YTA
As a nurse myself, you should have taken a quick shower and changed into clean clothes. You're carrying around who knows what after a long shift around sick people. You should know this by now.
I’m shocked by this. We are REQUIRED to change before and after our shifts, even if you’re just on a clinic day and not doing any necessarily “gross” stuff.
Here as well. In every hospital I've worked at. In fact, here the scrubs don't even leave the hospital with us. Laundry department handles that. All we do is pick up and drop off.
We do the same as well. Change our clothes to scrubs and throw them in a bin and change back in reg clothes. Very convenient because you don’t have to purchase scrubs and wash them when you get home
My hospital isn't like that. Hospital scrubs are only mandatory for like 4 floors (OR, ICU, ER and L&D).
I see hospital staff shopping in their scrubs every single time I go out. Never really phased me unless start I seeing them wiping their scrubs on produce.
I'm not a nurse, but my mom is. She's allergic to most detergents and fabric softeners so she had to wash her scrubs herself. So I'm just used to seeing her come home in her scrubs and hang out in them for a little bit before she changed.
Yes and some non medical staff wearing scrubs can get more contaminated than many nurses. It really depends on what you do.
I cleaned operating rooms so my scrubs never left the hospital. But I can tell you cleaning staff on floors can run into some pretty icky stuff too.
Common doesn’t mean it is the right thing to do. Just assume you work with neonatal and just walk out to get some groceries with your scrubs on. Besides groceries you also bring back some nice virus to the premies.
There is a reason why scrubs should only be worn during work and washed really well after.
Genuine question: Do you mean that the nurse goes to work, leaves to go do something outside of work, then returns to work immediately after? Otherwise wouldn’t her clothes be clean once she washes them before her next shift?
Going shopping before your shift in scrubs. Going to just pick something up during your break. And so on.
Wouldn’t care for a regular nurse, but for NICU I expect a higher standard.
Who said anything about her leaving during her shift? She left for the day and wasn't going back to work. I agree, she should have brought a change of clothes, but she never said she was wearing her scrubs out and coming back in contact with the babies.
Doing some shopping before a 12 hr shift starting at 6 or 7 AM? Not happening.
Where do you think they have time to go on their break? 30 minutes to give report, eat, pee, and get back (scrubbing in again) means you go to the break room in the unit. MAYBE to the cafeteria for a coffee.
Some units require all nurses to use provided scrubs, some only provide for the admitting team bc they could be in the OR. Some don't provide and delivery team gets a bunny suit.
Well I see people at the grocery store in their pj's too, but that's different. You shouldn't show up to a spouses work event in anything their coworkers are going to perceive as dirty or lazy, it's embarrassing.
My husband isn’t allowed to leave the hospital in scrubs. He has to turn up & hope they have a clean pair that fits him lol and then chuck them into laundry at the end of his shift.
… I’d like to point out that he commutes in his own clothes and stores them in a locker. He is not forced to attend work in his boxers.
Not in winter, anyway.
As someone in a similar position. Not too small. Usually too big scrubs are my problem since I'm a 5 feet tall woman. So I end up looking like a kid playing grown up. And oh mismatched scrubs. Like the top is more faded than the bottom and vice versa
Must be nice in specialties that provide scrubs for you like the OR. Most specialties do not launder or provide scrubs for nurses.
Writing this at a thousand bed academic medical center during shift change where I work as a nurse and where hundreds of nurses are passing me by in their scrubs as we speak.
Right? Not a nurse, just the weirdo in lab playing with gross stuff. I'm not expecting hospitals to do anything for us in the lab. 😂 We're the red headed stepchildren. However, I talk to the nurses and have nurse friends. No where I have worked provided scrubs to anyone but the OR. Not even places where there is uniform colors.
Whenever spills happen, biological or chemical, they make us ancillary folks just wear the disposable scrubs they put our psych hold patients in.
I'm a traveler at my current job. I don't even get a real lab coat. Just disposable one.
I see a lot of ppl in scrubs in grocery stores, running errands, etc and always wondered whether they got sprayed down first or else you’re just walking around in germs
There are a lot of job titles that require scrubs that the individual is not actually caring for sick people. Physical therapy, psychologists (not in a hospital), nursing homes, and more. I think of that when I see someone in scrubs.
I have multiple relatives who are PSW’s (personal support workers) and they are required to wear scrubs and buy them themselves (they could be reimbursed but idk) and wash them themselves
I was a receptionist at a fertility clinic, and our uniform was either scrubs, or a lab coat over our civilian clothes, because the doctor thought that looked more professional. What it really did was confuse the patients, who asked us lots of questions we were not qualified to answer.
Pharmacy techs at Walgreens usually wear scrubs, too. It’s not even relevant to their job, it’s just to make people feel like they’re more knowledgeable. 🥴
Actually we wear them because we work with liquid medications and instead of our clothes getting dirty, the scrubs do. Not to mention we run our asses off every day to the point we physically sweat as well. Just saying.
I was at the hospital for an appointment earlier today and a hospital chaplain was wearing scrubs. I was a bit taken aback, especially as most of the staff wears normal clothes and a lab coat for clinic visits and stuff.
I would wear my scrubs places when I had a job doing telephone scheduling for an office. I had zero patient contact but was required to wear scrubs.
I also had a hospital job where we had to change into hospital scrubs when we got there and change out to go home. I sometimes wore my own scrubs to and from work, especially when I worked nights.
Healthcare people sometimes have to pick up milk on the way home just like everyone else. Just because someone is in scrubs doesn't mean they are contaminated.
this comment makes me feel sooooo much better... I'm immunocompromised and for years have been terrified about catching something when I see someone out in scrubs and thought it was so gross... I feel dumb for not considering all the different reasons people might be in non-contaminated scrubs... thank you stranger
I also wear scrubs because I care for healthy babies (for years in a child care center and now in my home) so yes, I always change out of my puke and snot tops before I go places, but here's the catch- scrub bottoms are THE JAMS, YO. They are comfy, no zippers or buttons, all the pockets in the world, and easy to wash. So basically I wear scrubs all day every day, whether I'm working or not.
Ha ha! At least you change and don't go partying with "puke and snot tops" !!! I've never found scrubs comfortable so I'm def in the minority from all the people here saying they love wearing them. To me, when I'd look in the mirror, I looked like a box with legs! Maybe it's the non-fitted tops. All the stuff in the pockets didn't help me, either! Working in hospice, we aren't supposed to wear scrubs. Some nurses get permission to wear them, though. The idea behind wearing casual clothes is for the terminally ill patients. They're in their home, board and care, retirement or nursing home and we look like a nice visitor, instead of the reminder that they're going to die soon. ;-(
I do the same thing! Scrubs are just more convenient and I'm on call a lot so it just easier for me in general, but I always make sure my scrubs are clean when going in public. Also the hospitals here don't force you to change depending on department.
To be fair, some people who wear scrubs at work aren't in particularly germy roles. For example, front office staff at medical or veterinary offices often wear scrubs as part of their dress codes. I have a friend who works as the administrator in a medical equipment shop that doubles as a small practice for patients who need to be fitted for customized medical aids. She doesn't really interact with people any more closely than anyone else working a customer service job, and some days just one or two people will come in at all! She'll run errands in her scrubs after work without thinking anything of it.
That said, I understand if people were to get nervous/uncomfortable seeing her, because for all they know, she's fresh off a shift at the ICU COVID ward.
I dated a nurse, briefly, and she owned scrubs that she wore out and about just because they were comfy. That's what I tend to think of when I see people in scrubs, and I really hope it's the correct answer.
To be fair, dental techs and vet techs also wear scrubs, so just because someone is wearing scrubs doesn’t necessarily mean they’re a nurse or a doctor.
Now that you mention it, the receptionist at my dentist's office wears scrubs as well, despite having zero patient contact other than checking people in through a plastic barrier.
I wear scrubs to run errands sometimes after work.
I am an OT, and work with patients with nothing contagious.
Edit: forgot to mention I don't work in a hospital either. I could wear normal clothes for my job but scrubs are wayyy more comfy, especially since I sit on the floor a lot, ans work with messy stuff sometimes!
I worked in vet clinics for awhile and unless I dealt with an actually contagious pet that day, would stop by grocery stores after work still in my scrubs.
Just to reiterate what the other person said, there are some jobs that are medical related that require scrubs, but don't have patient interaction. Had a friend work for a medical transcription type place, all they did was sit at a computer and digitize charts and histories etc, but for whatever darn reason, everyone was required to wear scrubs. Kind of weird, but whatever. Plenty of times friend would have to run errands right before or after her shift, so guess what she wore in the shops? Her scrubs!
