I received this email from a professor. I was a little shocked. Opinon?

[kdflet]

Greetings. I just received this email from a professor. I was blown away by the content. I found it unprofessional. I wanted to see what other nursings students had to say. Have you received similar emails before?

Hi NUR 150 Students!

First of all, I would like to thank the majority of students who took to heart the need to dress professionally at clinical this week. The faculty of NUR 150 appreciates your dedication to learning and professional behavior.

This email is aimed at the small number of students who were not in uniform at clinical this week. I wanted all students to read this email, because the unprofessional dress and lack of professional behavior reflects badly on all NUR 150 students. I do not want your clinical group referred to as: the nursing students with the one student whose uniform was so wrinkled it looked like they just rolled out of bed”; the nursing students with the one student with tons of earrings in their ear, it sure was not like that when I went to school”; did you see the fake nails, do they not teach infection control at that college, I am not sure about that clinical group doing anything on my patients”; or lastly WOW, what is with the tattoos that student had, I sure do not want them to be a RN on our floor, my patients would be shocked!”

Your first impression is often what you will be judged by for the whole clinical rotation and nursing school career. Being in a clinical group with students who do not follow the dress code and professional policy, does reflect back on you. Every day you wear your uniform you are on a job interview. You represent every nursing student at the college. Your dismissal of the uniform policy and/or professional behavior standards is a direct reflection on every student, faculty member, and alumni of the college.

I know that the uniform policy has been taught and enforced previously. I know students are sometimes counseled in their weekly feedback about how to properly follow the professional standards. I am also very disappointed about the dismissal of the policy, since this was discussed in the NUR 150 course and clinical orientation on Monday. I stated the faculty knows that you are able to effectively follow the professional standards and uniform dress code, since you have completed NUR 121. I clearly stated that student who are not in uniform will be sent home for being unprepared. I fully believed that this would be a non-issue, since you are all adult learners.

Next clinical day at the beginning of your clinical day, you will line up and your professor will inspect your appearance to ensure that you are fully following the dress code. Students who are not in their proper uniform in accordance with the policy will be sent home. This will count as a clinical absence. No exceptions or excuses will be entertained by the faculty. Dress code policy from the ADN program handbook has been added to the end of this email for your convenience.

Again, I would like to apologize the large number of students who were following the uniform policy this week. The college faculty thanks you and is proud of you.

Thank you,

[crossfitnurse]

What's so bad about this? I don't see anything wrong with this email, I had teachers who were anal about the color SOCKS we had on. All instructors will enforce different unfortunately. Dress code is dress code. Prepping you for the real world when you work in a facility that expects you to be professional.

Dress code is a DUMB reason to get called out in nursing school. Follow the rules, those who didn't are just not smart and are asking for targets on their back in clinical from the teacher.

Just sayin.

[crossfitnurse]

HOPEFULLY you were one who did follow the rules. When I worked at a very well known electronic/phone company - the expected professional look as well. Of course tattoos and piercings were tolerated, but having your shirt not wrinkled and looking wadded up in the back of your car for weeks was kind of a given.... Clinical is your pre-interview for jobs later!

[Sizzline]

I don't personally see anything wrong with the email. It sounds to me like the professor wanted to make it clear to the entire class that not following the dress code, after it had been previously communicated previously, would be dealt with harshly. My school has an extremely strict dress code for clinicals, and we were told at orientation that walking in to the location with anything in violation of it would mean being sent home on the spot. What was it that you found so shocking?

[brit.pz]

I don't have a problem with the e-mail. Students should be held to the dress code standards. Our program is very similar - uniforms should not be wrinkled/dirty, no nail polish (and nails must be non-artificial and trimmed), no more than one post earring per ear, long hair must be pulled back, etc.. It stated in the e-mail that you all had previously been told the rules and some chose to go against them. Our program (and I'm sure most others) would also send you home if you were not following uniform/dress code.

[caliotter3]

I see nothing wrong with this. It got the message across without berating the guilty parties. 'Check if the shoe fits' emails are a lot better than being chewed out in front of the group, or being singled out to be chewed out in private.

[kdflet]

I was in dress code. I did think the email was a little much. I understand that dress code is important, but the tone and going on about hypothetical quotes from imaginary people was unprofessional and overboard. I've been in school for awhile, with other degrees- but I've never received an email from a professor that sounded so demeaning.

[rob4546, ADN, BSN, MSN]

So..... where is the unprofessionalism? I will agree that this instructor produced an email that was more "friendly" in nature, but take it this way.... It beats the alternative! In our clinical rotation we were told to go home because of (insert dress code infraction here). No opportunity was given to become compliant, just go home. Any absence was counted against you, 2 absences and you were out no matter the reason. One person in our class didn't understand and is returning this semester after the rest of us have graduated last year (she had more problems then this, but you get the point).

I would take the email to heart and not be that person. Please do not be that person. I now have students on my floor and I really do like seeing professionally dressed, eager students. No joke about it being a job interview.

[mclennan, BSN, RN]

Oh boy. If you're getting prickly about this, I hope you might consider re-adjusting your attitude completely about the rest of nursing school, work, nursing, health care and the world in general!

This was nothing.....seriously.....got the point across and hey, if the prof had to break it down with idiotic example quotes, all that means is he's trying to get through to the idiots. Don't take it so personally. Again.....if you're getting your undies in a bundle over THIS......you are going to really struggle with a lot more.

[nlitened]

Agree with everyone else...I see nothing wrong with this email. Nursing students are adults and need to follow the rules of the school or risk getting kicked out of the program. Plain and simple. If students continue to show up looking and acting unprofessional then the school will lose privileges at that facility (and possibly other facilities) and they could kiss their chances of getting hired at that facility goodbye.

[Wave Watcher]

Sounds perfectly fine to me. I don't take issue with the letter. Nursing school is kind of like the military....you have a dress code and high expectations. If you can't follow those rules then you will be called out for it and possibly dismissed. No questions asked. There is always another student ready to replace you.

[Raviepoo]

Trust me, people say those things about nursing students and the schools that place them in clinical sites.

I really appreciate the fact that the letter makes it clear that the program is proud of those students who DID follow the dress code. This email is really well done.

I was in dress code. I did think the email was a little much. I understand that dress code is important, but the tone and going on about hypothetical quotes from imaginary people was unprofessional and overboard. I've been in school for awhile, with other degrees- but I've never received an email from a professor that sounded so demeaning.