Untucked Scrubs: I think I have OCD.

[def jeff]

Does this bother anyone else? This is probably like my biggest pet peeve in the world!





Ok, so it just annoys me a little, but still. . . are you guilty of this crime? Fess up!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[lilnoelle]

I think they look bad tucked in.

 

[Mayhem]

People tuck scrubs in? I can't recall ever seeing anyone do that. It must look weird. Besides, mine has pockets at the bottom so I'd have to tuck them in.

 

[def jeff]

Lol, of course I'm just joking around with this really, but seriously, you've never seen people tuck in their scrubs?

I will say that during anatomy class I was probably the only one in my class that tucked in my scrubs, but that's just anatomy lab, and there is no point looking "nice" and "proper" when you have dead man's gastric juice on your forehead, but anyhow that might be a different story for a different day.

But I worked in an operating room the summer after my junior year in college and I was promptly told that it was expected to tuck in your scrubs. Maybe one or two nurses I worked with would leave them untucked but no surgeons or anesthesiologists, if I recall correctly. The same holds true for my school's hospital.

 

[khadija]

i'm surprised. at our hospital no one tucks in their scrubs. in fact i thought u were not supposed to tuck them in.

 

[lilnoelle]

hospital scrubs are ugly anyway.... at least the ones that I've had to wear. They were tight at the ankles and the wrists and were terribly baggy around the waist.

 

[def jeff]

Whoa! Am I like living in bizzaro world down here? Lol, somebody help me out with this!

 

[def jeff]

Okay, I googled doctor + scrubs and all I got were pictures of untucked scrubs. All I can think is that maybe this is regional thing. My new hypothesis is that tucking is more popular in the Southeast and that untucked is more popular in say, like Kansas.

Sorry for picking on Kansas.

Other Southerners, do you tuck in your scrubs?


Also, I think it is more acceptable for a woman to be "untucked."

Get your mind out of the gutter.

 

[DocPsychosis]

Here in Houston, most doctor types tuck them in; some students do; nurses and techs usually not. I don't care, probably just do it to fit in when I get to that point. It's not like matching colored linen pants and a t-shirt (which is all scrubs really are) can really look nice vs. sloppy.

 

[def jeff]

Yeah, "nice" is a strong word. I prefer "professional."


I reckon most medical students will get that.

 

[lilnoelle]

.

Sorry for picking on Kansas.

I'm guessing I'm the only one around that will care.

 

[Anka]

True, here surgeons tuck in their scrubs. Not tucking is seen as sloppy.

 

[Abilene85]

Here in Ohio, I saw a number of tucked scrubs during anatomy. I personally hate the feeling of tucking and having extra material around my waist.

 

[SoCuteMD]

The surgeons I worked with all tucked in their scrubs.

 

[yaah]

Does this bother anyone else? This is probably like my biggest pet peeve in the world!

After 4 years of med school and 4 years of residency untucked scrubs finally got to me in the past year or two. Perhaps it's just because a few of the more annoying and lazy people I know happened to always be in untucked and the more efficient and effective ones are tucked.

What annoys me more than untucked scrubs are the people who walk around shuffling their feet. Pick up your feet!

 

[Gimlet]

Most of the surgeons and residents around here tuck. I used to be a non-tucker, but when I was on my surgical rotation I figured I'd tuck since everyone else was. Now it feels weird to be untucked.

 

[Ashers]

Most of the surgeons and residents around here tuck. I used to be a non-tucker, but when I was on my surgical rotation I figured I'd tuck since everyone else was. Now it feels weird to be untucked.

I noticed that too about the surgeons and resident, but I refused to tuck. Maybe being a girl allows me to get away with it.

 

[-Goose-]

Here, most or all surgeons (residents and attendings) tuck. EM, FP, OB docs don't tuck as much.

 

[novastorm]

+1 for tucking mainly because my back is freezing otherwise.

 

[angel80]

I've seen mostly surgeons/surgery residents tuck in their scrubs. With other specialties IM, OB, EM, Peds etc. not so much. As an IM resident, I've stopped wearing scrub tops, and instead wear a plain cotton T-shirt with my scrub bottoms (untucked of course).

 

[SocialistMD]

True, here surgeons tuck in their scrubs. Not tucking is seen as sloppy.

Same here.

 

[njbmd]

Untucked unisex scrubs are not proper OR attire. You don't enter my OR with scrubs untucked as that violates my standard scrub policy. Contrary to popular belief, scrubs are worn to prevent release of skin particles and hair into the environment of the OR. An untucked scrub suit is not able to accomplish this.

If your scrub suit is tunic (nurses scrubs)you can wear it untucked (note that tunic tops are much longer than unisex scrub tops). If it is not, the top should be tucked into the pants to prevent contact with sterile surfaces. The ties should be tucked in before you step up to the scrub sink too. Scrubs should be made of lint-free material, fit properly (not too tight as this causes chafing of skin) and clean. When outside of the OR, a lab coat is worn over them.