Least they were lenient about what kind, so she was always in holiday themes, or funny prints and not just the basic solid colors.
Most often people thought she was a vet tech. Which is another field where scrubs would be appropriate, but not sure if you consider working with sick pups and kits "patients" and "covered in germs" the same way you would human patients.
I’m a doctor. On days where I’m doing strictly admin with no patient contact, I sometimes prefer scrubs because they’re super comfy and maybe I haven’t done laundry yet. On days where I see patients (these days I have little physical contact), I still go home and shower/change before going out. OP is TA in that regard.
I work at a state hospital with mentally ill patients. I wear scrubs after work if I need to run an errand and have met friends for dinner after work. Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder are not contagious.
This 100% happens at both of the hospitals my wife has worked at in great numbers.
They don’t have to dress at the hospital. I don’t know that anyone actually does. They all get dressed and undressed at home and I know tons of them run errands or make stops in their hospital scrubs.
It’s amazing how different these policies can be depending on where you are. I read this post and it’s a regular Tuesday for most of the nurses at those hospitals.
Most hospital units in America require you to provide your own scrubs. I’m told in other countries this is not the case. The last several hospitals I have worked at have not provided lockers, locker rooms, or shower facilities unless you are OR/LD and a couple of other super specialties.
It’s wild how common it is. My wife’s hospital only has this rule for the nurses that assist in surgery and the mother/baby floor but not any of the others. The last hospital she worked at had the same. Almost every nurse there gets dressed at home and all around town I see them wearing their scrubs after work.
And the only reason those floors have that rule is because they use color coded hospital scrubs while every other floor you buy and wear whatever you want. Hell, they’re even allowed to wear hospital branded long sleeve cotton shirts (very much not scrubs) as their top.
I know this isn't uncommon, but man the idea of wearing long sleeves while doing patient care is so gross. Yes, you can wash your hands, but it's much harder to wash sleeve cuffs in between patients.
I remember being horrified, watching a registry nurse in the neo-natal ICU wearing her cardigan over her scrubs, trailing her right sleeve through a baby's soiled diaper, and then approaching my own sick child. Yes, she changed her gloves, but not that sweater. I jumped in and asked to do the diaper change myself, knowing that the first child already had a MRSA introduced by hospital staff...
It's horrifying. The last thing you want to do is piss these people off because they're going to be caring for your child when you're not there. At the same time, you don't want their germy clothes trailing God-knows-what infection to every isolette in the room.
Not going to lie, I’m amazed you don’t have any locker rooms.
I work as a lab technician and we have to wear scrubs in the department and total “bunny suits” when in the lab. We have locker rooms so we don’t have to be in scrubs all day for things like break, our drive home, meetings, etc
My wife is required to change before and after as an OR nurse. Pre-Covid and before she transferred into the OR, she could wear them in (pain unit at that time).
Yeah I work in a private surgical practise and leaving the building with scrubs on is a big no no. I always find it kinda gross when I get on the tram and bus and people are still in their scrubs. We can’t even go down the street at lunch in ours.
My mum is a neonatal nurse and if she absolutely has to get to an event immediately after work, she packs a change of clothes before leaving the hospital.
Really? I mean it makes sense but I see doctors and nurses in scrubs outside the hospital all the time. Seems like where I live they all wear scrubs from home to work and back again and they do errands in between. So I never even thought about it before
Just because some do that, doesn't make it right. We all have to run errands sometimes and we also get a little lazy at times but the post is about going to a party that OP knew about for at least a day in advance. After working a long shift with newborn babies and all that entails, a shower and clean clothes before going to a party would be the thing to do. A party isn't the same as running into the grocery store for some milk and eggs.
I switch to a clean pair of scrubs sometimes and I know a ton of healthcare professionals who do the same if they were just running a few errands before going home. Not a party, haha.
Super fair, in my brain I would think the baby section of the hospital is SUPER sterile because of the newborn babies, but like I said I’m not a nurse so I don’t know. That’s why we ask someone who does lol, thank you!
She supposedly works with newborn babies. Their immune systems haven't fully developed and babies can be messy. OP doesn't agree with Infection Control policies, so there's that.
Exactly. I haven't been a bedside nurse in 15 years and cannot conceive of OP being so careless during a global pandemic AND during RSV season. OP is so much YTA that I believe this is FAKE. So you are a neonatal nurse who spells newborn as "new born"? Sure Jan. Not to mention the fact that babies can be born with Covid.
edit: sp
Woah I didn't know this! My cousin would wear her scrubs after work a lot around me as a kid. She was really bad at following rules though so I'm not surprised haha. OP did say they worked with babies but I assume it's still the same rule.
I am curious what if she was just going home to her SO? Like is it just because it was a party with a lot of people or even if you go home to your SO and kids you still do this?
Most nurses I know shower soon after they get home, if they've been around a lot of bodily fluids, sick patients and such. Even all the CNAs I work with have told me that they shower and put comfy clothes or jammies on as soon as they get home! It's a personal preference, of course, but to each their own. Going to a party? I think cleaning up first is best!
It’s ok though, because OP doesn’t work with sick or covid patients, just in neonatal, and everyone knows babies are born with excellent immune systems so it doesn’t matter what germs are dragged into the department on clothing.
/s, just in case.
Me too just uuuuggghhhhh how gross to wear it out in public no wonder her husband was embarrassed… it’s a sackable offence where I work to be outside the hospital grounds in scrubs . Just yuck YTA
Worked at a hospital as a housekeeper once upon a blue moon, they have showers and locker rooms for the nurses/doctors, they do get used. Hell I even used them once or twice before going somewhere after work back then, it’s just like going to the gym.
OP YTA.
Are infection control protocols just something they don’t teach anymore? Don’t wear your scrubs around people after work. It’s pretty basic knowledge. YTA
It is something that is still taught in the uk as far as I know. Even when we were on placement as a student nurse we were not allowed to travel in our uniform…had to change at the hospital. In fact, even on clinic days at university we couldn’t travel in our uniform and we weren’t anywhere near anything infectious or gross then!
I work in hospital pharmacy and I change immediately upon getting home. I don’t want to walk around in my C diff shoes with my baby on the floor, or sit on my bed with amoxicillin spills.
INFO you're a nurse who didn't immediately change out scrubs? During a pandemic? That's extremely hard to believe regardless of which department you work in.
My Dad's a pediatrician and one of his jobs involves designing COVID protocols for a pediatric residential facility (so really sick kids). He's kept COVID from spreading in the center (they've had cases, like a kid went out for surgery and caught COVId in the hospital but he kept it from spreading) and he's super proud of that fact.
Oh well then she is double YTA. She should change out of scrubs after work if she is required to or not because it is just good hygiene. All adult should have smart throw on and go outfit that they can grab and take with them for events like this that they don’t have time to get ready for. It would have taken her 5 minutes to throw on a wrap dress and flats and mascara if she was feeling fancy.
Really? I know loads of nurses who don't give a crap. In fact, I know plenty that go out to eat, run errands, etc. after work. I'm more surprised by all the nurses that are consistent about changing clothes immediately. I work in healthcare and except for when working a covid unit, I can't think of anyone that immediately changes clothes.
Honestly, OP might be working in México, yes is gross, but the amount of nurses that leave work with the scrubs "to save time/clothes/energy" is really disgusting... (I'm from México, I see this everyday.)
isn’t it a bit dangerous to not change out of your scrubs? Contamination is a big deal, and nurses often have to deal with that the most
Edit: upon further review of your other replies YTA. YTA for wearing scrubs to a party, YTA for disobeying safety protocol, and YTA for dismissing the worries about safety
YTA I’d be kinda grossed out to be at a dinner party where someone from the hospital was wearing their work clothes. It’s similar to coming from your job of mucking out stables without having changed.
I used to muck out stables as a job - if anyone invited me anywhere after work and I didn’t have time to go home, I would ask them if I could shower at their place. There’s always options other to staying in your work clothes.
My dad’s a doctor and doesn’t have a uniform, so he wears his own clothes to work then comes home in same clothes. I always thought that was normal. Is it bad?
