Ha! I think the blue is kind of boring. Having worked in hospitals I immediately wonder if colors are department preferences - like pink for maternity and black surgery. Multi-colored pediatrics. As I mentioned my PA’s coral gave me an opening for rapport and was just different. I just read that in France they tend to wear casual street clothes - at least the GPs in private offices.
Your Link above doesn’t work I wanted to see you & your husband. Thank you for your dedication, sorry for your 26 hours on call , in the U.S. our residents are no longer on call for 26 hours .
As a resident, I once had to call in my attending urgently when a patient arrived in cardiac arrest. He was gardening at the time, so he arrived in jeans (they were clean). The patient was saved. The family had the gall to complain that the attending physician was not dressed “professionally”!!!
My obgyn came to emergency C-section in jeans and flannel. He got back from vacation for my delivery on my due date. Instead of judging him I was more than happy to see him and glad he was there.
I judge a doctor on their bedside manner, and how they distill information to me as a concerned patient. I couldn't care less what color their clothes are.
As someone who is happy they can choose to wear black scrubs over blue, I can't imagine thinking they might know less because they wore black. I could see people maybe connecting it to morbidity due to our association with black and death so maybe that has something to do with it?
At the hospital I work at, each person is supposed to wear a certain color to show what their position is (navy for nurses, grey for techs, teal for respiratory, etc.). I think, in this scenario, different colors can be really handy! As nurse, my only request would be that doctors choose a color different from the one assigned to others to prevent confusion 😅
Yeah, a hospital I went to as a kid did this, but at least in the ER there was only four colors (at least I only saw four colors). Docs were one color, then imaging, non medical, everyone else. It was quite nice, you could guess what the person in your room was there for.
So true! I worked at an animal hospital in high school, and we wore color coded scrubs as well. I was an VA/ERA, so my color was maroon. Thurs were grey or grey and pink for breast cancer awareness (one of our coworkers had breast cancer), and then Sat were your choice
I'm pretty sure my hospital does this, too (to an extent). It's even one of the security measures with NICU and newborn nurses having a special color so that they are easily identifiable
I think black scrubs are just really sophisticated looking. The color black is also very good at hiding bodily fluids 😅. I know I don’t want to see my doctor with stains all over their light colored scrubs.
Actually, that's one of the reasons blue scrubs are super important - this colour was chosen because of its contrast with the colour red, meaning any bleeding from the patient is obvious.
Now that I think about it, my neurosurgeon wore navy blue scrubs the day of my surgery. I can’t believe people judge based on the color of scrubs. I already trusted him.
I just wish you were the doctor at every one of my appointments. Would make me much more happy to go to the hospital! That smile is more comforting than a sunrise!
in my area ERs, scrub color depends on the position you hold. ER techs wear baby blue, paramedics wear royal blue, nurses wear navy blue, and doctors wear black. as an EMT seeing these people all the time I’ve never actually put any thought into their scrub colors, it just makes it easier to identify who exactly I’m speaking to when handing off patients. I judge skill and trustworthiness based on my interactions with them lol.
In Oz, cleaning staff wear one colour, nurses wore another colour, doctors wore a different colour and food people wore another colour. Interesting that this Dr thinks all people watched Grey's Anatomy. I don't have a TV.
I don’t judge anyone based on the color of anything. Honestly the scrubs thing has never crossed my mind. If you treat me respectfully I will do the same and I am always just grateful for good drs and nurses.
In my town, the ones in black scrubs are respiratory therapists, and you can see them smoking in the shack at the edge of the parking lot. The ones in dark blue scrubs are at the veterinarian's office. So much for Gray's Anatomy
As a RN who has spent my whole career in the NICU I had to wear a special shade of blue specifically purchased through the hospital and no other departments could wear that color it was to help parent’s identify the NICU nurses from the L&D etc but I personally love black scrubs. My kids dentist office wears black scrubs and I love the clean classic look. But that’s just me.
If I’m dying and need help, I don’t care if the doctors and nurses helping me are wearing lobster costumes or their freaking birthday suits for that matter… BRING IN THE PADDLES!!! 😂
@@truisticprince I was just about to comment when I saw yours. Yes I was thinking birthday suits. If I'm dying, might as well have a good last look. Also couldn't hurt the trauma induced delirium content ;) [p.s. previously had delirium & wish it was like this. It was GRIMDARK]
I worked in a plasma donation center where everyone wore the same color scrubs but the color changed daily. Mondays Navy, Tuesdays Teal etc. This was to ensure employees were wearing clean scrubs daily and was required by the inspecting bodies the center answered to.
