EMT-B class-what to wear?

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J-Me

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I am starting my EMT-Basic course in a week and a half, and I am wondering what to wear? The dress code says black pants (not jeans or dress pants) black shoes, and a white polo shirt. I dont know what kind of pants or shoes to get? Any suggestions would be great. Thank you!
 
J-Me said:
I am starting my EMT-Basic course in a week and a half, and I am wondering what to wear? The dress code says black pants (not jeans or dress pants) black shoes, and a white polo shirt. I dont know what kind of pants or shoes to get? Any suggestions would be great. Thank you!
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Go to Target and get some black khaki pants. They sell the Merona brand ones for $20-$30. Or if you want nicer ones you could go to any department store. For shoes it doesn't sound like they are too picky. I'd imagine that any black casual shoe would work. Something by Sketchers would probably be ok. You may want to call/email them and see if they have any suggestions since these will be the clothes you wear on your ride along.
 
First, good luck on your class and I hope you enjoy starting out in EMS. As for your question: I'd talk to the instructor and see if they have a rule against BDUs (some don't like them, as mine didn't). If not, get a pair of good BDUs and some good boots. Personally I prefer Magnum side zips but go with whatever you can afford and find comfortable.
 
The classes taught here require black BDU's, black polo shirt, black steel toe boots
 
crazycajun said:
The classes taught here require black BDU's, black polo shirt, black steel toe boots
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Must suck in the summer. Mine only required black pants, white shirt (either polo or button down without and logos), and black boots for clinical rotations. Classes were just "appropriate classroom attire" which was essentially shirt, shorts, sandals or sneakers.
 
Depends on your classroom setting. The EMT course I went to was at a Military Like Academy.

Black boots, Provided T Shirts, Black/Blue BDU's, Black Belt. Shirt tucked in. Clean Shaved. Women and Men with long hair had to have their hair up.
 
I guess I was lucky. There was no dress code at mine. We only had to dress for the Hospital and Ride time (obviously). I don't know if you learn better or not that way, but it was nice not having to wake up at 7 three days a week to put on boots, khakis/BDU, and stuff.

I guess have it even more lucky because I don't really have to dress for first aid calls here either. Only for stand-bys.
 
We have a dress code at our community college for the EMS programs.

Blue EMS pants with safety reflective stripes (Aspen Mills)
Blue polo with school name embroidered on chest
Black boots
Name tag

Students are required to wear the uniform for every class as well as hospital and ambulance ride time.
 
traumaluv2011 said:
I guess I was lucky. There was no dress code at mine. We only had to dress for the Hospital and Ride time (obviously). I don't know if you learn better or not that way, but it was nice not having to wake up at 7 three days a week to put on boots, khakis/BDU, and stuff.

I guess have it even more lucky because I don't really have to dress for first aid calls here either. Only for stand-bys.
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Pretty much this. Programs who's admission standards are so low that they have to play dress up with their students shouldn't be in business.
 
In my EMT class we had to dress appropriately for class, but clinicals required an expensive embroidered polo shirt that I only wore once. Waste of money.

Medic school required class B uniforms for all clinical and ride time. No dress code for class. Thank god.


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- Sent from my iPhone.
 
I can't speak for 100% certainty, but at the local school #1, embroidered polos, black BDUs, black socks and boots. At local school #2, EMT students wear shirts that have the name of the school on the front and EMS on the back, Paramedic students have MEDIC on the back, black BDUs and boots as well.
 
JPINFV said:
Pretty much this. Programs who's admission standards are so low that they have to play dress up with their students shouldn't be in business.
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I couldn't disagree more. Coming from an instructor (not EMT instructor) point of view there is a big difference between students who are in uniform and students who are not. From my experience students in uniform tend to behave in a more professional manner. Also in a profession where people wear uniforms I think it's a good idea to get students into that mindset. In my area there are multiple EMT schools who are all clamoring for time with hospitals and ambulance companies. When students show up late, not dressed properly, rude, ect either at a hospital or ambulance company it reflects poorly on the school. This results in the school dealing with the possibility of those agencies not taking it's students for clinical time and ambulance rides. Forced uniforms is the beginning to drilling into students mind the importance of professionalism.
 