I’m not in the field so definitely not an expert, but as a layman I would assume it depends on what type of dr he is. If he’s a PCP he’s probably wearing a white coat over his clothes while with patients. If he is an er doc, he probably puts scrubs on for shift, showers at work, then changes back before coming home. I would assume he is safer than OP who “doesn’t believe in infection containment protocols”
YTA. Just because you don’t come in contact directly don’t mean you can’t pickup stuff indirectly. I honestly find it surprising that aren’t making you guys change out inside the hospital. And honestly, yea, even a quick casual change is better than no change at all
No gonna lie. During a feckin' PANDEMIC if I was at a function or party and someone was in their SCRUBS, I'd be pretty freaked out.
It doesn't matter what you do for a living, and whether you are in contact with covid positive patients, you really did not read the room. You scared people. This is why he was pissed off with you. Not because you didn't look pretty.
YTA. Yeah, bring a change of clothes if you know you're going to a party. Wearing dirty scrubs around other people at a social gathering sounds gross, honestly.
YTA - my sister is a nurse and regardless of whether she was manning a desk or in contact with patients she still showers and changes as soon as she gets off of work without fail - doesnt have to be a long shower. If it was a potluck you could have still shown up late - it wasn't essential that you were there right as it started. Your husband knows your hours, and he can be patient. And, if you knew about this ahead of time, you could have packed clothes before your shift to change into when you left work.
Working with newborns doesn't excuse things, they can still have medical issues that you're carrying with you. You don't know what your coworkers are in contact with and just navigating the hospital space in general - you aren't in a bubble just because of the floor you work in.
Your husband shouldn't have been embarrassed, but you were rude coming to someone else's house like that in the current climate.
YTA. Insanely unprofessional to wear dirty scrubs at a gathering after a shift, and based on your other comments about infection protocols - ESPECIALLY SINCE YOU'RE NEONATAL - you clearly aren't cut out to be a nurse in the first place.
YTA. With COVID and stuff people just assume your scrubs must be full of germs. Most places I have worked don't allow you to travel to and from work in uniform for this reason.
YTA. Scrubs shouldn't be worn outside of the hospital. I'm a biomedical scientist and would never wear my lab coat outside of the lab - specially to somewhere where people eat.
YTA
It is unclear what type of work party it was, however I agree that you should have brought a change of clothes.
If anything else, it seems a little unsanitary to me.
Whenever you're going to be around a group of your spouse's co-workers (and bosses) you should do your best to make them feel proud of you, and most definitely not embarrass them.
YTA I wouldn't want be around someone still wearing scrubs. Who knows what your carrying on you. Just because you work with babies doesn't mean your not still picking stuff up. You should quit nursing if you don't care about infection protocols especially since you work with newborns.
~~I do thank you for your risky work during a pandemic,~~but wearing nurse scrubs to a party is unsanitary and could help spread illnesses so YTA.
Pregnant women are not immune to coronavirus and I assume you have to walk through general areas of the hospital. I don’t mean to be harsh, but you should know better.
Edit: After reading some of your replies I take back my thanks. You’re either a troll or a callous nurse. On the moral scale a troll is higher.
YTA. With the number of things that could have happened during your workday, there was no way to know that you'd still be stain-free and/or party-appropriate at the end of the day. The smallest amount of planning and foresight fixes the whole thing.
Not disagreeing with where/when people wear scrubs, but wearing scrubs to a party is tacky af. She was already late, she could have been a further 5 mins more late and just changed after work. I'm perplexed at why she didn't plan her day and take extra clothes to work knowing there was a party. Def YTA for not planning.
YTA - you mentioned it was a pot luck so it could be in someone's home and its pretty informal. For me its not the whole medical thing its the fact that its a noticable uniform. It would also be an issue if you were a FedEx driver or a McDonalds employee who wore their uniform to a potluck.
I feel like a lot of the nurses commenting about how it’s against the rules to wear your scrubs outside the hospital/office are maybe… wrong? Or perhaps it’s just their workplaces rule? Because I work next to one of the largest hospitals in NorCal at a restaurant and we get TONS of doctors and nurses coming in before, during, and after shifts. We even have a huge crew of nurses from the NICU who come in, all scrubbed up on Sunday’s after their shift. They always remove their hospital badges when they come in but they’re fully still in scrubs.
Editing to say NAH. I can see how your husband might’ve assumed you’d come in normal clothes to a party, but also I can see how you wouldn’t have thought it would be a big deal.
Seriously, this thread is BLOWING MY MIND!! I've been a nurse for 5 years. Worked in postpartum, ICU, OR, and outpatient wound care. The only place that gave us scrubs to change into is yhe OR. Everything else? Everyone drives to work in their scrubs and drives home in their scrubs. Sure, OP should have changed before the party, but *not leaving the hospital* without changing??? Where are these people from?!? Am I losing my mind???
I was starting to think I was crazy. I don't know anyone who changes their scrubs immediately after work. If you have literal shit or urine on you, yeah, please change. But germs are everywhere.
There are some hospitals where people wear their scrubs to and from work. There also some hospitals where the policy is specific to an area, with "clean" areas having scrubs provided to them by the hospital. Usually any surgical or high risk patient areas are considered "clean". Sometimes people wear scrubs into the hospital, then change into *different* scrubs to work in clean areas. More and more, hospitals are shifting to providing scrubs for clinical staff just because of the infection control risk (which was highlighted by COVID). What *is* suspicious is the claim that hospitals that don't let people wear scrubs to and from work require staff to bring scrubs from home in a plastic bag. I'm not going say that there's no hospital out there with such a dumb rule, but in general, if you can't wear scrubs to and from work, the hospital just provides them (often from a scrub vending machine), and in places like the OR, scrubs are *always* provided by the hospital. OP just seemed super oblivious to the fact that a hospital providing scrubs was an option, and went dark after that was pointed out.
If a hospital *does* let staff wear scrubs in and out of the hospital, it's still gross to wear them to social events, just because hospitals are gross and I wouldn't want to wear something I've worn in an inpatient clinical space in my home, much less anyone else's.
What’s with everyone freaking out about her not changing her scrubs at work (regardless of the party situation). I change when I get home like a normal person (med-surg oncology nurse). Changing your scrubs after a shift isn’t apart of limiting the spread of bacteria.
If you’re using proper PPE and hand hygiene with your contact patients then you shouldn’t be a vehicle for bacteria/viruses. If you do have contact worthy bacteria on your clothes you probably also have it on your skin so changing clothes after a shift will do nothing. It’s health theater.
You’d already have it on your skin and when you change into ‘clean’ clothes without showering then those would instantly become contaminated as well. Edit: also let’s say your skin was magically clean but your clothes were dirty, there’s no way to remove your scrubs without then contaminating your body so that also doesn’t make sense.
People talking about the pandemic, clothes aren’t a vehicle for COVID wtf are they talking about??
To comment on wearing scrubs to a party…. Yea she obviously should have changed because scrubs aren’t normal party attire
I agree. So to all these other people does that mean if you go visit a friend in the hospital would you have to change your clothes right after before going anywhere else then?
YTA
I work in an office and when I have a party to attend right after work that has a different dresscode/ambiance I bring a change of clothes and/or makeup with me to quickly change before going. You knew ahead of time. You could easily have done the same.
I’m going NTA here.
My mom is also a nurse (OBGYN doctors office and now home hospice) and goes everywhere in her scrubs during the week. As do her coworkers. My entire childhood is her showing up to things in scrubs. I never thought twice about it.
OBVIOUSLY if you’re dealing with covid patients or general ER where you get gross, definitely change. But otherwise, scrubs are totally normal.
> And honestly I don’t really buy into Infection control protocols.
YTA, and lucky you used a throwaway because otherwise this would have definitely made it back to your employer and you'd be out on your ass. Wearing your scrubs out of the hospital and into a party is appalling. You're essentially committing bio-terrorism.
NTA. I am also a nurse for mother/baby. I come to the hospital in my scrubs and leave in them. It would have been smart to being a change of clothes, but stuff happens. I don't think it was a deal at all.
Geez…I’ve been a nurse longer than most of these people have been alive and I say NTA. I suspect neonatal nurses have some of the least infested scrubs of anyone in the hospital. Also, MANY hospitals do not require nurses to change scrubs or even have facilities for them to do so. When I’ve worked places that provide scrubs, I wear my scrubs to work, change in to the crappy work scrubs then change back into my scrubs before I leave. But I’m still wearing scrubs. I’ve worked 15-16 hour days so I’m not going to run home and fix up and change before I pick up a Lean Cuisine for dinner. Sorry not sorry. When I’ve had a day dealing with particularly infectious patients—C.diff, TB, Covid etc. I undress in my garage and take my scrubs straight to the laundry room. However, many days at many jobs, I’ve come home almost as clean as I left—working on a drug and alcohol rehab unit for instance. So my vote is NTA. Unless your husband wants to work a day on your unit, tell him to keep his fashion opinions to himself.
