Dress and Attendance

Clinical and Community Experiences

Dress

CCE assignments are in a variety of settings, but there are some basic guidelines to follow:

• A clinic-based CCE typically requires a short, white lab coat and Heritage College student identification badge. Please read the individual health systems information for instructions or exceptions for attire.
• Community agency sites prefer that students wear an identification badge but NO white coat and NO stethoscope. Please read the individual agency information for instructions or exceptions for attire.
• Professional clothing and maintenance of optimal personal hygiene are mandatory. Clothing should allow for appropriate range of movement and should not be flashy or draw attention. Clothing should not have rips, tears or frayed edges. 
  • Professional or dress shirts are appropriate. Button-down shirts and blouses, with or without ties, are acceptable, and low-cut necklines should be avoided. 
  • Do not expose your midriff. Tank tops, t-shirts, thin or spaghetti straps or cut-out shoulder styles are not appropriate.
  • Pants, slacks, khakis, skirts or dresses of modest length (at or below the knee) are appropriate. Jeans and shorts are prohibited. 
  • Dress shoes, low heels, or flats should be worn. Avoid open-toes shoes, flip flops, tennis shoes or porous shoes. 
  • Perfume or cologne should be minimally evident. Tattoos should be covered, and jewelry should be minimal and understated. 
  • Facial piercings (eyebrow, lip, tongue, nose, etc.) are not appropriate.
  • Student must keep their hair away from face and working fields.
  • Hair color must be of a natural hair color. 
  • Artificial nails are not permitted. The length of natural nails must be less than 1/4 inch. 
• Failure to comply with the dress code may result in a deficient or marginal score for that particular experience. Preceptors have the right to cancel experiences based on inappropriate dress and appearance.
• Every student must wear a personal face mask that fully covers the nose and mouth at all times. Students are responsible to obtain their own mask and keep it clean. A cloth mask is the minimum expectation, but students shall comply with individual facility guidelines and protocols.
• Students are strongly encouraged to report complaints of discrimination pertaining to dress at a CCE to the CCE coordinator as soon as possible.

Attendance

• Attendance is mandatory. Failure to keep scheduled assignments jeopardizes the CCE program and the student's grade. 
• An absence request should be completed by the student for any absence
• Only a documented emergency will result in an excused absence.
• A student who does not have a documented emergency and misses a CCE experience will receive an unexcused absence, which can result in a professionalism violation.
• It is the student’s responsibility to notify the preceptor/site and CCE coordinator in a timely manner for all absences.
• All absences must be rescheduled and completed before the end of the term; failure to do so will result in an Incomplete (I) for the course. The CCE coordinator will reschedule the experience and notify both the preceptor and the medical student of the rescheduled event.
• Make-up CCEs may be assigned during weekend or evening hours. If an experience is missed, it must be made up with the same or similar experience.