about uniforms

[space-time]

when I lived close to a large university hospital, I always saw hospital staff riding the city busses wearing their light blue or white uniforms. Why is this practice allowed? they can bring germs from the hospital to outside population, or the other way around, carry germs and stuff from mass transit to patients in the hospital.

[davester]

They are also carrying their skin around with them. In my limited understanding, the hands, mouth and nose are the primary routes for distribution of toxic pathogens. I doubt that clothing constitutes a significant pathway compared to those. I would also guess that when going into an operating theater or other sterile environment, scrubs are changed out.

[NewtonMP2100]

FORM.....over function.....?????????

[Chakravartin]

space-time wrote:
when I lived close to a large university hospital, I always saw hospital staff riding the city busses wearing their light blue or white uniforms. Why is this practice allowed? they can bring germs from the hospital to outside population, or the other way around, carry germs and stuff from mass transit to patients in the hospital.

Scrubs are cheap and easy to pull on/off when working exhausting back-to-back shifts; most hospital workers don't get the benefit of clean locker rooms to change into/out-of work clothes; most people can't distinguish the scrubs that doctors, interns, nurses and technicians wear so they default to the respectful behavior they'd offer a doctor; and you're vastly exaggerating the contamination/infection risk from clothing.

[Acer]

Mrs. Acer RN wears her uniform to and from work. She changes as soon as she gets home, no worries. She is extra careful about shoes, though. Those come off first and stay in the basement.

[Black]

The main reason for the scrubs for most of the people you see is that there are about a million ways to soil your clothing in the course of your workday. Chaka and davester got it right. Especially Chaka about the behavior.... I see lots of people wearing scrubs for status, many of whom don't need to and don't have patient care jobs.
For "germy" situations we put protective clothing on, and yes, there are separate scrubs for the operating room that come wrapped in paper.

[Done]

I know I had a girlfriend that worked at the hospital and wore scrubs all the time, on lazy nights she would sit around in scrubs until bed time and I'm like is this clean or did you wear this all day.

[testcase]

You're right space-time, they should commute naked; especially the buxom nurses.

[RAMd®d]

they should commute naked; especially the buxom nurses.

Over bumpy roads.