Medical students insist on wearing formal outfits, and a white coat or a scrub is obligatory for hygienic purposes. Also, it is believed that being a doctor is a very responsible profession; hence, putting on a professional and formal outfit instills a sense of confidence amongst the patients for confiding in their health issues to the former. Furthermore, dressing in the manner mentioned above fortifies the bond between the doctor and the patient as it enkindles trust by putting others at ease. Let us know Do Medical Colleges Have Dress Codes?
Most US-based medical colleges possess a vehemently formal dress code or uniform policy for medical students. Note that it is merely an oral instruction, and no circular is issued for imposing a dress code.
Stanford University
Stanford University School of Medicine students are advised to dress professionally while addressing the patients. They are stated to carry and wear their cleaned and pressed white coats with them all the time. Their white coats must contain their name tags placed so that they are easily visible to everyone.
Colognes, perfumes, and strong scents are forbidden as some patients might experience irritability or allergy from the same. Tattoos must be concealed. Jewelry should either be avoided or minimized. Clothing with rips, tears, and frayed edges needs to be avoided. Also,tight-fitted clothes which do not permit an appropriate range of movement are not permitted either.
Deep-cut blouses or those blouses which reveal the midriff are strictly prohibited. It is guided to opt for button-down shirts and professional tops. It is not recommended to go for tank tops, t-shirts, or tops exhibiting thin straps, jeans, or shorts. Instead, one must wear pants, slacks, khakis, skirts or dresses, and outfits that cover the legs at least up to the knees.
The footwear should not be open-toed, flip-flops, or porous, as the students must work in the dissection halls or the anatomy labs. It is appropriate to wear low or flat heels and shoes.
University Of Alabama
The medical students pursuing medicine at this university are expected to follow standard professional dress. The scrubs should be mandatorily grey in color, neat, clean, and tucked into the pants. A student is allowed to put on a solid-colored round neck t-shirt without a collar under the scrub except during surgery and OB-Gyn rotations.
Shoes should be closed-toed, cleaned with disinfectant wipes, and solid-colored with socks compulsory. Mesh shoes are not entertained. When not on clinical rotations, it is instructed to wear dresses and skirts obviously of a modest length that is they need to be at least mid-thigh when seated. Apart from this, khakis, dress shirts, and round-neck blouses are welcome.
Jeans, leggings, yoga pants, polo shirts, capris, open-toed shoes, fleece jackets, microfleece jackets, pants, or shirts with low necklines are debarred. Use of colognes, perfumes, heavily scented lotions, and fragrances is not allowed. Fingernails must be trimmed and cleaned all the time. Trimmed facial hairs are acceptable. Jewelry or body piercings that may interfere with the patient during communication should be removed during work hours.
Tulane University School Of Medicine
Students admitted to the above university are also denied wearing flip-flops or crocs. They are asked to refrain from clothes that exhibit plunging necklines, cleavages, or undergarments. Shorts, cut-offs, short skirts; holes, draggings or cuffs on trousers or slacks, astonishingly blue jeans; shirts or t-shirts with raising slogans, stains or tears are interdicted.
Skirts covering mid-thighs while seated, professional appearing trousers or slacks of full length, collared shirts for men, and conservative tops or shirts for women are encouraged. Wearing white coats with an ID badge is a must. Fingernails and facial hairs ought to be trimmed, cleaned, and not decorated or painted. Body art should be hidden. Earrings or body piercings should not be bizarre while tongue piercings are completely discouraged.
University Of Florida College Of Medicine
Students are ordered to wear white coats and photo identity badges all the time. Extremely tight shorts, skirts, dresses, tube tops, halter tops, tops with sinking necklines, sports bras, and see-through tops are prevented. Longer shorts, capris-style pants, leggings, jeans, polo shirts with collars, and non-offensive tops are acceptable for classrooms.
Bare midriffs and offensive body art or tattoos should be covered. Fingernails should be trimmed up to the length so that they are not visible from the palmar aspect of the hand. As per OSHA regulations, open-toed shoes are prohibited in laboratories and patient care areas.
Keck School Of Medicine, University Of Southern California
Hairs essentially should be clean and neatly groomed. Facial hairs should also be cleanly shaved, while beards and mustaches should get trimmed neatly. Avoid wearing colognes, perfumes, and after-shave lotions. Fingernails must be clean, trimmed, and nicely manicured. Collared shirts, polo shirts, buttoned-down shirts, and trousers in good condition are permitted.
Blouses, sweaters, skirts, slacks, and dresses that are not tight, sheer, or divulging are allowable. Skirts and dresses should be of an appropriate length to maintain modesty during locomotion. White coats and identity badges are compulsory. Clean, closed-toe, and heel shoes of sufficiently manageable length are sustainable.
Jeans, denim, shorts, mini skirts, sweatpants, pajamas, athletic wear, hats, caps, open-toed shoes, flip-flops, sandals, and slingbacks are proscribed. Midriffs, off-shoulder, spaghetti straps or strapless blouses, torn, wrinkled, uncleaned clothing is not at all permissible.
Conclusion
Several medical colleges have uniforms or dress codes that force a medical student or physician to stick to a conventional clothing pattern. However, across the globe, specific medical colleges permit the students the freedom to express themselves in whichever way they want to. Many medical colleges do not give a set of instructions on outfits. Still, interestingly, they do not allow them to wear what students interpret as appropriate as it might not always be optimal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Why are open-toed shoes not permitted?
- As per the OSHA regulations, it is mentioned that an individual should be strictly prohibited from entering laboratories and patient care areas if found wearing open-toed shoes as they are not suitable for hygienic purposes.
Q. Why can’t I grow and paint my fingernails?
- In medical colleges, one is supposed to inspect the patient through palpation and also visit the anatomy labs for performing dissection. Enlarged fingernails can hurt the patient as well as damage the cadaver, hence it is prohibited.
Q. Can I wear scrubs of any color?
- If there is no specific color code mentioned by the University, you are free to choose any colored scrub except for red as it is said that the red color desensitizes the patient if he/she looks at it for a longer period.
Q. Do medical schools follow a dress code?
- Lots of schools refrain from having a certain dress code although it is instructed to follow a formal dress code while attending classes.
