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Fri 3 Sep, 2004 09:02 pm
I was an impressionable child raised by two opinionated, commonsense people. In my mythology of Authority Figures, white is a color of healing.
In the hospital, I like my RN's in white and the LPN's in white and the Nursing Aids in White. Orderlies and cleaning staff can be in blue--fine by me.
In medical situations I like nurses in white--real white, not white overlaid with teddy bears or Disney copyright characters or ice cream cones. Certainly not sports clothes.
Instead hospital staff and edical office professionals are wearing some sort of limp compromise between authority and house-cleaning smocks.
My dentist dresses everyone but himself--dental technicians, dental assistants and office staff in forest green--sort of like garage mechanic uniforms. The eye expert has the same sort of mufti in a combination of black and orchid. At the Internist's office clerical staff might as well be golfing and the nursing staff are all garbed so as not to frighten young and impressionable children--although you have to be 16 to see the Internist.
The local ambulance crews--whom I see far more frequently than I could which usually wear whites under windbreakers. I approve.
What ever happened to old fashioned medical whites? Does anyone else miss them?
You know, Noddy, this is one of those weird things that one misses, but forgets of missing. I think that plain white seems far more appropriate for the medical industry: white is a serious and clean colour, to me. Blue just doesn't suit, especially that light blue. What do you think brought the move to multicolours?
I am happy to see the practice of "whites" go. In the past, medical people were perceived as "gods" who had all the right answers. Patients dutifully listened to their doctors and nurses as little children listen to parents. The white "uniforms" set them apart as people of special IMPORTANCE.
People have become more sophisticated now. They are now "consumers of medical service". When people are savvy, the relationship with their medical providers are on a much more level playing field, and more collegial.
To me, a name tag, with a person's title, is sufficient for me to recognize the doctor from the janitor. And, although the Disney characters and the ice cream cones on uniform jackets for nurses tend to be a bit too "cutesy" for my taste, I think that it tends to humanize the wearer.
This is interesting, as I recently had a conversation with an old family friend who mentioned the same thing regarding medical uniforms these days. She also misses the professionalism that used to be associated with the uniform, especially among nurses. I have to say, when I was in the hospital, I couldn't get any sleep because the nurses were yakking it up all night with boyfriend stories, "where are we going to drink" tonight stories, like teenagers.
If you take a look at your local uniform store, you will find hospital attire in every color imaginable. Some hospitals put restrictions on what color you can wear according to your hospital status.
If you go to the emergency room, would you want your doctor to be wearing black scrubs as he examines you?
Cav, my mother was recently in the hospital. Her room was right off the nurse's station. She couldn't get any sleep because they chatted endlessly in non hospital conversations or as you said, "boyfriend stories."
I know you are supposed to be quiet when you enter a public library, but I guess the rules do not apply when you enter a hospital full of sick people.
I suggest they put more money into good interior decorating, rather than fancy suits.
As a child, I always got confused and were embarrassed, when seeing my father "in white" in the hospital (he was a doctor).
My grandfather was a doctor, and we have neat 8mm home movies of when he opened his first clinic, in Regina, Saskatchewan, and all the doctors are smoking like chimneys.
These are
silk scrubs
and this one is for Halloween
cavfancier wrote:My grandfather was a doctor, and we have neat 8mm home movies of when he opened his first clinic, in Regina, Saskatchewan, and all the doctors are smoking like chimneys.
My father was a lungs specialist (and internist): he smoked as well as I did - for advertise reasons, only :wink:
(And I now only stick to smoking to support this profession.)
About 20 years ago my doctor always wore a white scrub top with a pack of Winston cigarettes in the almost see through pocket.
Once upon a time, long ago and far away, east of the sun and west of the moon, the white costume--complete with cap--was earned and hospital staff--while much less informed than the staff of today--were much more professional.
Of course, the older I get, the sharper my critical eye....
While I'm down Memory Lane, do you remember when children under twelve could not visit the hospital. Bliss. Last spring the hospital corridors for the fracture floor became racetracks for both toddlers and elementary school kids.
Neither parents nor the nursing staff objected.
by the time I turn eighty years old, I'll be a real whizz-bitch.
Not long ago I spent a number of weeks caring for a family member in a hospital. My pet peeves (and that's much too gentle a term!) were the noise at the nurses' station at night (the male nurses were as chattery as the female ones) and the noise of those many, many children running up and down the hall during visiting hours. (Actually those were very minor peeves compared to problems of staff shortages, sloppy infection-control measures, and the hospital "food.")
Certainly scrubs are more practical and comfortable than the traditional garb (though I too don't like "cute" designs outside the pediatric unit), so I don't have any major hangups about uniforms, but I do resent the photo ID badges with tiny print. "Uh, lemme dig out my reading glasses to try to identify what you are."
Noddy, when my baby brother was born, my dad drove us to the hospital where I and my other siblings had to sit in the car and wait while a nurse brought my new brother to a hospital window for us to view. I was nine at the time and was not allowed inside the hospital.
Colorbook--
I have no problem with children visiting--particularly when the child's mother is hospitalized, for whatever reason.
I do object to children running up and down the halls, hooting and squabbling.
Well-behaved children should be welcome anywhere.
I don't mind the flowery nurses outfits- they're really funny and certainly cheer a person up in the hospital...what I can't figure out is why on earth my great aunt keeps wearing them to formal family gatherings...and she's NOT a nurse!
I'm serious, too.
And I can't figure out these smileys.
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