Dress Code

Because appropriate visual perceptions are important as they influence how others and patients perceive your abilities, the following dress code will be enforced at all times. 

• Dress codes may change during the year if a clinical site changes policy. Students always follow the clinical facility policies as well as the Parkland College and program policy.
• Dress code policies as related to clinical are also standards that are to be followed for aseptic techniques and patient safety.
• Dress code will be followed according to AORN standards, CDC guidelines, and OSHA recommendations, and as per hospital facility policy. 

1. No gum chewing is allowed in the mock operating room and at clinical.
2. Street clothes must not be visible if wearing these under the scrubs.
3. Contact lenses: some chemicals in surgery may react with contact lenses. only natural color and design contact lenses are allowed.
4. Visible body piercing is not allowed during lab or at clinical. Tongue piercing is not allowed during lab or at clinical. Tongue jewelry must be removed.
5. Jewelry, including earrings, are not allowed in lab or at clinical.
6. The college and clinical facilities are not responsible for the loss of jewelry. It is recommended to not wear any jewelry that must be removed for lab or clinical.
7. Personal hygiene must be impeccable. Body odor can't be tolerated by patients and coworkers in the surgical setting. A surgical patient's sense of smell is exaggerated with the administration of medications and strong odors may cause nausea in the medicated patient. All students should wear deodorant at all times. 
8. Shoes should be mostly white and thick soled. Canvas shoes, white non-leather on the top or sandals cannot be worn.
9. Nails: Absolutely no false nails. Nails must be polish free. Nails are to be kept short, trimmed and clean. the nail should not be allowed to grow out past the end of the finger.
10. Hair must be clean. only naturally occurring colors allowed.
11. Make up-is allowed in minimal amounts and neutral colors. Program facility will determine if the amount of makeup is appropriate.
12. Beards and mustaches should be kept neat and trimmed. Growing a beard during clinical is not advisable. If you would like to grow a beard, it should be done during break to maintain proper appearance during clinical. Faces must be clean shaven each day of clinical. Unshaved faces and/or beards must be completely covered with a hood when in the mock operating room or at clinical.
13. Fluid retardant gowns, double gloves and eye protection must be worn at all times when at the sterile field. The eye wear must include protective side guards and a mask/eye wear combination.
14. Two pairs of gloves must be worn at all times when in the scrub role. Your clinical instructor will notify you of exceptions (myringotomy, eye surgery).
15. Students must wear scrubs for all mock operating room/lab sessions of this course. In addition, shoe covers and hats must be worn when entering any semi-restricted area.
16. Students must wear a white button down lab coat (buttoned) down to the knees when leaving the operating room area. Examples are when going to lunch or when transporting a patient outside of the operating room. The lab coat must have a Parkland College Health Professions student patch and should be secured with thread and not pins or tape. The student must purchase a new name pins from the instructor if it gets lost.
17. Attire for arriving and leaving clinical should be casual but clean and with the following limits. Short shorts, torn jeans, any shirt that would show too much cleavage or the stomach, tank-tops, T-shirts with writing or logos, sweat pants or torn jeans will not be allowed. Nice jeans or slacks and shirts or nice work out wear and tennis shoes is appropriate. If the clinical facility has a separate dress code, the student will follow the specifics of the more restrictive policy. You represent the college and at any time the instructor feels like your dress is inappropriate, you will be notified and asked not to wear that outfit again.
18. The required shoes for clinical must be worn and must be kept in the locker at the clinical facility. Hose or socks are required. Support hose in recommended.
19. Underwear must be worn (including bras for female students) and must not be visible through the scrubs.
20. Street clothes may not be worn underneath scrubs unless these are not at all visible.
21. Students must have a Parkland College identification card as well as a hospital identification card for each clinical site you will attend. It is the student's responsibility to obtain picture identification cards.
22. Surgical gowns must be large enough to entirely cover the scrubs in the back. The program will purchase appropriately sized gowns for lab practice.
23. Surgical mask will always be worn in restricted areas. Masks should be on or off and not hanging around the neck. Masks should be changed after every case.
24. Students that do not comply with the dress code will be sent home and the time will be deducted from the student's grade. Any exams missed will be scored as a zero.