Before You Order Matching Shirts for Your Unit: 7 Things Nurse Managers Skip
If you're the one who got voted into ordering team shirts, congratulations you now have a second job.
Here's how it usually goes. Someone brings it up in a staff meeting.
"We should get shirts, like the ER did." Everyone nods.
Three weeks later you're the one holding a spreadsheet, trying to get 14 nurses to agree on a size, a color, and whether hearts are "too much." Budget got approved late, so now it's rushed.
Someone's on leave and needs theirs mailed. The new grad starting next month wasn't in the headcount.
If that sounds familiar, here's what to actually check before you hit order the stuff that saves you a second round of emails.
1. Sizing runs true, not "generous" or "runs small"
Get the actual size chart, not the brand's marketing copy.
Comfort Colors, for example, runs a bit big through the body. If half your unit orders their normal size and the other half sizes down, you'll end up reordering. Send the chart in the group chat and have people measure a shirt they already own against it don't trust guesses.
2. Unisex vs. fitted — pick one, not "whatever people want"
Mixed cuts in one bulk order sound flexible but create more sizing confusion, not less. If your team is mostly requesting a more fitted cut, just say so upfront. If you go unisex, tell people it'll be boxier than their usual scrubs top, so they don't undersize out of habit.
3. Fabric that can survive a 12-hour shift, not just a photo
A shirt that looks great in a flat lay can still be too thin for a day that involves spills, hand sanitizer, and a locker room change at 6am.
Look for a heavier cotton blend (something in the 6oz+ range) if this is a shirt people will actually wear on shift or during a long commute home, not just for the team photo.
4. Pick a design everyone can live with, not just the loudest three people
Every unit has a couple of people who chime in fast with opinions on the design, and a bunch of people who stay quiet until after it's ordered.
Don't mistake a quiet group chat for agreement.
Send the final design to everyone with an actual deadline "reply by Friday or we're going with this" so you're not finding out in week two that half the floor wanted something different.
5. Bulk pricing has a cutoff, check it before you round down your headcount
Most bulk pricing tiers jump at specific quantities (10, 25, 50). If you're at 22 and thinking about ordering 20 to save money, do the math both ways first, sometimes hitting the next tier is actually cheaper per shirt, and you'll have a couple of spares for new hires.
6. Turnaround time, especially around holidays or Nurses Week
If this is for a specific date, Nurses Week, a going-away party, a hospital event, get the ship date in writing, not "should be fine." Custom orders with printing or embroidery take longer than a plain shirt off a shelf. Build in a buffer week if you can.
7. Someone always joins late, plan for it
Somebody's going to get hired, come back from leave, or ask for one after the order closes.
Decide ahead of time whether you'll do a second small batch or just order a couple of extras in common sizes (M and L usually cover the most ground).
It's a lot easier than trying to explain why they're the only one without a shirt in the group photo.
None of this is complicated, it's just easy to skip when you're doing it between patients. Get the sizing right, agree on the cut, and give yourself more time than you think you need that's most of it.
If you want to skip the back-and-forth entirely, we do bulk and team orders for nurse crews, just reach out and we'll walk you through sizing and turnaround before you commit to anything.
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