If you sleep in scrubs at home, you cannot wear those into the hospital OR. If you wear scrubs in, you change before you start your first case and change between cases if your scrubs become soiled. You also change scrubs between cases if they become soiled with body fluids. If body fluids soak through to your underwear, you change those too.

If you are a non-sterile person (anesthesia or circulator) you are required to wear a cover jacket over either tunic or tucked scrub suit to prevent shedding of skin and hair from arms.

 

[DoctaJay]

Ha, I love it njbmd. I usually desire to tuck my scrubs, but because of my height, all that is left to tuck is like 1 cm of the scrub shirt. If I try to up the size then the waist jumps up to like a size 50.

 

[Twitch]

+1 for Tucker.

 

[Occams Razor]

around my school, it's f**k the tuck.

 

[sprinkibrio]

I think they look bad tucked in.

Ditto. The only ones who tuck them in during anatomy lab are the girls who are more style conscious. I guess they think it makes them look thinner...?

 

[la petite mort]

Dudes, at least you guys get to wear scrubs. I just found out that for shadowing and internship I have to wear dress clothes with a "well-ironed" coat over them, and I can't wear sneakers. They have to be dressy flats.

 

[MSHell]

njbmd,

people in your OR are allowed to bring scrubs from home to wear in there? the OR scrubs are not washed by the hospital? how do you know if someone has been sleeping in them or not (unless they let that slip)?

i'd be more concerned about the above than tucked vs. untucked.

 

[Anka]

Speaking of pet peeves, what's up with the unmatched scrub top and scrub pants? Really common among a certain group of residents at our hospital.

 

[lilnoelle]

Dudes, at least you guys get to wear scrubs. I just found out that for shadowing and internship I have to wear dress clothes with a "well-ironed" coat over them, and I can't wear sneakers. They have to be dressy flats.

I'm guessing thats pretty normal policy. I think for the most part med students wear scrubs on surgery and emergency medicine rotations-with surgery its likely mandatory to tuck them in.

Since I'm not in clinicals, I was thinking more about wearing scrubs in anatomy lab - in which case very few of my classmates tucked them in.

 

[Blade28]

You always tuck them in if you're in surgery, OB/GYN, or other fields that require you to scrub and be sterile.

Most other people wear them as "comfortable" clothes or PJs. So they don't necessarily have to tuck them in.

 

[cfdavid]

Does this bother anyone else? This is probably like my biggest pet peeve in the world!





Ok, so it just annoys me a little, but still. . . are you guilty of this crime? Fess up!

LOL Yeah, I think it's pretty unprofessional/sloppy looking. But, hey, I'm a traditionalist.....

 

[cfdavid]

Whoa! Am I like living in bizzaro world down here? Lol, somebody help me out with this!

Nope. I completely agree. It just looks sloppy to me, not tucking in.

 

[cfdavid]

Dudes, at least you guys get to wear scrubs. I just found out that for shadowing and internship I have to wear dress clothes with a "well-ironed" coat over them, and I can't wear sneakers. They have to be dressy flats.

Somehow I feel that if you're entering the OR, you'll be wearing scrubs. Now, following around Rheumatology is a different story.

 

[smq123]

I think for the most part med students wear scrubs on surgery and emergency medicine rotations-with surgery its likely mandatory to tuck them in.

You wear them whenever you are going to enter an operating room (surgery or OB/gyn), going to go to the ER in order to admit patients (internal medicine, sometimes pediatrics, emergency medicine) or going to be working in an ICU (SICU/MICU/NICU/PICU rotations).

For us, it was not required to tuck in our scrubs during surgery or OB/gyn. I ended up tucking in mine naturally anyway, because the edge of my pager clip kept chafing my skin otherwise.

 

[def jeff]

The reason I started this post was in light of another thread about attendings being jerks to students and making them follow their own rules and what not. Well I think that if I was an attending, one of my only rules would be for all students to tuck in their scrubs, assuming that rotation called for it.

I'm glad that at least some of you agree. For the rest, I don't think you guys would like me very much if I was an attending

 

[def jeff]

Thinking about it, it probably is mostly an OR related thing. I have seen some EM docs who left theirs untucked.

As far as the mismatched scrubs, I know at my old hospital, the CRNA's wore blue tops and green bottoms. It looked terrible no doubt, but I definitely rocked the look during lab when that was all I had clean for the day. Okay, I'm using "clean" loosely here.

At least its better than dentists. My dentist rocks the khakis with the green scrub top.

Totally pimping.

 

[bulin]

does it make a difference whether it's a female or male tucking in? i'm a female and i hate wearing it tucked in and i have yet to see any of the female surgeons wear theirs tucked. on the other hand, most of the male surgeons i have seen wear them tucked in.

 

[la petite mort]

At least its better than dentists. My dentist rocks the khakis with the green scrub top.

Totally pimping.

lmao!

I like my school's scrubs: completely black.

 

[def jeff]

^^^^^

I would say that it's slightly more acceptable for females to be untucked.

