This can vary widely between individual colleges and hospitals. “Some programs include scrubs as part of your tuition and fees,” says Wofford. “Others simply require nursing students to wear a specific color and you purchase your scrubs, independently.” The college that Rebecca Abraham, RN, founder of Acute on Chronic LLC, attended didn’t provide scrubs, but her last ICU job at a hospital did; it was a huge convenience, she says, as it improved her work/life balance to be given a pair of clean surgical scrubs at work to change into every shift.  Hospitals that don’t provide scrubs completely free to employees may also make it easier for nurses to purchase them or “earn” free pairs, says Wofford: “You may have to work for 90 days before you get a free set of scrubs, or you get a free set on your work anniversary.”  Some hospitals also sell scrubs in the gift shop, invite scrub companies to come on site to sell their items, and offer to deduct the cost of scrubs from their employees’ paychecks.