I never really thought about the color of my doctor's scrubs. I always thought hospitals picked the color of the scrubs their staff wears. However, I can see why black scrubs might not be people's favorite color. I'm not sure why people might think that doctors wearing black scrubs are less knowledgeable. Although, I think black is a poor choice of color for scrubs. Black is usually the color associated with death. Do you really want your doctor looking like the Grim Reaper? I have a habit of firing my doctors. Regardless, of what color their scrubs are, I find many of them to be arrogant know it alls that think they're better than the patients they treat because they have fancy degrees. However, now that I've had a chance to think about it, I'd probably fire a doctor wearing black scrubs on sight. Given the situation, I think it's in poor taste to wear that color.
Did you know that you're often encouraged to wear blue if you are supposed to testify? Blue supposedly makes you appear more trustworthy. I wonder if that is also why blue scrubs have a similar affect 🤔
I read a study years ago which showed that parents of sick children put greater trust in their doctors if they were wearing long white coats, and less if they were wearing scrubs. Scrubs would be preferable for infection control!
Interestingly, scrubs only came in 3 colors when I was a new nurse grad. A medium blue, green and White. The Blue was mostly for non licensed or non supervisory staff. Docs, nurses (a white scrub dress for the 99+% of nurses that were female) wore white. OR (operating room) wore green, in OR only.
I agree, only had one issue. Anesthesiologist who's cap was white with what looked like a Rorschach in blood. Very unsettling last sight before I passed out lol They did a great job, my body didn't like breathing while under! Stupid body I love a tech - doc whom expresses their fun side someway. Gives me a talking point or just a smile knowing they are happier at work
Agreed. I always got fun scrubs if allowed especially when I worked in pediatrics. I would get ones with known characters and the kids would always get super excited about it and warm up to me quickly :)
I had a lovely doctor in a&e who had black scrubs. What made me like her was seeing how empathetic and caring she was with all the mental health patients in our area (like 80% of all of waiting in this one bay) even when they were rude or hard to treat. Then when she listened to me and asked for my advice when I explained how I have complex medical issues and many chronic and some rare conditions. She had heard of most of them but never treated someone with all of them and asked what we had done in the past when I had had similar incidents to what had landed me there that night. She also spoke to me and listened when I explained I was deaf and so long as she spoke clearly and at me, I could lip read- so many people don’t do this and ignore me. For these reasons she got an email of thanks sent the department and I got one back saying it would be put in her file and could I fill out a form for something to do with her being a junior doctor. Colour of scrubs doesn’t make a difference to me, I will read body language as they approach me and in the first few seconds and can usually tell if they’re going to be good or not.
As a person with a chronic health condition, I'm in and out the hospital all the time. I live in the southern part of the United States. The Medical Assistant wear the navy blue scrubs and the RN, NP, and PA wear the light blue scrubs usually. All the other different color scrubs depend on the department there in. Our doctors usually wear regular clothes underneath their white coat. Male doctors wear shirt and tie and female usually wear a nice blouse and slacks. When the doctors decide to wear scrubs, it's usually the same color as the nurse practitioners and and the nurse practitioners sometimes wears a white coat. I guess it does not matter, because they all wear a badge with their picture, name, and MA, RD, CDE, LPN, RN, NP, PA, DO, MD, and so on.
I think there is a deeper reason. In the Western society, Black is often associated with negative things like death and then add a hint of our racist past, we all know why colour black maybe seen as a negative thing. It is like in how in other countries with strong anti-women ideologies fear of female MDs or Pilots. I read cases where men would walk off a plane because there was a female pilot. Same idea, but with colours.
In Arizona most of the hospitals have all employees wear color coded scrubs. Nurses are all in navy blue. Er docs are teal, pink is ob, etc. it's really helpful when you are a patient to know who is who when they come into your room.
The only time I've judged anyone by the color of their scrubs was in a facility that color coded based on job. It was pretty much doctors, imaging, non medical, everyone else. So I was literally just using the color to guess what they were there for. Green? You're probably transport and about to take me to get some sort of test. Gray? Probably blood or vitals. I can't imagine judging someone's intelligence based on the color they were wearing.
