Students are expected to have an appearance that inspires confidence in oneself and one’s college when interacting with faculty, peers, patients, and the public. All students are expected to maintain personal appearance standards that are expected of our partner organizations, a health care professional, are culturally aware, and that comply with all infection control, legal, and safety requirements.
This policy applies to all students enrolled in any nursing program with the College of Nursing (CON) at Washington State University (all locations and all modalities). Any campus variances will be discussed in this policy. Based on the nature of the learning experience, course faculty, agencies/facilities, or specific units may establish appearance standards in addition to those listed herein.
The faculty of CON, its partner clinical agencies, and the clients it serves expect students to present a professional, well-groomed appearance that reflects the student safety, patient safety, nature of the program, profession, and agency/facility.
Students must comply with the CON’s dress code while attending classes, including while off campus for practicum, community experience, or clinical experience. Clinical agency partners who host WSU nursing students for required training may have additional or more stringent dress code policies that all students must abide by to complete their clinical training. Students must also take daily preventive measures to maintain good personal hygiene.
Students must comply with course directives regarding appropriate clothing, which may include WSU uniform (scrubs), lab coats, and/or professional work attire. Noncompliance with this dress code will be reflected in evaluation and may result in a PIP, dismissal from clinical or didactic experiences, or progression impacts.
Procedure
To meet the goals of this policy, each program within the College of Nursing has a minimum dress code.
- RN-BSN, MN, DNP, PhD Minimum Dress Code: Business Casual
- PL-BSN Minimum Dress Code: See Details Below
- Note – Yakima students of any program are also beholden to additional dress code standards set by PNWU:
Students will, during regular business hours (e.g., PNWU campus Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.), year around, be dressed appropriately with awareness to personal hygiene (e.g., wearing deodorant, remain odor neutral, no fragrances are to be worn), cleanliness, professional demeanor, safety, and professional dress. Modest professional apparel, or scrubs (top and bottom), will be required for all activities in PNWU buildings. In the case of special events, students must adhere to professional dress. Additional dress guidelines are found in each program’s student handbook.
Review, Feedback, and Questions
Students will receive feedback about their grooming and attire from faculty or the program director when appearance does not meet expectations. Questions about specific items of clothing or accessories are to be directed to the supervising faculty for the learning experience.
- For clinical settings, including skills lab and simulation, faculty will review the dress code with students at the beginning of each clinical rotation and/or prior to the student beginning a learning experience at a clinical setting. If exceptions are possible, faculty will provide students with specific details regarding that exception.
- For classroom settings, faculty will reach out to students individually and privately as needed if they are not meeting dress code standards.
Outcomes
- Students with repeated or egregious instances of inappropriate or unprofessional dress will be sent home for more appropriate attire and a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) form will be completed by the course faculty.
Prelicensure BSN (PL-BSN) Dress Code
Effective 08/18/2025, for the beginning of the Fall 2025 semester, all Spokane and Tri-Cities PL-BSN students must adhere to the following dress code. Yakima students already have adhered to the PNWU dress code. Definitions of the various experiences are at the end of this policy.
Students must wear scrubs at all times when participating in College of Nursing learning, including in-person attendance in courses. CON members are required to send students home who are in violation of this dress code. Students will be considered late for classes, simulations, or experiential learning/labs if needed to change makes them late.
Some experiences require the WSU crimson scrubs specifically, whereas others can be used with any set of scrubs. Details are:
- Classroom = solid color scrubs (without prints) of any time, or WSU-issued crimson scrubs
- Clinicals = WSU-issued crimson scrubs only
- Simulation = solid color scrubs (without prints) of any time, or WSU-issued crimson scrubs
- Experiential Learning/Skills laboratory = solid color scrubs (without prints) of any time, or WSU-issued crimson scrubs
- Skills Validations = WSU-issues crimson scrubs only
- Interprofessional Education (IPE) events = solid color scrubs (without prints) of any time, or WSU-issued crimson scrubs
Additional Reminder for Clinicals, Skills Lab, and Simulation:
Hair must be off the collar, pulled back, and secured. Barrettes, ribbons, and other securing devices must be appropriate for a professional environment. Beards are to be clean, neat, and well-trimmed, and follow agency requirements. No head coverings (hats, caps, and other head coverings) – except for religious reasons or worn as part of assigned uniform/scrubs or for health/safety reasons.
Other elements of the PL-BSN dress code include:
- Approved Footwear = Close-toed non-slip nursing shoes only (no crocs or open-toed shoes)
- Approved Jackets = Scrubs Jacket (no hoodies or sweatshirts)
- Adornments = Modest and cannot pose a safety risk for staff or patients. Thought must be given as to whether ring settings may scratch or otherwise injure patients or harbor bacteria. All worn jewelry must be non-dangling and with no sharp or protruding edges (including rings).
- Artificial Nails = Not allowed. Fingernails must be kept trimmed and clean and free of polish or other decoration. Gel nails, Artificial nails, or overlays are not permitted. (restrictions necessary to reduce spread of infection)
- Make-up = Heavy make-up, including bright eye shadow or false facial hair (e.g. eyelashes, beards, eyebrows, and mustaches) is not permitted.
