Professional image: enhanced or inhibited by attire?

Nursing faculty have expressed concern about inappropriate dress of students and staff in the clinical setting. The researchers developed and administered a Likert-type questionnaire to faculty and students from 50 randomly selected, National League for Nursing-accredited baccalaureate nursing programs. The perceptions of professional attire of students and faculty were compared and analyzed. The tool assessed effects of demographic variables, such as age, gender, and curriculum level. In addition, questions assessed subject's opinions about attire options such as jumpsuits, "scrubs," tee-shirts, sweatshirts, hemlines, traditional white uniform, street clothes, hair length, jewelry, and nail length. Attire preferences significantly correlated with faculty age and teaching level. The older faculty preferred more traditional attire, and faculty in the upper division of the curriculum preferred more nontraditional attire. This same correlation was found for older students and for students enrolled in the upper division. Faculty influence on students' perceptions of attire was also addressed. Students reported that faculty positively influenced their perceptions of professional image. Students also believed that faculty were professionally attired in the classroom and clinical setting.