What do you wear to school?

My school did not have a dress code for the didactic portion (unless it was going to be a special day for something, like we were spending it outside or whatever). We did have a dress code for the hospital, which was the hospital dress code for employees. We wore scrubs, hair neat/tied back, and jewelery restrictions, and perfume restrictions. We were allowed to wear whatever footwear we wanted as long as it was within their guidelines (no sandals, no heels, closed toe, and i don't remember what else).

For the internship, we did not all ride with the same company, so we followed whatever the companies rules were at each site. If I remember right, they were pretty much all the same, but some required blue pants and some required black pants. I wore a school logo polo (white), with black EMS pants, and boots.
 
to class royal blue scrubs, on the truck we wore matching service clothes (collard navy blue shirts and khaki pants and black shoes/boots
 
In class we wore a heavy, uncomfortable, icky polo with navy blue pants, boots with steel toe, belt, must have watch, shears and scope on you at ALL times in class. I protested by "forgetting" various parts of the uniform or to tuck in the shirt.

I hated wearing a uniform to class. I thought it was unnnecessary and just plain stupid. I also had to do laundry every other day because they refused to stock my size and the shirts were disgustingly expensive. These were the same uniforms to wear to clinicals. After the first semester they started to look groungy from being worn so much. Which I think is counter productive to Rid's logic.

You want someone to look nice at clinicals, give them a uniform they ONLY wear to clinicals. People are liable to take more pride in the uniform if it's something they only wear on certain occasions. In class you are IN class, not dealing with patients or the general public. If they don't want to dress nicely in class, that's their right. It doesn't effect other's and they are paying for the class.

Why do you need to all look the same to sit in a classroom? Really?
 
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That's why I'm glad our clinical/internship uniform was separate from whatever we wanted to wear to class. Our clinical uniform consisted of a blue polo w/ 'paramedic student' on one side of the chest and our school program's patch on the other side of the chest, black pants (any type), black boots, belt, watch.
 
JPINFV said:
Most of the people I see in my class aren't dressed preppy. The vast majority of people are in t-shirts and shorts or jeans.
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Wait until later on, where the competition starts. For example I can recognize the surgical candidates as they look like they buy all their GQ attire from the same place (Chief of Surgery wears the same) with tassels on their shoes, etc.

I find it funny when they have their own little secret code though. For example long lab coat are only for Senior residents and those with cotton fasteners are for surgery or cardiology fellows, etc..

I am sure each institution is different but as well I have seen other that have their own set of "rules". I know of one physician that was always in trouble because he refused to wear socks and a tie (properly) until the almost cut off his loan and grants for not meeting professional standards. He is a great Doc but a non-conformist, but it does not matter as the old saying goes... When your in Rome...

R/r911
 
I'm just going to my local community college. I just wear jeans and a T-shirt, sometimes shorts on a hot day.

I have been known to come to class in my EMT uniform and gear if I came directly off shift. Until recently, I'd also go in with my shirt's shoulder sporting some baby spit-up that she got me with as I passed her off to to the babysitter.

I guess I'm the dirtbag of the group here. :P

Now, if you're talking clinicals, you have to look professional. White polo, slacks, black shoes... Though most of the hospitals that know you also let you wear your EMT uniform, as they said it seems to actually put the patients at ease that it's not just a student working on you, but someone who "already knows what they are doing."

God, if they only knew. I don't have a freaking clue.

That said, I have yet to wear my gear to a clinical shift unless it's ON an ambulance. If I'm working in the ER, it just doesn't look right to come in with that utility gear and boots. Most of the time, they change me into scrubs anyway, but at least I make the effort.
 
At my basic school, we needed a blue polo tucked into black NON-EMS pants, belt, boots and guys shaved. The medic at tgat school wore a red polo as opposed to blue. Clinicals we wore the sane thing, but wore a white button up shirt with the schools EMS patch.

At my current school, class days we wear a collared short and shorts or pants depending on month. Clinicals we wear black pants and the schools shirt that says paramedic program over the left breast, or scrubs, depending on where we're at.
 
Our class is the same building as the FD and PD as well as a kind of town hall, ticket playing kind of place. Not sure all they do but it's a catch all for the services. We still wear whatever casual clothes we want to wear as long as it's not dirty etc. Every month we have 'professional evaluations' where our clothing and presentation and such is graded and averaged into our overall grade.
 
it seems to actually put the patients at ease that it's not just a student working on you, but someone who "already knows what they are doing."
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in EMT we had to say "Hi I'm so and so, your EMT student". Now that I'm an EMT in medic school, I could tell them that i'm already certified. Should put them at ease long enough to get my first IV attempt! First one is free. After tgat they'll know the truth! :)
 
Ridryder911 said:
I find it funny when they have their own little secret code though. For example long lab coat are only for Senior residents and those with cotton fasteners are for surgery or cardiology fellows, etc..
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Guess I'll have to wait for second to third year to see that. Right now, as a class, we've just made the conversion from "I have to get as high as possible" to "Ehh, 70% is passing, right?" Of course it doesn't help that Western is one of the few schools that isn't on a honors/pass/fail system and instead reports the percentage for each class.
 
