Nursing Uniform Size for Men & Women: How do I know my size?

October 28, 2022September 5, 2023 by Thomas Vandepitte

Why should Nurses ever care about their nursing uniform size? When it comes to the medical profession, trust and credibility are everything. How you come across to the people you care about influences how they would trust and believe in you. A good fit of Nursing Uniform (or scrub) is essential for comfort and safety during long working days in changing circumstances.

Nursing-uniform-size-chart-what-is-my-nursing-uniform-size:size-charts.com — Nursing-uniform-size-chart-what-is-my-nursing-uniform-size

The Nurse uniform size charts and guides below show you a collection of tables featuring all uniform sizes for both males and females uniforms.

With scrubs, do I size up or down?

A fitting Tip for all nurses: If you like plenty of room to move in your Nursing Uniform shirts and bottoms, order your street size. To have a closer fit, order one size smaller.
Nurse Judy

You’ll also find answers to commonly asked questions and how to choose the size that’s perfect for your body shape.

Jump right into the Frequently Asked Questions

Table of Content

Why Nursing Uniform Size is Important?
Male nursing uniforms Size Chart
Male nurse uniform plus size chart
Female nursing uniforms size chart
Female Nurse Uniform Plus Size Chart
Frequently Asked Questions

Why Nursing Uniform Size is Important?

Why should Nurses ever care about their nursing uniform size? When it comes to the medical profession, trust and credibility are everything.

Related to how to find your perfect fit nursing uniform size (video)

_{Finding the Perfect Fit by Alexandra}

Besides the neatness and color of nurses’ uniforms, the fit also counts. Wearing an oversized uniform, nursing scrubs, scrub top, scrub jacket and scrub pants could present a message of shabbiness and laziness. While wearing an undersized uniform could make you look too cheap and reckless.

There is so much importance to wearing standard Uniforms that fit. it is one of the most emphasized topics in professionalism and looks.

Nurses’ uniforms come in various designs, styling, various colors, and sizes for males and females. With the increase in modernization, new sets of more fashionable nursing uniforms are being introduced every time.

The style, design, and sizes you opt for depending on what is allowed at your place of work and your preference.

Male Nursing Uniforms Size Chart

Size	Chest Size (Cm)	Chest Sizes (Inches)	Waist Size (Cm)	Waist Sizes (Inches)
32	81	32	66	26
34	86	34	71	28
36	91	36	76	30
38	97	38	81	32
40	102	40	86	34
42	107	42	91	36
44	112	44	97	38
46	117	46	102	40
48	122	122	107	42
50	127	127	112	44
52	132	132	117	46

Male Nursing Uniforms Plus Size Chart

Size	Chest Size (Cm)	Chest Sizes (Inches)	Waist Size (Cm)	Waist Sizes (Inches)	Hips (Cm)	Hips (Inches)
XL	117 – 123	46 – 48	97 – 102	38 – 40	117 – 123	46 – 48
2XL	127 – 132	50 – 52	107 – 112	42 – 44	127 – 132	50 – 52
3XL	137 – 142	54 – 56	117 – 122	46 – 48	137 – 142	54 – 56
4XL	147 – 152	58 – 60	127 – 132	50 – 52	147 – 152	58 – 60
5XL	158 – 163	62 – 64	137 – 142	54 – 56	158 – 163	62 – 64

Unisex Nurse uniforms size conversion

Many scrubs or nurse uniforms come in gender neutral or unisex sizes. check the below table with body measurements, alfa sizes and euro size.

Female Nursing Uniforms Size Chart

Size	Bust Size (Cm)	Bust Sizes Inches	Hip Size (Cm)	Hip Sizes (Inches)
8	75	30	80	31
10	80	32	85	33
12	85	34	90	35
14	90	36	95	37
16	95	38	100	39
18	100	40	105	41

Female Nurse Uniform Plus Size Chart

Size	Bust Size (Cm)	Bust Size (Inches)	Waist Size (Cm)	Waist Sizes (Inches)
XL	121 – 126	47.64 – 49.61	111 – 116	43.70 – 45.67
2XL	131 – 138.5	51.57 – 54.53	121 – 128.5	47.64 – 50.39
3XL	146 – 153.5	57.48 – 60.43	136 – 143.5	53.54 – 56.50
4XL	161	63.39	151	59.45

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you measure for a nursing uniform?

