Dress Code for nursing students?

**SKM-NURSIEPOOH, BSN, RN** · Jul 24, 2004

some very interesting comments. you can sure tell which ones are the students and which are the teachers! i might add that our school is on an academic medical campus. so our students encounter patients, families and other professionals daily as they go to the library, cafeteria, bookstore, etc. many of the schools on our campus currently have a dress code. the dental students and dental hygene students all wear scrubs, pt students wear scrubs, pharmacy male students wear coat and tie, female pharmacy students wear skirt, blouse, blazer and heels. only the medical and nursing students currently do not have an in-class dress code. unfortunately, only the nursing students tend to appear in inappropriate attire. guess they are trying to attract the attention of the medical students! we are attempted many times to remind them that they are now in a professional school and we expect them to dress and act professionally. yes, i agree that they are all adults - i just wish that they would represent themselves accordingly, as when they are moving about on campus, they are representing the school of nursing and the nursing profession.

and will add that it's been my observation that graduate nursing students always dress appropriately whether in class or on the clinical floors. they're almost always treated as colleagues & not just students by the instructors as well.

one can sum it up to them already being professional nurses returning for more education. i just wish the undergrad students would take notice & learn something from the graduate nursing students.

cheers!

moe

BeenThereDoneThat74, MSN, RN · Jul 24, 2004

and will add that it's been my observation that graduate nursing students always dress appropriately whether in class or on the clinical floors. they're almost always treated as colleagues & not just students by the instructors as well.

one can sum it up to them already being professional nurses returning for more education. i just wish the undergrad students would take notice & learn something from the graduate nursing students.

cheers!
moe

you're absolutely right. many of the grad students come to class after work, so they are either in scrubs, or business casual. i rarely work on a school day, but i make sure i'm somewhat appropriately dressed. i have been known to wear a sandal or two, but no cleavage, piercings or tattoos!!

hipab4hands · Jul 25, 2004

It would be great to have a dress code, but I can hear the lawsuits start rolling over Nursing Students being singled out.

When I was in school, we could wear what we wanted during classroom sessions. However, once we entered clinicals, we had a mandatory dress code- no exceptions. We did have to wear white nursing pants and tops, white shoes, and white lab coats. No street clothes of any kind were allowed. No visable panty lines were allowed either. One of my fellow students wore a pair of black underwear , which were clearly visable under the white pants. She was sent home and told to come back to clinicals appropriately dress.

We could only wear 1 pair of stud earrings, tattoos had to be covered, and those folks with long hair had to pull their hair back into a bun or pony tail. Fingernails had to be cut short- no fake nails were allowed.

PennyLane, RN · Jul 25, 2004

I'm sorry, but I would never give my $$ to a school that's going to tell me what I can and cannot wear in lecture. Puh-lease. I had enough of that (12 years to be exact) in grade school and high school in my little blue uniform. I guess at my school we're all pretty middle of the road, dress wise. Since most of us are over 25 and many much older than that, we tend to dress rather conservatively compared to what others have said here. No cleavage or midriff showing. Most people just throw on what they have available, whether it be sweats or jeans and t-shirt.

Rhoresmith · Jul 25, 2004

I find the biggest problem in the classroom is the girls and one guy who wears enough perfume/cologne to stink up the room and with no windows this is a problem. I have ended up with more than one headache over this. We stopped one girl by telling her hey could you cut down on this because we have to sit in the room with you and it stinks She was insulted but she stopped wearing it

Brickman · Jul 25, 2004

When I think back on some of the outfits my eyes were assaulted with during nursing school I find myself thinking that a dress code of some kind would have been nice. One particular girl looked like she stole ABBA's stage wardrobe.

BeenThereDoneThat74, MSN, RN · Jul 26, 2004

So I stopped in on my floor (had to go to a class) and there were like 10 new faces on the floor. No, not orientees, but students. Problem was, you couldn't tell them from the nurses. They were wearing whatever they wanted. Ive also seen some stusents, in any colored scrubs, with their school patch safety pinned on to their shoulder (you could hardly see it over the design of the shirt). I know those pinstripe student uniforms are cheesy, but what about just white? And I know students do not want to stand out. I think that the patients should know who the students are and who the actual nurses are.

