Dress down day, also known as casual Friday, is a day in which employees are allowed to wear casual attire. While dress-down day maybe appropriate for some occupations it should not be practiced in the healthcare setting. Healthcare professionals should always be dressed professional as they are providing a service to people who may be having a potential life-threatening situation. In the book “If Disney Ran Your Hospital 91/2 Things You Would Do Differently” the author tells a story about a nurse coming into the waiting room dressed as a clown to tell the parents that their child passed away during surgery on Halloween. The parents were justifiably distraught and requested a meeting with the CEO of the hospital. The CEO was deeply upset and stopped dress down day. He did not want to chance another encounter like that could happen again. Patients rely heavily on their healthcare providers to guide them through the medical process. Professional dress will help to establish trust between the patient and the health care provider. If the provider is not able to obtain the confidence of the patient it my have a negative impact on the patient’s willingness to follow the plan of care. When the healthcare provider is dressed professionally and is easily recognizable it helps to decrease the level of stress and anxiety of the patient.

In the healthcare setting there are many front-line employees that enter the room throughout the day. Making it difficult for the patient to