Hip Scrubs – Nursing Scrubs Essentials

Nursing scrubs have clothed nurses and other medical professionals for a long time now. In terms of fashion, surgical scrubs have evolved from the pristine white to today’s wide selection of various designs in multiple colors. But no matter what changes have taken place, the components that make up medical and nursing scrubs remain. Each piece of women’s or mens scrubs is essential to the whole and each has its own function.

The complete hospital scrubs outfit is composed of a scrub top, scrub pants, jacket, lab coat, scrub shoes and, on occasion, scrub caps. Each piece of clothing has its respective function that contributes to the whole outfit.

Scrub tops are perhaps the garment people notice first. Design is important for scrub tops, but comfort should not be sacrificed. With nurses and doctors typically working long hours, scrub tops should provide a wide range of movement for the upper body. Scrub tops for men and women may be different in terms of looks but both should offer un-restrained movement for increased productivity.

Nursing scrubs can’t be complete without scrub pants. Like the top, scrub pants must also afford its wearer great freedom of movement. In most cases, nurses have to be quick on their feet when running gurneys and attending to medical emergencies. Same goes for doctors and other medical assistants.

Most modern hospitals and medical facilities have zealous air-conditioning systems. Aside from complementing men’s and women’s scrubs with an additional garment, scrub jackets provide warmth in a hospital’s cold conditions. In terms of function, a scrub jacket with large pockets enables its wearer to bring along other medical instruments such as medical tape, stethoscopes, and scissors.

Labcoats are very essential to medical professionals, especially for those who deal with chemicals and work in fire-prone areas such as laboratories. Although a labcoat is not flame retardant, it protects the wearer’s skin from chemical spills and sudden bursts of flame with its tight-woven cotton/polyester combination.

Although nursing scrubs can do without a nursing cap, they have long been associated as a vital component of a nurse’s clothing ensemble. Although it has evolved from being a piece of clothing to a fashion statement, a nursing cap still serves its purpose – to protect patients from contaminants found in hair.

Of course, men’s and womens scrubs are rendered incomplete without nursing shoes. There are a lot of nursing footwear options to choose from, ranging from easy slide-ons and clogs to traditional tie-up models. But the thing to remember here is comfort. The feet are the most used part of the human body. Nursing shoes that have heel cushions and are ultra lightweight are the preferred choice of modern nurses. Male nurses prefer to pair their mens scrubs with shoes that have the athletic look while female nurses usually like ones that have a feminine touch.

Other medical accessories that complete women’s and men’s scrub outfits are stethoscopes, thermometers, and masks. Nurses are often times the first medical personnel to attend to a patient before the doctor. Stethoscopes and thermometers are important in checking a person’s vital signs while masks protect nurses from viruses that may enter their airways.