I know this is slightly different, but I know that for when I've had to take my cat in for procedures, it's been comforting when the vet techs wear scrubs with a cat-related pattern, not only because the pattern makes me smile but also it assures me that they loves cats as much as I do and will take good care of my baby! When I'm the patient, I enjoy when the medical staff wear colorful scrubs (meaning something other than mint green or dark colors like navy or black) because the bright colors cheer me up :) Beyond that, I'm not sure I've ever noticed any feelings of judgment regarding the scrub colors
I wonder if this might be correlated in the opposite way, where the most confident and approachable docs tend to choose colours while the most stoic and rude ones prefer to appear powerful with black scrubs
As a UM/UR nurse I make good doctors rich and bad doctors poor. I can’t speak to scrubs but can tell you with 20 years of doing this the good docs didn’t go to Ivy League schools.
I think I remember hearing somethin’ about colours and how they affect psychology. Orange creates aggression while robin’s egg blue and green creates a calming effect. The same way red can be associated with anger, passion and blood.
The system in Australia has different doctors wearing different colours to identify them. Junior Medical Officers and Registrars wear a green-turquoise colour while Advanced Trainees who are the doctors studying within the specific area they are in to become consultants wear dark blue scrubs. Normally our ED doctors wear black scrubs. Our Allied Health staff have access to an aqua-bluey colour scrub shirt.
Breast Cancer patient here who is in a Doctors office, In some Machine or Hospital every week for years now. The only thing I judge is my dislike of Hospital Administrator's rules about attire and looks. Judging their ability to be a healthcare provider based on hair, tattoos, scrub colors, piercing is outdated by decades. They are over worked, understaffed, let them be themselves aka a dedicated compassionate person. They put up with a lot to help us let them have pink hair, flowers inked down an arm or an extra ring somewhere! ***There is no negative impact to my care from that but there is a potential loss of a positive factor to their mental health. Even if you wouldn't chose it, don't judge your care providers for finding a little bright spot in the day by doing something for themselves to feel good.
My anesthesiologist wore black scrubs and he told me that I needed to lose weight or I would get diabetes........I had just given birth to my daughter and just needed him to clear me to go home if I was coherent I would have raised hell
I am scared of medical professionals that wear black scrubs...they look like death to me 💀🏴☠️💀 So if my anesthesiologist wore black, I would be scared I would never wake up again
My PA-C was wearing a shade of coral or something, not quite as red as yours, and I really liked that! It was different. Today she just had attractive casual street clothes (it’s Friday, end of day), with her hair down and I loved the informalness. Easy rapport. But it’s each to their own and the US seems to prefer a “professional” look.
Hey Siobhan! That's crazy and yes I think TV has influenced these shenanigans LOL I like the color you have on! I've always seen surgeons wearing black scrubs where I'm from!!! Sooooo...LOL Thanks for bringing this to the light for us!!!! Cheers!
I feel like this is more social than anything. The reason I say that as a doctoral student, I have found several different studies that talk about people being influenced by mass media, and it how it changes our society as a whole either quickly or over time.
I'm a Mental Health Technician. I wear gray scrubs. I have had numerous people stop me in public and they have asked me what I do. After telling them, it seems to be a pattern that people tell me "thank you for your service." I think Covid may have had a lot of effect, and people understand how important, and how much we in healthcare do for people. Whether you are a housekeeper, or a brain surgeon. I never knew what color of scrubs, meant what position a person works until I started working in a hospital.
I only wore navy blue - except when teaching clinicals (then all white). That was long before - and long since Gray’s Anatomy (which, was the name of the go to anatomy book in many colleges long ago).
I’ve worked in healthcare in paperwork for a long time and also as a patient, it may be a cultural difference from Canada but in the US if a doctor who isn’t doing procedures/surgery is wearing scrubs one wonders if they’re trying to be a tv doctor or something. Nurses and techs can wear scrubs though. Never give the color a thought since a lot of times the color is selected by the institution and not the person.
I think it really depends on the specialty. Like most of the docs in my pediatricians office wore scrubs, but kids have a habit of getting bodily fluids on others so that makes sense. Some facilities just have everyone in scrubs.
Grey's has a great black scrubs screen with Jo.Wilson Blue is seen as more authoritative & powerful it's also strongly associated with reliability & responsibility
I rarely notice what a doctor is wearing unless it really stands out. I do know that my fertility clinic does blue scrubs though (not navy). Their scrub caps, though, are epic! I think they get to choose their own scrub cap. My RE wears one with colorful vegetables and avocados and whatnot on it. One of his assistants had one with cartoon embryos. One of the embryologists had one with unicorns. I don't get to see the scrub caps except during major procedures, but when I'm in for a retrieval or transfer, those caps make my day!
