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 bedâ€; the nursing students with the one student with tons of earrings in their ear, it sure was not like that when I went to schoolâ€; 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 patientsâ€; 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!â€
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.
I had a logo on my white sneakers during nursing school that had a very thin and very light grey border stitching. My clinical instructor told me I had to white it out. Silly? I certainly think so. Did I argue? Nope. Got myself a bottle of white out and issue resolved.
AMEN. That would have accomplished what needed to be accomplished. But again, I'm thinking this wasn't done because the professor appears to have some hella passive aggressive tendencies.
Or maybe she's just tired of taking crap over a bunch of whiny slackers that are supposed to be professional nurses in training.
This thread seems to have taken on a life of its own. Haven't seen the OP for awhile. Wonder if everybody was in proper uniform on their latest clinical day.
Specializes in Cardio-Pulmonary; Med-Surg; Private Duty.
The quotes thing was unprofessional. I would go so far as to say that it intimates that this particular professor probably has a prejudice against people with excessive piercings and tattoos. The tone was a bit snippy and she was definitelypassive aggressive, making up imaginary people to say what SHE in fact was thinking.
I also think it was crappy to email the entire class instead of just those who were not following the rules, again verypassive aggressive. Also, pretty manipulative, trying to get students to do what she wants by means of humiliation, but in an indirect way where she doesn't feel uncomfortable. Seriously, gutless.
However, outside of the aforementioned, I feel that the email was fine. The topic of dress code adherence is relevant and important, but her tone and means of communicating her message were, in my humble opinion, severely lacking.
AMEN. That would have accomplished what needed to be accomplished. But again, I'm thinking this wasn't done because the professor appears to have some hella passive aggressive tendencies.
You keep using that phrase. I do not think it means what you think it means.
You keep using that phrase. I do not think it means what you think it means.
You're right, LOL. I was using the connotation that has been created by PassiveAggressiveNotes.com | funny (if not necessarily "passive-aggressive") notes from ********* people and not the true definition. My bad.
Reminds me of what happened to people's understanding of irony after the Alanis Morissette song "Ironic" came out. The song has NO examples of irony.
This comic from the oatmeal helped clear things up: The 3 Most Common Uses of Irony - The Oatmeal
It is one thing to rag on students for wearing fake nails (which is understandable, it IS a major infection risk), but the whole ragging on students wearing many earrings or having tattoos is incredibly WRONG. We cannot UNDO our piercings and tattoos. But I guess this depends on this school's policy. At my school, they say we can wear stud earrings, but they do not tell us to hide tattoos. It depends on your policy. If your school's policy specifically limits the number of earrings or the revealing of tattoos, I would abide by it. Anyhow, this email could have been a little less rude.
The instructor went on about because as evidenced by your class some did not take it serious. At my hospital we have actually boycotted certain schools due to the clinical group, when we saw that schools name on an application even if that person had never been to our hospital they did not get an interview. Hold your classmates to a higher level let them know if they are not appropriate. What they do or don't do affects you also, because we have also done the Well Sally was from abcdes school she was never here but their clinical group rocks I'm sure if she is anything like the other students she will be a great asset to us. Bammmm interview and possible job offer.
This was standard when I went to nursing school. Every clinical day we were inspected and if we didn't pass inspection, we were sent home with no grade for that day. Students need to come dress as a professional.
It is one thing to rag on students for wearing fake nails (which is understandable, it IS a major infection risk), but the whole ragging on students wearing many earrings or having tattoos is incredibly WRONG. We cannot UNDO our piercings and tattoos.
I agree. Also, there is the issue that covering tattoos might actually pose an infection risk. If the tattoo is on the wrist or forearm and it is covered by a bandage it could serve as a fomite. In addition, a 2006 study conducted by the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found that 36% of Americans age 18 to 29 have at least one tattoo." The following webpage has a bunch of great stats to look at regarding tattoos among various age groups, sexes, races, political party affiliation, and regions: Tattoo Facts & Statistics - real info on tattoos and tattooing - Info you need to know.
If the tattoos are in a place where they can be covered without increasing infection risk, then ok. However, many young adults have tattoos on their wrists, covering this place would definitely inhibit proper hand washing procedures and infection control.
So possible solutions are:
1. Get over people seeing some tattoos on their nurses if they are in places that if covered could pose an increased risk of infection to patients
2. Force nurses to cover up tattoos regardless of their placement, placing the importance of social acceptability above infection control.
3. Alienate 36% of 18-29 (now 26-37) year olds from a career in nursing simply because they have had ink injected below their epidermis.
The fact that the instructor appears to favor 2 and 3 is kind of sad.
P.S.: For the record, I do not have any tattoos and only the traditional lobe ear piercings, one in each ear. So this is not coming from a place of self-defense. I just think it is ridiculous to be discriminatory towards people because they have ink under their skin and additional holes in their body. If the nurse is competent that should be what matters, not aspects of their appearance that they cannot change.
I agree with the instructor. There is nothing wrong with having and upholding standards. If anything, it should be done more often. I hate seeing nurses with wrinkled scrubs, sweatshirts from bars, long painted nails, bling on every finger, chomping on gum. I don't associate a high degree of professional knowledge and skill with a nurse who bends over and shows a thong and a "tramp stamp". It is nobody's business if you have a tramp stamp or wear thongs; just don't shove it in people's faces. A nurse who is that sloppy about her appearance is probably sloppy in her practice.
naptimeRN
188 Posts
I had a logo on my white sneakers during nursing school that had a very thin and very light grey border stitching. My clinical instructor told me I had to white it out. Silly? I certainly think so. Did I argue? Nope. Got myself a bottle of white out and issue resolved.