A Simple Guide to Nursing Scrub Styles

Black scrubs

Hospitals aren’t exactly the clean, white spaces we imagine on TV. They’re one of the toughest environments to dress for. Needless to say, nursing scrubs are necessary for the job. They’re the standard attire for clinical staff because they’re practical, comfortable, and can handle far more germs than your average outfit.

When it comes to designs and colours, things get a bit more varied. Some workplaces provide strict guidelines, while others are more relaxed. In many public hospitals and healthcare facilities, healthcare professionals need to wear a specific colour that’s matched to their role or department.

At other workplaces, like private hospitals, clinics, and specialist practices, there’s usually some freedom in style and colours. Staff can choose what works for them while still looking professional.

Whether your workplace follows strict colour codes or allows a little creative freedom, you’ll find both nursing scrubs for sale to suit both environments. 

Solid and Classic Colours

Solid-colour scrubs are dominant in most Australian healthcare settings. Classic shades like blue, green, and white are the ones you’ll see most often down the hospital corridors. This clean and functional style is what you’ll most likely find across many collections of nursing scrubs for sale today.

However, these hues aren’t picked randomly. Most hospitals use specific colours to identify different roles and departments. Furthermore, the colour that each department wears can vary from one hospital and state to another. 

Navy Blue

Navy blue is the most standard and widely accepted as the traditional colour for nursing scrubs across the country. This deep hue is often associated with trust, calmness and cleanliness. Furthermore, navy blue scrubs do not show stains easily, which is an important factor in a healthcare setting where spills and accidents are not uncommon.

Green

Green is a colour that symbolises growth, renewal, and focus. In the context of nursing scrubs, it is believed to have a calming effect on the eyes, reducing fatigue for healthcare professionals who spend long hours in the operating room. Therefore, this colour is often worn by surgeons working in high-intensity environments who need to stay focused during those long procedures.

Also, green creates a visual contrast with the red hues of bodily fluids, making it easier to spot any contamination during surgeries. 

White

White is associated with purity, cleanliness and sterility. White scrubs are often worn by doctors, dentists, and other medical professionals. However, these scrubs can be difficult to keep crisp.

Pink

Although not as common as blue, white, and green, pink nursing scrubs for sale can be seen in speciality departments like paediatrics or maternity, where colours create an inviting and approachable environment. The soft and gentle hue of these scrubs gives off a friendly energy, making patients feel more at ease and cared for.

Fun and Colourful Prints

Nurse scrubs
source: simplyscrubs.com.au

While some workplaces are strict about scrubs’ colours and designs, others have looser rules. Private hospitals and clinics may encourage wearing printed scrubs to brighten the patient experience and let staff add a touch of personality to their wardrobe.

For many healthcare professionals, every day feels the same. Sure, there is variety with each patient and new co-workers, but the job is the same. Fun-themed scrubs give you a chance to add a creative touch to your workday without taking up any extra time. 

Festive

Festive-themed Christmas scrubs can inject a bit of holiday cheer into sterile and impersonal healthcare settings. With joyful patterns like snowflakes, Santa Claus, and reindeer, in bright and bold colours like red, green, blue, and white, they can enhance the overall atmosphere.

Some prints capture the unique spirit of an Aussie Christmas. They feature warm-weather motifs like Santa in shorts, surfing reindeer, and koalas and kangaroos with Christmas hats for a beachy, Australian Christmas atmosphere. 

Playful 

These scrubs come in cheerful colours and light-hearted designs, again to add warmth and personality to the workplace. Common designs include animals, cartoon-style characters, hearts and smiley icons. Themes like Disney characters, superheroes, food and coffee patterns let you show a bit of what you love.

If you’re after a more modern and sophisticated vibe, then stripes, polka dots, chevrons, and abstract patterns can be your pick. When you want something less flashy, opt for small and repeating motifs. Choose scrubs with tiny hearts, stars, paw prints, or anything like that. 

These styles are popular in paediatrics, maternity, aged care, and private clinics, where they create a more approachable and friendly vibe to help patients feel more at ease.

Cultural

Another colourful and meaningful design you’ll see is Aboriginal-inspired prints, which incorporate traditional motifs, symbols, and colour palettes drawn from Indigenous art and stories. Wearing scrubs with such prints can help you express your admiration for one of the world’s oldest cultures and make cultural connections with patients.

These uniform essentials can often be seen in clinics and community healthcare settings, where cultural awareness and inclusivity are important to building trust and connection with patients.