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,

You represent the school and the school doesn't want to loose it's spot at that location at the end of the day.

I think this email is appropriate and necessary. If hospitals and other clinical sites do not like the nursing students at a particular school (for any reason) they can refuse to allow that school back for clinicals. I've heard of some schools that had their students travel over an hour away for clinicals simply because facilities in their area would not allow that school back for clinicals.

.... I've heard of some schools that had their students travel over an hour away for clinicals simply because facilities in their area would not allow that school back for clinicals.

This would also tell me that those same hospitals/facilities that won't have the students there for clinical rotations ALSO won't HIRE them after graduation.

Something to think about.

Won't matter if Student Sally was always perfectly dressed; if the image of the school is poor, Sally might just find herself without an interview at Hospital X because they don't like LOOKING at students from that school. Just.....food for thought.

Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.
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.

If you were properly dressed then the email really didn't pertain to you and you obviously understand. However, the folks who chose to disregard dress code and show up improperly dressed obviously DO NOT understand and required a straightforward and clear outline of what was expected and why.

How would you address this if YOU were the Dean? Can you see the rationale for this type of approach? What do you believe would be necessary to bring the noncompliant into compliance without singling them out?

Yeah if I ever showed up out of uniform to a clinical site, I would be sent home.

Specializes in OMFS, Dentistry.

I am a nursing student and I don't find this email unprofessional. While I can understand you may not agree with the tone, I wouldn't exactly say those were hypothetical quotes from imaginary people. I can guarantee you that those are quotes from people in the past. Why do I say that? Because I have heard similar myself.

It did sound a bit overboard but this professor felt the need to stress the importance. Be happy that you were not among those. =)

I would never take this personally and honestly I think the professor was only trying to remind the students to follow the dress code. Every instructor is a bit different. I know a good instructor who would make individual comment about the way you show up to clinical. Eg. Please iron your scrub, please wash your scrub ....lol I mean, don't take it personal.

I have seen worse, trust me. This one time I bumped into my previous instructor from few semesters ago and I said Hi. Ms. xxx. She looked at me and said...oh please don't call my first name, I am Ms.XXX, call my first name when you get your license. I was like...err I called your last name with a Ms. you just didn't hear it. LOL. You will be amazed with how unique and different each instructor is while in nursing school. Just let it go.....and get on with it.

Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.

So....it seems OP didn't find the warm fuzzies she was looking for and has abandoned her thread?

Specializes in Cardio-Pulmonary; Med-Surg; Private Duty.
So....it seems OP didn't find the warm fuzzies she was looking for and has abandoned her thread?

I've been thinking the same exact thing!

Specializes in Intake, Home Care.

I wish my Instructors sent emails like this. Maybe it's the military in me, but I can't stand people that can't make the effort to wear the white shoes (eh, why not, red nikes are almost the same).....oh name tags? I will just wear mine only half pinned on hanging sideways......wait, so we can't have nail polish or acrylics? But I just got these new gels sharp as a tack with glitter for the holidays!!!! ....I know my earrings hang lower than my hair but they are sooo cute right?

Seriously. Every clinical. Drives me crazy. Every semester.

Specializes in neuro-surg, psych, CM/URP, CM/URP Mgr..

Totally appropriate for the instructor to send that. We were lined up and our instructor would smell our breath--because "No patient should have to smell your coffee breath"....We had one that carried white shoe polish if our shoes weren't clean...All tattoos had to be completely covered and no earrings, but simple studs....No fake nails allowed and nails must be short and clean...The professor was completely within her/his rights...And completely appropriate...

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 don't think students are in a position to easily toss around the term, "unprofessional" given that they're not professionals themselves.

There is a faction of nursing which parallels the military and religious orders, and in both of those, this letter would be tame.

I see nothing objectionable in this letter and certainly nothing about which to be shocked.

You're making a mountain out of mole-hill, IMO.

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