So this is something I ran across while reading the Parade Magazine that comes with the Sunday paper.  It was in the "Ask Marilyn" column, which is usually my favorite part of Parade.  This particular question (and her answer, especially) really hit a nerve with me because it is so far removed from the truth.  Since I don’t want my friends and neighbors to be misinformed, I decided to post my thoughts on the subject.

First, here is what was printed:
A question has been bothering me ever since I moved to a city that is home to some of the finest hospitals in the world. When I use public transportation, I see people wearing scrub suits to work. Is this acceptable? I had thought employees were supposed to change into scrubs provided at the hospital in order to leave outside germs at the door.

You’re right. I’ve noticed the same phenomenon in other cities too. If those people are hospital employees, they are endangering patients and should be reported to hospital authorities. Another growing problem is scrubs being stolen and worn in other places (such as the subway) to convey an impression of respectability. Anyone seen wearing scrubs outside an appropriate environment should be regarded with caution.

And now my rebuttal:
     Scrubs are worn to protect the wearer from getting their personal clothing contaminated by the wide variety of, shall we say interesting, substances that are present in any medical setting.  They are NOT worn to protect patients from "outside" germs – that is what sterile gowns and gloves, masks, head covers, drapes, and all those other coverings are for.  Those are the items that medical personnel don once they arrive and CHANGE each time they attend to a new patient.
     While it is true that hospitals have problems with scrubs being taken by employees, I assure you that it is the rare person who steals scrubs "to convey an impression of respectability" in other places.  Another point is that while most hospitals provide scrubs for their surgeons and other physicians, nearly all other personnel (nurses, technicians, transporters, etc.) purchase, maintain, and launder their own scrubs.  These people are merely dressing appropriately for their occupation, much as businessmen wear suits and Burger King employees wear those embroidered shirts and visors.
   So, if someone in scrubs approaches you on the subway and tries to get you to take your clothes off by playing on the power of the scrub suit, please don’t be fooled or intimidated.  But please don’t condemn the run-of-the-mill scrub-wearers you see outside a medical setting simply based on their attire.