What Do Nurses Wear to Work? 5 Things You Should Know

Nurses serve an integral role in the hospital. They provide valuable assistance to the doctors responsible for saving lives in the hospital.

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As such, nurse uniforms were designed to keep their patients, themselves, and their coworkers safe from germs and contaminants.

What do nurses wear?

If you have ever been to a hospital or seen one in a television show or movie, you would have noticed that all nurses were wearing the same thing.

These are their medical scrubs that protect their bodies and their patients while they do their work.

Medical nurses are provided with various protective wear when conducting their duties in the hospital or clinic.

Their medical scrubs differ from department to department.

Furthermore, they may vary depending on the rank of the nurse or their given responsibilities.

Nurses are also given face masks and shields to protect them from infectious diseases.

While nurses primarily use their medical scrubs around the hospital, you may be wondering about any accessories or footwear they may have.

Some nurses are allowed to have things such as watches and gloves to assist them in their duties.

See also: Can Nurses Wear Apple Watches?

In addition, they have a pocket on their scrub uniform shirt to keep anything they may need inside of it.

Subsequently, nursing essentials and other medical equipment vary depending on the department they work in.

This article will highlight what do nurses wear throughout their responsibilities in the hospital.

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Table of Contents

What do nurses wear to work?

Medical scrubs are the most common form of clothing for nurses.

It serves to make nurses easily identifiable to assist whoever may need it. Furthermore, medical scrubs are sterilized constantly so that they do not spread disease.

Scrubs were designed with ease of cleaning in mind so that they may always be disinfected.

They are almost always in solid colors so that nurses can quickly identify when it is dirty with contaminants.

These uniforms comprise a pair of pants and a shirt.

Nurses are also required to follow medical clothing guidelines when choosing their scrubs.

Scrubs are composed in a particular way using a blend of materials. Most scrubs are made up of cotton, spandex, or polyester.

See also: Best Scrubs for Sweating

Cotton is the most popular choice and is often regarded as the best in surgical settings.

The material is thin and loose to provide a wide range of movement.

This material is also very easily cleaned and disinfected.

It may be confusing as to why cotton is the fabric of choice.

While certainly, the cotton fabric may seem contradictory with its ability to absorb contaminants and dirt, cotton canvas is an entirely different material.

It is naturally resistant to water which protects the nurses.

As previously mentioned, medical scrubs differ depending on various factors. They are most commonly in bluish or greenish colors, but this is not a requirement.

The medical scrubs that nurses wear depend on where they work. Their employer or facility that they work in may require a certain kind of medical scrub.

Different departments also usually feature other scrubs to identify who works in these areas quickly.

Senior nurses also may be given a different color shade than their subordinates.

The same goes for doctors who are often given a different color altogether. It is important to note that these are not definite rules but rather industry norms.

Other hospitals have other color coding and requirements for their medical scrubs.

What do nurses wear for shoes?

Smaller healthcare facilities such as clinics may not require their nurses to wear a specific type of shoe.

They may opt to have them wear any comfortable sneakers or tennis shoes that they want.

See also: Best Tennis Shoes for Nurses

More extensive healthcare facilities such as hospitals, however, often have a shoe requirement.

In hospitals, nurses are usually made to wear slip-resistant clogs like you would wear if you were working in a restaurant.

Like their medical scrubs, nursing clogs serve a valuable purpose.

Clogs are comfortable with adequate support to keep nurses happy throughout their long days.

They are also slip-resistant so that they do not fall on any slick floors or surfaces in the hospital.

Nurses are responsible for caring for patients, and a fall would impair their ability to do so and maybe even harm the patient.

See also: Can Nurses Wear Boots?

Furthermore, clogs allow for the easy recognition of any stains or liquids that may have gotten on them.

Finally, the material clogs are primarily made of also allows for easy cleaning and disinfecting.

Some hospitals or departments may require nurses to use athletic shoes when needed.

See also: Best Athletic Scrubs

Athletic shoes give excellent mobility to nurses that need them.

They are also lightweight and comfortable, so it is easy on their feet.

