[KalipsoRed]

Hi, I work for Barnes Jewish Hospital in Saint Louis in the ER. Currently I am a secretary, but I graduate at the end of this year. We have a color code system for all staff. Everyone is require to wear a solid pant in the color assigned for their position and allowed to wear solid or printed tops of the same color. RNs wear dark blue, secretaries wear purple, inventory wears tan. The housekeeping wear black, but recently they updated their uniforms. The now wear pin striped pants and a more fitted top with lapels, but it is all made out of scrub material and very washer friendly. Pretty cool for them huh? I think it would be better for the patients if the RNs wore blue and everyone else wore a different color but all the same color. I also think that doctors should have a dress code. Where I work they are allowed to wear scrubs or business clothes with a lab jacket. Well other employees (RTs, CT techs, Xray techs, etc..) also wear lab jackets and this can be very confusing to the patients. I think doctors in the ER should be required to wear black cargo pants and a solid/printed scrib top or polo shirt. The top should be the same color for all physicians.

PS I think it is tacky tacky tacky for anyone to wear all white and especially to wear white pants. I think it is a great color for students to have to wear, but after that it should be banned. I think the medical community as a whole should get together and decide a color for RNs and Doctors to wear because as a patient I would be very disturbed by not being able to tell who the nurses were and who was not. And if doctors don't want to go to a dress code, then I think that no other disiplines in the hospital should be able to wear white coats except for doctors.