What Kind of Clothes Do Nurses Wear?

Nursing is a challenging, specialized career, for which nurses must come mentally and physically prepared. The physical rigors of the job, in particular, require a particular sort of dress that maximizes comfort when shifts run long and the nurse must do heavy lifting to care for and support injured or handicapped patients.

Outer Garments

On the top and bottom, nurses usually wear scrubs. This is to increase comfort and range of motion, so that a nurse can move freely when lifting a patient or when bending over to care for a patient. The clothes should not be distracting or revealing, and scrubs are perfect for this purpose.

Comfortable Footwear

Perhaps most important of all is comfortable footwear. Most hospitals require sneakers, and some may require that they are white. Important features on your sneaker should be good arch support and non-slip soles. Sometimes hospital floors can be very wet from having just been mopped, or perhaps even from the patient wetting himself. Non-slip soles are important, and the arch support is necessary because nurses are almost always on their feet and on the go.

Other Clothing with Support

Sometimes nurses will wear clothes that provide back support under their clothes, like an extra undergarment. Especially for nurses in nursing homes, this extra precaution is advisable if heavy lifting is required.

Things to Avoid Wearing

Nurses should avoid wearing jewelry such as necklaces in particular. These can get caught on equipment, or necklaces can be yanked and present a choking hazard when nurses are working with mentally unstable patients.

Wearing Clothes that are Clean

Most important of all, nurses must wear clothes that are clean. It is tempting to keep scrubs unwashed because they are "work clothes," but because these are the clothes that are exposed from patient to patient, they must be washed often. Failing to wear clothes that are clean when interacting with patients exposes them to disease and puts them at further risk.