White Uniforms for Nurses? The ‘Nays’ Have It…
By Maureen Shawn Kennedy, MA, RN, AJN editor-in-chief
Nurses and patients aboard U.S.S. Relief, 1921/via Wikipedia
Well, if sheer numbers rule, then the image of nurses in white uniforms has gone the way of the nurse’s cap.
Earlier this week, on AJN’s Facebook page, I asked whether RNs should go back to white uniforms as a professional standard. Within a few hours there were 20 comments; by the next day there were about 200 comments (we had to delete the post with the first 100 or so, since we were unsure about the copyright status of the image used—very sorry if that included your comment!).
Clearly, nurses care about what they wear. Comments ranged from one word (“No,” with multiple exclamation points), to thoughtful reasoning around stains and keeping the uniforms clean, to advocating for an individual’s right to choice (about colors, that is).
There were only a few comments that were pro-white, with arguments that they were more professional than colors and “wild prints” and helped patients identify RNs from other staff more easily.
Here’s a sampling of comments (a few minor typos corrected):
Yes—but no hats.
No—but I do think it makes a lot of sense to be able to clearly identify who is an RN when you are a patient in a hospital. Clear identification is definitely a problem.
I support white uniforms. This is the required color at the Cleveland Clinic. Patients tend to appreciate the crisp, clean look of […]