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Scrubs have been my work uniform for 8 years of my life now, so I can certainly say I’ve learned a thing or two about buying them along the way. I wanted to take a moment to share some of my experienced with different scrub sets/brands, and the different things I look out for when choosing a new set.
What do the Reviews Say?
When I was younger I was bad about checking reviews on different products I was considering buying online prior to purchase. As I got older (and my husband reinforced the habit) I’ve become an avid review checker when shopping online. Especially for clothing items that I’ll be wearing for 12 hours a day, multiple days a week.
I have a set of Sketchers scrubs by Barco that I recently bought in store, so I didn’t check on any reviews before hand. Sure, I could have, and kind of wish I had now. But here we are. I had bought a set of SUPER comfortable scrubs, and they were great for work for the first couple weeks. But then a hole developed in my leg pocket (most important pocket if you ask me). I repaired the hole, and it came right back. I believe it was due to my bandage scissors living in that pocket, but I’ve never had that happen with any other scrub bottoms so far.
That being said, I do wish I had checked some reviews before making my purchase. But I will be placing my own review online for those scrubs as well. My intention is to also reach out to the company and let them know of this issue. I had a co worker with the same set who had the same exact issue, so this might be something they can address once brought to their attention.
If you don’t use bandage scissors where you work, I do highly recommend Sketchers scrubs, specifically the Reliance set. That’s the one I have and not only are they the comfiest set I have, but also the most flattering in my opinion.
What Material are the Scrubs Made of?
Since I’m not some fashionista, and honestly don’t know the names of the billions of different fabrics out there, I’m going to talk about my in store experienced with scrub materials. I will only buy scrubs online after I’ve actually tried them on before. I like to feel the material and see how it stretches while I’m wearing it before I decide that they are the scrubs for me.
The material that I’ve found I like the best so far, are those labeled to be “buttery soft”. I do a lot of what I call “yoga poses” at work, sometimes with a moments notice if the situation calls for it. I need my scrubs to be able to move in what ever direction I need to go, always. There are some scrubs out there that are made of a stiffer material, I believe some sort of polyester blend. That I’ve worn, and don’t feel like I can maneuver as well in. Not to mention, they can become extremely wrinkly if you don’t properly take care of your laundry.
The type of material that your scrubs are made of isn’t just important as the movement factor. The material also determines how well they wash. I used to have a set of Dickies brand scrubs when I first started working as a CNA. There was one shift when I got a decent amount of blood on my pant leg. Not enough for me to think I should throw the set away though thankfully. Needless to say I wore OR scrubs for the rest of that shift.
When I got home I washed them after treating with stain removal spray, and they were good as new. Not a single sign of a blood stain to be found! If you work someplace where you might get a little dirty while at work, scrubs that wash out well, as well as bend and flex the way you need them to are definitely a must have.
How Many Pockets do They Have?
Whether you work in a hospital or a doctors office, if you’re a nurse you’re going to need several pockets. For me, the most important pockets are the ones on the front of my scrub top, and my side leg pocket.
During the pandemic we were stuck wearing the hospital’s green OR scrubs instead of our own. These scrubs were as simple as they get. Made of not so flexible fabric and sporting only 2 pockets, one on the top and one on the back side of the pants. After that, I appreciate my scrub pockets more than ever.
Long story short, I’d rather have more pockets than I need than not have enough. I can honestly say my pockets are one of my more valuable nursing tools. If I can call it a tool haha.
What Style Pants Do You Prefer?
Over the past 5 years or so, joggers have becoming an incredibly popular style of scrub pants. I will say, from experience I love wearing joggers now. My first impression when I first wore a pair was that I felt like I was in a comfy set of pjs. Sure, you could say that about any set of scrubs. But joggers just have a different feel to them. Not to mention switching your style up once in a while.
The other style of scrubs pants that I’ve seen to be a popular one is cargo pants. Another favorite scrub pant style of mine. Generally the cargo style pants will come with the most pocket options on them. Which is a must have for me personally. Another perk of cargo style pants is the ability to wear compression socks. Yea, you could wear compression socks with joggers as well, but most scrub-wearers prefer that the compression socks don’t show in the ankle region with jogger style scrub pants.
If you’re religious about wearing your compression socks and are now worried what you will do about that if you decide to try jogger style scrub bottoms, I have the solution for that. I found these neat compression sleeves. I got these recently, and can honestly say they are amazing! They don’t slip or move around on my leg while I move around at work, and keep ym calves from being incredibly sore after I finally get home and try to start relaxing.
Conclusion
All in all, you should be comfortable and love the clothes you wear to work fro 10+ hours a day. Scrubs aren’t cheap, so it’s important that you are picky and have a “must have” list when you walk in that scrub store prepare to buy a set.
Check reviews either before you head to the store or while you’re at the store on your phone, consider the material that the scrubs are made of, and the features they come with such as style and number of pockets.
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