Medical uniforms

Medical uniforms (or scrubs as they are popularly known) have been in existence for a long time now, and modern day medical uniforms are usually a combination of a t-shirt and pant (also known as 'scrubs'). Contrary to popular belief, medical uniforms were initially designed to protect the doctor/surgeon from infections. Surprisingly, nurses were required to wear medical uniforms long before surgeons and medical staff. It was only a matter of time before all surgical staff was required to wear rubber gloves, and like gloves modern day medical uniforms are designed to be easy to wear and disposable if required. Modern day medical uniforms are designed to be comfortable and hygienic and although traditional medical uniforms were usually green or blue in colour, modern day medical uniforms are available in a variety of shades and prints, and are designed to compliment the doctor's area of expertise. Many hospitals have a simple colour coding system that differentiates interns from surgeons and paediatricians from other doctors.

It is not uncommon for paediatricians to wear short sleeve t-shirts with printed patterns, common patterns include teddy bears and flowers. Medical uniforms also include a waist-length long-sleeved jacket with no lapels and stockinette cuffs, known as a "warm-up jacket". Medical uniforms are worn by almost all medical staff and many hospitals have a well organized colour coding system that allows easy identification of personnel. Many hospitals also have separate scrubs for visitors so that medical staff can be easily identified in the case of emergencies. Surgical staffs usually wear blue or light green medical uniforms. Due to sterility concerns, surgical scrubs are owned by the hospital or are rented through a professional linen service.

Many medical institutions and colleges have custom medical uniforms that are made in the organization's colours or have the hospital/college's insignia on the front pocket. Medical uniforms are not popular all over the world, and many countries still use traditional coats and lab clothing. Most of Europe's nurses and midwives mostly wear a uniform of tunic and trousers or a dress, and doctors tend to wear smart clothes with a white coat except for surgery. With the demand for medical clothing on the rise, there are numerous medical clothing brands like Cherokee, Barco and Dickies that provide high quality medical equipment and medical clothing. With so many designs and patterns to choose from, everything from traditional medical clothing to new age medical clothing is available online and websites like pulseuniform.

com have pioneered the concept of selling medical uniforms online. Interestingly, it is also possible to customize medical uniforms online and many medical organizations prefer bulk ordering their medical clothing online. Medical uniforms are usually made from cotton and other hypoallergic materials, and are designed to be worn for long durations of time. Scrub hats have also become an increasingly popular means to personalise medical uniforms and surgeons usually have their own hats that are designed using various fabrics and are truly eclectic in their design and patterns.

So much so that, the blue sky scrubs 'Pony' hat was invented for fashion conscious medical personnel.

Rick is the author of this article on medical uniforms. Find more information about discount medical uniform here.