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Some Nurses Blue Over Color-Coded Uniform Policy
The Minnesota Nurses Association has filed a grievance against Allina Hospitals & Clinics over a color-coded uniform requirement. The health system says it has patients in mind, but does the policy violate labor contracts?
The last hospital I worked in had colored coded scrubs for different entities: RN, NA's, RT, Radiology, etc.. It was actually wonderful and the patients and families were very satisfied. It also helped staff to recognized each other as well.
They should be allowed to wear what they want! NAMETAGS say WHO they are & WHAT they do!!!! Ex:LPN-how much simpler can one get???
Could be a good change but the Allina is not willing to pay for their mandated decision. $40 for a "starter set"? Bought 2 bottoms and 1 top. Anyone in public service is given a stipend for their uniforms...more like $200-500 very 4-6 months...and believe me nurses live paycheck to paycheck like the rest of the country. Truly pathetic.
Will the color of the uniform really have an impact on the nursing care that is delivered on a daily basis? Good nursing care is not decided on a color, it's the person in the uniform no matter what color it is.
Much to do about nothing... If the staff are informed and understand the union should stand behind their members not try to push a political agenda.
I think this is a good thing. We already have this in place in the hospital I work in and it has been a postive thing. Everyone accepted the change without being childish about.
Kudos to Alina Hospitals and Clinics for listening to their patients and following through on ways that make it easier for patients and families to be in their health care settings. I am also pleased to see that nurses will easily be differentiated from other clinical staff and I hope this will help to give them the recognition they so deserve. A big thank you to the nurses who make this change willingly or with kicking and screaming. I hope they will experience the rewards that other nurses, who have gone to a uniform color in the interest of patient centeredness, have enjoyed.
If making the patients happy is the priority, then nurses should wear white. I worked for one hospital where all floor nurses (ED, ICU, and OR were exceptions) wore white and the patients LOVED it. I found the amount of laundry it generated to be a bit of a challenge, but c'est la vie. At hospitals where I wore scrubs, I avoided the whole "are you my nurse or the housekeeper?" problem by wearing a white coat and a stethoscope. At minimum, I ALWAYS wore my badge identifying me as a RN. Never having worked for a union shop, I didn't have the opportunity to stomp my feet and yell about the dress code. If this is their biggest problem at work, they are fortunate indeed.