Measuring a nursing uniform is almost similar to measuring a conventional outfit. The procedure is slightly different for both men and women. When you are measuring for a nursing uniform as a female, you need three actual body measurements to decide the accurate uniform size for your body type.

How should a nursing uniform be measured? In short steps:

Place the measuring tape close to the underside of the arms, over the shoulder blades, and around the widest region of the chest.
Measure the natural waistline, which is also the limit for wearing undergarments.
Measure from the crotch, at the top of the inside leg, to the hem.

The first measurement is the bust measurement. To get the measurement, you wrap a tape ruler or a tape measure around your chest area across the fullest part of the bust. Then you measure the natural waist, right above the hips.

After you have the waist measurement, then proceed to get the hips measurement. For the sake of best fit, you can decide to measure body length, and inseam for scrub pants, shoulder, and sleeves.

However, all the measurements can be decided using standard measurements. The most important are the bust, waist, and hips. The measurement for men is almost the same with the only difference of the bust and hips.

While women measure the bust, men measure the chest and waist alone. With your measurement, you can select scrub sets that fit perfectly from online stores or physical stores like butter-soft collections.

Are nurses allowed to wear long-sleeved uniforms?

Yes. According to the nursing edict, nurses are allowed to use long sleeves uniforms, if they’ll roll the sleeves above elbow level when discharging their duties or attending to patients. The rule is to make room for cultural diversity in the nursing profession.

Some cultures require women to wear uniforms and clothes covering most of their body. And some religions require men to wear clothing covering most of their bodies, just like it doesn’t allow some women to wear scrub pants.

Some unique designs of nurse uniform allow the wearer to fold the sleeves and hold them in place using special pre-designed buttons hidden under the sleeves.

Nurses like: the army nurse corps, student nurses, chief nurses, American flight nurses, military hospitals, etc may not have the flexibility to wear any uniform design that pleases them due to the stringent dress codes guiding those categories of nurses.

Why are nurses bare below the elbow?

To prevent the uniforms from interfering with medical instruments or the patients they are working with. Again, long sleeves are prone to rubbing on surfaces and could harbor specks of dirt and germs. It helps prevent occurrences of disease transfer.

However, it’s not a rule. Nurses are allowed wear uniforms with long sleeves. depending on their interest. The only condition is that they fold it when they are on duty.

What size is a medium nurse Uniform?

Medium size female uniform is in the range of 36 inches, while the medium size for men is in the range of 40 inches chest size. It also works for similar size scrub and scrubs pants. The sizes may vary slightly from one design to another. In most cases, the medium size is usually in that measurement.

Should Nurse’s uniform be tight or loose?

Nursing uniforms should be in between. It should be neither tight nor loose. A tight uniform would result in discomfort, given the duration of work throughout the day.

Wearing a tight uniform for 8 hours could become uncomfortable. Likewise, wearing an excessively loose uniform could hinder free movement.

As a nurse, there is a need to have the flexibility to move within an instance due to emergency calls. A loose cloth would prevent the ease of movement. By standard, nurses’ uniforms scrubs should be smart enough to provide comfort and loose enough to allow the body to breathe easily.

Do the Nurse uniforms stretch out?

No. The materials used for nurse uniforms should not allow stretch. Elastic materials are not ideal for professional uniforms because they will quickly become tight-fitted wear. Best to use materials that provide an allowance.

What size is large in Nursing Uniform?

Large (L) sizes for female nurse uniforms are in the range of 40 inches in burst and 42 inches in hips. For male nurse uniform, Large size ranges from 44 inches chest measurement and 39 inches waist measurement.

Always note that the sizes could vary based on the design and shape of the uniform.

Conclusion

Finding your ideal size nursing uniform should not be rocket science. Get your body measurements and decide on the design you want or that’s allowed at your hospital.

Most nurse uniforms, scrubs, and scrub pants are styled almost the same way, except for slight differences in neck designs, button-down uniforms patch pockets, basic uniform designs, and many more. Interestingly, you can now buy any scrub you want online, no matter the size and design.

All you need to do is select print clearance from various online platforms. Interestingly, most of these platforms have excellent customer service and return policies.

If you still find it difficult to get the ideal size or have difficulties with the charts above, leave a comment below. Also, if you have questions you wish to ask, leave them in the comments too. And remember to share the article with everyone that would find it valuable.

Picture in this post is by Jeshoots.com on Unsplash