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Doctors, nurses, and scrubs?

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Leb
LIF Adult

Member since 12/09

4166 total posts

Name:

Doctors, nurses, and scrubs?

Twice this past week I have seen two different men in those light blue/green scrubs getting coffee. I assume they are doctors or nurses.

But if they're going to work don't their scrubs have to be sterile? So why are they wearing them out and about to get coffee? Do they change at work?

Also if they get blood on the scrubs who cleans them, the hospital? Do they get the same pair back? I don't know why I am even thinking of this but I am lol!

Posted 8/19/13 9:53 PM
 
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nancy6485
So in love

Member since 10/05

3363 total posts

Name:
Nancy

Re: Doctors, nurses, and scrubs?

in the hospital I worked at, OR doctors, techs & nurses have a scrub exchange machine, it looks kind of like a vending machine. They get a clean pair every time. The draping paper gowns & gloves they put on directly before surgery is sterile.

as for being sterile, no. I'm a nurse and was a CNA before that at the hospital, I got dressed at home and went into work; sometimes stopping for coffee on the way in. Clean, yes!

Message edited 8/19/2013 10:00:18 PM.

Posted 8/19/13 9:58 PM
 

Crunchewy
LIF Adult

Member since 10/08

1232 total posts

Name:
A

Doctors, nurses, and scrubs?

I stop at Dunkin almost everyday always wearing scrubs. Starting September I will drop off DS at nursery school in scrubs.
Before surgery I just have to put a sterile gown over it.

Posted 8/19/13 10:15 PM
 

Leb
LIF Adult

Member since 12/09

4166 total posts

Name:

Re: Doctors, nurses, and scrubs?

Posted by LolasMom

I stop at Dunkin almost everyday always wearing scrubs. Starting September I will drop off DS at nursery school in scrubs.
Before surgery I just have to put a sterile gown over it.



Are they your scrubs, I assume you wear home at night? What if someone's blood gets on them, then what?

I know it's stupid I am just curious!

Posted 8/19/13 10:24 PM
 

NewlyMrs
Laugh-Live-Love LIFE!

Member since 10/06

14432 total posts

Name:
Jennifer

Re: Doctors, nurses, and scrubs?

I definitely think it depends on their line or work & the employer. Some offices require all workers to wear scrubs, but they don't have much physical contact with patients.

My husband has had jobs where the hospital supplies the scrubs & he changes there; others where he was just in the office doing consults, but wore scrubs (so not really getting "dirty"), & at his current he is responsible for his own scrubs (buying, & cleaning....so we purchased a sterilizing W/D). If fluids ever got on them, rare, it was taken off at work, he'd never wear them home.

Posted 8/19/13 11:17 PM
 

CL2012
LIF Toddler

Member since 1/13

374 total posts

Name:

Doctors, nurses, and scrubs?

Atul Gawande is a surgeon/non fiction writer and in one of his books, I think 'Better', he addresses the topic of hospital employees wearing their scrubs and shoes outside of the hospital. It's pretty interesting to read, and you're smart to be curious about this. As a pp said, for surgeries docs will wear sterile, disposable gowns over their scrubs....but fluids and pathogens can get on their scrub pants or shoes. So you hope they're smart and don't wear these things outside to spread things around.

Message edited 8/19/2013 11:42:26 PM.

Posted 8/19/13 11:41 PM
 

imagin916
LIF Adult

Member since 6/05

1826 total posts

Name:
Valerie

Re: Doctors, nurses, and scrubs?

If you work in the OR or in a sterile area, you get clean scrubs from a vending machine thing when you get to work. Even further, they have paper gowns and other coverings that are sterile to wear over that as well, for inside the OR.

You do not have to be sterile in normal patient circumstances. Even patients who are immunocompromised, you don't have to be sterile, you just wear protective gear like disposable gowns, masks, gloves. I don't see how going to Dunkin Donuts or the like before the shift starts is bringing germs to a patient.

If I know I am going to be cleaning up a mess, I will wear a paper gown to protect my clothing.

The biggest way to prevent the spread of germs is by handwashing and purell iin some cases.

Posted 8/20/13 4:31 AM
 

MorningCuppaCoffee
Tired!

Member since 12/07

16353 total posts

Name:
Allison

Re: Doctors, nurses, and scrubs?

I don't have any MDs in my program, but I do work in outpatient with OTs, PTs and speech therapists and most of them wear scrubs to work.

They rarely come into contact with fluids.

Working for a hospital system, I also can see that the trend these days is going towards outpatient treatment, which as other posters have said, is not as sterile of an environment.

For the record though, hospitals are not really germ free. Chat Icon

Posted 8/20/13 5:32 AM
 

LastLightGlow
Mystic.

Member since 4/07

2665 total posts

Name:

Re: Doctors, nurses, and scrubs?

.....

Message edited 1/11/2014 10:42:49 PM.

Posted 8/20/13 6:08 AM
 

N2709
LIF Infant

Member since 10/12

142 total posts

Name:

Doctors, nurses, and scrubs?

If you work in the OR, its considered a "sterile" enviornment and your not allowed to go outside the area without either a lab coat or some hospitals will have you change into your street clothing. You can get new scrubs and change. Usually, other departments are ok with you wearing/laundering your own scrubs b/c your not in a sterile enviorment. Ive seen some hospitals keep a log book for those that wear their own scrubs and want the hospital to wash them. If your patient has cdif or somethig along those lines, the hospital also provides gowns to put over your scrubs to limit your exposure and clothing exposure.
When I was in college and lived in scrubs, I would always keep a bag by the door and stick everything in it and do a seperate load of laundry .

