Dress Code

  

Overview/Rationale

In concordance with the VP&S standards for professionalism, we put forth the following dress code to help maintain a respectful environment in both clinical and non-clinical settings. The purpose of the dress code is to promote our shared principles while outlining professional attire standards as clearly as possible for ease of adherence and understanding by all parties. Physical attire and appearance are critical elements of creating a safe, considerate, and high-quality patient experience. As such, students must do their part to promote such an environment through appropriate physical appearance and hygiene. We also want to recognize that student comfort, well-being, and health is of utmost importance and, thus, we aim for the following guidelines to also be read with this in mind.

Accreditation Standards

LCME Accreditation Standard: 3.5 Learning Environment/Professionalism

A medical school ensures that the learning environment of its medical education program is conducive to the ongoing development of explicit and appropriate professional behaviors in its medical students, faculty, and staff at all locations and is one in which all individuals are treated with respect.

Stakeholders

This policy applies to the medical students in the MD program at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons and their supervisors at various clinical rotations.

  • Students are expected to be clean, well groomed, and dressed in a manner appropriate to their responsibilities.
  • In environments that include contact with patients, the following are not appropriate for the workplace: jeans, overalls, sweatshirts, sweatpants,
  • shorts, leggings, halter or tank tops, non-collared tee shirts, workout clothes, bandanas, caps, baseball hats, or excessive jewelry that has the possibility of having contact with patients. In compliance with OSHA regulations, closed-toed shoes are required in all clinical settings.
  • Nails should be no longer than the fingertips and the applicable institutional policies followed.
  • Recommended acceptable attire: collared shirts, pants, skirts, blouses, sweaters, and dresses; sneakers are also acceptable if clean and presentable. Bottoms must at least long enough to reach fingertips when arms are extended at one’s sides.
  • Students should wear either professional clothing outlined above or scrubs to clinical duties, based on what the clerkship director or clerkship team prefers. If there is no faculty or team preference, students may choose themselves between professional clothing and scrubs.
  • Students should wear white coats at the preference of their clinical team.
  • Name badge and university identification should be visible at all times when seeing patients.
  • Dress outside of settings in which patients are present, such as during exams or in routine morning lecture, small group activity, or didactics during the major clinical year, is informal. When patients are present, however, students must maintain a professional appearance, even if they are not directly involved in their care, including but not limited to around the hospital or in standardized patient interactions.
  • Students must maintain an optimum level of personal hygiene for their health and the health of others in the clinical setting.
  • Only burgundy scrubs may be worn in the operating room. Burgundy scrubs may not be worn outside the hospital under any circumstances, including travel outside between buildings.
  • Scrubs of any color other than burgundy may be worn for anatomy lab.
  • Universal infection control policies must be followed at all times, including clothing, gowning and masking, wearing protective eye wear when exposed to body fluids, and other PPE guidelines as outlined by hospital and CDC guidelines.

These standards for professional dress as a VP&S student may be subject to change based on the specific standards set forth by each individual clinical site (e.g. NYP, Harlem Hospital, the Veteran Health Administration, Stamford Hospital,

Bassett Healthcare and others), clerkship or clinical team. Please contact your individual supervisor or clerkship director with questions regarding clinical attire or in situations in which the dress code is ambiguous.