Orientation Question

TLizS · Dec 4, 2014

I think you are going to get varying answers here. We just had our orientation yesterday.....it was a casual affair....everyday clothing was appropriate.....Jeans and a cute sweater is what I wore...and pretty much the level of dress of most everyone there. A LOT of people will say business casual....but it was definitely not necessary for our program. You want to look presentable for sure....not like you just rolled out of bed

Our orientation involved a LOT of information sharing.....they went over the curriculum, uniforms for clinicals, program policies, expectations, schedule, all of the usual info you would expect.....we also did our drug testing while we were there. We did a couple of "get to know you" kinda activities so we would at least be acquainted with our classmates. It was basically about 6 hours of information shared with us lol....and answering all of our questions. We also got to tour the nursing buildings and see all of the labs etc....it was a very laid back atmosphere. But I know all of that will very by program

sjalv · Dec 4, 2014

People seem to recommend business casual from what I have read in past threads. However, at my orientation for RN school, it was very casual like the previous poster described. What you do there will depend on your school. For example, at many schools, you place orders for clinical uniforms, fill out information for background checks / drug tests, you can buy your stethoscope, you get your syllabus, etc. In my program, once we got our acceptance letter, we were given instructions on how to do the background check / drug test, where to buy uniform patches to sew onto our scrubs, what clinical supplies to buy (stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, etc), etc. So all we did on orientation day was meet our instructors and kind of go over the syllabus.

ready2baRN · Dec 4, 2014

My orientation is on Friday and I plan on wearing some nice jeans and a polo shirt. You want to be comfortable but look presentable. Like the above poster said you don't want to looks like you just rolled out of bed. I would also avoid wearing 'loud' shirts. For example shirts with any type of words, printing, cartoon characters, etc. No jeans that's ripped up. Closed toe shoes. You should be fine.

mrsboots87 · Dec 4, 2014

It's just orientation. Some may say to go business casual, but it is not an interview for a job. If they wanted you dressed business casual, your entrance packet or letter would have said so. Just go dressed nice casual. A good pair of pants and a clean respectable shirt. Not tank tops and ripped jeans. This is more for presenting yourself in a better manner to your future instructors and classmates than anything else. Don't go looking like you just rolled out of bed. And side note: at my orientation, a couple students did go with messy buns, sweats and slippers, and guess what, 2 semesters later they are still in the program. So it's really not that big a deal. They just share info and then send you on your way.

mindofmidwifery, ADN · Dec 4, 2014

I agree with the above commenters. Dressing casually will suffice. At my orientation (I'm a CNA) I wore a nice pair of jeans, a company sweatshirt (I know right, how cool am I?) and some boots. I doubt it's much different if you're an actual nurse.

dah doh, BSN, RN · Dec 4, 2014

Look and see if there is a dress code policy. My workplace has one and will ask you to leave if you are out of compliance for work related classes or meetings.

For school orientation, a nice shirt & slacks or even nice jeans. Look neat & presentable. First impressions mean a lot. Try to leave these at home: ripped jeans, shorts, more exposed tops such as tank tops, any clothing with raunchy pictures, concert type shirts, or ripped up tops, sweats, or anything that looks like exercise gear.

They may not remember what you wear & how your hair was styled but they will recall a bad impression! For instance, one nurse had 20 yr of experience but interviewed wearing a tight name brand track suit & her hair in a super messy bun. She looked like she just came from the gym. We didn't hire her because she didn't fit with our organization.

sjalv · Dec 4, 2014

Look and see if there is a dress code policy. My workplace has one and will ask you to leave if you are out of compliance for work related classes or meetings.
For school orientation, a nice shirt & slacks or even nice jeans. Look neat & presentable. First impressions mean a lot. Try to leave these at home: ripped jeans, shorts, more exposed tops such as tank tops, any clothing with raunchy pictures, concert type shirts, or ripped up tops, sweats, or anything that looks like exercise gear.
They may not remember what you wear & how your hair was styled but they will recall a bad impression! For instance, one nurse had 20 yr of experience but interviewed wearing a tight name brand track suit & her hair in a super messy bun. She looked like she just came from the gym. We didn't hire her because she didn't fit with our organization.

This is for school orientation, though, not a clinical orientation. In any case, orientation at a clinical site will usually require the student to be in their scrubs anyway.