Trinity Hospital staff used to resemble a colorful mosaic, with scrub wear of every hue, print and pattern. But starting July 1st nurses, therapists and other health professionals across most of Trinity’s care system have adopted a more harmonized appearance.
The harmony is the result of a new policy on clinical attire that establishes uniformity in the color of scrubs for various departments. Under the policy, RNs and LPNs wear grey; certified nursing assistants, royal blue; lab phlebotomists, navy blue; x-ray techs, chocolate brown, radiation therapists, black; and neurodiagnostic staff, eggplant. Clinic staff have also adopted uniform color schemes.
Jennifer Henjum chairs the Nursing Culture Council, which recommended the policy. She says the new dress code is in synch with national trends and based on patient survey data that shows patient satisfaction scores tend to go up when uniform dress codes are adopted. It’s evidence-based,” she noted. “Current literature indicates patients prefer to see nursing staff wearing the same color.”