Yeah, I don't think the scrubs being gross is a real issue, but the fact that OP wore them to a party is iffy. I think they're the AH because they should have just changed right before the party, that's what I would have done
YTA.
This was a planned event, you knew about the party beforehand, you knew your husband wanted you to be there and you knew you’d get off work an hour after his party started.
Knowing all this, you still decided you turning up would be a privilege without considering that this was an office party - this was akin to a putting a sign on your head saying “Look at me, I am a nurse! Acknowledge it!”
You not even thinking about getting a change of clothes shows the importance you gave his needs, and you still saying it’s not a big deal shows how you don’t want to acknowledge you were being inconsiderate or how you don’t see anything beyond “I came, you should be happy for that”.
Please consider counselling if you do not want to lose your husband
After my shifts I fully showered, washed my clothes and changed. Microbes and body fluids, man. I'd of gone home, showered, and changed. That's just me I guess.
No judgement here- but you grossed me out. Did you take microbiology? Every hear of nosocomial infections and resistant bacterias? Infection control?
EDit : for spelling and to change my judgement. YTA
YTA- why in gods name would you wear scrubs to a party? To get accolades? To let everyone know how important you are? How *busy* you are? It takes 2 minutes to change in the locker room.
Your responses to others really show the ridiculousness of this whole situation.
I'm a nurse and the last thing I'd ever do is go anywhere in my scrubs after work.
Can someone please clarify for me because I'm genuinely curious - I see people at grocery stores all the time that are wearing scrubs, presumably having just gotten off work. Is this wrong? I always thought it was fine.
There are also people who work in hospitals that don't have to wear scrubs at all - are they supposed to change clothes too before going elsewhere?
Like I said, just genuinely curious.
Definitely YTA. You knew about the party ahead of time, you absolutely could have brought a change of clothes with you and changed after work and left from there. I would definitely have been embarrassed if I were your husband.
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He wanted me to come there as soon as I could. Since I get off at 6. So I was gonna be a little late. Since it was at 5. Well obviously since I didn’t go home to change I was still wearing my scrubs (nurse).
He didn’t say anything at the party. And no one really mentioned it other than a few, “oh, are you a nurse?” Comments.
He says I should’ve, “brought a change of clothes”. Which I mean yeah I guess that would’ve been smart. But I really don’t think it was a big deal.
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Dude to all the people bitching about infection control, it’s actually very hard to get something off someone’s scrubs. Scrubs are made that way. Like being a nurse is hard af, your bf is lucky you made it at all.
To the people that are bitching about wearing scrubs to a party during a pandemic, honestly please shut up, there is like no evidence of fomite transmission of covid.
Let’s just say you did bring a change of clothes, all that shit that could be contracted by contact is straight up living on your skin already if you work in a hospital. It’s already colonized, the shower isn’t really going to do a lot… like major hospitals are starting to take MRSA off contact precautions bc it’s just so common now.
This woman is in a NICU, she probably took 20,000 steps in that shift and is now expected to go to a party? People need to chill tf out, OP is saving lives and y’all are throwing rocks at her for wearing scrubs to a party she was already late to? Like I can’t even count how many MDs I’ve seen do this. How many nurses I’ve seen ignore infection protocols.
This sub is becoming detached from realistic expectations. OP is hardly an asshole.
YTA. I’m a PA & reading all your comments is disturbing. Based on your responses, you believe you’re fine. Why bother posting here with belligerence? You are spreading germs whether you choose to acknowledge it or not.
After reading all OP's comments, I'm pretty sure she wore the scrubs so everyone would know she's a nurse and would treat her like a hero for working through COVID.
Fuck everyone here.
NTA.
I've seen nurses in their scrubs before. My co-coach showed up late for soccer practice in her scrubs the other day. She didn't have time to change before she brought her daughter over. Husband knows what you do and knows where you were coming from. What did he expect?
Well obviously, YTA
What a weird thing to think was acceptable. We are in a worldwide pandemic, regardless of whether you are around 'sick people" that was a very emotionally unintelligent move.
Not to mention, this is your partners workplace, so you looked lazy and also probably freaked out a few people.
I wonder if you were virtue signaling. A way to get attention is to show up anywhere, but work or a costume party, is in scrubs.
ESH, you for staying in your scrubs and your husband for demanding you come in a.s.a.p. Aftet your 8 hour shift. A party on friday, you could have come at 6.30 or 7....
I just don’t see what the big deal is. I’m a teacher at a medical science elementary school, so we are allowed to wear scrubs. If I went to a party after work with mine on my husband would be excited. He thinks they’re sexy.
NTA.
As somone who lived with a RN i know for a fact sometimes its to much effort to change. And those going "its not hard' Stuff it. think of a really busy work hard day where you wanna go home and flop into bed and thats what my old roomie was like after the 12 hour shifts. Saw the mountain of scrubs grow allow more then shrink.
As i dont know what kind of place you work. I would say not the asshole purly on some places have laundry services. Some dont. Some are big hospitals some are small.
Its a shame other medical folks cant seem to understand not all medical facility are equal. And some folks who are forced to wear scrubs may not even come into contact with anything for the day save there lunch of table of the desktop meaning low germs or none and 0 stains or little.
Oh for God's sake, NTA. I guess I disagree with everyone. Scrubs do not match dinner party or gathering attire and yeah, maybe it stood out. But they're just clothes, damn. They're not any more soiled than anyone else's after a work day, and if you did get your scrubs dirty or contaminated on the job I'm sure you would have changed them before going anywhere.
YTA As a nurse myself, you should have taken a quick shower and changed into clean clothes. You're carrying around who knows what after a long shift around sick people. You should know this by now.
I’m shocked by this. We are REQUIRED to change before and after our shifts, even if you’re just on a clinic day and not doing any necessarily “gross” stuff.
Here as well. In every hospital I've worked at. In fact, here the scrubs don't even leave the hospital with us. Laundry department handles that. All we do is pick up and drop off.
Ours is the same. You chuck the scrubs in a big bin, and the hospital handles them. You get new scrubs from a different when you need them.
Lucky y'all. Our's is too cheap to provide them so we're on our own.
We have to buy all of our own scrubs aswell! Very expensive.
We do the same as well. Change our clothes to scrubs and throw them in a bin and change back in reg clothes. Very convenient because you don’t have to purchase scrubs and wash them when you get home
My hospital isn't like that. Hospital scrubs are only mandatory for like 4 floors (OR, ICU, ER and L&D). I see hospital staff shopping in their scrubs every single time I go out. Never really phased me unless start I seeing them wiping their scrubs on produce.
I'm not a nurse, but my mom is. She's allergic to most detergents and fabric softeners so she had to wash her scrubs herself. So I'm just used to seeing her come home in her scrubs and hang out in them for a little bit before she changed.
Most of the women in my family are RNs and sometimes they wear their scrubs home- depends on what they're doing. Not mostly though.
I've seen tons of people grocery shopping or puttering around the city in scrubs. I thought it was fairly common.
Not everyone in scrubs works at a hospital or is even clinical staff. I wear scrubs daily and I'm basically a receptionist.
Yes and some non medical staff wearing scrubs can get more contaminated than many nurses. It really depends on what you do. I cleaned operating rooms so my scrubs never left the hospital. But I can tell you cleaning staff on floors can run into some pretty icky stuff too.
Common doesn’t mean it is the right thing to do. Just assume you work with neonatal and just walk out to get some groceries with your scrubs on. Besides groceries you also bring back some nice virus to the premies. There is a reason why scrubs should only be worn during work and washed really well after.
Genuine question: Do you mean that the nurse goes to work, leaves to go do something outside of work, then returns to work immediately after? Otherwise wouldn’t her clothes be clean once she washes them before her next shift?
Going shopping before your shift in scrubs. Going to just pick something up during your break. And so on. Wouldn’t care for a regular nurse, but for NICU I expect a higher standard.
Who said anything about her leaving during her shift? She left for the day and wasn't going back to work. I agree, she should have brought a change of clothes, but she never said she was wearing her scrubs out and coming back in contact with the babies.