Also, black scrubs scream "Dr. 90210" to me. Not that its a bad thing!

 

[la petite mort]

They're slimming

 

[Gimlet]

At least its better than dentists. My dentist rocks the khakis with the green scrub top.

Totally pimping.

That look was pioneered by EM docs...it's actually known as the "ED Mullet."

 

[nimbusadjust120]

Untucked unisex scrubs are not proper OR attire. You don't enter my OR with scrubs untucked as that violates my standard scrub policy. Contrary to popular belief, scrubs are worn to prevent release of skin particles and hair into the environment of the OR. An untucked scrub suit is not able to accomplish this.

If your scrub suit is tunic (nurses scrubs)you can wear it untucked (note that tunic tops are much longer than unisex scrub tops). If it is not, the top should be tucked into the pants to prevent contact with sterile surfaces. The ties should be tucked in before you step up to the scrub sink too. Scrubs should be made of lint-free material, fit properly (not too tight as this causes chafing of skin) and clean. When outside of the OR, a lab coat is worn over them.

If you sleep in scrubs at home, you cannot wear those into the hospital OR. If you wear scrubs in, you change before you start your first case and change between cases if your scrubs become soiled. You also change scrubs between cases if they become soiled with body fluids. If body fluids soak through to your underwear, you change those too.

If you are a non-sterile person (anesthesia or circulator) you are required to wear a cover jacket over either tunic or tucked scrub suit to prevent shedding of skin and hair from arms.

Yucks! Those surgeons or medical students who wore scrubs to sleep at home and also wore that same scrubs to the OR is plain dirty and disgusting! In the OR, everything including all the human beings should be clean, neat and sterile. Come to think of that pyjamas scrubs-OR scrubs thingy, the word "yucks" come to my mind.

Yeah, scrubs should be tucked in unless your scrub top is too short.

Those who loved to shuffle their feets when walking are lazy people.

Those who posed in websites selling scrubs are just models.

 

[mules05]

Yucks! Those surgeons or medical students who wore scrubs to sleep at home and also wore that same scrubs to the OR is plain dirty and disgusting! In the OR, everything including all the human beings should be clean, neat and sterile. Come to think of that pyjamas scrubs-OR scrubs thingy, the word "yucks" come to my mind.

Yeah, scrubs should be tucked in unless your scrub top is too short.

Those who loved to shuffle their feets when walking are lazy people.

Those who posed in websites selling scrubs are just models.

On OB/gyn I always changed into scrubs when I got to the hospital, and changed when I left. That always seemed cleaner to me than wearing them in, and it was easier when there was a stack of scrubs in the locker room. I'm on general surgery now, and the laundry room where we get scrubs opens at 6am. So the options appear to be 1. wear scrubs in, hope there's no cat hair on them from home or 2. pre-round in my jammies and change when the laundry room opens. Then we run into the fun issue where certain folks who work in the laundry room refuse to give scrubs to med students, so if you get a pair you have to hold on to them and wash them at home, otherwise you'll find yourself scrub-less one day.

 

[Agent Splat]

Always tuck, personally. Makes it easier to manage wearing 3 pagers on my OB/Gyn rotation right now.

 

[kronickm]

What I find at my hospital is those who work in the OR tuck and those who don't don't tuck. Frankly I think tucking makes you look like a bit of a tool but that's just personal opinion.

 

[Orthodoc40]

The people I know who tuck in scrubs are all tall & skinny. Or at least skinny. All surgeons. Male & female.

njbmd - Why is it better to be tucked, especially if the top is long on a person, and when you're in the OR, you have a gown over them anyway?

 

[Jwax]

You always tuck them in if you're in surgery, OB/GYN, or other fields that require you to scrub and be sterile.

Interesting. I've been fortunate enough to scrub in on serveral surgeries and no one has made me tuck yet, and I've had quite a few snippy scrub techs / nurses / whoever they are... snap at me for various non-sterile moves (maintaining sterility is hard when you don't know what you are and aren't allowed to do!). I've never really given tucked vs. untucked much attention before, but I will have to watch for it now.

Personally, I hate tucking in anything... ever! I know it looks less "professional", but sometimes I feel that looking more relaxed makes people respond better to you. That's what I tell myself anyways.

 

[Blade28]

Interesting. I've been fortunate enough to scrub in on serveral surgeries and no one has made me tuck yet, and I've had quite a few snippy scrub techs / nurses / whoever they are... snap at me for various non-sterile moves (maintaining sterility is hard when you don't know what you are and aren't allowed to do!). I've never really given tucked vs. untucked much attention before, but I will have to watch for it now.

It may become more of a factor in your MS-III year...often that's when residents will let you know the various dos and don'ts of the OR.

If they're letting you scrub in, they should be teaching you the basics of maintaining sterility! They did at least show you how to scrub, right?

 

[dEterm1ned]

All the surgeons I see have them tucked. I tuck mine (I'm female) and so do all the other sales reps in the OR (mostly male).