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

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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,

I don't see anything wrong either. My school would have sent those people home or exited them from the program.

The email should have never been sent out. The students that were out of uniform should have been sent home, point made. The next clinical, everyone will be in uniform. In school we could miss one clinical (being sent home was considered a missed clinical). I think the instructor was being way to lenient on the students that they had issues with by sending a warning letter.

I agree, it wasn't our first clinical.

Specializes in ICU.

Nothing wrong with it at all. Your professor was describing in the email the reasons for the dress code policy. It was well written and the fact you guys are getting another warning is something you should all be thankful for. What you don't understand is, if this is the was people are showing up your school is endanger of losing it's ability to come to that facility for clinicals. Then you guys will be screwed. So, suck it up, dress correctly, and stop worrying about something so small if it you weren't apart of it. Believe me, nursing schools can very easily earn bad reputations and then you will have a hard time finding a job. Look at the big picture here. After all, isn't that what nursing is about?

Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
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.

I believe the email was unprofessional because it rambled- and she made up subjective quotes. I just feel that it was a little much.I mean, personally I would have been more direct and matter of fact.

You keep bringing up the idea that the quotes were made up. Please get this notion out of your head. Perhaps they weren't all stated on that one clinical day, but these are comments heard by instructors and made by the nurses working on the floors as well as the managers of the floors. Keep in mind that as a clinical group, you are a guest of the facility that is hosting your educational experience- it doesn't matter what you think is professional; what's important is that the facility views the school and its students in a positive light to continue the relationship and clinical placements.

I see nothing wrong with the email- it was meant to drive home a point that some people apparently don't have the ability to follow the rules that have been explained previously. If this is something that is going to get under your skin (which I seriously don't understand why you let this email do so), then I'm afraid you may have a long road in front of you.

I don't see anything wrong with the professionalism of this email.

That makes about 14 posters that disagree with you, and one that kinda-maybe-sorta agrees with you. You asked a question and received an almost unanimous answer opposite of what you anticipated.

Can we have a discussion in which hypothetical quotes are acceptable from a professor to students who are adults in a program developing professionals? Sure. However, saying this is "an idiotically written email" is pretty illogical, and more likely, emotional.

Your responses leads me to believe you have less of an email problem than you do a professor problem. Otherwise, being a self-professed member of the well-dressed group wouldn't have set you off, leading you to the above quote.

Nothing wrong with it at all. Your professor was describing in the email the reasons for the dress code policy. It was well written and the fact you guys are getting another warning is something you should all be thankful for. What you don't understand is, if this is the was people are showing up your school is endanger of losing it's ability to come to that facility for clinicals. Then you guys will be screwed. So, suck it up, dress correctly, and stop worrying about something so small if it you weren't apart of it. Believe me, nursing schools can very easily earn bad reputations and then you will have a hard time finding a job. Look at the big picture here. After all, isn't that what nursing is about?

I'm just saying that I found the wording unprofessional. I don't disagree with the message she is trying to put forward.

Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

I think your professor might have wanted to address the offenders but didn't have time to send them individual emails or pull them aside individually, plus he or she also wanted to reinforce the dress code since, surely, everyone else saw the offenders' offenses. If he or she didn't say (write) something, everyone might think dress code wasn't required on this clinical rotation.

Your words that it was "idiotically written" tend to show an opinion of your professor. This won't help you get through the semester.

If it was me reading it, and I wasn't one of the offenders, I'd say to myself, "not me, no need to pay attention to this," and go on with my life...

Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.

Your prof was trying to "break it down" for those who apparently insist on flaunting the school's written dress code and "don't get" what the consequences are, other than disciplinary action.

That was an excellent email IMO - direct, to the point, and it actually went above & beyond by expanding students' perspective on how they may be viewed if they continue their current practice.

Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
Nothing wrong with it at all. Your professor was describing in the email the reasons for the dress code policy. It was well written and the fact you guys are getting another warning is something you should all be thankful for. What you don't understand is, if this is the was people are showing up your school is endanger of losing it's ability to come to that facility for clinicals. Then you guys will be screwed. So, suck it up, dress correctly, and stop worrying about something so small if it you weren't apart of it. Believe me, nursing schools can very easily earn bad reputations and then you will have a hard time finding a job. Look at the big picture here. After all, isn't that what nursing is about?

Agree.

With the challenges with prime clinical spots, if a impromptu email is warranted, so be it; the school had a duty to make sure that they protect the image of nursing and also produce a quality graduate nurse.

A previous poster stated that nursing is like the military; there is an image to uphold; the best nursing programs adhere to producing a quality image, as well as stressing the importance of being a professional nurse; not everyone gets that.

You may have thought the message was excessive, but I assure you, it may have done the trick to the ones that needed it.

I don't see anything wrong with the professionalism of this email.

That makes about 14 posters that disagree with you, and one that kinda-maybe-sorta agrees with you. You asked a question and received an almost unanimous answer opposite of what you anticipated.

Can we have a discussion in which hypothetical quotes are acceptable from a professor to students who are adults in a program developing professionals? Sure. However, saying this is "an idiotically written email" is pretty illogical, and more likely, emotional.

Your responses leads me to believe you have less of an email problem than you do a professor problem. Otherwise, being a self-professed member of the well-dressed group wouldn't have set you off, leading you to the above quote.

I don't mind if people disagree with me ( and yes I know everyone has lol) I didn't post the letter to get reassurance- I just wanted to see how other people felt out of curiosity. I agree with what people are saying- and I agree that I may be looking into the email more then I should. I'm not emotionally distraught about the email- I agree dress code is important and should be followed- but I still think it's badly written. I've never received an email like this from a professor before and I believe there is a reason for that. I follow dress code, but I still care about what kind of emails my professors send out.With this post, I am finding out that within the nursing discipline it's not uncommon to get emails like this? I come from a dietetic background which seems to be a different culture.

Agree.

With the challenges with prime clinical spots, if a impromptu email is warranted, so be it; the school had a duty to make sure that they protect the image of nursing and also produce a quality graduate nurse.

A previous poster stated that nursing is like the military; there is an image to uphold; the best nursing programs adhere to producing a quality image, as well as stressing the importance of being a professional nurse; not everyone gets that.

You may have thought the message was excessive, but I assure you, it may have done the trick to the ones that needed it.

Thanks for your response. you are right, I did find it excessive, almost baffling. I am gathering from responses that nursing has its own culture. I keep comparing it to when I was in school for dietetics.Small things like this always throws me. I posted the email not sure it anyone would see it. I like all the responses I'm receiving. Some of them, like yours are helpful!

Sorry I think you are on your own on this one. There is nothing wrong with the content OR the tone of this email, and I'm just a Pre nursing student. It is very well written and professional. I think your professor went above and beyond in trying to explain why it's important and how it reflects on you as a student and the program. I think you are the only one who thinks it's badly or idiotically written.

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