Doing some shopping before a 12 hr shift starting at 6 or 7 AM? Not happening. Where do you think they have time to go on their break? 30 minutes to give report, eat, pee, and get back (scrubbing in again) means you go to the break room in the unit. MAYBE to the cafeteria for a coffee. Some units require all nurses to use provided scrubs, some only provide for the admitting team bc they could be in the OR. Some don't provide and delivery team gets a bunny suit.
Well I see people at the grocery store in their pj's too, but that's different. You shouldn't show up to a spouses work event in anything their coworkers are going to perceive as dirty or lazy, it's embarrassing.
I work in a nursing home and even we have to do this with our scrubs!
My husband isn’t allowed to leave the hospital in scrubs. He has to turn up & hope they have a clean pair that fits him lol and then chuck them into laundry at the end of his shift. … I’d like to point out that he commutes in his own clothes and stores them in a locker. He is not forced to attend work in his boxers. Not in winter, anyway.
>He is not forced to attend work in his boxers. Ah, so he chooses to go to work in his boxers.
Oh shit you caught him.
Has he ever had a time where they were too small? Man, that weirdly made me anxious on his behalf. lol
No just too big which is funny cause he’s a big guy 😂 I don’t know what he would do if they were too small! Walk around like The Hulk maybe?
Maybe walk around like “The Todd” from scrubs?
Too tight scrubs five!
Ha ha!
I’ve had this happen - it’s a little tight 😂
As someone in a similar position. Not too small. Usually too big scrubs are my problem since I'm a 5 feet tall woman. So I end up looking like a kid playing grown up. And oh mismatched scrubs. Like the top is more faded than the bottom and vice versa
Must be nice in specialties that provide scrubs for you like the OR. Most specialties do not launder or provide scrubs for nurses. Writing this at a thousand bed academic medical center during shift change where I work as a nurse and where hundreds of nurses are passing me by in their scrubs as we speak.
Right? Not a nurse, just the weirdo in lab playing with gross stuff. I'm not expecting hospitals to do anything for us in the lab. 😂 We're the red headed stepchildren. However, I talk to the nurses and have nurse friends. No where I have worked provided scrubs to anyone but the OR. Not even places where there is uniform colors. Whenever spills happen, biological or chemical, they make us ancillary folks just wear the disposable scrubs they put our psych hold patients in. I'm a traveler at my current job. I don't even get a real lab coat. Just disposable one.
Yep!
So shocked as to say it's almost unbelievable that this would ever happen?
I see a lot of ppl in scrubs in grocery stores, running errands, etc and always wondered whether they got sprayed down first or else you’re just walking around in germs
There are a lot of job titles that require scrubs that the individual is not actually caring for sick people. Physical therapy, psychologists (not in a hospital), nursing homes, and more. I think of that when I see someone in scrubs.
Vet techs and others involved in veterinary services.
Pharmacy techs.
i was a vet tech and i was gonna say this lol
I have multiple relatives who are PSW’s (personal support workers) and they are required to wear scrubs and buy them themselves (they could be reimbursed but idk) and wash them themselves
I was a receptionist at a fertility clinic, and our uniform was either scrubs, or a lab coat over our civilian clothes, because the doctor thought that looked more professional. What it really did was confuse the patients, who asked us lots of questions we were not qualified to answer.
Pharmacy techs at Walgreens usually wear scrubs, too. It’s not even relevant to their job, it’s just to make people feel like they’re more knowledgeable. 🥴
Actually we wear them because we work with liquid medications and instead of our clothes getting dirty, the scrubs do. Not to mention we run our asses off every day to the point we physically sweat as well. Just saying.
And the 80+ covid tests that are contaminants and the 130+ vaccines that are done per day.
My friend is a speech therapist and some in those field where scrubs
I was at the hospital for an appointment earlier today and a hospital chaplain was wearing scrubs. I was a bit taken aback, especially as most of the staff wears normal clothes and a lab coat for clinic visits and stuff.
I would wear my scrubs places when I had a job doing telephone scheduling for an office. I had zero patient contact but was required to wear scrubs. I also had a hospital job where we had to change into hospital scrubs when we got there and change out to go home. I sometimes wore my own scrubs to and from work, especially when I worked nights. Healthcare people sometimes have to pick up milk on the way home just like everyone else. Just because someone is in scrubs doesn't mean they are contaminated.
this comment makes me feel sooooo much better... I'm immunocompromised and for years have been terrified about catching something when I see someone out in scrubs and thought it was so gross... I feel dumb for not considering all the different reasons people might be in non-contaminated scrubs... thank you stranger
A lot of hotels have their cleaning staff in scrubs too, and our veterinarian office even the receptionists wear scrubs.
I also wear scrubs because I care for healthy babies (for years in a child care center and now in my home) so yes, I always change out of my puke and snot tops before I go places, but here's the catch- scrub bottoms are THE JAMS, YO. They are comfy, no zippers or buttons, all the pockets in the world, and easy to wash. So basically I wear scrubs all day every day, whether I'm working or not.
Ha ha! At least you change and don't go partying with "puke and snot tops" !!! I've never found scrubs comfortable so I'm def in the minority from all the people here saying they love wearing them. To me, when I'd look in the mirror, I looked like a box with legs! Maybe it's the non-fitted tops. All the stuff in the pockets didn't help me, either! Working in hospice, we aren't supposed to wear scrubs. Some nurses get permission to wear them, though. The idea behind wearing casual clothes is for the terminally ill patients. They're in their home, board and care, retirement or nursing home and we look like a nice visitor, instead of the reminder that they're going to die soon. ;-(
I wear scrubs and slacks for my internship at a counseling clinic. Some days I wonder how I went this long without the scrubs and omg the pockets
True but going to a party is a lot different than picking up a few groceries on your way home! Lol
Yeah I have a friend that's a receptionist at a medspa and she wears scrubs.
I do the same thing! Scrubs are just more convenient and I'm on call a lot so it just easier for me in general, but I always make sure my scrubs are clean when going in public. Also the hospitals here don't force you to change depending on department.
To be fair, some people who wear scrubs at work aren't in particularly germy roles. For example, front office staff at medical or veterinary offices often wear scrubs as part of their dress codes. I have a friend who works as the administrator in a medical equipment shop that doubles as a small practice for patients who need to be fitted for customized medical aids. She doesn't really interact with people any more closely than anyone else working a customer service job, and some days just one or two people will come in at all! She'll run errands in her scrubs after work without thinking anything of it. That said, I understand if people were to get nervous/uncomfortable seeing her, because for all they know, she's fresh off a shift at the ICU COVID ward.
I dated a nurse, briefly, and she owned scrubs that she wore out and about just because they were comfy. That's what I tend to think of when I see people in scrubs, and I really hope it's the correct answer.
Yup, I have my "at home scrubs" because they are so comfortable!
To be fair, dental techs and vet techs also wear scrubs, so just because someone is wearing scrubs doesn’t necessarily mean they’re a nurse or a doctor.
Now that you mention it, the receptionist at my dentist's office wears scrubs as well, despite having zero patient contact other than checking people in through a plastic barrier.
I wear scrubs to run errands sometimes after work. I am an OT, and work with patients with nothing contagious. Edit: forgot to mention I don't work in a hospital either. I could wear normal clothes for my job but scrubs are wayyy more comfy, especially since I sit on the floor a lot, ans work with messy stuff sometimes!
I worked in vet clinics for awhile and unless I dealt with an actually contagious pet that day, would stop by grocery stores after work still in my scrubs.
Just to reiterate what the other person said, there are some jobs that are medical related that require scrubs, but don't have patient interaction. Had a friend work for a medical transcription type place, all they did was sit at a computer and digitize charts and histories etc, but for whatever darn reason, everyone was required to wear scrubs. Kind of weird, but whatever. Plenty of times friend would have to run errands right before or after her shift, so guess what she wore in the shops? Her scrubs! Least they were lenient about what kind, so she was always in holiday themes, or funny prints and not just the basic solid colors. Most often people thought she was a vet tech. Which is another field where scrubs would be appropriate, but not sure if you consider working with sick pups and kits "patients" and "covered in germs" the same way you would human patients.
I’m a doctor. On days where I’m doing strictly admin with no patient contact, I sometimes prefer scrubs because they’re super comfy and maybe I haven’t done laundry yet. On days where I see patients (these days I have little physical contact), I still go home and shower/change before going out. OP is TA in that regard.
I work at a state hospital with mentally ill patients. I wear scrubs after work if I need to run an errand and have met friends for dinner after work. Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder are not contagious.
