Is There a Dress Code for Healthcare Professionals?

Get to know your workplace dress code! Regardless of where you work or what you do, there are always varying forms of guidelines in place regarding your professional appearance. Professionalism can go a long way, especially first impressions, and it’s vital to align your apparel to your career path.

Although every workplace ranges from strict to lenient regulations, healthcare professionals typically have a set of standard rules. Here are some tips on your dress code for healthcare professionals to set you up for success!

Are You Allowed to Wear Logos and Brands?

Unlike daily casual wear, your clothing attire when working in a healthcare environment should be mainly free from logos and branding. Meaning, rather than a designer t-shirt or a sport’s team sweatshirt under your white coat, opt out for any solid colors without detailed branding. By wearing specific brands, you provide the opportunity to tie yourself with certain opinions and values, allowing a coworker's and a patient's perception to assume characteristics about you. Avoiding large logos helps to keep you bipartisan so that you and your patients can experience a neutral and unbiased relationship.

But this doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your individuality! Small details go a long way — add enamel pins to your jacket or wear colorful, cute, and protective compression socks to embrace your style. This way, you can remain within dress code guidelines while still letting your personality shine through.

Are Healthcare Workers Allowed to Wear Colors?

Some healthcare establishments’ guidelines limit the amount of color their employees wear, especially in nursing school. For instance, most nursing school students are required to wear all white nursing shoes, which are long-standing symbols of cleanliness and professionalism in the healthcare industry. However, in recent years nursing shoes for women and nursing shoes for men have evolved to showcase healthcare workers’ personality and personal style while still meeting the necessary safety guidelines. 

Why Do Nurses Wear White Shoes?

Traditionally, wearing white shoes was a measure and testament to a nurse’s cleanliness ­— the stains and spills don’t lie! The tradition is kept to this day because of its history and to keep a consistent rule of uniformity. Clove designs all white nursing shoes for men and women that are easy to clean with any hospital wipe to make abiding by regulations simple, while staying comfortable for 12 hour shifts.

However, not all healthcare establishments have strict rules against the use of color in your uniform. Along with your compression socks, you can step into supportive Clove sneakers that come in many different colors for each personality! Clove’s shoes for healthcare workers come in five core colors, and they run limited edition launches with exciting new colors for those searching for more unique options. The best part is that they’re wipeable to keep you fluid and stain resistant — wipe off any unwanted spills after every shift.

What’s the Proper Fit for Healthcare Workers and Nursing Uniforms?

The fit of your scrubs and nursing uniforms in healthcare is crucial to make your workplace performance seamless; the key is to keep your clothing fitted just right. Although it’s acceptable to wear a bit loose-fitting scrubs, it should not be loose enough to the point where you may look like you are in casual attire or are too comfortable, laid-back, and even worse, sloppy. Oversized clothing can also become a hazard when coming into contact with certain machines, or you could trip on the excess fabric when running from one patient to another. Similarly, clothing shouldn’t be too tight to the extent it impedes your movement and your ability to care for your patients.

Why No Strong Smells?

Each person varies in their sensitivity to smell. In any workplace, the best code of conduct is to avoid wearing heavy perfumes and fragrances. For the healthcare industry in specific, strong scents can irritate patients and possibly make their conditions even worse.

Because of the possible outcomes, many institutions don’t allow healthcare workers to wear perfumes or fragrances in the first place, even going as far as to ban strongly scented detergents. The ultimate conclusion is to refrain from perfumes when on shift!

What are the Most Comfortable Sneakers for Healthcare Workers?

When you’re actively standing, running, and attending to patients for 12 hours a day, footwear comfort is non-negotiable. Sneakers for healthcare workers need to be designed so that you can be empowered and supported throughout your entire shift — from feeling like you’re walking on clouds to liquid-resistant composition. Clove creates sneakers for healthcare workers that are comfortable, easy to clean, and slips on in seconds with a grippy, rubber sole for any shift.

Clove shoes are not only designed for comfort and support, but our versatile styles and range of colorful men’s and colorful women’s sneakers are a popular choice for many healthcare professionals because they also perfectly complement a scrub or uniform with their sleek and professional appearance. 

Are Clove Shoes Durable?

When caring for patients, you’re constantly finding stains and spills on your scrubs all throughout the day, and the same goes for your shoes. Wearing cloth or mesh sneakers as a healthcare worker isn’t recommended because they can easily soak up the stains you step into during your shift. Before you know it, your brand new shoes are covered in unknown, unwanted liquids that aren’t coming out in the wash. Clove’s sneakers on the other hand are unafraid of fluids. The liquid-resistant design lets you wipe off stains with any wipe that you use in the hospital, and the insoles are machine washable to keep them fresh! Plus, Clove sneakers are made to endure, so you won’t be having to buy a new pair every few weeks.

While your dress code for healthcare professionals changes depending on which healthcare institution you work in, these are some of the consistencies across the board. Clove’s compression socks and sneakers are made to align with your guidelines and needs as a healthcare professional — contact us with any questions, and thank you for supporting us as we support you! Shop all Clove shoes for men and shoes for women.