'Lansley must listen to nurses on the front line' 
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When you consider some of the most iconic and influential uniforms you would probably have a list that would include the London beefeaters, airline cabin crew and indeed, the crew of Star Trek - my personal, geeky preference.
However, to judge a student nurses uniform on its appearance alone sort of misses the point. My own uniform requires black trousers, black shoes and a light grey tunic. It has to be clean and fully ironed each day, ready for me to turn up at my placement area.
Having spent some time around campus listening to the opinions of other students, I am frankly surprised at some people’s utter hatred for the uniform. I can appreciate that it is not the most comfortable of things to wear and it might not be hugely flattering, but if people could see beyond these things than they might find a new appreciation for what they wear.
Our uniforms - more than anything else - are symbols of the hard work and dedication that is required of us in order to progress to the role of staff nurse which, in turn, will then require us to wear another uniform with a different set of values attached to it.
As members of this - our chosen profession - we really should take pride in the work that we do and there is no easier way to convey this to members of the public than through the uniform we wear. It is our advertisement to the world; it not only reflects on us as individuals but helps to shape people’s opinions on the entire profession.
You may say that it is easy for me to sit here and talk about the merits of a student nurse’s uniform, but if people can try to look beyond the physical garment and see the uniform for what it represents, then we might find that our training isn’t quite so uncomfortable.
Adam Roxby, Student Editor of Student Nursing Times. Follow me on Twitter @AdamRoxby
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Our student editor has his ear to the ground as the student nurse editor of Student Nursing Times
Readers' comments (23)
kim watts | 3-Oct-2011 3:33 pm
Not so much the uniform itself - it's the fact that they are not designed to fit anyone even remotely human!!
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libby jamieson | 3-Oct-2011 4:09 pm
....and "looking good in uniform" affects patient care in what way ?????
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Anonymous | 3-Oct-2011 4:21 pm
they may not look "nice" but following years of wearing them they are now betterdesigned for the work we do-- all you oldies remmeberthe J Clothes-- they were almost two T shaped bits of cloth- no pleats for movement, no give for moving and handling- well we lifted then!
the uniform is there to make you stand out- make it easier for realtives and patients to identify your knowledge and expertise- not for a london fashion week.-- afraid to say- you knew what it looked like before you embarked on your career- get use to it- if it was the uniform that brought you in- change your career we want care and compassion.
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Anonymous | 3-Oct-2011 5:07 pm
Do you realise how much of a pompous ass you sound. Good Lod above!
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Geoff Beardsley-Hough | 3-Oct-2011 5:33 pm
i am sorry that the person above feels that way i personally feel that Adam has a point , i dont think it pompous , i am Proud to be a student and wear my uniforn and am looking forward to the day in a few months when i wear my uniform as a fully qualifed Nurse ,and yes i take pride in ensuring when on placement my uniform is clean and pressed before the start of the shift , and allways feel proud when people comment on how smart we look , i also feel we need to have pride in our selfs and the profession we are about to commence .
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Adam Roxby | 3-Oct-2011 7:10 pm
Hello all
Firstly I just want to say that I'm quite pleased that this has sparked such an interesting debate. I will go through an address each of your comments individually.
On the whole I would like to say how good it would be for people to register on the site and perhaps add a little picture of themselves so we can put a name and face to some of these comments. It can get a bit strange when I'm talking to people called ‘anonymous’
Kim – I do admit that the uniforms can be a bit ’frumpy’. I'm not sure what to suggest on that front to be honest!
Libby – the actual appearance of uniform doesn't directly affect patient care. However, being well presented does have an impact in the amount of confidence that patients have. I suppose the easiest analogy would be that if they were questioning whether you have the ability to look after your own appearance it might mean that you have trouble looking after others as well. I agree this is a gross oversimplification it does have some bearing.
Anonymous 1 – you are correct in that the uniforms do offer an easy way for patients and relatives to identify what your role is however that is not always as clear as it could be. Even as a second-year student I still find myself asking what the different uniforms relate to. It also doesn't help that it can vary from different trust the trust.
Anonymous 2 - not sure who that was directed at, if it was at me then it certainly won't be the first time.
Geoff - I'm glad that you share my pride in being a student and perhaps feel that the uniform is a visual representation of that. Despite what we would like to think, we all have prejudices and in the split second when you walk on the Ward for the first time your visual appearance does have an effect. In fact, I have an article about that very subject in the pipeline so please stay tuned for that.
