Pros and Cons of RNs Wearing Color Coded Scrubs

Scrubs are the official garb of nurses and other hospital staff—and if everyone is wearing something different, it can be difficult for the patients to identify the steady stream of hospital staff entering their room each day. Patient satisfaction surveys in healthcare systems throughout the U.S. have determined that color coding scrubs according to title, helps alleviate the confusion. Some RNs report more convenience with hospital-issued scrubs policies; others dislike the policy and prefer the freedom to wear whatever they want to work.

What about your healthcare employer?  Have you, as an RN, witnessed patients mixing up staff roles and reporting the wrong information—thinking, for example, that the staff member who brings the food is an RN or vice-verse? Would you prefer to wear scrubs of your choosing to the hospital, or are you in favor of color coding? 

We'd Love to Know ...

1. What is your scrub color of choice?
2. Do you find it’s less expensive to wear color coded scrubs?
3. Does your healthcare employer supply and launder your scrubs as part of its color coding uniform system?
4. What do you do to personalize your scrubs?
5. Do you accessorize with an undershirt to show a contrast in color, above the V-neck of your scrubs?
6. Do you wear fashionable shoes, i.e. clogs?
7. Do you think color coded scrubs help patients identify the roles of their caregivers?

The pros of color coding scrubs are:

• It can be helpful to stand out. Patients can easily tell the PCAs from the RNs—and it doesn’t hurt that nurses don’t have to worry over what to wear.
• It can take the guesswork out of dressing for your nursing job! However some RNs feel color coding is pointless unless patients have charts in their rooms, illustrating the differences between uniforms. With this in mind, more hospitals are developing these charts, with the intent of including them in the admission packets placed in patients’ rooms.

Here's one hospital's color coding system for scrubs . Many hospitals reduce difficulties that healthcare professionals encounter finding the right colors by issuing the scrubs themselves. RNs at the Cleveland Clinic, one of America’s best hospitals, are issued six uniform pieces; these range from scrub pants and tops to button-up polo shirts, jackets and A-line dresses. The hospital pays the full cost of the wardrobe, and saw patient satisfaction levels rise because of it.

At 50 States Staffing, We’re here to Help You Dress for Success!

Well, not literally—but you get the idea! RNs and therapists on our travel nurse team are building their clinical skill set in diverse healthcare settings across the USA. If the hospital where you'll be assigned has an official scrub color for RN's, we'll let you know well in advance.

Best of all, our recruiting team eliminates any guesswork by working closely with every job candidate. Here, there is no such thing as a silly question! Our recruiters are standing by to align your talents with high paying travel nurse jobs and free private housing in some of the most coveted tourist destinations spots on the map! Call 1-800-996-2206 or apply online today to connect with a recruiter and start your dream job today!