Dress Code

Non-Acceptable Dressing

*Students who are doing clinical postings, electives, and teaching activities outside IMU are required to follow the above Dress Code Regulations unless the hospitals or teaching and learning venue other than IMU have their own established Dress Code, in which case, the students are to adhere to the Dress Code at the institutions that they are attached to.

Some of the hospitals and health clinics under the Ministry of Health enforce wearing of tie guidelines. Students are advised to bring along tie and tie clip. ​

The above dress code may not apply for the following sports and co-curriculum activities:

• ​IMU Cup activities
• IMU Orientation activities
• Cultural Festivals and Events
• And any other activities approved by the Dean or the Management of IMU​

Direct Patient Care Activities | CSSC & Hospitals

Best Practices

• ​Hand hygiene should be stressed at all times using the ‘5 – Moments of Hand Hygiene’.
• Maintain a high level of personal hygiene.
• Dress neatly, tidily, decently, and smartly.
• Change out of soiled attire into fresh ones immediately.
• Fingernails are to be kept short and clean.
• Pens, torches, and sharps are to be carried inside the pocket or in the hip pockets.

Tops & Bottoms

• Short-sleeved tops shall be worn.
• If long-sleeved tops are worn, the sleeves should be rolled up to above elbow level.
• All students should dress in smart and formal clothing.
• Jeans are not allowed.
• Clothing that may be considered as revealing, offensive or provocative to service users, carers, colleagues, or members of the public must be avoided.

Identity Card & Holder

• The ID card shall be worn at all times.
• The ID cardholder shall be of the retractable type.
• Wearers are encouraged to clean the ID card holder with an alcohol swab regularly.
• Lanyards are not to be used as ID cardholders while attending to patients for safety and infection control purposes.

Footwear

• Soft-soled shoes closed over the foot and toes are to be worn.
• Footwear other than the above may be worn when required in certain areas where direct patient care activity is engaged (e.g. the operation theatre, the labour room).
• The wearing of sandals, sneakers, or sports footwear is prohibited.

White Coat (short-sleeved) and Lab Coat (long-sleeved)

• White coat and lab coat should be worn only in a teaching environment. It must not be worn out of the IMU, in eating places, in common areas, and when traveling to and from IMU.
• White coat should be worn in hospitals only.
• The lab coat is to be worn in laboratories only where the students will be dealing with chemicals.
• Freshly laundered coats shall be worn during the required sessions.
• When wearing a white coat (short sleeves) students must ensure their hands are visible up to the elbow level. The shirt or blouse sleeves must be rolled up.
• White coat shall not be worn when engaging in direct patient care activity where there is a risk of infection transmission (e.g. risk of blood splash, bodily fluid, or potentially infectious material). This would include some activities in the wards, operating theatres, procedure rooms, etc.
• White coat should be worn during an activity where there is no risk of infection transmission (e.g. ward rounds, clerking of patients, skills unit, examination, Anatomy Museum, etc).​

Wrist Watches & Jewellery

• Wrist watches should be removed when engaging in direct patient care activity. Pendant type of watch is permissible.
• Earrings are only allowed for females. If worn should be plain studs only.
• Jewellery may be worn at discretion, but should not be excessive or of a type that may cause damage to the wearer or others. Male students are prohibited from wearing any jewellery except for the one related to customs.
• The wearing of a wedding band/ring is permitted.
• The wearing of visible body piercing jewellery other than earrings, except on cultural or religious grounds, is not permitted.

Hair

• Long hair is to be tied to the back of the collar for female students.
• Male students are not allowed to have long hair.

Tie

• ​The wearing of neckties is optional only in a clinical setting. For all other formal settings, neckties are a must. The Malaysian Ministry of Health’s position is that the wearing of neckties is permissible with the caveat that the necktie must be pinned to the shirt with a tie-pin. The wearing of bow ties is permissible.

Badges & Pins

• The wearing of numerous badges and pins is discouraged as it will look unprofessional and may present a safety hazard.
• However, one or two badges denoting professional qualifications or memberships may be acceptable.

Tattoos & Facial Piercing

• Facial piercings are strongly discouraged.
• The number, size, nature, location, prominence, and appearance of tattoos are particularly important and tattoos that can cause offense and/or invite provocation from members of the public or colleagues are not permitted. In particular, tattoos on parts of the body that are more prominent, such as the hands and the face are not permitted.
• Tattoos on the lower arms are permissible but must remain covered at all times. However, during direct patient care activities, tattoos on arms/forearms may have to be uncovered to facilitate clinical procedures.

Attire for Muslims

• Shirts/Blouse/Dress may have full or three-quarter sleeves which may be rolled down when not engaging in direct patient care activity.
• Any full or three-quarter length sleeves must not be loose or dangling. They must be able to be rolled or pulled back and kept securely in place during hand-washing and direct patient care activity.
• Strict procedures for washing hands and wrists must still be observed.

Face Veil (Niqab)

• For the purposes of identification and security, every student is required to show their face at all times while on campus.
• In addition, leaving the face uncovered is vital for communication with patients and staff, particularly for those with hearing impairments as lip-reading and facial expressions facilitate interaction and understanding.
• Therefore, students are not permitted to wear the face veil (niqab).
• When students are posted to facilities outside of IMU, they are required to observe the Rules and Regulations (including the Dress Code) of the institution to which they are attached.​

Responsibility for Implementation

• ​​​​​​​​​​Every individual student is responsible to adhere and meet the required standard of the Dress Code.
• Every individual staff is responsible for monitoring and ensuring students are following the required standard of the Dress Code and have the right to instruct them to remedy the situation if they do not.
• Security guards are responsible to check and stop students who are not in the approved Dress Code. Student found breaching the Dress Code will be referred to respective Deans for actions to be taken.​

Penalties

• Students who do not comply and do not conform to the IMU dress code will be denied entry to respective teaching and learning activities, examination halls and/or library and will be subject to disciplinary action.
• Students are required to wear a labcoat or white coat for OSPE and OSCE. Students who are inappropriately dressed will not be allowed to sit for examinations.
• Students who are found to have breached the policy will be asked to meet the Dean for disciplinary actions.​