I wonder if there's a similar study for paramedic uniforms. Navy vs black vs sky blue vs white, vs tan, along with more trendy colors like royal blue, red, grey, and yellow
I think it has something to do with our perception of colors. Black, in art has always been used to portray sadness, depression…and nothing convey sadness like long verticals black lines.
The color blue has been known as a calming, trusting color. Most servers have to wear black trousers and shirts working in a restaurant. I thought most hospitals had color coded the staff uniforms.
This got me thinking to all of the different color scrubs I've seen (in person at the doctor/hospital) and I can only remember seeing some shade of blue
I didn't know there were other colours. Usually I see blue and white. Some of the nurses will also wear pink, but they look different in design then those that the doctor wears.
Shades of blue are perceived as calming and "official". Most of the medical people I've dealt with lately were wearing sage-green scrubs, or purple scrubs. I own some purple scrubs, because it was the only way I could buy comfortable, well-fitting clothes with pockets.
As a male nurse, I feel that the scrub color issue is not necessarily about the color itself, but rather the ability for patients in a scenario with multiple people in and out of their care all wearing different scrub colors, it is difficult to quickly be able to see who is who and what their role is. I did mention male nurse as a reason since despite being in a day and age where the gender barriers are much less than they used to be, many people take to their surroundings with what is "familiar." I can tell you on numerous occasions I could walk into a patient room in the Emergency Department and introduce myself with "Hi, I'm Jeff, your nurse" that I would get a reply of "well doc, I'm here because xxx." Even with others in the room (especially when it was a female physician), I could even correct the patient and state "just for clarification, I am your nurse, Dr. XXXX here next to me is your doctor" I would often receive a response of "oh, ok, but anyways doc, I'm here for xxx." So while I do feel that scrub colors do have some automatic unknowing response from patients, I do think a lot of it really comes from the patients brain just trying to make sense of a situation when they interact with many people wearing scrubs, and not a necessarily consistent color code (nurses, physicians, respiratory therapists, x-ray techs, IV techs, etc.)
First thing I do when go to a hospital, is to look at the colour of the scrubs, to work out what everyone jobs is. Helps to avoid mixing up nurses and doctors.
@@nua1234 That works when the hospitals have a policy of who wears what colors. When I started my nursing career, at my facility, anyone could wear any color they wanted (2010). They implemented rules in about 2013 for certain groups (nurses wore seal blue, ED techs wore gray, respiratory therapists wore green), but it wasn't perfect as they did not put any limits on what the physicians could wear, so they could wear any colors that other departments were mandated to wear. Also, they did some overlap with nurse managers who were to wear gray (different than the bedside nurses in seal blue, but the same as the ED techs wearing gray)....so scrub color isn't always a perfect assessment. We all do have little badge pieces that stuck off the bottom of our badge that show either "RN" or "Physician", and though it is front and center, patients don't always look so still leads to confusion. My goal was always to try to be as clear as possible when I first introduced myself to a patient on exactly what my role was, but in scenarios such as the Emergency Department, patients often (completely understandably) have other things on their mind. So clear communication is definitely key.
I personally prefer nice light colors. Now as someone in the med field, light colors get dirty so damn fast. BUT the light colors bring in some nice visual stimulation to patients and offer a decent distraction. Bonus points for patterns. Lol
In my hospital scrubs are assigned by color to profession. So only physicians assistants and radiology wears black scrubs. this leads to a more inherent distrust because people have less respect for PAs typically then for doctors in my opinion and experience. nurses wear red scrubs techs wear teal scrubs, and only doctors wear the hospital blue when they’re in operating or emergency rooms. otherwise, they wear dress clothes with their white coats
The color of Scrubs used to have a meaning. When I was a kid. But nowadays I just don't know anymore. That said, I can understand the Grey's Anatomy thing. I think when I was a kid the colors worn in the hospital meant things like doctor, nurse, housekeeping, respiratory, x-ray, orderly, volunteer, whatever. I can't think of more examples. Maybe if I went to the same hospital all the time. But I live in the US and I don't have insurance so I don't go to the hospital. I guess it's a good thing that asthma meds have improved a great deal since I was a kid. I was intubated twice by the age of 23. I have seen hospitals in many different states while on vacation. But in this century I have not been able to go to the hospital. The last time I was in an ER was in 1999 after a Thanksgiving dinner in a very large room with no carpeting and no upholstered furniture and one poodle. Don't tell me they are hypoallergenic. I had had several run-ins with that poodle and every time, I got sick. Repeatedly. To the point I had to leave. My own poodle was only half poodle and I thought maybe that was it. I was in bed for 2 weeks and after that he was gone. Like all my other pets. But I did not want this dog. I did not want to go through the cycle again. Turns out my mother didn't want the dog either. But somehow she did not say no to the person who wanted to give it to me. I was not present for this discussion at all. And it was 30 years later that I even learned she was the one who did not say no. My mother didn't like pets. My mother didn't like it when I was half dead from asthma. Neither one of those things! But she couldn't say no. When I moved to her house in Florida, which previously put me in the ER two nights in a row in the '80s, we ripped out the carpeting. It seems to have helped. Also lots of asthma meds.
