Scrubs in public ..........does it bother you?

[DawnCt1]

My husband is a med student and has done several plastic surgery rotations at different hospitals. In all but one they were not allowed to leave the hospital in their scrubs. It's odd though because in a few the surgeons had this policy, but not other fields. Surgeons scrubs are probably cleaner than most since they are covered during surgery and many don't have as much contact with contagious patients as say internal medicine.

The concern is for the "reverse". There is concern that if you wear them "out" you will wear them back into the OR and around newly "surgerized" patients.

 

[Jennasis]

Doesn't bother me. SOoooooo many people wear scrubs who have nothing to do with hospitals, patients or germs.

 

[design_mom]

I never really thought about the "germ" aspect before. (Now I will.) I just considered them another uniform.

SIL is a nurse (in a mother infant ward). She used to work a lot of weekends and would often come over in her scrubs after work. She attended so many get-togethers in scrubs that we started calling them her "party clothes."

 

[goofyernmost]

If these folks work in a medical facility it is an issue. It's not a problem of what they bring out, it's what they bring in. Scrubs, by name, mean clean. They are worn instead of street clothes to keep outside germs from getting inside. If they are worn outside...well why bother other than being a cool fashion thing at this point.

Hopefully, responsible medical workers do know the difference and do not wear them coming in only going out.

 

[LovableGluttons]

Yup.....eewww! This is coming from a nurse. When I wore scrubs, I would undress in the garage, throw my scrubs in the wash and shower immediately. I also sprayed Lysol on my shoes, purse and the seat of my car.

If I had to go somewhere right after work, I would shower and change at work before I left.

 

[ForTheLoveofDisney]

Doesn't bother me. SOoooooo many people wear scrubs who have nothing to do with hospitals, patients or germs.

Very, very true. As I sat here reading this, I thought of several instances where businesses are going to scrubs as the uniform of choice and none of them come into contact with sick people. My eye doctor, for instance. We're not sick when we're getting our eyes checked. My friend who works with pharmaceuticals but is not in contact with sick folks, massage therapists, etc.

Scrubs in public don't bother me.

I can tell you what does bother me, is seeing Cast Members still in uniform out shopping in Walgreens or whatever around Disney. Now, that bothers me.

 

[Pigeon]

Doesn't bother me at all.

 

[Rora]

It never bothers me, but it makes me jealous! Scrubs look comfy. I want to wear scrubs all day.

 

[declansdad]

How many of you change your clothes before leaving work?

 

[baby1disney]

Scrubs don't bother me at all!! In fact..I'm thinkin of getting some just to wear around the house. At my school..we HAVE to wear scrubs if you're part of a medical program that requires you to. I CAN'T WAIT!!! Mainly for the fact that I don't have to figure out what to wear everyday!!!!

 

[Pluto 2]

How many of you change your clothes before leaving work?

i dont but i head staright home. i dont work in the medical field and i dont wear scrubs but the people in the grocery store shouldnt have to get my work environment on them

 

[taximomfor4]

In nursing school, we were forbidden to wear our scrubs anywhere on the WAY to clinicals, as well as on the way home. I always came home, changed and showered immediately, and put the scrubs into their very own laundry bag. They were also washed separately from other clothes. There are some bad germs hanging out around hospitals, often in higher concentrations than out in the general public (that is why MRSA acquired out in the community became a news story).

Hospitals are germy, dirty places. I love microbiology and have a healthy respect for any and all microbes. I respect them enough to try to prevent being their vector for traveling out of hospitals (where they reside in larrrrrrrge numbers) into my home or into the community. It's the same reason I have the kids bring their own book to the pediatrician -- we do NOT touch the ones in the exam rooms/waiting rooms.

A virus absolutely CAN live on cloth (a flu generally longer than a cold virus, btw), so coughing into your sleeve doesn't mean the virus isn't on your clothing. It is, and can live there for a while. It's just that you don't touch light switches, doorknobs, etc with the inside of your elbow. A virus generally can live longer on hard surfaces, though.

 

[Robmom]

I used to see that a lot on the NYC subways. You could tell that these people were hospital workers. I just would think they are bringing in all that germy stuff from the subway on their clothes and shoes and taking it into the hospital.

I also would love to be able to wear scrubs for work. I was considering working at a doctor's office just to wear them.

 

[tlbwriter]

Big point to remember is that everyone wears scrubs these days, not just nurses. Dental receptionists, medical sales, daycare workers etc... You never know what the person next to you has been exposed to, regardless of what they're wearing.

This is true. I know an elementary special ed teacher who is allowed to either follow a strict dress code or wear scrubs to work, and she chooses scrubs. And honestly, your average daycare worker, sitting next to you in jeans and a t-shirt, is likely to be spreading lots of germs as well.

 

[declansdad]

This is true. I know an elementary special ed teacher who is allowed to either follow a strict dress code or wear scrubs to work, and she chooses scrubs. And honestly, your average daycare worker, sitting next to you in jeans and a t-shirt, is likely to be spreading lots of germs as well.

Exactly

 

[disneybound2010]

After working as a CNA in a nursing home, it DOES bother me to see people out and about in their scrubs. I left work with everything from pureed food to pureed poop to everything in between on my clothing. I started putting plastic down in my car before I even sat in it! Shoes didn't come in the house and the clothes came off at the door. I wasn't about to track anything in there.
If something was needed at the store, it waited until I was clean. The thought of going into a store like that skeeved me out and seeing people in stores NOW and not knowing if they are dealing with residents or patients like I did completely geeks me out.

 

[TinklednPants]

I have several sets of scrubs that have NEVER seen the inside of any medical facility.
They are incredibly comfortable...particularly in hot weather.

 

[sparklynails23]

I look at people in scrubs and think, "MRSA." Can't help it.

 

[tlbwriter]

After working as a CNA in a nursing home, it DOES bother me to see people out and about in their scrubs. I left work with everything from pureed food to pureed poop to everything in between on my clothing.

Well, yes, if your clothes are dirty, it goes without saying that you shouldn't wear them out in public. But that's not limited to scrubs. A daycare worker or parent of young kids could also have all sorts of nastiness on their clothes and should know to not go out in public like that.

 

[malibuconlee]

DMom and I were just talking about this the other day, but from a different angle. She grew up in Philly and hated to see nurses or anyone else in scrubs riding public transportation into work, and then possibly sharing anything they picked up on the bus/train with already ill people in the hospital. She feels that they should put the scrubs on at work, and then leave them there after their shift. I guess she thinks the hospital should be responsible for laundering.

I'd never thought about it until it came up the other day.

The hospital I worked at only laundered the scrubs of the surgical and OB personnel. Not the nurses on the regular floors.