The School of Pharmacy has adopted the same policy as other major institutions and is in line with those enforced throughout medical practice by the General Medical Council (GMC) as well as those governed by the principles surround the General Pharmaceutical Councils (GPhC) code of conduct for Students.
Non-verbal communication is at least as important as verbal communication, and so how a student or pharmacist appears to patients, relatives or colleagues means as much as what he or she says. Pharmacists must in professional settings:
- Dress in a manner that adds to, and does not detract from, effective communication.
- They must learn how to listen to patients and their carers and communicate effectively with them in a way they can understand.
As a student professional or a pharmacist appearance is something all students and graduates must consider and respond to. In general, male and female students should be clean and smartly dressed. Thus the following are not permitted in specified compulsory sessions of the program as they are incompatible with effective, sensitive communication:
- Wearing a t-shirt, coat or other clothing item with slogans.
- Baseball hats or other visibly branded head wear.
- Covering most of the face. This is true not only in clinical settings but also throughout the educational elements of the undergraduate programme, which is built around group work with other students and tutors.
- Visible body art.
- Large amounts of body and face jewellery.
- Revealing or figure hugging clothing that may be considered unacceptable by patients.
The convention of some modules may require wearing of white coats or other approved clothing for safety of the individual or patient, or as an aid to communication. Hair should be tied back if it interferes with, or adds risk, to a clinical interaction. Students must be able to participate fully in communication and other skills training, discussion and assessment. As well as adhering to the dress code above, it means being able to interact fully with other students, patients, standardised patients, teachers and examiners of any cultural or ethnic background of either gender.
The program would welcome discussing any specific concerns you may have with regard to our dress code. Why not come on one of the School visits and ask your questions then?