VCU Independent Undergraduate Research Project Showcases Women's Scrub Top Designs for VCU Medical Center Nurses

By Sarah Rodriguez

Students from Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of the Arts recently shared their textile and design innovations, featuring custom made women’s nurses scrub tops for VCU Medical Center nurses.

The VCU Health System Nursing Recruitment and Retention Council’s Image of Nursing subcommittee contacted the School of the Arts to help create the new women’s nursing uniform.
Hawa Stwodah, the project supervisor and Kim Guthrie, assistant professor of fashion, assembled the team.

“After 2010, VCU nursing implemented a dress code,” said Stwodah. “They wanted to have one face, one look.”

The fashion design research team consisted of  Deanna Demonch, a senior fashion design major from Virginia Beach; Susan Hricik, a fashion merchandising alum from Richmond, and Ameya Chumble, a senior English major from Martinsville.

“We really encourage our students to do research projects and this one really let them learn through an interdisciplinary project,” said Guthrie. “It was a collaboration between the School of the Arts, health system and Humanities and Sciences.”

Surveys were passed around after the presentation and based on the feedback, adjustments might be made to the existing designs. According to Guthrie, the next step will be to have a small production test-run of the final two scrub top styles.