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Hospital doesn’t want its nurses wearing SpongeBob scrubs

No denim skirts. No faded corduroy pants. No sequined tops, no baggy tops, no hoop earrings larger than 1.5 inches in diameter. No frosted eye shadow.

When the University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics adopted a new dress code for its 7,000 employees this year, it opted for conservative and very specific. The policy will be fully in effect by July.

The idea, says CEO David Entwistle, is to provide an environment in which patients feel confident that they’re in capable hands.

“It’s a reflection that we take our job seriously,” says hospital spokesman Chris Nelson. “It’s hard to keep that faith in your care provider if the nurse is wearing SpongeBob SquarePants scrubs.” Also considered “not professional”: hoodies, fleece vests, flannel, sandals, more than two rings per hand, pleats that don’t lay flat.

On the list of acceptable dress: conservative, classic, modest, tailored — cardigan sweater sets.

The specifics of the new policy, which took two years to hammer out, came from a team of employees, not from hospital administrators, says Nelson. But the need for specificity was requested by managers who felt the old policy was vague and inconsistently enforced.

So now all nurses will wear white, with red, navy or black bottoms. Pharmacists in the emergency department will wear olive. EMTs and certified nurse assistants will wear red, black or navy, and there will be a color-coded chart in each patient’s room to keep score.

The new policy does not apply to the U.’s physicians or medical students.

Source: Deseret News

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