School of Nursing

Uniform and Dress Code Requirements

Nurse in dress code scrubs

Why do we have a professional appearance policy?

The professional appearance policy identifies you as an OHSU student, which contributes to transparency and safety when functioning in the clinical setting. It also serves as a sign of respect for the patient and organization (hospital, clinic, etc.). A nursing student’s appearance is a direct reflection of their attitude regarding the profession of nursing and is thus a reflection on the OHSU School of Nursing program. Consequences for not following appearance requirements may include a student being sent home from clinical, simulation, or skills lab and a possible academic alert. If a student is sent home, they may or may not be able to make up missed clinical hours. The clinical hours' make-up is at the clinical instructor's discretion.

OHSU School of Nursing adheres to OHSU’s Professional Appearance Policy (HC-HR-101-RR). Students will maintain an appearance that is congruent with a professional culture and contributes to the patient, family, visitors, co-workers, and other stakeholders’ experience of an orderly, clean, safe atmosphere for care. Uniforms are required for patient care; students must also comply with each clinical agency's specific requirements noted in the agency’s professional appearance policy. Depending on the academic program, students are required to wear uniforms in the simulation center, which includes the skills lab.

OHSU School of Nursing uniform requirements are:

  • Students wear a scrub top and either pants or a skirt of the approved color (by campus or program), an OHSU ID badge (worn above the heart with an outward facing photo), and a watch with a seconds indicator.
  • Footwear in patient care areas will be shoes with closed toes, closed heels, low heels, and non-skid soles. Leather shoes are preferred, but solid color athletic shoes with discreet trim may be worn. Neutral shoe colors such as white, tan, brown, gray or black are acceptable. Socks or stockings must be worn. 
  • Students are permitted to wear white, black or gray t-shirts or turtlenecks under scrub tops. No other colors are allowed, and no jackets or sweaters that cover up the scrub top are allowed. Scrub jackets in approved scrub color, worn over scrub top, are allowed.
  • The specifications above are the minimum standard, and each campus or program may have additional requirements.

Body Art, Headwear, & Jewelry

  • Visible forms of body art and tattoos appropriate in content and consistent with OHSU policy and Code of Conduct are allowed; tattoos with graphics or wordings that may be considered offensive must be covered.
  • Headwear worn for religious, cultural, or medical purposes must be securely fastened for safety and infection control purposes.
  • Dangling jewelry and loop earrings larger than a dime are not to be worn in direct patient contact areas as they pose a safety risk to the student.

Hygiene

  • Free from pervasive body odors such as smoke or sweat.
  • Hair is clean, dry, neat. Hair, including facial hair, longer than collar length should be pulled back and secured appropriately.
  • OHSU is a fragrance-free facility.
  • Clothing should be clean and without stains.

Most agency professional appearance policies have similar requirements in addition to these specifications. The agency’s policies will be available to you depending on your clinical assignment. Many agencies have additional requirements that limit artificial nails and the use of body fragrances. For all OHSU clinical sites, the professional dress requirements are noted in the professional appearance policy HC-SMM-101-POL Rev. 061522

Students are required to wear a clean pair of scrubs every skills lab, simulation, or clinical occurrence. This may be several days per week. The color of the scrubs will be designated by your campus and program affiliation. Faculty may specify circumstances where professional street clothes may be worn when students are not giving direct care in the clinical agency.