CENTRAL ALABAMA COMMUNITY COLLEGE Division of Nursing and Allied Health Dress Code for Classroom, Skills Lab and Clinical Experiences PURPOSE The purpose of this policy is to provide specific guidelines regarding appropriate dress and appearance of students while in attendance at Central Alabama Community College School of Nursing. Students should be aware that most patients initially assess one s ability to provide quality nursing care by basing their assessment upon one s appearance. Potential employers value a professional appearance and expect students to comply with their standards as well as with the standards set forth by the college. POLICY All students in attendance, as a condition of enrollment, agree to abide by the rules and regulations governing dress. Students violating the Clinical Dress Code Policy will be graded appropriately on the Clinical Evaluation Tool under the objective dealing with adhering to the policies of Central Alabama Community College Nursing Program. If the infraction of the dress code is severe enough (to be determined by the Clinical Instructor after conferring with the primary course instructor), the student may be sent home and receive a grade of zero for the entire clinical day. It will be considered an unexcused absence. GUIDELINES I. SCHOOL DRESS In the interest of maintaining a positive image for the Division of Nursing and Allied Health, students are expected to dress in a neat, attractive manner, which is appropriate for public areas. Clothing should be appropriate, neat, clean, conservative, and in good repair. Clothing must not be disruptive, or distracting to the learning environment. Shoes must be worn at all times. Clothing should be worn in layers as classroom temperatures are not always comfortable for everyone in attendance. II. NURSING SKILLS LAB In order to prepare students for clinical experiences and the required dress code, the following dress code will apply to the Nursing Skills Lab. These requirements meet with regulations established by the Center for Disease Control Department of the United States Government. Garments Garments should reflect a professional image. Garments should have a sleeve length that is no longer than the middle of the forearm and lack decorative detail that could interfere with the maintenance of a sterile field. Students often take on the role of the patient for teaching purposes and their attire should allow for bending, moving and changing positions on a bed,
wheelchair or stretcher. Dresses and skirts should be below knee length. Jeans, trousers, pants and knee length shorts are allowed. SCRUBS ARE RECOMMENDED. Hair Hair should be of the length that it does not interfere with the vision or is in jeopardy of falling over a sterile field. Hair should be secured away from the face in a manner that keeps it from falling over the shoulder and obscuring the face. Accessories should be small in size and subdued in color. Shoes Shoes should be comfortable and supportive, providing a base of support to maintain good body mechanics while performing nursing function. Jewelry Jewelry should be at a minimum and conform to clinical requirements. A plain wedding band and one pair of small stud earrings on the lower lobe of the ear is allowed. A watch with a sweep second hand is required. Fingernails Fingernails should be trimmed to prevent scratching of patients. Clear or pale natural colored nail polish, in good repair, is allowed. Artificial nails, tips, and acrylic overlays are materials that are known to be a medium for bacterial growth and are strictly prohibited. III. CLINICAL UNIFORM Central Alabama Community College School of Nursing has adopted a white school uniform. Pin stripes, in the school colors, are on the sleeve. In addition, the appropriate patch for the student s program is attached to the left front below the collar. Uniforms are available from the college bookstore. There are styles for males as well as females. Pants must be ankle length. Dresses must be at least one inch below the knee. The pantsuit top must be thigh length. Undergarments should be of a color that is not visible under the uniform. Slips and white hosiery must be worn with dress uniforms. Solid white, thin, cotton undershirts with ¾ sleeves may be worn for additional warmth, if needed. White lab coats with ¾ length sleeves, appropriate program patch on the left front, below the collar are also allowed. Uniforms should be free of wrinkles and freshly ironed. Shoes Shoes must be all white supportive leather shoes with a closed heel and toe. Shoes must be clean and in good condition. Heels should be no higher than 1 1/2 inches for safety as well as comfort.