My class doesn't have a dress code. I normally just wear jeans or cargo pants and a polo shirt. IMHO, nice enough so that you don't look like some bum, but still not so fancy you can't survive the 3hr class. we have everything from PD uniform (just off her shift), to scrubs, to jeans and a t-shirt, to suits. but for the most part it seems to be whatever they are comfortable in.
 
I wore nothing out of the ordinary for school. Though, there were many times, that, I did wear casual clothing. At that time, I was dating a Chinese-American gal and she had me on a dress code.

I do know, the medic school I will be going to in a year. Does, have a uniform. No big deal, I wear one for work.
 
bunkie said:
If you don't have a dress code, what do you wear to emt/medic school? I'm just wearing presentable jeans/tshirt with runners. But I see a few people in my group that come in wearing slacks, dress shirts and the whole deal. :unsure: I was considering if it was work clothes, but one of them is a soldier, not their uniform and the other two are stay at home parents. Don't know about the others.
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Look like a professional. Dress like that military guy. Get rid of the Jeans and t-shirt. You're welcome.
 
Guardian said:
Look like a professional. Dress like that military guy. Get rid of the Jeans and t-shirt. You're welcome.
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Rational? I firmly believe that by the time you start a medical education at any level, you need to be able to dress yourself when the time comes to dress professionally. Class time should be for teaching, not for making sure that the chairs aren't offended by the touch of comfortable clothing.
 
JPINFV said:
Rational? I firmly believe that by the time you start a medical education at any level, you need to be able to dress yourself when the time comes to dress professionally. Class time should be for teaching, not for making sure that the chairs aren't offended by the touch of comfortable clothing.
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The rational is to create a professional atmosphere. More civility and professionalism creates higher expectations. Students end up working harder and expecting more of themselves and their profession. When new recruits go to Quantico, the FBI stresses that appearance is everything. And appearance is everything. If you take a min to let this simple life lesson and reality sink in, your whole life will change.
 
Guardian said:
Look like a professional. Dress like that military guy. Get rid of the Jeans and t-shirt. You're welcome.
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like I said...Metallica T and blue jeans. It doesn't make you any better of an emt to dress up for class. I do have my uniformed pressed at the cleaners but I dont shine my boots ( I live in the desert shine doesnt last very long).
 
So why don't more medical schools require uniforms for all lectures? I don't think that most student doctors are expecting any less of their profession because we wear jeans and t-shirts to sit in a lecture hall. Is there some fundamental difference between the average college student (undergrad, grad, or professional) and the average paramedic student that I'm missing or am failing to accept? I find it hard to fathom that the average paramedic class is full of people scraped from the bottom of the barrel to the point that they can't even dress correctly and that valuable and limited class time is needed to correct this.
 
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Guardian said:
The rational is to create a professional atmosphere. More civility and professionalism creates higher expectations. Students end up working harder and expecting more of themselves and their profession. When new recruits go to Quantico, the FBI stresses that appearance is everything. And appearance is everything. If you take a min to let this simple life lesson and reality sink in, your whole life will change.
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dressing in uniform for a class instead of wearing something simple is a life lesson? Reality? OK so in "reality" you think that a polo and dress pants will make someone succeed? I had one of the best instructors ever and he was not strict at all. We wore what we want, sat where ever we want, and came to class when ever we want. As long as we studied, did well on our tests, and passed the NREMT. Everyone except one passed the NREMT the first try. The LIFE LESSON to be learned is up to you if you want to succeed. Like I said in my previous posts...I wore a metallica T and a pair of blue jeans. I tell my students that they can wear what ever but not to get mad when they rip it or get it dirty from skills. I am sure they are old enough to make the choice.
 
KillTank said:
dressing in uniform for a class instead of wearing something simple is a life lesson? Reality? OK so in "reality" you think that a polo and dress pants will make someone succeed? I had one of the best instructors ever and he was not strict at all. We wore what we want, sat where ever we want, and came to class when ever we want. As long as we studied, did well on our tests, and passed the NREMT. Everyone except one passed the NREMT the first try. The LIFE LESSON to be learned is up to you if you want to succeed. Like I said in my previous posts...I wore a metallica T and a pair of blue jeans. I tell my students that they can wear what ever but not to get mad when they rip it or get it dirty from skills. I am sure they are old enough to make the choice.
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What kind of message are you sending to your students when you look like you just came from the trailer park?
 
JPINFV said:
So why don't more medical schools require uniforms for all lectures? I don't think that most student doctors are expecting any less of their profession because we wear jeans and t-shirts to sit in a lecture hall. Is there some fundamental difference between the average college student (undergrad, grad, or professional) and the average paramedic student that I'm missing or am failing to accept? I find it hard to fathom that the average paramedic class is full of people scraped from the bottom of the barrel to the point that they can't even dress correctly and that valuable and limited class time is needed to correct this.
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I've noticed just the opposite. The higher students progress through school, the better dressed they are.
 
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