Different Kinds of Medical Uniform

The medical uniform is an important constituent of a health professional. Other than identify members of the hospital staff, whether a nurse or lab assistant, they form part of a status symbol.

The medical uniform is an important constituent of a health professional. Other than identify members of the hospital staff, whether a nurse or lab assistant, they form part of a status symbol. They portray some sort of professionalism to the patients and other visitors. A more vital function is that they protect the patient and the medical professional like the scrub from infectious pathogens and dirt. There are several categories of uniforms and scrub out there.

The first category is the medical scrubs. Nurses, medical residents, mortuary attendants and surgery assistants usually wear a scrub. It is simple in design and composed of slacks and a top. The tops are short sleeved and loosely fitting. The trousers on the other hand are slightly baggy but comfortable. The medical scrubs feature comfortable material, mostly cotton, polyester or a blend of the two. These makes for a very comfortable wear that is soft and easy to clean. While there are quite a variety of colours for medical scrubs, most institutions encourage similar medical scrubs colours to create a sense of uniformity and conformity.

Another form of attire worn by medical professionals is the lab coat. Other than portraying a great sense of professionalism, lab coats have a major functional use. They serve the purpose of protecting the wearer from spills, dirt and germs, just like the scrub. They most commonly used material for the lab coat and the scrub as well is cotton, which allows for heat treatment to kill germs after use. The coats are fitted with four pockets: two breast and patch pockets that can be used to hold items such as notebooks, pens and other light medical equipment. The lab coats come in a variety of colours, white, green and blue but the white ones are most common in the medical field. Laboratory attendants, dentist assistants, hospital administrators and nurses wear them over their normal scrub. Most lab attendants however prefer the darker coloured types as the probability of getting stains is higher in their profession compared to others. Virtually every place with a risk of spillage requires a lab coat.

Another form of wear in the medical field is the doctor’s coat. All doctor’s coats are mostly white in colour and plain in design. Like the other labcoats, they also feature four pockets: two breast pockets and two larger patch pockets to hold medical equipment. The doctor’s lab coat is primarily designed to convey a sense of authority to patients and other members of staff like the nurse, scrub and lab technician. However, their design tends to be quite inflexible particularly to those performing medical procedures. That is why most doctors still wear a scrub to serve the dual purpose of flexibility and portraying professionalism.

In the earlier days, the medical scrubs and other forms of uniforms used in the medical profession came in plain designs and dull colours. However, latest trends, particularly amongst the female medical professionals, have seen a rise of stylish and more fashionable scrub and uniforms designs and colours. The various diversification of the medical sector has also seen a rise in varying designs to suit the particular field, for example, for those working in the paediatrics department, their medical scrubs and labcoats feature popular cartoon characters, child themes and bright colours to put the children at ease.

About the Author

Meyer Schulz Duke Vaughn is the author of this article on Medical scrubs. Find more information, about Scrubs uniforms here