dress code policies in hospital setting

AtlantaRN, RN · Jul 29, 2005

1. We have a dress code, but I believe they are just happy to have enough nurses to cover the shifts...

2. no

3. no

I worked at a hospital that made the nurses wear white and navy blue, and cnas to wear beige...the only thing was they NEVER TOLD THE PATIENTS your nurse is in white and blue.

Atlantarn

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Jul 29, 2005

(1) How is the dress code enforced at your facility?

People sign a paper that they read and agree to the dress code, so that they have no reason to argue for violation of it.

(2) Do you know of any literature addressing dress code or footwear in
nursing?

no

(3) Do you find that, or know of any literature regarding, patient preference
regarding dress code in nursing?

no

Stella-Ohio · Jul 29, 2005

There is another thread on this site that I believe said that patients preferred to know who was whom (instead of asking the house keeper for pain meds etc) and that they best solved that issue with better name tags.

The color coded system doesn't seem to work.

kat911 · Jul 30, 2005

If your managers are not going to enforce the dress code you have now changing the code won't change things. Our hospital went through the same process last year. Completely changed the dress code. The managers who wouldn't enforce it before still aren't, unless thier boss comes by and asks about why someone is out of uniform. :angryfire

RN4BABES · Jul 30, 2005

Unfortunately, our unit is a joke when it comes to dress code. I have seen nurses show up in track pants, sandals, skimpy tops, see through bottoms with g-string underwear, low rise scrubs in butts that are too big and scrub tops that don't cover the way they are meant to (ie. we are "privy" to belly piercings often!) and uniforms that are obviously 2 sizes too small. I have adressed this "unprofessionalism" with out unit manager and she insists it be a "project" for the unit's staff to come up with an appropriate dress code. It's been 6 months and nothing has been done. Sometimes, the way people are dressed...I think the wrong profession is being portrayed!! :nono:

Meds Queen · Jul 30, 2005

No matter what we wear as colors the one thing that no one wants to admit is that patients have one recognizable symbol to count on....nursing caps. When we stopped wearing them that's when the problem of identification started. So? Should we start wearing our caps again????? Just a thought...

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Jul 30, 2005

Great, caps, one more thing to worry about keeping bright and clean...

lsyorke, RN · Jul 30, 2005

We wear prints,colors,white, as long as it's professional. Reality is that patients know their nurse if she introduces herself. Name tags are an absolute requirement.

Kitkat23 · Sep 14, 2005

We wear prints,colors,white, as long as it's professional. Reality is that patients know their nurse if she introduces herself. Name tags are an absolute requirement.

I work in a nursing home and we could wear whatever color and prints as long as it's scrubs and that it is clean and appropriate. We can't wear jeans, shorts, and capris. Tshirts have to be neat and appropriate. Our shoes have to be white though.

Retired R.N. · Sep 14, 2005

Great, caps, one more thing to worry about keeping bright and clean...

What is it so difficult about keeping clean caps on hand? Get the flat kind that can be machine washed. Dip them in a thick starch solution and "paste" them to a refrigerator or a plate glass mirror to dry. No ironing will be necessary, just attach your racing stripe(s) and assemble them. A clean cap every morning, just like a clean head of hair!

dian57 · Sep 14, 2005

Let's face it, nursing care aside, we're in a customer service industry. Our facility regularly has mandatory Be My Guest inservices to teach what I used to think was common sense--be polite, be helpful, how to answer a phone, etc.

Image plays a big part in our facility's ability to attract desireable (private pay) residents. Along with the cleanliness and decoration of the actual building, the appearance of the staff is very important.

Nurses wear clean white pants, socks, shoes and a pastel top of their choice.

CNAs wear pink or purple tunics with matching pants or white pants.

Housekeepers wear turquoise pants and print tops.

I didn't think much of the importance of a dress code until my husband had surgery in an enormous medical center closer to Manhattan. I had trouble telling who was who. I had to ask several people who walked in the room, "are you a nurse?" Not everyone wore badges. Long hair wasn't pulled back, let alone off the collar. I had my share of viewing thong straps on tatooed lower backs while nurses dealt with his dressings.

The nurse that accepted him from recovery to the unit wore khaki cargo pants, dark running shoes and a short colored tee shirt. My overall impression of the place was that it was sloppy--from the appearance to the actual care rendered. Either there was no dress code or it wasn't enforced.

My husband later had cardiac procedures done in a Bergen County, NJ hospital and what a difference. The nurses wore all white, the aides wore pastels. The hospital itself was clean and quiet. Given a choice, which hospital do you think I would return to for a procedure or surgery?

First impressions are important. People may complain about a dress code but I think it gives the patients and family some security when they can recognize a nurse from a housekeeper, and that person is clean and professional in their manner.