6 Healthcare Halloween Costume Ideas for NPs

Spooked about what you’ll wear this October 31st? Choosing a Halloween costume can be somewhat of a stressful chore, especially for busy nurse practitioners. But if you received an invitation to a fun party after-hours or your practice has decided collectively to dress up on the day of, you definitely don’t want to be the odd-NP out. Showing up for a Halloween party without a costume can get awkward, fast. If you’re fresh out of ideas and need a creative outfit ASAP, check out these six costume ideas for nurse practitioners.

Lab Rat

A fun play on words, the lab rat is a functional costume that can be easily worn during the workday while seeing patients, yet still creative enough to be worn to a Halloween party; and it’s pretty easy and inexpensive to make. Dressing in your usual attire of scrubs and a lab coat, add a long rat tail to the back of your coat, a set of mouse ears and either paint on whiskers or purchase a rat mask.

Doc Vader

If you love Star Wars and are a nurse practitioner but haven’t seen a Doc Vader video on YouTube yet, do yourself a favor and check them out now! Doc Vader is the perfect costume for a Halloween party with your medical friends. All you need is your current work attire of scrubs and a lab coat in addition to a Darth Vader mask and pair of black gloves. You could even make it a group costume amongst your coworkers by talking your collaborating physician into donning the Doc Vader attire while the other providers dress as various Star Wars characters.

X-Ray Machine

Though not a practical costume that can be worn on the floors of the hospital, the x-ray machine is a top choice for nurse practitioners, especially if you’re heading to a party and are into making DIY costumes; for which you can check out a fairly easy how-to here. But if you’re not that crafty, you can always opt for an x-ray bodysuit like this one.

Cat Scan

Quite the literal outfit, the Cat Scan costume is sure to get a few laughs, especially from your healthcare friends who are sure to understand the play on words. Functional for the workday yet versatile enough to be to a party later in the evening, simply wear cat ears, a tail and paint on a nose and whiskers. Then print out or draw a barcode on a large sheet of paper and paste it to your chest. Cat… Scan!  

Witch Doctor

The Witch Doctor is an easy, go-to costume for DNPs who are fresh out of ideas or time. All you need is a witch hat, pointy black shoes, and striped tights in addition to your scrubs and stethoscope. If your patients or coworkers don’t quite get this pun, you can always fall back on simply being a witch.

Pill Bottle

Although the pill bottle costume is definitely not a practical (or even professional) costume for on-the-job, it is perfect for a nurse practitioner who’s attending a fun party. There are a few DIY variations to choose from, depending on how crafty you want to be. Here’s a great tutorial for the perfect pill bottle costume. If homemade is not your forte, there are a few pill bottle costumes available online; though they are a little costly. 

Happy costume hunting! 

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