These shoes are reserved for the more active nurses who work in emergency areas or areas that need them to move around a lot.

See also: Best HOKA Shoes for Nurses

What do nurses wear on their heads?

Some nurses are required to wear medical caps on their heads as a part of their uniforms.

However, you most likely will not see a nurse wearing a medical hat in the reception area or other parts of the hospital.

See also: Why Do Nurses Wear Scrub Caps?

Medical caps are used on nurses who work in the surgical departments where medical operations happen.

These caps serve to keep hair and any contaminants contained within them from falling out onto patients.

During surgical situations, any contaminants that fall into a patient’s hollow body can quite literally mean their death.

The medical caps are almost precisely the same as a standard shower cap. The difference is that medical caps are made of the same material as the medical scrubs nurses use.

Aside from medical caps, most nurses are required to wear a face mask as well.

The face mask protects the nurses from any diseases or germs that their patients may be carrying. Pretty much most nurses will be seen with face masks on as hospitals are hotspots for illnesses.

An outbreak can happen fast if the proper care and protection are not taken seriously.

See also: Can Nurses Wear Hijab?

What kind of gloves do nurses wear?

The gloves worn by nurses are called medical gloves or surgical gloves. The chances are that you have come across this in your lifetime during science class.

Medical gloves are primarily made up of the material called latex.

What these gloves provide is protection against any chemicals or contagious bodily fluids from patients.

Latex is entirely water-resistant, meaning that it cannot soak up any liquids.

Liquids that come in contact with the surgical gloves come off without passing through.

These gloves keep the hands of nurses and healthcare workers wholly safe and dry on the inside.

Nurses are made to handle many dangerous and harmful substances that may put themselves or others in danger throughout their duties.

As a result, these gloves allow them to hold and touch these substances without risking any contact with themselves.

In addition, cross-contamination is put to a halt with these gloves as they are disposed of immediately after use.

Nurses typically use medical gloves in many situations around the hospital. It is required to be used when in the operating room or performing anything on the patient.

Whether it is changing clothes or injecting them, a nurse must wear medical gloves to ensure no contamination occurs.

They are also used when sterilizing medical equipment so that no contaminants the nurse may have on them may transfer to the equipment.

What kind of watches do nurses wear?

Medical-friendly watches have been a staple of nursing for some time.

Nurses need to keep on time when it comes to a patient’s schedule, such as feeding, medicine, and other activities.

Watches allow nurses to stay on schedule and monitor a patient’s health accurately.

Many tasks performed by a nurse require precise timing and serious deadlines.

Without a watch, their timing would become inaccurate and put the patient at risk.

Not all watches are safe for nurses.

Some may be prone to contamination or not water-resistant. However, watches have been designed explicitly for use by medical professionals.

The watch straps are made of easily sanitized materials and ones that are not easily contaminated.

Furthermore, the watch heads themselves are waterproof so that no harmful substances may go inside.

These days, most nurses utilize smartwatches due to how much functionality they provide.

Smartwatches allow nurses to set alarms, perform precise timings, and schedule events all on their wrists.

They can even receive notifications and phone calls on their smartwatches if they are needed.

These watches are great for connecting the network of nurses and doctors to serve their patients better. It also makes the job easier for these essential healthcare workers.

Conclusion: What do nurses wear?

Medical clothing and accessories for nurses are designed with purpose and functionality in mind. Nurses have the vital job of keeping people alive and healthy.

Because of this, it is essential that their clothing and accessories allow them to perform at their best while staying protected themselves.

Medical scrubs protect these healthcare workers from any germs or contaminants and are easy to sanitize.

Furthermore, the caps that they wear protect patients from any germs that might be in their hair. See also: Can Nurses Have Colored Hair?

Gloves and shoes are also designed to keep the nurses working at their best and safest.

Lastly, watches make sure that a nurse is never late to provide their essential assistance.

Protection, comfort, and functionality are the key components of nurses’ clothing and accessories.

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What Do Nurses Wear? 5 Things You Should Know