PROFESSIONAL IMAGE - ENHANCED OR INHIBITED BY ATTIRE

Nursing faculty have expressed concern about inappropriate dress of st udents and staff in the clinical setting. The researchers developed an d administered a Likert-type questionnaire to faculty and students fro m 50 randomly selected, National League for Nursing-accredited baccala ureate nursing programs. The perceptions of professional attire of stu dents and faculty were compared and analyzed. The tool assessed effect s of demographic variables, such as age, gender, and curriculum level. In addition, questions assessed subject's opinions about attire optio ns such as jumpsuits, ''scrubs,'' tee-shirts, sweatshirts, hemlines, t raditional white uniform, street clothes, hair length, jewelry, and na il length. Attire preferences significantly correlated with faculty ag e and teaching level. The older faculty preferred more traditional att ire, and faculty in the upper division of the curriculum preferred mor e nontraditional attire. This same correlation was found for older stu dents and for students enrolled in the upper division. Faculty influen ce on students' perceptions of attire was also addressed. Students rep orted that faculty positively influenced their perceptions of professi onal image. Students also believed that faculty were professionally at tired in the classroom and clinical setting. Copyright (C) 1996 by W.B . Saunders Company.