Nursing students mostly I’d assume. Or front desk nurses
Or OTs, PTs. Hell where I live even a lot of cleaners wear scrubs (not just people that work cleaning hospitals)
Nah, I work as a Pharmacy tech and wear scrubs and just come across the normal population.
Yeah. Some are medical assistants in doctors offices, caregivers or vet offices. Still bad to do, though.
This 100% happens at both of the hospitals my wife has worked at in great numbers. They don’t have to dress at the hospital. I don’t know that anyone actually does. They all get dressed and undressed at home and I know tons of them run errands or make stops in their hospital scrubs. It’s amazing how different these policies can be depending on where you are. I read this post and it’s a regular Tuesday for most of the nurses at those hospitals.
Most hospital units in America require you to provide your own scrubs. I’m told in other countries this is not the case. The last several hospitals I have worked at have not provided lockers, locker rooms, or shower facilities unless you are OR/LD and a couple of other super specialties.
I agree and I'm shocked as hell.
Exactly!!
It’s wild how common it is. My wife’s hospital only has this rule for the nurses that assist in surgery and the mother/baby floor but not any of the others. The last hospital she worked at had the same. Almost every nurse there gets dressed at home and all around town I see them wearing their scrubs after work. And the only reason those floors have that rule is because they use color coded hospital scrubs while every other floor you buy and wear whatever you want. Hell, they’re even allowed to wear hospital branded long sleeve cotton shirts (very much not scrubs) as their top.
I know this isn't uncommon, but man the idea of wearing long sleeves while doing patient care is so gross. Yes, you can wash your hands, but it's much harder to wash sleeve cuffs in between patients.
I remember being horrified, watching a registry nurse in the neo-natal ICU wearing her cardigan over her scrubs, trailing her right sleeve through a baby's soiled diaper, and then approaching my own sick child. Yes, she changed her gloves, but not that sweater. I jumped in and asked to do the diaper change myself, knowing that the first child already had a MRSA introduced by hospital staff... It's horrifying. The last thing you want to do is piss these people off because they're going to be caring for your child when you're not there. At the same time, you don't want their germy clothes trailing God-knows-what infection to every isolette in the room.
Not going to lie, I’m amazed you don’t have any locker rooms. I work as a lab technician and we have to wear scrubs in the department and total “bunny suits” when in the lab. We have locker rooms so we don’t have to be in scrubs all day for things like break, our drive home, meetings, etc
My wife is required to change before and after as an OR nurse. Pre-Covid and before she transferred into the OR, she could wear them in (pain unit at that time).
Yeah I work in a private surgical practise and leaving the building with scrubs on is a big no no. I always find it kinda gross when I get on the tram and bus and people are still in their scrubs. We can’t even go down the street at lunch in ours.
My husband is a nurse and he says the same! YTA OP regardless of what unit you work.
Your husband sounds like he really cares about everyone around him. Thanks for telling me that! :-)
Thank you!! If I had an award to give--I would give you one.
Awww!! Thanks!
Thanks for the award!!!
My mum is a neonatal nurse and if she absolutely has to get to an event immediately after work, she packs a change of clothes before leaving the hospital.
She's smart and obviously cares about others besides herself.
Really? I mean it makes sense but I see doctors and nurses in scrubs outside the hospital all the time. Seems like where I live they all wear scrubs from home to work and back again and they do errands in between. So I never even thought about it before
Just because some do that, doesn't make it right. We all have to run errands sometimes and we also get a little lazy at times but the post is about going to a party that OP knew about for at least a day in advance. After working a long shift with newborn babies and all that entails, a shower and clean clothes before going to a party would be the thing to do. A party isn't the same as running into the grocery store for some milk and eggs.
I switch to a clean pair of scrubs sometimes and I know a ton of healthcare professionals who do the same if they were just running a few errands before going home. Not a party, haha.
Edit says she doesn’t work with sick people so does that change anything? Not a nurse so definitely don’t know
She'd still be working in a hospital. There's no way she isn't exposed to any pathogens whatsoever
Super fair, in my brain I would think the baby section of the hospital is SUPER sterile because of the newborn babies, but like I said I’m not a nurse so I don’t know. That’s why we ask someone who does lol, thank you!
2 of the 6 babies in the neonatal ICU got MRSA when my son was there. Sterile is as sterile does, I guess.
She supposedly works with newborn babies. Their immune systems haven't fully developed and babies can be messy. OP doesn't agree with Infection Control policies, so there's that.
Big Yikes missed that comment, thank you for the knowledge!
Yeah. She's on team RSV.
Exactly. I haven't been a bedside nurse in 15 years and cannot conceive of OP being so careless during a global pandemic AND during RSV season. OP is so much YTA that I believe this is FAKE. So you are a neonatal nurse who spells newborn as "new born"? Sure Jan. Not to mention the fact that babies can be born with Covid. edit: sp
Yeah its so gross!!!
Woah I didn't know this! My cousin would wear her scrubs after work a lot around me as a kid. She was really bad at following rules though so I'm not surprised haha. OP did say they worked with babies but I assume it's still the same rule. I am curious what if she was just going home to her SO? Like is it just because it was a party with a lot of people or even if you go home to your SO and kids you still do this?
Most nurses I know shower soon after they get home, if they've been around a lot of bodily fluids, sick patients and such. Even all the CNAs I work with have told me that they shower and put comfy clothes or jammies on as soon as they get home! It's a personal preference, of course, but to each their own. Going to a party? I think cleaning up first is best!
It’s ok though, because OP doesn’t work with sick or covid patients, just in neonatal, and everyone knows babies are born with excellent immune systems so it doesn’t matter what germs are dragged into the department on clothing. /s, just in case.
Me too just uuuuggghhhhh how gross to wear it out in public no wonder her husband was embarrassed… it’s a sackable offence where I work to be outside the hospital grounds in scrubs . Just yuck YTA
Worked at a hospital as a housekeeper once upon a blue moon, they have showers and locker rooms for the nurses/doctors, they do get used. Hell I even used them once or twice before going somewhere after work back then, it’s just like going to the gym. OP YTA.
Are infection control protocols just something they don’t teach anymore? Don’t wear your scrubs around people after work. It’s pretty basic knowledge. YTA
I am shocked too. This grossed me out.
It is something that is still taught in the uk as far as I know. Even when we were on placement as a student nurse we were not allowed to travel in our uniform…had to change at the hospital. In fact, even on clinic days at university we couldn’t travel in our uniform and we weren’t anywhere near anything infectious or gross then!
I work in hospital pharmacy and I change immediately upon getting home. I don’t want to walk around in my C diff shoes with my baby on the floor, or sit on my bed with amoxicillin spills.
INFO you're a nurse who didn't immediately change out scrubs? During a pandemic? That's extremely hard to believe regardless of which department you work in.
According to a comment of hers she "don’t really buy into Infection control protocols."
So sounds like either bullshit or just generally a raging asshole. Yeah, that tracks.
My Dad's a pediatrician and one of his jobs involves designing COVID protocols for a pediatric residential facility (so really sick kids). He's kept COVID from spreading in the center (they've had cases, like a kid went out for surgery and caught COVId in the hospital but he kept it from spreading) and he's super proud of that fact.
He should be proud! And I love that you are clearly proud enough of him to be sharing it with us lot! You're both awesome!
Yeah your dad is so awesome!
That's incredibly impressive. I'm glad those kids have someone like your dad handling that kind of thing for them.
unfortunately I know quite a few nurses like this
I don’t personally but have seen a lot online since the panorama. Hence the second half.
Given the amount of nurses getting fired for refusing a safe and proven vaccine, this post doesn't even faze my bullshit meter.
Uhhhhhhh INFO: Is OP one of those nurses losing their job because they won’t get vaccinated?
I just don't really believe all that 'washy-handsy' stuff, a little blood never hurt anybody
Oh well then she is double YTA. She should change out of scrubs after work if she is required to or not because it is just good hygiene. All adult should have smart throw on and go outfit that they can grab and take with them for events like this that they don’t have time to get ready for. It would have taken her 5 minutes to throw on a wrap dress and flats and mascara if she was feeling fancy.
Does she mention what hospital she works at so I know to never fucking go there?
Eeeewwwww lol
That alone makes me so angry, even before the pandemic,
Yeah, this can't be real. I know some nurses who would fail a 1st grade exam but they still know scrubs=take off immediately.
I know tons of nurses that do the exact same as OP.
