Identification

It is hospital and JCAHO requirement to wear your identification badge at all times when working. Makes sense - it's good for our parents to be able to identify those they can rely on in the nursery to aid them as well as works as a verification that you belong there.

Fine and dandy.

Wearing the ID on a "necklace" type badge holder is all fine a good, however when holding, feeding, performing sterile procedures, etc, they can get in the way easily and cause problems or contaminate your field. Turning the necklace holder around so it drapes down your back during the procedure is an option, but then it doesn't "announce" itself well back there, does it? It also feels like you are being choked since we have three cards and a key - minimum - handing from the damn thing.

But you aren't allowed to shove them into a pocket. Not visible.

You aren't allowed to clip them to the lower (waist height) pocket of your scrubs - not visible enough.

And now JCAHO is calling for all badges to be located at eye-level. Not waist level, not boob level (and yes, it's always SO FUNNY when someone leans WAY over to "better read the name on your badge" so they can get up close and personal with your cleavage), not on your back... but eye-level.

So I can only assume that they will be either stapling our badges directly to our foreheads or giving us all a halo to wear from which we can dangle our badges for all to see.