Dress Code for nursing students?

[NPTeacher]

Our nursing school is on a medical sciences campus. We have toyed off and on with the idea of a dress code for our nursing students, but haven't instituted one. This year, many of our students are coming in with very inappropriate dress, so we are back toying with the dress code issue. Do any of the nursing school require scrubs in the classroom and/or skills lab? One of our arguments (amonst the faculty) is the degree of the dress code - from jeans & shorts to scrubs. We are trying to find out how others have solved this problem - or have you?

[cpettit]

my institution does not have a classroom dress code for any student. however, as a nursing instructor, i do feel the nursing student represents the nursing profession whether in clinical or in the classroom. nursing has its' own professional standards that are outside the boundaries of the institution. the student must be guided by these standards and do the right thing. the nursing student wants to be a nurse. the student agrees to abide by professional nursing standards when they are admitted to the program. being a nurse is far more than knowing the content or attending classes. hopefully, as the student progresses they will begin to integrate professional values with their own and begin to understand that they are not setting the standards for the nursing profession but are simply trying to adjust to and learn the standards of nursing as a profession. it is the nursing instructors' responsible to guide the student toward the development of professional values through the progression of becoming a nurse. so, even though our school does not have a dress code for campus, my students cooperate in dressing appropriately for their time in the classroom.

[jmqphd]

I perused all the posts and I believe MY SCHOOL IS THE ONLY ONE THAT REQUIRES THE CLINICAL DRESS CODE BE FOLLOWED ALL THE TIME. Students are not to enter the school if they are not in uniform. (Grey scrubs with school logo embroidered on them.) Even if they are just coming in to have a conference with the instructor, they have to be in uniform.

HOWEVER, we are not on a university campus. We are a proprietary school. If there is an RT, MA, or whatever program on campus, the rules apply equally to all.

Tattoos must be covered. No piercings. No hats and/or sunglasses. White shoes closed toe and heel. Clean shoe laces. Scrubs must fit. No flesh showing (as in at mid-drift). No thongs showing when bending over. Bottoms of pants cannot drag on the floor. No hoodies. Shirts worn under the scrubs must be grey or white. Hair color has to be some color known to nature. Hair up and neat, off the face. Nails w/out polish, short and clean. No perfume.

Faculty are held to a strict dress code. Business attire, clean lab coat, name tag, no perfume, nothing extreme. In the clinical area, several faculty have decided to wear total white. We stand out and our role is self-evident.

We are a new school in the community as because we are private, we are growing like topsy. The state supported schools are having cut-backs. Our students are becoming very visible in the clinical settings and we are getting many kudos on our "professionalism".

We have more applicants than we can handle, our students' ages cross generational lines. I have one student who is the same age as the grandfathers of our just-out-of-high-school students. No one complains that they are being treated like children. Everyone knows the rules when they enter.

[BeenThereDoneThat74, MSN, RN]

Since this is an old thread (and I didn't even look to see what my post was) I will update to add:

My former place of employment finally implemented a dress code for the classroom. They wear clinical attire. Unfortunately, they don't take it to the full extent (hair, shoes, etc. They really do look silly with their scrubs and Uggs). While the uniform thing in the classroom is weird, it does put everyone on the sane playing field. It reminds them all that we ate all (supposed to be) professionals, and are here for the purpose of learning.

I have since changed schools, where is no lecture dress code. It doesn't seem as problematic as in the other school though. For SIM lab, they must weAr uniforms, with gaur and jewelry restrictions enforced.