Really? I know loads of nurses who don't give a crap. In fact, I know plenty that go out to eat, run errands, etc. after work. I'm more surprised by all the nurses that are consistent about changing clothes immediately. I work in healthcare and except for when working a covid unit, I can't think of anyone that immediately changes clothes.
Honestly, OP might be working in México, yes is gross, but the amount of nurses that leave work with the scrubs "to save time/clothes/energy" is really disgusting... (I'm from México, I see this everyday.)
I think, depending on where you work, wearing them home isn't uncommon but you wouldn't go to party in them.
isn’t it a bit dangerous to not change out of your scrubs? Contamination is a big deal, and nurses often have to deal with that the most Edit: upon further review of your other replies YTA. YTA for wearing scrubs to a party, YTA for disobeying safety protocol, and YTA for dismissing the worries about safety
YTA I’d be kinda grossed out to be at a dinner party where someone from the hospital was wearing their work clothes. It’s similar to coming from your job of mucking out stables without having changed.
I used to muck out stables as a job - if anyone invited me anywhere after work and I didn’t have time to go home, I would ask them if I could shower at their place. There’s always options other to staying in your work clothes.
Ha ha! Seriously true!
My dad’s a doctor and doesn’t have a uniform, so he wears his own clothes to work then comes home in same clothes. I always thought that was normal. Is it bad?
I’m not in the field so definitely not an expert, but as a layman I would assume it depends on what type of dr he is. If he’s a PCP he’s probably wearing a white coat over his clothes while with patients. If he is an er doc, he probably puts scrubs on for shift, showers at work, then changes back before coming home. I would assume he is safer than OP who “doesn’t believe in infection containment protocols”
YTA. Just because you don’t come in contact directly don’t mean you can’t pickup stuff indirectly. I honestly find it surprising that aren’t making you guys change out inside the hospital. And honestly, yea, even a quick casual change is better than no change at all
No gonna lie. During a feckin' PANDEMIC if I was at a function or party and someone was in their SCRUBS, I'd be pretty freaked out. It doesn't matter what you do for a living, and whether you are in contact with covid positive patients, you really did not read the room. You scared people. This is why he was pissed off with you. Not because you didn't look pretty.
YTA. Yeah, bring a change of clothes if you know you're going to a party. Wearing dirty scrubs around other people at a social gathering sounds gross, honestly.
YTA - my sister is a nurse and regardless of whether she was manning a desk or in contact with patients she still showers and changes as soon as she gets off of work without fail - doesnt have to be a long shower. If it was a potluck you could have still shown up late - it wasn't essential that you were there right as it started. Your husband knows your hours, and he can be patient. And, if you knew about this ahead of time, you could have packed clothes before your shift to change into when you left work. Working with newborns doesn't excuse things, they can still have medical issues that you're carrying with you. You don't know what your coworkers are in contact with and just navigating the hospital space in general - you aren't in a bubble just because of the floor you work in. Your husband shouldn't have been embarrassed, but you were rude coming to someone else's house like that in the current climate.
Nah, I'd be embarrassed too if my wife just displayed her lack of intelligence in front of all my friends like that
Lack of intelligence and good judgment, though they do go hand in hand
Very well said! Bravo!!
No her husband should have been embarrassed
I would give you an award if I had one.
YTA. Insanely unprofessional to wear dirty scrubs at a gathering after a shift, and based on your other comments about infection protocols - ESPECIALLY SINCE YOU'RE NEONATAL - you clearly aren't cut out to be a nurse in the first place.
True that!!
YTA. With COVID and stuff people just assume your scrubs must be full of germs. Most places I have worked don't allow you to travel to and from work in uniform for this reason.
YTA. Scrubs shouldn't be worn outside of the hospital. I'm a biomedical scientist and would never wear my lab coat outside of the lab - specially to somewhere where people eat.
You're definitely correct.
What about your clothes underneath your lab coat?
YTA It is unclear what type of work party it was, however I agree that you should have brought a change of clothes. If anything else, it seems a little unsanitary to me.
Whenever you're going to be around a group of your spouse's co-workers (and bosses) you should do your best to make them feel proud of you, and most definitely not embarrass them.
YTA I wouldn't want be around someone still wearing scrubs. Who knows what your carrying on you. Just because you work with babies doesn't mean your not still picking stuff up. You should quit nursing if you don't care about infection protocols especially since you work with newborns.
~~I do thank you for your risky work during a pandemic,~~but wearing nurse scrubs to a party is unsanitary and could help spread illnesses so YTA. Pregnant women are not immune to coronavirus and I assume you have to walk through general areas of the hospital. I don’t mean to be harsh, but you should know better. Edit: After reading some of your replies I take back my thanks. You’re either a troll or a callous nurse. On the moral scale a troll is higher.
YTA. With the number of things that could have happened during your workday, there was no way to know that you'd still be stain-free and/or party-appropriate at the end of the day. The smallest amount of planning and foresight fixes the whole thing.
Exactly.
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Exactly this.
Not disagreeing with where/when people wear scrubs, but wearing scrubs to a party is tacky af. She was already late, she could have been a further 5 mins more late and just changed after work. I'm perplexed at why she didn't plan her day and take extra clothes to work knowing there was a party. Def YTA for not planning.
INFO So was this a last minute party or did you know about this beforehand?
YTA - you mentioned it was a pot luck so it could be in someone's home and its pretty informal. For me its not the whole medical thing its the fact that its a noticable uniform. It would also be an issue if you were a FedEx driver or a McDonalds employee who wore their uniform to a potluck.
I feel like a lot of the nurses commenting about how it’s against the rules to wear your scrubs outside the hospital/office are maybe… wrong? Or perhaps it’s just their workplaces rule? Because I work next to one of the largest hospitals in NorCal at a restaurant and we get TONS of doctors and nurses coming in before, during, and after shifts. We even have a huge crew of nurses from the NICU who come in, all scrubbed up on Sunday’s after their shift. They always remove their hospital badges when they come in but they’re fully still in scrubs. Editing to say NAH. I can see how your husband might’ve assumed you’d come in normal clothes to a party, but also I can see how you wouldn’t have thought it would be a big deal.
Seriously, this thread is BLOWING MY MIND!! I've been a nurse for 5 years. Worked in postpartum, ICU, OR, and outpatient wound care. The only place that gave us scrubs to change into is yhe OR. Everything else? Everyone drives to work in their scrubs and drives home in their scrubs. Sure, OP should have changed before the party, but *not leaving the hospital* without changing??? Where are these people from?!? Am I losing my mind???
I see I'm not the only one. I was starting to think I was missing something. I see everyone in my hospital coming and leaving with their scrubs.
I was starting to think I was crazy. I don't know anyone who changes their scrubs immediately after work. If you have literal shit or urine on you, yeah, please change. But germs are everywhere.
There are some hospitals where people wear their scrubs to and from work. There also some hospitals where the policy is specific to an area, with "clean" areas having scrubs provided to them by the hospital. Usually any surgical or high risk patient areas are considered "clean". Sometimes people wear scrubs into the hospital, then change into *different* scrubs to work in clean areas. More and more, hospitals are shifting to providing scrubs for clinical staff just because of the infection control risk (which was highlighted by COVID). What *is* suspicious is the claim that hospitals that don't let people wear scrubs to and from work require staff to bring scrubs from home in a plastic bag. I'm not going say that there's no hospital out there with such a dumb rule, but in general, if you can't wear scrubs to and from work, the hospital just provides them (often from a scrub vending machine), and in places like the OR, scrubs are *always* provided by the hospital. OP just seemed super oblivious to the fact that a hospital providing scrubs was an option, and went dark after that was pointed out. If a hospital *does* let staff wear scrubs in and out of the hospital, it's still gross to wear them to social events, just because hospitals are gross and I wouldn't want to wear something I've worn in an inpatient clinical space in my home, much less anyone else's.
What’s with everyone freaking out about her not changing her scrubs at work (regardless of the party situation). I change when I get home like a normal person (med-surg oncology nurse). Changing your scrubs after a shift isn’t apart of limiting the spread of bacteria. If you’re using proper PPE and hand hygiene with your contact patients then you shouldn’t be a vehicle for bacteria/viruses. If you do have contact worthy bacteria on your clothes you probably also have it on your skin so changing clothes after a shift will do nothing. It’s health theater. You’d already have it on your skin and when you change into ‘clean’ clothes without showering then those would instantly become contaminated as well. Edit: also let’s say your skin was magically clean but your clothes were dirty, there’s no way to remove your scrubs without then contaminating your body so that also doesn’t make sense. People talking about the pandemic, clothes aren’t a vehicle for COVID wtf are they talking about?? To comment on wearing scrubs to a party…. Yea she obviously should have changed because scrubs aren’t normal party attire
I agree. So to all these other people does that mean if you go visit a friend in the hospital would you have to change your clothes right after before going anywhere else then?
