the fabric.  In a nursing job, you are very likely to get your uniform dirty during a normal day’s work.  Scrubs must be laundered frequently.  It is much more convenient if you can just wash and dry the uniforms and be ready to wear them again.  The fabric for scrubs should be durable, colorfast, and easy to launder.  A wrinkle-resistant fabric makes your scrubs have a much neater appearance without any additional work.  Many people prefer a cotton blend fabric because it is durable yet wrinkle resistant.

One last factor to keep in mind is color.  This may not be important to everyone, but in some work settings–particularly larger hospitals–certain color scrubs are mandated.  This helps identify your position or department.  Even though the various prints are cheerful, you may be required to wear solid color scrubs.  Be sure to check with your employer before purchasing your scrubs.

Because of dealing with human fluid (like blood or urine) or MRSA, people can be hysterical about germs or contracting something from being a nurse.  Personally, I simply wash my uniform scrubs in whatever detergent I have (I prefer free and clear) on regular settings.

Many scrubs come in different designs and colors and it makes very little sense to wash them with bleach.  In fact, you’ll probably just end up ruining your scrubs.

There is very little differentiation between nurses, doctors, staff, etc. Many hospitals require a specific color or style of scrubs.  In others, the color or style may depend on the department within the hospital. 

Nursing apparel has come a long way over the years.  Today, nurses scrubs are available in a wide variety of styles, colors, and fabrics.  However, in today’s medical community, the most important considerations for scrubs are comfort, fashionable styles, and ease of upkeep.