Is There a Difference in Types of Scrubs?
From a general standpoint, custom scrubs serve a very critical purpose in medical environments. They not only make it easy for patients and visitors to identify nurses, doctors, surgeons, and other healthcare professionals, but they also provide these industry staffers with reliable attire that is easy to maintain. While they all serve the same ultimate purpose, not all scrubs are the same. Here’s what you should know about how styles differ from one another.
Lab Coats
Doctors typically wear lab coats over their scrubs or more formal custom professional business uniforms. Characterized by its simple white color and long sleeves, the lab coat is a highly functional piece of clothing that boasts spacious pockets. That makes it ideal for holding many of the essentials that physicians need when they’re on the move, like pens, phones, and stethoscopes.
Moreover, the coat serves as a protective garment that shields the clothing underneath from splashes and potential contamination. This garment is very easy to clean — you only need to toss it into the washing machine — but you need to do it regularly if you wear it daily. You can also invest in a few lab coats so that you always have a clean one on hand for the workday.
Men’s Scrubs
Men’s scrubs are designed with comfort in mind. From that standpoint, they don’t differ much from women’s styles. Scrubs for either men or women need to be functional and designed to perform well in fast-paced, busy environments where constant activity and movement are the norm.
The most common styles for men are characterized by more neutral hues, such as various shades of blue, along with gray, green, and purple. These are standard colors that play well in all types of medical settings, whether you work at a pediatrician’s office or a veterinarian’s clinic. Opt for something that has shoulders wide enough so that you can easily lift your arms without feeling constricted.
Women’s Scrubs
Scrubs for women are available in a variety of styles and colors. You’ll find many of the same shades from the neutral spectrum that characterize men’s collections, but there are also some brighter tones in the mix, like magenta and emerald. You’re also more likely to find patterned scrubs for women, ranging from colorful seasonal designs to more simple, neutral prints that are perfect for wearing at any time of the year.
As with men’s scrubs, women’s styles should also fit well without restricting movement on the job. However, silhouettes may vary where women’s scrubs are concerned. And some custom uniform work pants are less baggy and more fitted for a contemporary take on traditional workplace style. No matter what the silhouette, it’s crucial that the scrub tops and bottoms offer the flexibility of movement to ensure comfort throughout the course of long days at the hospital.
Surgical Scrubs
Scrubs are important in any medical environment. For surgeons, that includes wearing a pair of high-quality scrub pants and a coordinating top that is designed specifically for the surgical environment. While both medical and surgical scrubs are designed with the same advantages in mind, they do differ slightly.
Working in the operating room is an active job. Surgeons often need to bend, stretch, reach, and otherwise move their bodies, whether they’re doing something as simple as reaching for an instrument or something far more complex during the actual operating procedure. Others who work in surgical environments might be required to kneel down to inspect equipment or manipulate heavy equipment. Whatever the case, it’s crucial that the clothes they wear don’t prevent them from handling these duties responsibly and comfortably.
What to Buy
When shopping for scrubs, consider the style of your tops and bottoms. Avoid anything that’s too loose, as it will interfere with your work. Pants should have drawstrings so that you can easily adjust the fit.
One feature remains the same no matter the purpose of the scrubs: comfort. In both the medical and surgical fields, the fabric should be comfortable and easy to maintain. Because scrubs are exposed to potential contaminants on a regular basis, it’s important to wash them frequently. That means that you should select a fabric that’s designed to hold up well through multiple washes without losing its integrity. If you can find something that won’t hold on to wrinkles, that will make life even simpler!
By focusing on fit and comfort first, you can trust that you’ll feel your best throughout the workday.