Finally I want to say congratulations on your qualification and hope that you will continue to come back to this site and let us know how you are finding being a fully qualified nurse!
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Geoff Beardsley-Hough | 3-Oct-2011 7:21 pm
i am sorry that the person above feels that way i personally feel that Adam has a point , i dont think it pompous , i am Proud to be a student and wear my uniforn and am looking forward to the day in a few months when i wear my uniform as a fully qualifed Nurse ,and yes i take pride in ensuring when on placement my uniform is clean and pressed before the start of the shift , and allways feel proud when people comment on how smart we look , i also feel we need to have pride in our selfs and the profession we are about to commence .
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Christabelle Simiana | 3-Oct-2011 8:26 pm
I am a nursing student and I am proud with my uniform but the disadvantage the fabric is not comfortable to work with in placments although it looks really smart.
Than there is the fact that the nurses have comfortable uniforms which are provided by the government for those who work in general hospital (i dont know how it works in private hospitals)..its not fair on us student that we buy the uniforms which are not comfortable to work with!
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Aaron Barham | 3-Oct-2011 11:08 pm
Cristabelle - which University do you attend? you have to pay for your uniform? They are provided free of charge at mine.
The student uniform at the university i go to is very similar to the nurses uniform in the Trust (just a different colour) and in some cases the students look smarter.
I must say that i am very envious of my adult nursing colleagues. As a mental health nursing student, we don't wear uniforms and have to attend placement in our own clothes. There are guidelines about what we can wear but there isn't much which is excluded.
Nurses are identified by their uniform. This evokes a particular emotion and trust in patients and the public and helps us to be identified from the other staff. Without a uniform I often get mistaken for a doctor or another healthcare professional and have to explain that i am student nurse. Lots of people, particularly those of the older generation, don't believe me - nurses wear uniforms!
Wear your uniform with pride - it is part of our identity and gives you rights and unspoken trust (from patients and our colleagues), something you would miss if you didn't wear one.
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Anonymous | 4-Oct-2011 10:53 am
I am not concerned about how my uniform looks it is the the fact that it is impracticle. I am a male student nurse and find only having 1 main pocket in my tunic as opposed to the 2 on a female tunic not enough. By the time you have your notepad, calculator, pens (+ spares), pen torch etc etc your pockets are bulging.
The other thing is we are told that students should wash uniform at 60 degrees yet uniform clearly states not to wash any hotter than 50 degrees. (I tried 60 once and now uniform an inch smaller).
I absolutely agree with looking smart as it gives service receivers an increased degree of confidence, but uniforms should be more practical and fit for purpose.
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Anonymous | 4-Oct-2011 10:57 am
In addition to my previous comment. We only get 3 uniforms and the rest we have to buy ourselves. This means if we follow guidelines of washing seperately you have to wash a quarter load every 3 days after a day on the ward as well. I know that therefore a number of students have ended up buying extras at around £30-40 per set.
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Adam Roxby | 5-Oct-2011 1:40 pm
I just want to take the time to respond to people's further comments.
Christabelle – I too am very surprised that you have to buy your own uniform. I've not heard of this sort of thing before and I would be inclined to question it. I must also confess that I'm ignorant in the difference between the quality of the material used for student nurses and qualified nurses. In my trust at least it seems to be the same.
It may be that you qualify and end up in theatres or someone else where you get to where scrubs or a completely different type of uniform. I hope it isn't too much of a hindrance though.
Aaron – having spent just a short time on a mental health ward I can understand your frustration. I found it very unusual to wear my own clothes in a work setting.
I fully agree with you that a nurses uniform is not only a garment but also a beacon to people. I know I've had to do my fair bit of explaining as to what uniform I was wearing to patients but the sense of pride and achievement that I have at this stage of my nursing course hasn't gone away and I can only imagine it increasing.
Anonymous – I know what you mean, I've always wondered why there is a difference between male and female students. Come to think of it, I've also wondered why male nurses wear a different uniform to female nurses but matrons get the same uniform. I'm sure there is some well thought out and considered reason for this but I've yet to find it.
As for the quality which seems to come up a fair bit, I can only guess that on the list of priorities for an NHS trust; uniforms are probably not on top of that list.
I want to thank everybody who has commented so far and I hope that people continue to enjoy in use the site. Thanks once again.
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smokeybabes | 5-Oct-2011 5:58 pm
I don't mind the uniform but it doesn't make me feel proud or special as there are so many people walking around in similar uniforms nowadays. The nurses uniform of the tunic and trousers looks like many other uniforms worn by other professional such as carers, beauty technicians, veterinary nurses, cleaners. The nurses uniform does not stand out at all anymore or give a sense of pride.
