What to Wear Under Scrubs? With 8 Great Tips

What to wear under scrubs

There are some things a nurse may wear under their scrubs as they’re doing their job. Of course, in many cases, it’s best for nurses to wear a bra or some underwear.

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Under scrubs in winter (Women):Under Armour Women's ColdGear Leggings
Under scrubs in summer (Women):Xibing Women's Seamless Underwear
Under scrub top (Men):Gildan Men's Crew T-Shirts
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Under scrubs in winter (Men):Thermajohn Men's Thermal Underwear Set
Under scrubs in summer (Men):New Balance Men's Boxer Brief

Sometimes, there could be a hole or a rip that happens in the scrubs and they can’t allow themselves to become exposed to the patients.

What to wear under scrubs?

Some nurses like to wear athletic wear since it's able to absorb sweat and wick it away.

Being a nurse puts you in a ton of tense situations so using that kind of clothing under their scrubs is a good idea.

Some scrubs are of lesser quality than other kinds of scrubs which is why nurses primarily do this in the first place.

Having a comfortable shirt under your top or compression tights under the pants makes your job much more comfortable during those stressful shifts.

However, this is going to change depending on the time of year.

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What to wear underneath scrubs

What to Wear Under Scrubs in Summer?

What to wear under scrubs in summer

Typically, you want to wear thin layers with some underwear when you work.

The hospital is going to be air-conditioned, but the place that you work at might be in a really humid area.

Even with air conditioning, some of that humidity is going to vary to some other parts of the hospital.

Despite wearing scrubs for many hours throughout the day, many of those problems that you would have could be avoided if you simply didn’t wear thick clothes.

See also: Why Do Nurses Work 12-Hour Shifts?

It will take some experimentation, but you will find the combination that works the best for you sooner or later.

You can wear the normal cotton T-shirt and panties, but they aren’t as flexible.

They are also more likely to have holes a lot easier and are just not as good products in general.

This could work for a while, but it’s best to just get a better set of underwear overall.

This doesn’t mean completely getting rid of what you normally do, but having premium underwear while you work can really change how you’re feeling for a while.

Everyone should try out their options and see what they like.

But typically, something that’s dry-fit and thin is the way to go for the summer.

See also: Best Scrubs for Petite Women

What to Wear Under Scrubs in Winter?

What to wear under scrubs in winter

The winter brings about some of the harshest days throughout the year.

Colder temperatures mean that the body is forced to burn more calories.

Women also weigh less than men on average which means that they have to take the winter more seriously.

See also: Best Scrubs for Men

There are a few misconceptions about clothes in the winter and one of them is that just because a layer is thicker, that means it must keep you warmer.

This is wrong, but there are a few thick layers of certain materials that could be worth wearing in the winter.

One thing a woman could wear in the winter to stay warm is a thermal top.

Thermals are a bit thicker than cotton shirts that nurses wear and would cover the entire torso.

It’s something that would keep the casual look of the scrubs that you’re wearing while also keeping you warm very consistently.

Of course, there are going to be exceptions to this, but they are very reliable.

For the bottom portion of the scrubs, the nurse could wear some compression leggings or thick shorts in order to keep their legs warm.

In the summer though, all you would have to do is wear wool socks instead of cotton socks.

See also: Best Scrubs for Thick Thighs

What to wear under scrubs to stay warm?

Wool has always been the most consistent material for people to stay warm.

It’s not the best option for going on a 10-hour shift for the sake of staying warm.

However, it can be good in the short term and is also very cheap to buy. Cotton is also a great material for the sake of having something under your scrubs.

Cotton isn’t going to rub against you nearly as much as other materials and maintains its quality for a very long time.

There are different combinations of cotton with what you’re going to wear, so you can experiment with it.

Polyester is seen as a material made for people who want to be cool during the summer, but it also has utility during the winter.

Believe it or not, people sweat a lot in the winter due to the body needing to produce more heat to keep it warm.

See also: Best Scrubs for Sweating

There are some warm options for polyester, but those shirts and undergarments are going to be more flexible than what they’ve seen before.

A few layers of leggings should also be good if the nurse plans on working a long shift.

Unfortunately, for underwear, there aren’t that many options that will keep a woman completely warm.

See also: Best Plus Size Scrubs

What to wear underneath scrubs pants?

Leggings are something good that every woman can wear.

Not only are they incredibly thin, but they also serve the purpose of being mostly disposable.

There are different brands of leggings, but typically, you should choose a cheap option since there isn’t much of a good reason to invest hundreds of dollars into compression tights that no one is going to see.

Compression shorts could be the best option if when you go to work in the summer.

They will be thin and comfortable, but no one will see you in them.

Some people want to be a bit more traditional like wearing panties of their favorite designs. It really depends on the choices that the person is going to make.

Some nurses are going to have preferences depending on how their day has gone for them and how they are going to feel as the seasons change throughout the year.

With scrubs, you don’t have to change your underwear for when you get to work.

For example, if you have been doing some chores before you go to work, you can still wear those same undergarments.

See also: How to Wear Hair for Nursing Interview Like a Pro?

What to Wear Under White Scrubs?

You won’t have to wear white scrubs that often, however, when you do, it’s a must to make sure that you wear the right underwear.

The easiest answer is to simply have on white underwear when wearing white scrubs.

You may not always have white underwear and the problem is when you wear other kinds of scrubs along with underwear that doesn’t match.

Despite the color being solid, it should be able to be seen through by the people who are at the hospital.

This is why you don’t want to wear strong, contrasting colors.

Wearing colors like red or black is going to completely expose what certain parts of your body look like to the people at the hospital.

It can accidentally attract the attention of perverts and other kinds of people. It’s just not something that needs attention brought to it at the hospital.

See also: Do Nurses Relieve Patients?

If you can, try to wear undergarments that are neutral yet comfortable.

Typically, a grey polyester material could work out solidly for the kind of look you’re going for at the hospital.

You can use your judgment for whatever you think is the most appropriate for the situation.

See also:

Conclusion: What Do Nurses Wear Under Their Scrubs?

Nurses can technically wear whatever they want under their scrubs.

It’s not like the administrator is going to check to make sure that they are wearing something under those scrubs.

Obviously, nurses are responsible for not exposing themselves to coworkers or patients in an inappropriate manner.

See also: Responsibility of a Nurse

However, if a nurse simply wanted to wear nothing under their scrubs, there isn’t a whole lot that the hospital could do about it.

There are a lot of comfortable options that nurses can choose from.

As long as it’s something that doesn’t affect your performance or personality, there isn’t a lot that you should have to worry about.

There are some good options for those of you who just want to wear the same thing throughout the year.

Cotton is easily the most available material and will cost you the least but has a surprising lack in quality.

It also isn’t going to have the same staying power as some of the other options that you’ll have in the hospital.

It’s a great thing to have options but polyester is going to be your best bet moving forward.

It isn’t going to be something that’s cheap, but it’s well worth the money if you value all the comfort and life improvements that you get with that underwear.

Generally, this isn’t something that you’re actually going to be required to follow.

This is just a set of guidelines that are going to make your life as a nurse just a bit nurse.

Every nurse deals with problems and has to find their own way of finding right way to deal with them.

You don’t really have to be told what to wear under your scrubs when you go to work.

We just want to create a guide so that you aren’t surprised when it gets really cold or hot outside.

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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.