Professional Appearance and Uniforms
Professional Appearance
Veterinary Technicians are the paraprofessionals of veterinary medicine and are seen by the public as representatives of the practice or facility for which they work and of the veterinary profession in general. To prepare the student to enter the professional work environment, and for the safety of our program animals, the following Program Uniform Policy has been adopted. Students in the Veterinary Technology program shall adhere to the following standards of appearance and dress when attending all lecture sessions and all laboratory sessions of any program course, and during all activities at Internship sites or any school related functions.
Students are representing the program and the veterinary profession. As such, they are expected to maintain an appropriate level of professionalism.
Failure to adhere to the following uniform requirements may result in the student not being allowed into the lecture or laboratory session, resulting in missed instruction, skills acquisition, and/or graded assignments.
Mandatory OTC Veterinary Technology Uniform
Nametag
Your official OTC school ID must be worn at all times while on any OTC campus.
Clothing
Scrubs must be worn in all VETT lectures and laboratories. Avoid wearing scrubs that are overly revealing, which may represent a safety hazard, or which may be offensive to colleagues, clients, and staff.
You must have one complete set of class color scrubs (royal blue)
A long-sleeved, white only, undergarment may be worn beneath your uniform to help with cold temperatures.
A lab coat or a long-sleeve scrub coat may be worn over your uniform
Equine and food animal laboratories-attire will be the class color (royal blue?) scrub top and a pair of jeans that are clean and with no holes
Footwear
Closed toed shoes are required to fulfill OSHA guidelines.
One pair of class color (white) closed toe shoes
Small Animal Lecture/Lab: closed toe, non-slip shoes
Equine and Food Animal Lecture/Lab: leather work boots with no heel (no steel toed boots)
Hair
Hair should be clean and well-groomed at all times.
Laboratories: hair should be secured from face and neck at all times
Head Coverings
Nothing shall be worn on the head (baseball caps, scarves, hats, beanies, etc.) unless required for documented religious observance.
Personal Grooming
All clothing should be clean and unwrinkled
Students are expected to maintain good hygiene (bathing, deodorant, clean/groomed hair)
Male students with facial hair or sideburns should be well-groomed
Fingernails
Fingernails are to be kept clean and at a length and shape consistent with patient safety.
No acrylic nails or nail polish is permitted in any laboratory or rounds session
Jewelry
A wristwatch with a second hand is required in all animal care laboratories/rounds; smartwatches are prohibited
Jewelry is permitted in lectures and laboratories but must not represent a hazard for students or animals; course instructors reserve the right to prohibit jewelry that pose a safety issue.
No jewelry will be permitted in surgery laboratories
Hoops earrings/gauges, facial, skin, and/or visible body-piercings are prohibited due to safety concerns.