Standards for Professional Dress and Classroom Behavior
FCOP Student pharmacists are expected to adhere to a professional dress code while at the FCOP and attending patient care events. Student pharmacists are representing themselves, their peers, the FCOP, and the profession of pharmacy and should behave appropriately and dress in a professional manner at all times. Students reporting to the classroom or FCOP related activities in violation of established dress codes should expect to receive a verbal and/or written warning or asked to change clothes at the discretion of the faculty member. The student will not receive credit for classroom activities that occur during their absence. Violations will be reported to the FCOP Office of Academic Affairs.
Failure to comply with the Professional Dress and Classroom Behavior rules will be considered a violation Honor Code Policy and may result in disciplinary action. Students with concerns relating to the professional dress policy for cultural and/or religious reasons should contact the FCOP Office of Academic Affairs for guidance.
Professional Dress and Classroom Behavior
The general requirements are outlined below for classroom (including exams/assessments) and FCOP activities.
- The general dress code for classroom activities is business casual. Examples include: collared shirts, blouses, sweaters, slacks, khaki/chino pants, cropped/Capri length pants, or skirts/dresses. Clothing that is not allowed includes: jeans (any color), shorts, athletic wear, pajama wear/sweatpants, flip-flops, shoes with visible sections for each toe (e.g. vibrams), athletic shoes, and hospital scrubs (if required by the current IPPE/APPE). If scrubs are worn, these should be professional in color and size. No bare midriffs are allowed. Undergarments should be adequately covered by outer clothing and should not be visible through clothing. Clothing should not be provocative or contain obscene or offensive language/pictures. Hats and caps are not allowed during classroom activities.
Alternate dress, i.e. official FCOP scrubs, may be worn for approved activities. Several FCOP courses/activities, such as the compounding class sessions, physical assessment class sessions, and research lab experiences may have specific dress requirements. These requirements will be described in the course syllabi. For these situations, students may wear classroom dress or the official FCOP scrubs with closed-toed shoes; appropriate athletic shoes may be worn with scrubs. Students may maintain that level of dress for other classroom activities that day.
The FCOP may approve casual dress days: On specific dates, students may be allowed to wear jeans and t-shirts. However, clothing should not be provocative, ripped, contain obscene/offensive language, and should adequately cover and conceal the midriff and undergarments.
- All students must maintain good personal hygiene (cleanliness, body odor, etc.) at all times: Nails should be kept clean and well-manicured and at a length not to interfere with duties of a pharmacist. Facial hair, hair color, and style should be kept conservative and in a manner that presents a professional image. Cologne and perfume should be kept to a minimum or not used at all. Earrings and jewelry should be worn in a professional manner. In the classroom, body art and tattoos that may be considered offensive should be covered. Other body modifications (piercings and gauges) may be allowed if they are not distracting.
- Classroom demeanor should be respectful of the learning environment: Students should limit activities that are distracting to others and potential inhibit their learning. Students disrupting the learning environment may be asked to leave the classroom. The use of the technology in the classroom is designed to facilitate learning and not for personal use. Cellular phones should be silenced (or on vibrate), unless permitted by the instructor, so they do not disturb others in the classroom and interfere with learning. Use of approved electronic devices should be limited to classroom-related activities. Students who are disrupting the learning environment may be asked to leave the classroom. Repeated violations may result in FCOP disciplinary action. The use of headphones, ear buds, noise cancelling headsets, and programmable calculators are prohibited. Exceptions to the use of these devices may be authorized by the course coordinator/instructor.
- Students participating in patient care related extracurricular activities that involve patient care should consider the venue and the purpose of the event when deciding on clothing. For example, a health-screening event held at a hospital would lend itself to dress described in Standards for Professional Dress for Experiential Learning. For students educating elementary students at an asthma camp, more casual clothing such as a FCOP or UT Tyler T-shirt may be appropriate. Your faculty advisor can help determine the appropriate dress for an event. For events involving immunizations and/or blood, a white lab coat is required to be consistent with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations. FCOP nametags should be worn at all patient care events and university related extracurricular events/activities.
Professional Dress in Experiential Learning
Please see the Pharmacy and Patient Care Experiences in the FCOP Section of this catalog.