Which brings me to my next beef... You can't even tell who the nurses are anymore, as opposed to the NAs, housekeeping, Unit clerks, and residents. That really bothers me. And as a patient or parent, that would really other me. We really should stand apart from the rest of the system (and no, I don't mean by wearing caps!!) :nurse:

NPTeacher · Jul 27, 2004

So I stopped in on my floor (had to go to a class) and there were like 10 new faces on the floor. No, not orientees, but students. Problem was, you couldn't tell them from the nurses. They were wearing whatever they wanted. Ive also seen some stusents, in any colored scrubs, with their school patch safety pinned on to their shoulder (you could hardly see it over the design of the shirt). I know those pinstripe student uniforms are cheesy, but what about just white? And I know students do not want to stand out. I think that the patients should know who the students are and who the actual nurses are.
Which brings me to my next beef... You can't even tell who the nurses are anymore, as opposed to the NAs, housekeeping, Unit clerks, and residents. That really bothers me. And as a patient or parent, that would really other me. We really should stand apart from the rest of the system (and no, I don't mean by wearing caps!!)

In the clinical area, our students wear white uniforms with the school patch on their left shoulder. Over the left breast pocket, they wear a school issued name pin with the school logo followed by their name. Under their name is their title (Nursing Student). The uniforms are all alike and are ordered through our campus bookstore. Shoes are solid white, enclosed shoes. White lab coats with a school patch on the left shoulder may also be worn. The only exception is in clinical areas that require scrub suits (labor & delivery, NICU, newborn nursery, and surgery) All other units allow them to come in their school uniform. So - our nursing students are readily visible as nursing students. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for RNs, LPNs, CNAs, lab personnel, and housekeepers on the units.

mariedoreen · Aug 1, 2004

No dress code for lectures, dress code for clinicals that is typical of what has been described above, and that same dress code must be adhered to for on-campus lab sessions as well.

SarasotaRN2b · Dec 18, 2004

I guess I am in the minority, but I think that a dress code (maybe scrubs in a nice color) would actually give me a sense of pride that I'm in the nursing program and proud of it. Usually the only ones you see in a dress code are the dental hygenist students or the radiography students. You see them in the cafeteria,sitting together and sharing conversations and I think that is great. Okay, maybe it is cliquish (sp?), but so what? like I said, I definitely would be very proud when I do get into the nursing program and if there is a special dress code, all the more for it.

z's playa · Dec 18, 2004

For our clinicals at the local elementary schools we have to wear the whole shebang. Long white lab coats with name pins....scrubs and white shoes. :rolleyes:

pmchap · Feb 1, 2005

dress code or uniform? There is a distinct difference between a smart & casual dress coade that allows people choice without compromising a standard and the enforcement of a uniform. During a clinical session the use of uniform is one way to ensure that there is identification (name badges work until there is an emergency and no one has time to look at a badge). Knowing what a candy striper can do vrs the green scrubs vrs the white coats is an easy identifier. Currently I educate in an area that has a corporate wardbrobe (lots of choice mind you) which means that the RNs can be wearing a dozen different things - and the ward clerks can be wearing the same thing. I pity the casual staff walking through the door to work a short shift - it is just confusion asking for mistakes to happen.

During lectures & on campus - yes nursing students are adults - so lets treat them like adults. The 18yr olds still trying to let the world know they exists will occassionally cause a stir and show some skin, a new tat or piercing - but as has been mentioned by the time they are about 6months from finishing - they have usually worked out that the impressions they give lecturers often effect how they perform in looking for work. (how many lecturers provide the initial references for new nurses!!)

A sideline - one nursing school here in Australia had a bit of a dilemma with dress issues. They decided that they would shock all the students for a class. (dont try it now - it would never get through ethics). For one of the lab classes the whole session was about personal exposure and privacy. All the students and the lecturer (not me) stripped down to underwear for the session. I understand from a student in the class that - yes there were a few looks here and there initially but fairly quickly everyone just worked out that so be it - the learning outcome - most of the students realised that as nurses their experiences would be totally different to that of others, they respected the feelings of their patients much more in relation to privacy and believe it or not the dress issue wasnt a problem - suddenly having a bare midriff, or cleavage wasn't an issue and rarely happened.

Cheers

ps You should remember that I am in Australia and half the students in the class would usually wearless (ie show more) at the beach during summer than they did during the class.