Posted 8/20/13 7:19 AM
 

Leb
LIF Adult

Member since 12/09

4166 total posts

Name:

Doctors, nurses, and scrubs?

Thanks everyone. I was very curious about this!

Not implying the people I saw were being non sterile. Just curious about the cycle of a pair of scrubs and also who cleans them if they're bloody!

Posted 8/20/13 9:57 AM
 

NaturalMom
LIF Infant

Member since 8/12

239 total posts

Name:

Re: Doctors, nurses, and scrubs?

I always see people wearing scrubs on the subway. I doubt they change into new scrubs when they get to work because if that was the case I assume they would wear regular clothes to work and change once they got there.

Posted 8/20/13 10:12 AM
 

Bridex100
Two Under Two Mommy

Member since 3/08

10420 total posts

Name:
Momx100

Re: Doctors, nurses, and scrubs?

DH is a surgeon and mostly wears scrubs at work. We never wash scrubs at home. At his current hospital, they want the surgeons to change scrubs at the hospital so DH wears plain clothes in and changes when he gets to work. The nurses and other staff wear their own scrubs to/from work and I'm sure they do their own laundry. Throughout med school, residency and fellowship, DH would wear scrubs to/from the hospital. We never washed the scrubs at home then either.

Maybe it is because DH deals with ortho patients and not patients with infectious diseases but it never bothered me when he came home from work from the hospital in scrubs. He used to change immediately out of scrubs as soon as he got home from work.

They wear booties over their shoes and gowns in the operating room.

Posted 8/20/13 10:32 AM
 

dani731
Blessed!!!

Member since 1/08

3355 total posts

Name:
D

Doctors, nurses, and scrubs?

Blue/green scrubs does not automatically mean they are doctors or nurses. My 22yr old sister is a part time physical therapy assistant at a small Physical Therapy office and she is required to wear blue scrubs.

Posted 8/20/13 11:22 AM
 

KwaaksNest
Love my boys!

Member since 6/10

2825 total posts

Name:
Samantha

Doctors, nurses, and scrubs?

I work in a drs office...chirpractic and physical therapy and i have to wear scrubs...i work 2 long days and often run errands in my scrubs.

Posted 8/20/13 1:06 PM
 

peanutbutter2
Carpe diem!

Member since 11/10

5287 total posts

Name:

Re: Doctors, nurses, and scrubs?

They could be on their way out of work too, right?

Posted 8/20/13 1:09 PM
 

MorningCuppaCoffee
Tired!

Member since 12/07

16353 total posts

Name:
Allison

Re: Doctors, nurses, and scrubs?

I've never actually seen anyone walking around in bloody scrubs so I think you are safe in that realm.

Posted 8/20/13 5:37 PM
 

imagin916
LIF Adult

Member since 6/05

1826 total posts

Name:
Valerie

Doctors, nurses, and scrubs?

If our scrubs get soiled at work, the hospital will provide scrubs for us to change into. I have only needed to do this a handful of times in 10 years since if I anticipate a mess, I will wear a plastic gown over my clothes when giving care.

Posted 8/20/13 5:39 PM
 

MorningCuppaCoffee
Tired!

Member since 12/07

16353 total posts

Name:
Allison

Re: Doctors, nurses, and scrubs?

P.S. I work with A LOT of home attendants who also wear scrubs.

Posted 8/20/13 5:44 PM
 

Irishlass
LIF Adult

Member since 5/05

2961 total posts

Name:
Lisa

Re: Doctors, nurses, and scrubs?

If I'm going into the OR I change into OR scrubs. I wear scrubs every day & I change out of them the second I get home. If they get soiled during the day we will go up to the OR & change into their scrubs, bring them back the next day to be cleaned.

Posted 8/20/13 6:16 PM
 

orchid24
PARTY OF FIVE PLEASE!

Member since 3/06

2018 total posts

Name:
D

Re: Doctors, nurses, and scrubs?

Posted by MorningCuppaCoffee

I've never actually seen anyone walking around in bloody scrubs so I think you are safe in that realm.



this made me lol...thanks for that. slow night at work!

as previously posted, it depends on what line of work. I'm an RN and wear scrubs to work...i'll stop in somewhere beforehand wearing clean scrubs.
I take off my shoes and clothes and shower first thing before sleeping. i am not around a lot of infectious diseases though.

Posted 8/22/13 3:17 AM
 

MorningCuppaCoffee
Tired!

Member since 12/07

16353 total posts

Name:
Allison

Re: Doctors, nurses, and scrubs?

Glad I made you laugh.

Sorry, the first thing I thought of though when I read the topic was I have never really seen anything like that, and I am around MANY people who wear scrubs.

But I guess like the token diabetic.............Chat Icon

Posted 8/22/13 4:51 AM
 

TyReseGreen
Lil Prince is here

Member since 8/11

6338 total posts

Name:
Theresa

Re: Doctors, nurses, and scrubs?

Posted by Irishbride

If I'm going into the OR I change into OR scrubs. I wear scrubs every day & I change out of them the second I get home. If they get soiled during the day we will go up to the OR & change into their scrubs, bring them back the next day to be cleaned.



This exactly! In the OR we would wear a sterile drape on top of the OB scrubs.

Posted 8/22/13 9:18 AM
 

imagin916
LIF Adult

Member since 6/05

1826 total posts

Name:
Valerie

Doctors, nurses, and scrubs?

I work in Adult ICU.. the patients are more likely to make me sick than I am them.

Posted 8/22/13 10:33 AM
 
 

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