Title: 02.02.004-Student Dress and Hygiene

Policy Number: 02.02.004

Policy Title: Student Dress and Hygiene

Status: Active

Policy:

This policy applies to students while participating in official school-related activities which include Skills Labs, clinical/field experiences, Capstone experiences, meetings with clinical providers or employers, etc.

Uniform
Students are required to wear an Axon student uniform and ID badge during Skills Labs and while completing clinical and field internship rotations. Specific uniform requirements and the link to purchase the Axon student uniform polo may be found at https://texasemsschool.com/students/student-uniforms/.

Upon arrival to a student’s first Skills Lab, Axon will provide them with both an Axon/Texas EMS School patch and their student Photo/ID Badge. Students must wear the Axon/Texas EMS School uniform with all appropriate patches and the student's Photo ID/Badge for all Skills Labs and clinical/field experiences. Students will be given only one patch. Should they misplace or lose their patch, they will be required to pay a $20 handling fee in order to receive a secondary patch.

Students Affiliated with an Axon Training Partner (This may include Fire Departments, Emergency Services Districts, and other 911 Providers officially recognized as an Axon Training Partner) may adhere to the following uniform exceptions when appropriate:

Skills Labs: Students may wear their home service’s uniform to Skills Labs.
Clinical/Field Experience with HOME Service/Department: Students may wear their home service’s uniform with the appropriate Axon/Texas EMS School student Photo ID/Badge.
Clinical/Field Experience away from the student’s home service or department: Students must wear the Axon/Texas EMS School uniform with all appropriate patches and the student's Photo ID/Badge.

Hygiene and Grooming
Students are expected to have a natural hair color. The student's hair may be dyed as long as the resulting color is considered a natural hair color. Students with facial hair must be clean-shaven except for a mustache and/or goatee beard. The institutional preference is that any student attending a clinical/field experience be clean-shaven with no mustache or beard, as this is the standard expectation at field sites operated as a part of a fire department. In rare instances, a student may gain approval to participate in clinical/field experiences with additional facial hair, but only if the student obtains faculty-approval in advance of the experience, and the site does not have a policy against facial hair.
Students are expected to maintain proper hygiene when attending skills labs and clinical/field experiences; this includes well groomed hair, good dental hygiene, and control of body odor.
Piercings
Students are allowed to have ear piercings. No other visible piercings are acceptable.
Tattoos
Students are not allowed to participate in clinical/field experiences with any tattoo visible above the collar of the student's uniform. Tattoos in other locations on the body are generally acceptable as long as they are deemed in good taste. Tattoos including words or symbols that could be construed as racist, sexist, indecent, promoting criminal behavior or organizations, depicting alcohol use, or depicting drug use; images portraying anything inconsistent with the standards of the EMS community; or anything that might elicit a strong negative reaction among viewers must be covered by clothing. Students with tattoos should arrive at any clinical/field experiences with appropriate extra clothing that would allow the student to cover existing tattoos in the event that the clinical/field site has a stricter policy than stated here, or in the event that an employee, volunteer, patient, or other stakeholder at the site explicitly objects to the student's tattoos.