Socks and hosiery White hosiery must be worn with dress uniforms. White full length socks or trouser socks are allowed with pants or trousers. Support hosiery and trouser socks are recommended. Hair Hair must be clean and conservative with regard to style and color. Colors, not natural to human beings such as pink and blue, are not acceptable. Hair must be secured away from the face in a manner that will not interfere with vision, patient care or contaminate a sterile field.. If worn, sideburns, beards, and mustaches must be neat, trimmed, and of conservative length. Otherwise, males are expected to be freshly shaven. Hair accessories should be small in size and subdued in color. Fingernails Fingernails should be trimmed to prevent scratching of patients. Artificial nails, tips and acrylic overlays are materials that are known to be a medium for bacterial growth and are strictly prohibited. Makeup Makeup, if worn, should enhance the student s professional attire. Subtle makeup is acceptable for the professional student. Perfumes, After-shaves, Colognes and scented personal care products These scented products often cause allergic responses in patients with respiratory conditions. For this reason, scented products are prohibited. Nametags Student CACC nametags are to be worn at all times while in the clinical facilities unless directed otherwise by the instructor or appropriate faculty personnel. Nametags are to be worn on the upper left chest. The nametag is to be worn so that the name and picture can be seen at all times. Jewelry If jewelry is worn it should be conservative in keeping with the professional attire. Jewelry of simple design is allowed but should be limited to a wedding band and one small stud per ear worn on the lower ear lobe. Earrings can be silver, gold, pearl, or diamond. Bold color earrings are not allowed. All students must wear a wristwatch with a second hand. Medic alert bracelets may be worn. Body Piercing and Tattoos Visible pierced jewelry must be removed (except for one small stud earring on the lower earlobe) during clinicals. Visible tattoos must be covered in the clinical setting.
Hygiene and Appearance Every student is held accountable for his/her personal hygiene and attire. Students should bath daily. Cell phones/pdas or other electronic devices Some facilities do not allow cell phones etc. Students must abide by the facility policy. Otherwise, cell phones must not be used as a communication device during clinicals. Students may use them on their designated breaks in the appropriate areas. Students should advise their clinical instructor if they are using a PDA, etc. for the purpose of research in the clinical area prior to its utilization. Dress Code ALTERNATE CLINICAL SITES Often students are assigned clinical opportunities outside of a hospital setting. It will be appropriate for the student to wear a designated alternate uniform. These include the CACC Nursing shirts (navy long or short sleeve polo style or the long sleeve oxford- NOT Tee Shirts) sold as fund raisers by the CACC ANS. Similar shirts are available in the college bookstore. Khaki or Navy trousers/pants are also worn. Lab coats with the program appropriate patch on the upper left side, below the collar may be used. The instructor for the activity will announce the appropriate attire. The student will always be professional in appearance and strive to maintain the professional image of the college. MISCELLANEOUS When students are in an affiliating clinical facility, the students will abide by the dress code of the facility. Occasionally, hospital provided scrubs will be signed out to the student for wearing in specialty areas (surgery). These must be returned to the facility prior to leaving. Head and shoe coverings, masks, gown, goggles, and scrubs must be worn in special situations and designated areas. Masks are not to be worn outside designated areas. In some situations, scrubs may be covered by the lab coat when going to the cafeteria. CACC s student uniforms, lab coats, and nametags are to be worn only when the student is on clinicals. Students cannot wear the uniform for employment purposes. Students cannot wear the school uniform into any agency unless currently assigned to that agency. Chewing gum is prohibited in the clinical areas. Smoking and the use of tobacco products is not permitted at smokefree/tobacco-free campuses. If tobacco use by employees is permitted at the clinical site, students who use these products must use them in the designated areas, during breaks.
Students should carry a small note pad and pens to the clinical area. Valuables should not be brought to the clinical area. Textbooks, research materials, personal bags, stethoscopes and blood pressure cuffs should be clearly labeled. REMINDER: Just because something is sold by a uniform company it does not guarantee that it is appropriate to wear as a student at CACC. Students must abide by CACC s policy on alcoholic beverages and illegal drugs as it appears in the Student Handbook section of the Catalog. Students may be sent for drug screening when suspicious behavior is exhibited. The Director of the Nursing Program must be notified. BREAKS Students will receive a 30-minute lunch break for clinicals lasting 7 hours or longer as designated by the instructor. Students will also be allowed one 15- minute break during a seven-nine hour shift. Breaks during the 6-hour clinicals will be at the discretion of the instructor. If a 15-minute break is given then the clinical hours are to be extended by 15 minutes. The maximum time for a break shall be 15 minutes. All students must remain on the hospital premises for breaks, including meals, unless no meals are provided. The clinical instructor must give permission to leave the premises. ***Any diversion from the dress policy will be at the discretion of the instructor/program director with approval by the Director, Division of Nursing and Allied Health. If in the judgment of the clinical instructor/program director any of the above criteria are not met, the nursing student may be asked to leave the clinical area. The clinical instructor/program director will notify the Director of Nursing and Allied Health of such occurrences. Revised 10/5/98, 3/01, 7/05, 8/07, 12/09