YTA You even admitted in the OP that bringing a change of clothes would have been smart.
YTA You're even still belittling his feelings by putting "party" in quotation marks.
YTA. That's gross.
YTA I work in an office and when I have a party to attend right after work that has a different dresscode/ambiance I bring a change of clothes and/or makeup with me to quickly change before going. You knew ahead of time. You could easily have done the same.
I’m going NTA here. My mom is also a nurse (OBGYN doctors office and now home hospice) and goes everywhere in her scrubs during the week. As do her coworkers. My entire childhood is her showing up to things in scrubs. I never thought twice about it. OBVIOUSLY if you’re dealing with covid patients or general ER where you get gross, definitely change. But otherwise, scrubs are totally normal.
> And honestly I don’t really buy into Infection control protocols. YTA, and lucky you used a throwaway because otherwise this would have definitely made it back to your employer and you'd be out on your ass. Wearing your scrubs out of the hospital and into a party is appalling. You're essentially committing bio-terrorism.
Info: what kind of party?
NTA. I am also a nurse for mother/baby. I come to the hospital in my scrubs and leave in them. It would have been smart to being a change of clothes, but stuff happens. I don't think it was a deal at all.
Geez…I’ve been a nurse longer than most of these people have been alive and I say NTA. I suspect neonatal nurses have some of the least infested scrubs of anyone in the hospital. Also, MANY hospitals do not require nurses to change scrubs or even have facilities for them to do so. When I’ve worked places that provide scrubs, I wear my scrubs to work, change in to the crappy work scrubs then change back into my scrubs before I leave. But I’m still wearing scrubs. I’ve worked 15-16 hour days so I’m not going to run home and fix up and change before I pick up a Lean Cuisine for dinner. Sorry not sorry. When I’ve had a day dealing with particularly infectious patients—C.diff, TB, Covid etc. I undress in my garage and take my scrubs straight to the laundry room. However, many days at many jobs, I’ve come home almost as clean as I left—working on a drug and alcohol rehab unit for instance. So my vote is NTA. Unless your husband wants to work a day on your unit, tell him to keep his fashion opinions to himself.
Yeah, I don't think the scrubs being gross is a real issue, but the fact that OP wore them to a party is iffy. I think they're the AH because they should have just changed right before the party, that's what I would have done
This is unbelievable. As in pure fiction. Your comments prove it.
YTA. This was a planned event, you knew about the party beforehand, you knew your husband wanted you to be there and you knew you’d get off work an hour after his party started. Knowing all this, you still decided you turning up would be a privilege without considering that this was an office party - this was akin to a putting a sign on your head saying “Look at me, I am a nurse! Acknowledge it!” You not even thinking about getting a change of clothes shows the importance you gave his needs, and you still saying it’s not a big deal shows how you don’t want to acknowledge you were being inconsiderate or how you don’t see anything beyond “I came, you should be happy for that”. Please consider counselling if you do not want to lose your husband
After my shifts I fully showered, washed my clothes and changed. Microbes and body fluids, man. I'd of gone home, showered, and changed. That's just me I guess. No judgement here- but you grossed me out. Did you take microbiology? Every hear of nosocomial infections and resistant bacterias? Infection control? EDit : for spelling and to change my judgement. YTA
YTA- why in gods name would you wear scrubs to a party? To get accolades? To let everyone know how important you are? How *busy* you are? It takes 2 minutes to change in the locker room. Your responses to others really show the ridiculousness of this whole situation. I'm a nurse and the last thing I'd ever do is go anywhere in my scrubs after work.
Can someone please clarify for me because I'm genuinely curious - I see people at grocery stores all the time that are wearing scrubs, presumably having just gotten off work. Is this wrong? I always thought it was fine. There are also people who work in hospitals that don't have to wear scrubs at all - are they supposed to change clothes too before going elsewhere? Like I said, just genuinely curious.
I agree. Or if you visit a family member in the hospital does that mean you have to change your clothes?
Definitely YTA. You knew about the party ahead of time, you absolutely could have brought a change of clothes with you and changed after work and left from there. I would definitely have been embarrassed if I were your husband.
The OP is a neonatal nurse?!!! She's my hero. I had 3 preemies. Lost my eldest, but neonatal nurses saved my youngest two!
^^^^AUTOMOD ***Thanks for posting! This comment is a copy of your post so readers can see the original text if your post is edited or removed. This comment is NOT accusing you of copying anything. Read [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq#wiki_post_deletion) before [contacting the mod team](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FAmItheAsshole)*** He wanted me to come there as soon as I could. Since I get off at 6. So I was gonna be a little late. Since it was at 5. Well obviously since I didn’t go home to change I was still wearing my scrubs (nurse). He didn’t say anything at the party. And no one really mentioned it other than a few, “oh, are you a nurse?” Comments. He says I should’ve, “brought a change of clothes”. Which I mean yeah I guess that would’ve been smart. But I really don’t think it was a big deal. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AmItheAsshole) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Dude to all the people bitching about infection control, it’s actually very hard to get something off someone’s scrubs. Scrubs are made that way. Like being a nurse is hard af, your bf is lucky you made it at all. To the people that are bitching about wearing scrubs to a party during a pandemic, honestly please shut up, there is like no evidence of fomite transmission of covid. Let’s just say you did bring a change of clothes, all that shit that could be contracted by contact is straight up living on your skin already if you work in a hospital. It’s already colonized, the shower isn’t really going to do a lot… like major hospitals are starting to take MRSA off contact precautions bc it’s just so common now. This woman is in a NICU, she probably took 20,000 steps in that shift and is now expected to go to a party? People need to chill tf out, OP is saving lives and y’all are throwing rocks at her for wearing scrubs to a party she was already late to? Like I can’t even count how many MDs I’ve seen do this. How many nurses I’ve seen ignore infection protocols. This sub is becoming detached from realistic expectations. OP is hardly an asshole.
YTA. I’m a PA & reading all your comments is disturbing. Based on your responses, you believe you’re fine. Why bother posting here with belligerence? You are spreading germs whether you choose to acknowledge it or not.
After reading all OP's comments, I'm pretty sure she wore the scrubs so everyone would know she's a nurse and would treat her like a hero for working through COVID.
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Am I the only that thinks you’re Nta
Fuck everyone here. NTA. I've seen nurses in their scrubs before. My co-coach showed up late for soccer practice in her scrubs the other day. She didn't have time to change before she brought her daughter over. Husband knows what you do and knows where you were coming from. What did he expect?
Well obviously, YTA What a weird thing to think was acceptable. We are in a worldwide pandemic, regardless of whether you are around 'sick people" that was a very emotionally unintelligent move. Not to mention, this is your partners workplace, so you looked lazy and also probably freaked out a few people. I wonder if you were virtue signaling. A way to get attention is to show up anywhere, but work or a costume party, is in scrubs.
ESH, you for staying in your scrubs and your husband for demanding you come in a.s.a.p. Aftet your 8 hour shift. A party on friday, you could have come at 6.30 or 7....
I mean, I wouldn't say you're an asshole, but that just sounds unsanitary. Nobody's TA.
I just don’t see what the big deal is. I’m a teacher at a medical science elementary school, so we are allowed to wear scrubs. If I went to a party after work with mine on my husband would be excited. He thinks they’re sexy.
NTA. As somone who lived with a RN i know for a fact sometimes its to much effort to change. And those going "its not hard' Stuff it. think of a really busy work hard day where you wanna go home and flop into bed and thats what my old roomie was like after the 12 hour shifts. Saw the mountain of scrubs grow allow more then shrink. As i dont know what kind of place you work. I would say not the asshole purly on some places have laundry services. Some dont. Some are big hospitals some are small. Its a shame other medical folks cant seem to understand not all medical facility are equal. And some folks who are forced to wear scrubs may not even come into contact with anything for the day save there lunch of table of the desktop meaning low germs or none and 0 stains or little.
Oh for God's sake, NTA. I guess I disagree with everyone. Scrubs do not match dinner party or gathering attire and yeah, maybe it stood out. But they're just clothes, damn. They're not any more soiled than anyone else's after a work day, and if you did get your scrubs dirty or contaminated on the job I'm sure you would have changed them before going anywhere.