Weird/ Dumb Nursing School Rules

OrganizedChaos, LVN · Mar 13, 2016

So it's highly respected.... That means we have to look like conservative, stick up the you know what every where we go? We are still human, no? We all get hot when it's hot out.
And what's the big problem with facial hair, I'm unable to grasp that. It's on a man's face, it doesn't dangle down into anything.

What's wrong with at least looking presentable?

Facial hair on a man's face doesn't dangle down?

la_chica_suerte85, BSN, RN · Mar 13, 2016

I still think it's wrong to dress like that once you get into the program. You are held to a different level & nursing is so respected.

That must be great to have time to prepare and have business casual attire ready to go to school. I'm sorry, but that just means I have to take more time out of sleep. I go to school looking quite ratch and no one cares. I'm still the HBIC, if you get my drift. If I was taking the time to look "professional" at school, then my priorities are backwards. If I look ratch, it's because I have way more important things to do. I get more static for looking tired than anything else.

Not_A_Hat_Person, RN · Mar 13, 2016

I wore business casual to class because my full-time job demanded it, and it was easier than going home to change. My school did not allow open-toed shoes or flip-flops in lab, but outside of clinicals students could wear what they wanted.

OrganizedChaos, LVN · Mar 13, 2016

That must be great to have time to prepare and have business casual attire ready to go to school. I'm sorry, but that just means I have to take more time out of sleep. I go to school looking quite ratch and no one cares. I'm still the HBIC, if you get my drift. If I was taking the time to look "professional" at school, then my priorities are backwards. If I look ratch, it's because I have way more important things to do. I get more static for looking tired than anything else.

I guess it was just my class. No one ever showed up looking like a bum.

APRN., DNP, RN, APRN, NP · Mar 13, 2016

At ***_***** we weren't allowed to wear flip flops, shorts, or even have facial hair! If I came to clinical with even a little stubble, I would have to shave or go home.
Anyone else have rules in nursing school that you didn't agree with?

I can totally understand the comfort factor. Some days, it's hard enough just to BE there, let alone dressed accordingly.

It's much, much, much bigger than you, though. It's all about "Brand Image".

Each nursing school, is run by business people. There is legal counsel, marketing, administration, faculty, etc, etc.

The students are the "brand image" of the college.

The students of "XYZ" college come to clinicals looking like denizens of a homeless shelter, that eventually gets back to the hospital management. Then the hospital management start looking at their brand image of being associated with a college that "allows" their students to look so bedraggled. THEN the PTB at the hospital talk to the PTB at the college and say "We don't want a clinical contract with your college at our hospital. Your students are making us look bad by being out on the floors looking like they don't care about their appearance". Where do the students go for clinicals then?

Those clinical contracts between the nursing schools and the local hospitals are not an automatic thing. The hospital has to ALLOW the nursing school to have the nursing students on the floors.

There is a lot of watering down that happens from the board room of the college to the clinical sites. The more strict the instructors on the brand image of the students, the more micromanagement that happens from the top down, in a lot of cases.

All in all, many times it's the HOSPITAL that requires the college to enforce appearance and acceptable behavior of their students, per the terms of the clinical contract. That contract is not a forever thing either. It gets renewed from time to time.

Randy RN ASN · Mar 13, 2016

I hope people dont think that I would wear flip flops and shorts to clinical. After I read my OP, I can see how it might sound that way.

Duttygal86, BSN, RN · Mar 15, 2016

So I'm a Jr. BSN student and my commute is so brutal that there is NO way I could dress up for class. I take a ferry and a open air taxi to class, then climb a hill to get to lecture. So, ya I wear yoga pants, flip flops and t-shirts any day that I'm not in clinical.

A new rule for our senior year is that we have to wear our scrubs to pick up our pt. Assignment, which means more stuff for me to lug around all day.

rnsrgr8t · Mar 15, 2016

I graduated from nursing school 18 years ago (oyy). We did not have a dress code for class. We could were whatever we wanted (and believe me we did). Clinical was a whole other story. Our clinical uniform was all white. We had to wear uniform white pants (that were totally see through), white button down oxford shirt, school issued lab coat and white nurse mates. No scrubs, no sneakers. Normal hair up rules, no facial hair etc (which is standard). Our clinical uniform was just so uncomfortable. Your shirt would come untucked anytime you bent over etc. It was hot. It was hard to find underwear that you could not see through the thin pants. Just uggh. I see the nursing students that come in through my hospital, and they get to wear scrubs (neat, pressed ones, with the school logo on them). So much more comfortable. It is what it is....just have to get through it! Before I went to back to school and was a nurse, I owned scrubs in every color/pattern imaginable EXCEPT white. Never wanted to wear white again! Now that I am a PNP, do miss my days of scrubs. Now I have to THINK about my outfit every morning (I wear business casual) and it can be a pain!

tyvin, BSN, RN · Mar 18, 2016

I went to a pretty high end university for my BSN and I was always wearing shorts and slippers (we call flip flops, slippers, where I'm from). As far as the guys who were in our class they all had facial hair...now that was in 95' but seriously; I can empathize with you. It's school, not a job interview.

In clinical it was a different story; nurse scrubs and in some instances lab coat over business dress. But nothing like you or the others describe...:)

CTtoRN, ADN, BSN, RN · Mar 20, 2016

You go to a Mormon college. They have more unique/weird/dumb rules to follow than normal haha. I will discover my own weird/dumb rules when I start Fund. March 31st. Good luck!

Cat365 · Mar 20, 2016

This whole thing made me chuckle....you work in a hospital you basically wear pajamas to work and the most comfortable shoes you can find and no one gives a rats ass if you have neatly trimmed facial hair while you are saving their life in real life. [/quote
Im glad someone else sees this point. That was actually one of the weird/hard adjustments I had to make when I started clinicals. The feeling that I was wearing my pajamas in public.
Oh and while it is not a rule I have had to provide five copies of my transcipts to my school so far. Wouldn't you think after the first "official" set they could just look them up?

Btherese · Mar 21, 2016

At my school there aren't restrictions on class attire. If you are giving a presentation you must dress professionally, in lab and clinical you wear scrubs (appropriate, shoes, hair style, ect). Outside of that we weren't restricted. I find that to be ridiculous. Are nurses expected to dress up outside of work? No. I would find it unreasonable to expect me to study all night, wake up to be at class for 8 am and sit in a five hour lecture in uncomfortable clothing. With that said, my professors take clinical attire very seriously. Which makes sense because that's where will we work and need to learn what is safe, professional and appropriate. Although I have been allowed to remove my name tag for only my current clinical in the prison because it states my full name on it (and I have a unique name). Don't need inmates being able to find me.