Don't Want No Scrubs

If you see a person wearing scrubs, you assume that person is a medical professional, most often a nurse. They’re everywhere in the hospital. Each department has their own color of scrubs which makes it easy to identify nurses, CNAs, speech therapists, etc. They’re practical, easy to clean or discard as needed, and a great asset in the hospital setting.

Dietitians often don’t wear scrubs. Some hospitals allow them but I’ve always worn business wear with a lab coat and it seems like most hospitals have this dress code in place for their dietitians. In recent months, we’ve been discussing changing to scrubs. We’d probably wear the same color as the other therapists like speech, OT, and PT. Honestly, I’m not on board.

What’s the Big Deal?

First of all, my frugal nature doesn’t want to pay for scrubs. They’re actually expensive, especially if you purchase a good brand, and can cost $20-40/top or bottom. When you think about purchasing five days worth of scrubs, you’re looking at a few hundred dollars. Unlike my normal work clothes, I can’t wear scrubs anywhere other than work so I don’t want to pay for them.

The argument used to justify having us pay for them is that by wearing scrubs, we don’t have to purchase as many dress clothes. Once again though, I like my dress clothes and I wear them all the time outside of work. I can’t show up to church wearing scrubs. At least not without some strange looks.

Additionally, all other professions receive scrubs as a part of their compensation. Nurses might get 3 pairs on hire and then 1-2 pairs a year so sure, they might have to purchase a few extra but they are covered for the most part. Most other professions that wear scrubs have them compensated. Given the fact that we’re not in a high paying profession, asking dietitians to take on additional costs is a hardship.

Advantages

Identification would be the reason why I would like to have scrubs. I’ve heard that dietitians feel more comfortable doing physical assessments or other “hands on” work with scrubs but I haven’t found that to be the case. I had the option to wear scrubs at my first job and when I did, it didn’t change the way I went about my job.

It would be nice for people to know who we are. When you wear business dress and a lab coat, people think you’re a doctor. Nurses, therapists, and even other doctors may not know who you are initially. Wearing scrubs identifies your role in the medical team to both your coworkers and patients. I see the value for that reason.

Final Thoughts: Finances

Although I’m still fairly ambivalent about wearing or not wearing scrubs, I am determined to not wear them until they’re covered by the department. I’ve been working as a dietitian without scrubs and it doesn’t seem to be having a negative effect on my performance so I have little motivation to push for wearing scrubs. At my first job, we had the option to wear scrubs or business wear with a lab coat. The days when I wore scrubs were not any different than the days that I didn’t. Uniformity is not a negative in a hospital setting but some compromise must be reached.

So the next time you see me at work, I'll probably still be wearing business attire with a lab coat.