Watch above: a movement is underway to have standardized uniforms for nurses
SASKATOON – A new “wear white” movement is underway to help Saskatchewan patients better identify a registered nurse.
“The black and white stripes is what a registered nurse would get when they graduated, when I graduated from nursing in those days we still wore nurses caps and when we graduated we were given two black bands,” said Tracy Zambory, president of the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN).
“The reason that nurses moved away from nurses caps is it became an issue around infection control.”
With no distinct way of identifying a registered nurse in a hospital setting, the lines have become very blurry for the public and patients who are often left playing a game of ‘who’s who.’
“I started nursing a long time ago when everybody wore white and everybody knew who we were and then things changed, people started wearing colours and scrubs and we kinda all look the same and the patients didn’t know who was taking care of them,” said Marilyn Barlow, a registered nurse at Saskatoon City Hospital’s emergency room.
“Prior to this we all wore green scrubs and so even the cleaning staff wore green scrubs.”
In response to its members and a public poll, the union voted last November to launch a Wear White Campaign as part of a national movement, encouraging registered nurses to wear a white scrub top, lab coat or dress shirt to work.
“Patient safety is the number one reason why registered nurses want to stand up and stand out for their profession,” said Zambory.
“It’s very important that registered nurses are easily identified by the patients and in our minds it is a safety issue, it shows that there is an important number of registered nurses caring for the people of Saskatchewan.”
SUN hopes their push will embrace the movement going forward in an effort to have a very recognizable identity in the workplace and overall pride in the profession.
According to SUN, this phenomenon started in the Maritimes and is mandatory in Nova Scotia, as part of a collective agreement since 2012.
Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick wear white on a voluntary basis and Alberta RNs have started wearing white on Wednesdays.
In Saskatchewan, it’s still optional but SUN says it’s seen an increase among its members.
Nurses say they’ve been met with only positive reaction from the public, especially elderly patients.
“We’ve been identified as the nurse in the white uniform cause patients don’t often remember your names. Patients have reflected back to the past and how they used to appreciate the fact nurses wore all white and they like it again,” said Barlow.
“I think that patients and families are assured their care is measured as standard when there’s registered nurses taking care of them.”
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