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nwhitney said:
I couldn't disagree more. Coming from an instructor (not EMT instructor) point of view there is a big difference between students who are in uniform and students who are not. From my experience students in uniform tend to behave in a more professional manner. Also in a profession where people wear uniforms I think it's a good idea to get students into that mindset.
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Yet how many professional grad schools (e.g. medical schools, etc) do not require a uniform to sit in a lecture? Is there simply a fundamental difference between students in grad level professional programs and technical programs?


In my area there are multiple EMT schools who are all clamoring for time with hospitals and ambulance companies. When students show up late, not dressed properly, rude, ect either at a hospital or ambulance company it reflects poorly on the school. This results in the school dealing with the possibility of those agencies not taking it's students for clinical time and ambulance rides. Forced uniforms is the beginning to drilling into students mind the importance of professionalism.
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I simply don't see the connection between the clothes someone wears sitting in a classroom and whether they are rude to patients and preceptors or not. If I wanted to be rude, I can be rude in t-shirt and jeans or in dress clothes and a white coat.
 
We didn't have a dress code for EMT-B or Medic class. We had to wear blue BDU type pants, steel toes, and a school shirt for ride time. And school issued scrubs for hospital time.
 
J-Me said:
I am starting my EMT-Basic course in a week and a half, and I am wondering what to wear? The dress code says black pants (not jeans or dress pants) black shoes, and a white polo shirt. I dont know what kind of pants or shoes to get? Any suggestions would be great. Thank you!
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is this for class or clinicals, no brainer for clinicals but in class you should be able to wear whatever you want, i would think
 
In my class we were allowed to wear whatever we wanted as long as it wasn't to revealing. When we did our ride time we had to wear BDU pants(either blue or black), boots, and a solid gray,black, or navy blue shirt(since we never received our shirts, stethoscopes, or BP cuff.
 
I went through a school with no dress code unless it was clinical time or ride-along time. I dont think i recieved a lesser eduation becuase of it.

Get a good and comfortable pair of red wing boots. They condition them for you free for life, and they have lasted me a long time.
 
Heres the uniform we got provided by our college, maroon polo shirt and dark navy BDU's:
(And yes, I was busy studying at the time...the intricacies of a hospital beds workings)

studying.jpg
 
JPINFV said:
Yet how many professional grad schools (e.g. medical schools, etc) do not require a uniform to sit in a lecture? Is there simply a fundamental difference between students in grad level professional programs and technical programs?




I simply don't see the connection between the clothes someone wears sitting in a classroom and whether they are rude to patients and preceptors or not. If I wanted to be rude, I can be rude in t-shirt and jeans or in dress clothes and a white coat.
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Honestly I completely disagree. At our school EMTs wear gray polos with "EMT" and the school name on the back, Medics shirts are burgandy polos with "Paramedic" and the school name also. Everyone wears blue BDUs and Boots. I tihknk that uniforms make a huge difference, even though its just clothes, it puts everyone on an even platform on the first day of class. As far as the whole profesionalism thing, I think it does help, yes graduate schools don't require uniforms in class but neither do Doctors have a specific "uniform" once they get out in the field.
 
yes graduate schools don't require uniforms in class but neither do Doctors have a specific "uniform" once they get out in the field.
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Given the broad range of "uniforms" in EMS, I would not say we really do either. Having 15 years of experience in hospitals, I would say that the variation among docs and other professionals is far than what we see in the ranks of EMS which is, for the most part, filled with rank amateurs.

Honestly, what is NOT worn to class is far more important than what is. If a student comes to lecture with his trauma shears, flashlight, personal pair of the Jaws of Life or an AED in a fanny pack or wearing anything emblazoned with a Maltese Cross or Star of Life or anything else along those lines, I tend to pay less attention to him. Usually just about the same amount to anyone else I believe to be delusional and potentially dangerous to himself or others.
 
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