Business casual

[LadySugarBug]

Hi. We have to do psych rotation next week, and were told to dress business casual, closed toe shoes, no uniform, no jeans, lab coat optional. Thinking of kahki pants, twinset, dark clogs. Suggestions?? (i have to go do some shopping - most of my clothes are too casual!):monkeydance:

[jonear2, RN]

yeah, I was broke during nursing school and I wore the same outfit to clinical every week (we only went on fridays) Olive green short sleeved turtleneck, khaki pants, brown clogs. I twas the nicest thing I owned.

[vampiregirl, BSN, RN]

Try a second hand store. It sometimes takes a little time to carefully check an item for proper fit, stains, tears, etc, but it's worth it.

[mrsalby]

We just finished our psych rotation. The ladies were slacks, khakis or skirts. Guys- no jeans. Some of the Ladies were able to sneak in clean black jeans that looked dressy with nice blouses. Our instructors were nice about it and understood that we couldn't afford new clothes. We actually ended up looking better than the staff. Some would wear blue jean shorts and tank tops!

You should be fine with what you described...ask for your instructor's approval.

[Halinja, BSN, RN]

This may sound silly, but have you got anything besides clogs? I'm not sure where you're doing your rotation, most of ours was in a locked down inpatient facility. Some of the patients were disturbed by noises, so we usually wore very soft soled shoes. Also, sometimes you have to move quickly. I would want my whole foot enclosed, because if I had to avoid something, or catch someone dropping in a faint, I wouldn't want to fall off my clogs. Both of those things happened during rotation. (the need to move out of the way of a thrown, er, object. The need to catch someone fainting. I didn't make it, but our instructor was much quicker on her feet and she did)

[fusster]

I would suggest no lab coat. Many psychiatric patients have been in psychiatric hospitals or institutes for much of their lives or had bad experiences with doctors wearing lab coats and it could conjure up unwanted memories or just make them not like you before they even talk to you.

[pcicurn7]

Oh yea, no lab coats. Also, we werent allowed any white tops.

You have to be able to wear comfortable shoes that you can run in. Seriously. A lot of the hospitals have their own policies regarding shoes, and most of them involve wearing closed shoes with rubber soles. Remember your patient population when you are trying to figure out what to wear. I can tell you from experience that i did not want to show any skin or any curves on that floor (we were in a locked down unit). Turtlenecks are great, khakis are perfect. The last thing you want to do is draw attention to yourself.

[LadySugarBug]

Hi all, thanks for the great advice. I think I'll be fine now (Kohl's & Parisians had a GREAT sale today!!)

No clogs or lab coat for me! I appreciate the advice re: staying well covered (not a prob for me!-ck the age, LOL!) BUT our instructor warned us to watch the cleavage and the curves...he will send home anyone who shows too much. He said there is always someone who has to go home and change clothes!!

[AuntieRN]

LOL our instructor told us the first day of class that we could not dress like "girls" and show any body parts at all including the midriff and nothing tight. She also told us she carried around BIG shirts and to not be offended if she put one on you. You have to be very careful when dealing with psych pts she told us. We mostly dressed in sweats and jeans. We played basketball etc with our clients and painted almost every day so she did not want us dressed up.

[firstyearstudent]

One of the gals in our psych rotation wore stilleto heels every day with her slacks and then complained when one of the patients took a liking to her footwear. My suggestion is to dress dowdy.

[DDRN4me]

I think the OPs idea of Khakis and a conservative shirt are fine, we need to remember, though, that these are normal individuals with mental ILLNESS ...not a group of people to be feared. I loved my psych rotations..and still do care for several folks with mi.... most of the patients you see will not care what you are wearing....they are too focused on thier issue at the time. good luck and enjoy!!

[saphira]

When I did my psych rotation, we wore nice slacks, modest shirts and blouses, sweaters, sneakers or other comfortable, closed shoes with nothing more than a 1 inch heel. Worked well.

I graduated in May 2005 and that psych rotation was my last one of nursing school. Now I'm starting there as an RN after a year of med-surg. And I was told jeans and a nice top, sneakers or closed low heeled shoes.

I'd avoid clogs. No lab coats. Otherwise, khakis and a nice (modest) top should be fine.