We also only get given 3 uniforms then have to buy any more. If you put on or loose weight you need to buy more. And as they are washed so often mine are looking very tatty as I start my 3rd year!
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Grant Byrne | 5-Oct-2011 8:12 pm
I feel proud to wear my uniform, but I feel it's impractical - the uniform has to be lifted over the head to be removed, should your uniform be stained with blood or other fluids, then it would have to be cut off.
I feel personally that scrubs washed in the hospital, for all staff, would improve infection control. We're told to wash our uniforms to protect patients, what about the people at home who share said washing machine?
I do like being easily identifiable to families, and patients, however good practice would have me introducing myself and making it clear that I am a student anyway.
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Adam Roxby | 6-Oct-2011 7:00 am
Some more great comments coming through .
Smoky – I agree, so many uniforms in a hospital setting up so ubiquitous that it's hard to differentiate. I slightly longed for the days when they had belts or other adornment add some flourish to the uniforms. I'd say lapel here and there wouldn't go amiss either. Obviously I know there are infection control reasons why this is not possible but it would still be nice.
Grants – my own student nurses uniform has popular poppers all away along the front. I would agree that if you had to pull a uniform over your head then is not the best of designs. On the point you raised about washing. I have raised this with people I know within trusts and I think it just comes down to cost. Many trusts don't do their laundry on site any more and so to wash and keep track of uniforms would just be too difficult. There are guidelines on how to wash your uniform at home but for some people are practicalities just make it too difficult to follow everything as it is suggested.
Thanks once again for your comments.
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Anonymous | 6-Oct-2011 7:27 pm
I have had some dire uniforms in my time, including white (so impractical) and suffered from thrush and athletes foot for years when we had to wear dresses with black tights.
I now wear navy tunic and trousers: its very comfortable and covers my rear end too - also, not recognised as a nurse outside because everyone seems to be wearing similar from Vetinary nurses to beauticians
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eileen shepherd | 7-Oct-2011 5:02 pm
I am really enjoying this discussion and thought you might like a story from the past.
I remember going for an interview at Guys hospital in 1980. All the other candidates spent the morning talking about the lovely Guys uniform and hat "strings". I had no idea what they were talking about and eventually plucked up the courage to ask. I couldn't believe it, third year students had strings attached to their hats which tied under the chin with a bow.
You might like to take a look at some pictures http://bit.ly/qU8JQt
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Christabelle Simiana | 7-Oct-2011 7:46 pm
I attend university of Malta studying diploma infact the degree students have diffrent colour of uniform.. and yes we pay for the unifrom as students.. well the qualified nurses is the same almost like scrubs....but although all this im proud to have a uniform xD
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Adam Roxby | 8-Oct-2011 1:46 pm
Wow, three more common since my last visit so I think it's time for another response.
Anonymous – I have never heard of somebody had in such reactions to uniform , but I am glad that things work out now. Why do you like my uniform I do think I look a little bit like a dentist. It could certainly be a lot worse I suppose.
Eileen – that's an interesting story, while most of those uniforms didn't look too bad I think I would probably draw the line at the hat. As I have said before, part of me does miss the flushes that made some of the older uniforms more distinctive. Maybe things will change and they will come back around. Time will tell.
Christabel – I think it's great that we are getting input and feedback from students in different countries. It is not only fascinating to hear how students in different countries do things differently but also helps students by widening their knowledge and insight. After all, many students in the UK have negotiated placement in another country and even when they qualify a large number of them emigrate so it's always interesting to hear what goes on beyond where we live.
Thanks once again what to everybody who has made his conversations such an interesting one and I look forward to reading and responding to more comments in the future.
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purplesuzyq2 | 8-Oct-2011 1:55 pm
I'd just like to say not all student nurses do wear uniform. My branch is Learning Disabilities and whether placement is community or hospital our dress code is smart but easily washable. This does have pros and cons. You do get to wear what you feel comfortable in and what you find most practical, however when you're washing at such high temperatures your clothes don't stay smart for too long. In our branch there is no obvious sign of status, although we do wear our ID badges. This works well with our service users as there are no obvious power differentials and it's easier to communicate on an even footing. Saying that, I think the uniforms look smart and are practically designed and unlike other branches, we don't get to feel the progression of leaving the student uniform and doning that of a staff nurse when we graduate.
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