- Jewelry = Jewelry is limited to one watch, one ring or wedding set per hand, and one set of “post” type earrings worn in earlobes. If gauges in ears are present, flat plugs of a solid color can be worn – no tunnels or hangers. Body piercing other than one set of “post” type earrings worn in earlobes, must be removed for clinical and experiential learning settings. Watches with a sweep second hand or LED second readout. If a Smart Watch is used in the clinical setting, notifications must be turned off and the watch must only be used for clinical purposes. Bracelets are not permitted. All worn jewelry must be non-dangling and with no sharp or protruding edges (including rings).
- CON Badges = Students are required to always wear their Nursing Clinical ID Badges while engaging in any learning experience in the Simulation Suite, in the Skills Practice Lab, and during any clinical or practicum (no matter the location or required uniform/dress code).
- ID badges must be attached to clothing using the alligator clip or reels, no lanyards are allowed due to safety hazards. While wearing the scrub jacket or white coat in a clinical setting, nursing students will be expected to verbally identify themselves AS STUDENTS and must assume responsibility to clarify their role to patients.
- The following are not permitted in any learning experience:
- Shirts or attire with political and/or vulgar messaging.
- Visible undergarments.
- Clothing that is ripped/has holes or soiled.
- Sweatpants, yoga pants, leggings, or shorts.
- Low-cut or otherwise revealing clothing (shorts and skirts above midthigh, low-cut blouses, or halter tops,).
- Exposed skin: midriff, torso, breast, or gluteal.
- Head coverings (hats, caps, and other head coverings.) The only exception is if worn as part of assigned uniform/scrubs, for religious reasons, or for health/safety reasons.
- Religious Attire
- Religious dress requirements will be honored to the extent that they do not conflict with the guidelines of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
- All requests to modify the clinical dress code for religious purposes are to be made to the CSE Director.
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Simulation Suite and Skills Practice Lab
- Students will use personal protective equipment (eyewear, masks, gowns, gloves) as appropriate, prescribed by the experiential learning staff.
- Clinical Settings
- Students will use personal protective equipment (eyewear, masks, gowns, gloves) as appropriate for the clinical situation of the patient, setting, and as prescribed by the policy of the agency to which they are assigned.
- It is generally expected that the agency will provide this equipment for students. If this is not possible, CON will provide such equipment as recommended by the agency’s policy.
- Other
- Students participating in community service events or other non-clinical, WSU sanctioned activities will follow the guidelines established by the hosting agency or the WSU representative associated with the event.
- Students, as recognized health care professionals in the student role, are to use established best-practice to mitigate spread of any infectious illness (i.e. stay home when symptomatic of illness, wear masks, wash hands).
- Simulation Suite and Skills Practice Lab
Additional Definitions
Clinical/Practicum Setting
- Term used to reference community settings where students perform clinical training and projects required of their academic progression. Includes both providing direct patient care and non-direct care or project activities.
Clinical
- Term used to describe a structured experience within an agency or in a community, overseen by a WSU faculty who is on the premises, is quickly and easily available, and has assessed the patient prior to the delegation of the duties.
Direct care practice experience
- means a practice experience where there is a licensed RN or ARNP who provides guidance to nursing personnel and evaluation of nursing tasks is on the premises, is quickly and easily available, and has assessed the patient prior to the delegation of the duties. (See WAC 246-840-010)
Experiential Learning
- Term used to encompass learning activities that occur outside of the traditional lecture or didactic setting whereby knowledge is generated through the transformation of experience (e.g. “learning by doing”).
IPE Sessions and Activities
- Learning activities embedded in courses that require nursing students to learn with, from, and about the other health science disciplines that contribute to patient care.
Non-direct care practice experience
- Means a practice experience where the licensed RN or ARNP or other licensed health care professional who provides guidance to nursing personnel and evaluation of nursing tasks is not on the premises but has given either written or oral instructions for the care and treatment of the patient and the patient has been assessed by the registered nurse prior to the delegation of duties. Or that the activities are not in the provision of patient care but are projects completed in the organization/setting. (See WAC 246-840-010)
Practicum
- Term used to describe a structured experience within an agency or in a community, overseen by a preceptor or mentor who has regular contact with an assigned WSU faculty but that faculty is not on premises.
Simulation (Sim Suite) or Skills Lab
- Experiential learning that occurs with WSU faculty practicing skills necessary for the practice of nursing at the level appropriate to the degree program. Maybe scheduled in practice labs at each campus or conducted using technology-supported learning tools.
Approval Tracker
| Policy Title: | Dress Code/Appearance Standards |
|---|---|
| Policy Home: | Academic Affairs, College of Nursing, Spokane |
| Policy Inception Date: | 05/2025 |
| Policy Applicable Party: | College of Nursing Students |
| Responsible Party, Level I: (to create/provide feedback/review) | Academic Affairs |
| Responsible Party, Level II: (to publish) | Academic Affairs |
| Responsible Party, Level III (to implement) | Center for Student Excellence |