Blue is the only color scientifically known to reduce anxiety… which is why we like to relax at a beach most perceive water as blue.. so was it greys anatomy or more psychological?
I would find a Black scrubs doctor first if I needed advice. Black being the absence of light, absence of Hope, I might be able to expect them to be the most honest. Don't care about Grey's Anatomy.
I didn't think the color of scrubs made a difference until I have been in an office that wore pink ( bright pink ! ) once a week. It presents a more friendly, warm & energetuc vibe. I don't know about pink on men though but a different shade of pink will do. :) Black, blue, gray. etc. never gave it much thought. I tbink generally, the color meant more to the wearer. Influenced by Greys? I don't think so. What stood out from that show is who is hooking up with whom. :)
I believe it has to do with the media. I personally don’t watch TV or go on Instagram very often, and I judge a Physician based on their professionalism, ability to communicate, and their overall clinical skills. That said, I (as many do) partly judge a Physician based on their way of dressing because I tells me that if they take time to take care of themselves, they’re more likely to take care of me the same way. Depending on their shift location (like the ER) I can overlook it. But when it’s in a clinic setting or at least where coming into body fluids is unlikely, I do appreciate a Physician that dresses with a shirt and tie. If they wear a suit, I honestly feel more comfortable that they know the answers. If he/she is wearing scrubs, I actually enjoy black or navy more than expressive colors because it conveys a seriousness that shows respect.
I absolutely DETEST that show as an RN!! The media and entertainment industry have unduly affected the opinions and viewpoints of the populous at large in regard to how the medical profession functions. They think you shock asystole back to life, that doctors place IV's, nurses simply say "yes, doctor" all shift long when we do the vast majority of the monitoring, and that doctors instantly have answers without doing any imaging, blood work, or examinations. In my opinion, shows like Grey's have done significant damage to the public perspective on medicine.
Black scrubs are aestheticly pleasing, especially for people who already wear black in their daily lives and/or are into the more alt/goth/grunge scene. It’s staying more true to yourself yk
I'm curious about the study now as to how it was conducted and how they got this information. This may have been related to the area they did the study for instance here nurses where dark blue lpns where green, techs wear black, etc the color scrub indicates what position they fill.
For me personally, it's the resident that hasn't slept in 2 days, doing paperwork (yes, paper), wearing the light turquoise scrubs that always treats me horribly. 😢 And for good reason. They're overworked and underpaid. The color of their scrubs doesn't matter. It's how happy the person is with their job is what influences how passionate they are for the patients they care for.
I really don't see too many scrubs anymore. Then again, I'm not in hospital or the doctor's office too much. I thought maybe color of scrubs might be a way to color code, so to speak. I have really seen blue pretty often, though. Some professionals have really cool patterned ones that you can sew yourself.
Being on both sides, I understand 🤷🏾♀️ black conveys to me they're more concerned with their style than care/bedside manner. However I don't think it has anything to do with knowledge. Blues and greens are classic-- that's all.
Scrubs used to be white (so they could be bleached like everything else at the time) but then beach sage fabric meant you could match O.R. lighting against the fabric meant green or blue reduced eye fatigue. Bluish scrubs seem to be best with fluorescent lighting and green was better with halogen/xenon type bulbs. I haven’t seen LED OR lighting yet but they will put off a lot less heat
Oooo I never thought of the possibility for the first question! I would say it's been so weird as to people associating looks for intelligence. Black is more used to be fashionable when you don't know what to wear. And blue may have a cleaner look
