SESSION 3. Personal presentation and Attire

Definition of terms

 Attire

Are the Clothes especially fine or formal ones be dressed in clothes of a specified kind

Personal presentation

Is Refers to the way a person is supposed to appear.

Elements of personal presentation & attire include the following;

• kind of clothes a person is supposed to wear 
•  kind of footwear a person is supposed to wear
• Smartness
• Behavior 
• Shaving style/hair tying style

Kind of clothes (Professional Attire)

• Jeans and sweatshirts should be avoided.
• Clothing should be of an adequate length so that the back, abdomen, and chest are not exposed. 
• Tank tops and T-shirts aren’t considered appropriate attire.
• Polo shirts or cotton blouses are acceptable.
• Even when wearing a white lab coat, the clothing beneath should reflect proper attire standards.

Jeans and sweatshirts to avoid

Clothes should be of adequate length

Tank tops and T-shirts are not allowed.

Polo shirts are accepted

Cotton blouses that are accepted

Kind of Footwear

• Open-toed or high-heeled shoes are not allowed
• Wear closed-toed shoes at all times.
• Non-skid soles are the proper choice to avoid slipping.
• Shoes should be neat and clean.
• Sneakers are allowed but not recommended.
• Socks covering the leg or hosiery should be worn.
• Bare legs aren’t acceptable at all.
• Footwear shall be comfortable with nonslip soles. Open-ended sandals are inappropriate as Laboratory footwear.
•  Leather or synthetic fluid impermeable footwear is recommended.
•  Disposable fluid-resistant shoe covers may be worn for jobs where splashing is anticipated.

High-heeled shoes are not allowed

Closed-toed shoes are allowed

Sneakers are not recommended

Barefoot is not allowed at all.

Shaving style/hair tying style

• Shave/tie your hair in a manner of becoming a professional.
• Avoid shaving/tying styles that may bring a negative impression to clients.
• Shaving/tying styles can give clues on your altitude, integrity, affiliation, and behavior.
• Some people may make judgments over certain matters based on your style.
• It is recommended you cut short your hair.
• If you want to keep them long, maintain them by making them neat at all times, and they should not be too long like Rasta men.
• If you want to tie them, it is recommended you tie them backward.

Not recommended

Recommended tying style

Smartness

At a place of work, a Health Laboratory Practitioner  shall;

Appear smart, properly, and decently dressed in proper attire with identification tags and behave in a manner becoming of professional;

Appropriate protective clothing (White Laboratory Coat) must be worn at all times when in the Laboratory and whenever necessary gloves should be worn. 

It should be noted that the laboratory coat should be worn in the laboratory and left in the laboratory after work.

Behaviors

Be at all times courteous to patients and clients, and be considerate to colleagues;

Courteous means being polite, respectful, or considerate in manner.

Do not consume alcohol or take unprescribed drugs that could interfere with performance during laboratory working hours or when on emergency stand-by.

Elements of personal presentation and attire 

 At a place of work, a Health Laboratory Practitioner shall:

1.  Appear smart, properly, and decently dressed in proper attire with identification tags and behave in a manner becoming of professional;
2. Appropriate protective clothing (White Laboratory Coat) must be worn at all times when in the Laboratory and whenever necessary gloves should be worn. It should be noted that the laboratory coat should be worn in the laboratory and left in the laboratory after work.
3. Footwear shall be comfortable with nonslip soles. Open-ended sandals are inappropriate as Laboratory footwear. Leather or synthetic fluid impermeable footwear is recommended.
4.  Disposable fluid-resistant shoe covers may be worn for jobs where splashing is anticipated.
5.  Be at all times courteous to patients and clients, and be considerate to colleagues; and o Do not consume alcohol or take unprescribed drugs that could interfere with performance during laboratory working hours or when on emergency stand-by.

Importance of personal presentation& attire

• It is a legal requirement that a Laboratory Practitioner should appear in proper attire in a manner expected of a professional.
• To gain the confidence of the patients and other laboratory clients.
• The wearing of identification tags helps the client to know the name of the Practitioner attending him or her.
• The wearing of a laboratory protective coat and shoes protects the Practitioner from contamination and injuries.