Guidance for appropriate dress and appearance
Students on placement are ambassadors of the University of Cumbria. The Uniform policy and dress code are to ensure that all Students project a professional appearance, promote public confidence and maintain professional accountability. Students must not travel to and from placement in their uniform. If undertaking a community placement a coat or fleece must be worn to cover the tunic/polo shirt. This will ensure the health, safety and welfare of staff and patients.
Non-compliance with uniform and dress protocol:
In the event that a student is considered to be inappropriately dressed by their supervisor, assessor, educator, placement area staff, Practice Educator Facilitator or University staff member, the student will be given guidance on what action to take, in the event that appropriate adjustments cannot be made the student will be required to leave the placement setting. Any time spent away from a placement setting as a result of inappropriate uniform and/or appearance will be recorded as an authorised absence. The student must then recoup any time missed. The breach of protocol will be recorded by a student’s personal tutor on their placement record.
In the event that a student wears their uniform out of duty hours this will also be classed as a breach of protocol, with a note made on the student’s placement record.
Should a second breach of uniform and dress protocol occur this will be classed as unprofessional conduct which will result in a disciplinary meeting being instigated by the Personal Tutor/University.
Uniforms
Students of the University of Cumbria must wear the uniform provided when working in appropriate practice areas, unless it is the policy of the department / Trust not to do so. In this case, students must follow the appropriate dress code for the individual department / Trust. Students must maintain a professional appearance and wear clothes that are clean, conventionally smart and informal. Students must check with each practice placement as to what “appropriate dress” entails for that particular area. Uniforms provided by the University of Cumbria MUST only be worn when undertaking University practice learning experiences and not for any other purpose including bank work.
External appearance should not cause distress or intimidation to patient, clients, users, carers or relatives. Student uniforms must NOT be worn when not on placement to maintain infection control.
Social Work students: Sudents are not required to wear a uniform, however, they are expected to be at least smart casual in their dress. Views of employers about issues such as body piercing and uncovered tattoos may be more relaxed in some social work placements than they are in medical settings. However, students are expected to have regard to the policy of the agency in which they are placed. They must also have regard to personal safety issues in relation to body piercings.
Students on the following programmes: Midwifery, Nursing (Adult, Child & Mental Health fields only); Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Radiography and Paramedic Practice must purchase the items below prior to commencement of their practice placement. The cost of these purchases must be met by the student.
Black Shoes and Black Socks. Paramedic students will need to purchase ambulance boots.
Black or navy blue Coat. Not essential for Paramedic students, although the ambulance shirt must be covered outside the placement setting by a coat/jacket of some form).
Fob Watch: Essential for Nursing & Midwifery students. Optional for Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Radiography and Paramedic students.
Cardigan: Optional: Nursing & Midwifery students only.
Items supplied by the University
Students will receive the following uniform entitlement: Tunics and Polo shirts are white and embroidered with the University logo plus “Student”.
| Programme | Uniform Provided |
|---|
| Adult and Child Nursing |
5 Tunics and 5 Trousers (Royal Blue) |
| Mental Health Nursing |
4 Tunics and 4 Trousers (Royal Blue) |
| Learning Disabilities Nursing |
3 Tunics and 3 Trousers (Royal Blue) |
| Midwifery |
4 Tunics and 4 Trousers (Black) |
| Occupational Therapy |
3 Tunics or Polo Shirts (must have 1 tunic), 2 Trousers (Green) and 1 Fleece (Green) |
| Physiotherapy |
3 Tunics or Polo Shirts (must have 1 tunic), 2 Trousers (Navy) and 1 Fleece (Navy) |
| Radiography and Healthcare Science |
4 Tunics and 4 Trousers (Black Trousers) |
| Medical Ultrasound |
5 Tunics and 5 Trousers (Black) |
| Paramedic Practice |
2 Polo Shirts (Green), 2 Trousers (Green), 1 Soft Shell jacket (green), 1 high visibility all weather anorak and 1 Safety hat with visor. |
Uniform Exemptions
There will be circumstances where the wearing of all or part of the uniform may cause difficulties to individual students.
Circumstances could include:
- disabled students who are not able to wear the standard uniform
- students who have religious or cultural beliefs which require certain dress**
- students with medical conditions
- students who are pregnant
- transgender students
** It is not possible to wear Islamic face-covering niqabs in the placement setting due to infection control and the need for effective communication.
Students must contact the Placement Unit for help and advice if any of the above circumstances apply.
Additional Uniform Requests
If, for any reason during the course students require extra uniforms this will be at a cost to the individual student. The only exception to this will be maternity wear, for which the University will pay.
Students wishing to purchase additional uniforms can do so by emailing uniformsforstudents@alsico.co.uk to request access to the uniform ordering portal and to check the cost of the items they require. When emailing, please clearly state that you are a University of Cumbria student and the name of the course you are registered on. Failure to do so will result in students not being granted access to either the site or to the appropriate uniform(s).
Please note if you are ordering tunics, polo shirts or a fleece then these will automatically be embroidered and you do not need to add or request this.
Maternity Wear
Maternity wear (tunics and trousers) will be provided by the University, free of charge, as required.
Procedure: The student must inform the Placement Unit on 01524 590816 if maternity wear is required, giving at least 6 weeks notice.
The student will then be asked to give the correct size requirement, e.g. Sizes will be in inches. Failure to do so will mean that the student will be liable for the cost of the uniforms if they do not fit when delivered.
The Placement Unit will then order the uniforms which may take up to six weeks for delivery.Once the uniforms are delivered to the University, the Placement Unit will notify the student that the uniforms are ready for collection.
All maternity wear must be laundered and returned to the Placement Unit prior to the student going on maternity leave.
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Laundering of uniforms
It is the responsibility of students to launder their own uniforms. Please see Insert link to embedded doc
Students must change their uniforms daily and wash them separately from other clothing to prevent cross infection. It is recommended that students purchase extra uniforms to assist with this.
Uniforms must be ironed as this provides additional protection for infection control.
Students should dispose of their own uniforms and not return them to the University. Uniforms should be disposed of in a careful and responsible way. The University logo should be removed from tunics prior to disposal. It is acceptable for uniforms to be donated to other University of Cumbria students who are still on course.
Caring for Your Uniform Garment Advice
Washing instructions are included in all products. Please refer to these for the exact washing instructions for your uniform.
For the best Laundering Results the following is recommend:
- Before wear, wash dark and bright colours separately from whites in cold water or on a cool setting to enhance colour stability.
- To aid colour retention, turn the garment inside out prior to washing
- For best results, the garment should be ironed on the reverse side until all moisture is gone to prevent creasing after ironing cool down. Garments should be aired before folding for storage.
- Synthetics and Cottons can be tumble dried and pressed when slightly damp (Remember- Cotton can shrink if tumble dried to a completely dry state).
- Washer dryers dry at a considerably higher temperature than conventional tumble dryers and therefore the instructions in the manufacturer’s manual must be adhered to. This will avoid damage to the garment.
- Washing powders and liquids containing Chlorine or Bleach cleaning agents should be avoided to prevent deterioration to the colour or construction of the fabric. It is strongly advised that non-biological washing agents are used as biological agents can affect colour stability and cause running or fading.
Difficult Stain Removal:
Blood: Blot with concentrated common starch paste and rinse from the reverse side with mild soapy water.
Ink: Immerse in cold water
Iodine: Treat with cold water followed by methylated spirit
Lipstick: Rub white bread over the area with a firm gentle motion
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