Why Do Nurses Wear Scrubs?

If you’ve ever been inside any healthcare facilities, you may have been curious about the scrubs that most healthcare professionals wear. Medical staff can usually be found wearing a scrub top and scrub pants, which make up a healthcare uniform that is easily recognizable.

The reasons that medical professionals wear scrubs include practicality, functionality, hygiene, and more. Scrubs help with infection control, easy identification, and make it easy for nurses and other healthcare workers to follow a facility’s dress code.

To fully understand the function of scrubs, it’s important to look back at their history. We have over a century of documentation explaining when the earliest scrubs were used. You might wonder what ever happened to the old nursing uniforms that nurses used to wear?

Let’s take a journey back through time to look at the history of scrubs and nursing uniforms. We’ll also explore the benefits of wearing scrubs and the innovative new features they have today.

A Brief History of Medical Uniforms

There are two paths to visit here: the history of scrubs and the point at which nurses gave up their old uniforms for modern scrubs. First, let’s look at an overall history of the healthcare industry’s uniforms.

Scrubs: Where It Began

Before the 19th century, doctors were more likely to be found wearing street clothes than any specific uniform. Eventually, they started wearing a crude version of today’s lab coats: a black frock that identified them as surgeons.

By the onset of the Spanish flu pandemic in the early 1900s, doctors were wearing “surgical greens,” the first version of scrubs. In 1894, Dr. Hunter Robber made history when he said that it would be “safer and better that all should put on a complete change of costume rather than simply don a sterilized coat and pair of trousers over the ordinary clothing.”

It was his idea for scrubs to be bright white, to make cleaning easier. It wasn’t long before the color was ditched in favor of more muted colors due to the eye strain surgeons were experiencing from the bright white surgical scrubs in operating rooms.

When Did Nurses Make the Switch?

When did nurses trade their white dresses and aprons for a set of scrubs? It wasn’t until the 1990s that nurses began wearing scrubs instead of traditional uniforms. They decided that the time and effort spent keeping standard uniforms clean was too great, and they gravitated to the lower-maintenance option of scrubs.

The Benefits of Medical Scrubs

We know that in a healthcare setting, there are constantly contaminants and pathogens to be concerned about. A nurse’s work environment is dangerous. Not to mention the fact that nurses work long hours, so they need to wear clothes that can keep them comfortable and are easy to clean.

Hygiene

A main benefit of wearing scrubs is that they make it easier for nurses to take care of their hygiene. When you come into contact with bodily fluids as a regular part of patient care, you need clothes that can help avoid cross-contamination issues in a medical facility.

Comfort

These days, scrubs have features that allow for maximum comfort for the wearer all day long. High-quality scrubs are made from comfortable materials.

Styles like v-neck tops can help keep nurses cool, while scrub jackets can keep them warm. Regular clothing like jeans and t-shirts don’t have the comfort features that scrubs offer.

Uniformity

In Australia and many other parts of the world, scrubs are used to identify healthcare providers by their job or department. Not only do they create a nice uniform look among medical teams, but they make it clear who the professionals are in a healthcare environment.

Patient Perception

Studies have shown that patients notice what their nurses are wearing, and everything from style to color matters. When a nurse is wearing nice, clean scrubs, they send a message to their patients that they are in control and trustworthy.

What do scrubs say about nurses?

1. They are part of a team of medical professionals.
2. They are a member of a specific department or hospital system.
3. They are a trusted member of their field.

Cost Effectiveness

Scrubs offer an element of accessibility because of their cost effectiveness. They are easy enough for nurses and other professionals to afford on their salaries. Other equipment is a little more costly (have you ever shopped for a stethoscope? Talk about an investment!) but scrubs are much more affordable.

Innovative Features and Diverse Options

Today’s scrubs are a far cry from the ones back at the beginning of the 19th century. You can find tons of innovative features, including:

• antimicrobialscrubs
• moisture-wicking fabrics
• flattering cuts and shapes
• countless designs and colours

Matching Colours to Medial Roles

You’ve probably noticed that different medical professionals in the same hospital or office environment wear different colours. If you’ve wondered why, you’re not alone.

Many hospital systems utilize scrub colors to identify team members by their department or role. For example, nurses may all wear blue scrubs while doctors wear green ones. Maybe the cardiology nurses and doctors all wear pink scrubs, and the pediatrics team wear purple ones.

In a Nutshell

Nurses wear scrubs for a variety of reasons, including hygiene, safety, and comfort. If you find yourself in a healthcare setting and are curious about the meaning of a nurse’s scrub colour, feel free to ask! Just make sure they’re not busy first.

 

Author: Carolyn Cumper's career spans from being a Patrol Officer in Rhodesia to a Paediatric Nurse in the UK, and later a Deputy Hospice Manager in Australia. Her diverse journey includes roles in law enforcement, healthcare, and business, culminating in her significant contributions to Medshop.