Anyone who has every visited a clinic or a hospital knows that medical workers wear specialized clothing while on the job. Medical apparel is a very big industry and very profitable. There are two basic forms of medical apparel; medically necessary, and optional. The first type is the medical apparel used, for example, in a surgery or during testing operations. This type is needed to maintain sterility or protect the medical professional. Lead lined aprons worn during x-rays are one, and facemasks are another.
Scrubs are they garments that nurses, nursing assistants, and others-except doctors-wear while working in a medical setting. Scrubs serve several purposes, and one is cleanliness. Often medical apparel is used to identify different types of medical workers and allows them to “get dirty” without ruining their own clothing. They also insure that clean, sterile garments are worn during procedures that can be changed quickly. Blue, red, and green scrubs often mark different professionals but not always the same way from one hospital to another.
Optional Medical Apparel
How often have you looked down at the shoes of a nurse to find that they are wearing plastic clogs? Those are a form of medical apparel that are optional and are chosen for comfort and practicality. First, they resist dirt and stains, something that medical apparel is prone to collect. They are also very comfortable, and stand up to long-term wearing, allowing the feet to tolerate the demands of the job better.
Those types of footwear have become very popular because of their practicality and, while not required, are almost so due to their fitness for the job. Nurses oftentimes purchase medical apparel at their own expense and this is considered a part of the job, as a carpenter’s tools are. Certain types of medical apparel is supplied by the hospital or clinic, such a surgical scrubs or “booties,” which are the shoe covers worn during surgery, because of the guarantee that these are sterile.