Do Nurses Tuck in Their Scrubs or Not?

Do nurses tuck in their scrubs

Typically, when nurses are walking down the hallway, they aren’t going to be tucking in their scrubs. That’s just how it is.

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Do nurses tuck in their scrubs?

In a perfect world, they would always have their scrubs tucked in.

If they were always having to tuck in their scrubs, they would get dirty and they might accidentally touch people who are interacting with them.

It also makes it harder to grab things out of your pocket.

Typically, nurses are not going to tuck their scrubs in all of the time.

There are legitimate reasons why they should, but it’s unrealistic to expect them to do it all of the time.

Working in the hospital can be incredibly stressful to be able to manage and having your scrubs out when you just lounging about could make things better for you.

If someone of authority tells you to tuck in your scrubs you should probably do it.

See also: Best Scrubs to Tuck In

Not just because there are certain risks with having your scrubs untucked, but it also means that other people at the hospital are noticing.

There’s almost nothing more important at a hospital than the image that the people give to other people.

There is a lot of downtime in a hospital, but you should come there with the intent that you going to be taken seriously by everyone around you.

Generally, nurses need to use their best judgment as to when they should tuck in their scrubs.

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Do nurses tuck in their scrubs or not

Should I Tuck in My Scrubs as a Nurse?

On your first couple of days, you should absolutely tuck in your scrubs.

Your newest days are going to be the ones where you are perceived as being new and inexperienced.

Generally, if you want to go far in your career as a nurse, you have to work hard to prove those prejudices incorrect, even if it’s somewhat uncomfortable in the beginning.

As you earn more respect, it will become more acceptable to leave your scrubs untucked.

As long as it looks clean, it shouldn’t be as problematic as other things that you could potentially do in the hospital.

See also: Best Scrubs for Thick Thighs

First and foremost, taking scrubs that have been ironed and are fitting should be fine to wear in the hospital.

No one is going to care when you’re at lunch eating with your scrubs untucked, or potentially getting caught up with something with a doctor.

A time when you should have those scrubs tucked in is when you’re talking about something serious with a patient.

Having your scrubs not tucked in could be perceived as sloppy and the patient doesn’t want to go through that kind of stress.

You have to be able to make the best judgment for the situation that you’re facing.

If you are in operation, you should always have your scrubs tucked in regardless of what you’re doing.

The patient could be unconscious, but it’s still something important to do.

See also: What Do Nurses Wear?

Why Do Doctors Tuck in Their Scrubs?

Doctors have their scrubs tucked in to maintain an image of professionalism.

The hard work of the doctors at the hospital is what holds the staff together.

Of course, the hospital can’t survive without many nurses and other assistants who do a lot of leg work.

In the case of a hospital, doctors are more than just medical professionals with a lot of experience. For many, doctors are seen as a point of leadership and authority.

See also: Nurse Leadership Interview Questions

If the doctor doesn’t maintain a professional look consistently, can he really expect the rest of the staff to do the same?

Would they even take it as seriously as the patients or administrators would?

Sometimes, it’s just a personal choice and it’s what makes them feel better as they are taking care of things throughout the day.

Perhaps the doctor got scrubs in a size that was too big for them and they don’t really have an option but to tuck in the scrubs until they get a better-fitting size.

See also: Best Plus Size Scrubs

This also doesn’t mean that they are wearing scrubs every day.

There are going to be some days when the doctor might have their scrubs out for everyone to see.

It really depends on what kind of activities the doctor is going to be doing.

Not every day is a high-pressure performance day, where the fate of someone’s life is decided.

They also could have these scrubs untucked because they realize that they're going to be wearing a coat and no one is going to see their scrubs.

But on some other days, doctors could choose to have their scrubs tucked in just for the sake of practice.

See also: Can Nurses Wear Dresses?

Conclusion: Do Nurses Tuck in Their Scrubs?

Scrubs have become an iconic part of any western medical hospital. They are easy to put on and instantly signal to others that you are in the medical industry.

Even though clothes are objectively very disposable, it’s still very important to communicate that you take your job seriously.

See also: How to Tuck in a Scrub Top?

You’re in charge of someone’s medical status.

Even if that’s only temporary, for most of humanity, their health matters to them more than just about anything that they own.

If you’re just starting out as a medical professional, most people would recommend that you should tuck those scrubs in.

Some of the patients may recognize that you’re new and you need to reassure them.

Working in any medical field can be really intimidating, but looking professional has a lot of value in any job.

The last thing you would want any kind of person who’s getting open-heart surgery to be wondering is if they were ever qualified for the job.

What’s more important than tucking in your clothes is taking care of your clothes.

If you’re noticing holes start to form, then get a new uniform of scrubs that you can walk in confidently.

If your scrubs are wrinkly and notice that you’re not proud to wear them, wash them in the laundry machine and iron them.

Simple changes like this might not be technically required, but make a lot of difference in the professional world.

Now you should know whether do nurses tuck in their scrubs or not.

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About Ida Koivisto, BSN, RN, PHN

Ida is both a registered nurse and public health nurse. Her passion is to provide as much valuable information about nursing to the world as possible. In her spare time from work and blogging, Ida loves to work out at the gym and spend time with relatives.