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SALT LAKE CITY -- No more SpongeBob scrubs if you are a nurse or employee of University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics.
A new dress code says no sequins, no frosted eye shadow, no faded corduroy pants, denims skirts, big jewelry or sandals. Officials say the new dress code, which took two years to formulate, is being implemented because they want patients to feel they are in capable hands.
The university also is cracking down on who wears scrubs, saying sometimes patients were never sure who was a nurse and who was a custodian.
Nurses in the emergency department will wear white with red, navy or black bottoms. Pharmacists will wear olive. EMTs and certified nurse assistants will wear red, black or navy. A color-coded chart in each patient's room will help keep track of the color assignments.
The new policy does not apply to the hospital's physicians or medical students.
Hospital spokesman Chris Nelson says a group of employees helped update the dress code.
"The goal is to put patients first. And what I mean by that is we take our professional dress very seriously," he says.
Nelson says about 70 percent of employees like the changes but 30 percent think it's taking away their freedom.
"All of our employees appreciate what we are trying to do, which is putting a professional face on our image," he explains. "No one likes to be told what to wear, so it's definitely a change of culture. But for those who maybe haven't embraced the changes, it is a six-month rollout. We're trying to work with them to show them it's the right thing to do for our patients."
The policy will be fully in effect by July.
E-mail: mrichards@ksl.com
