Poor Hygiene
Occasionally a student will attend classes with multiple day body odor. Students can re-position themselves in a lecture class, but not in a lab or small group session. Our college is small. Once I spoke gently to a students to see if they were between apartments, and they were offended and dropped out of college. How does one handle grooming or should it be left to peer pressure?
What are your thoughts on me as an instructor just addressing the class as whole and reminding them that hygiene is very important in Medical Assisting. Or is it really just better to talk to the individuals that need the notification.
Hi Ashlee,
Most of the time is all it takes is a private, tactful, professional conversation with the student. Most students are very receptive, appreciate the information, and will make the necessary change.
Patricia Scales
We had a similar situation with one of our students. It got so bad that no one would work with him in lab. So we had one faculty member pull him aside privately and address the situation. He was very grateful for the information, slightly embarrassed, but he turned it into a positive situation and "cleaned up" his act!
Hygiene is a tough subjects and it is hard to tell someone that they have bad odor. I had a friend in high school who had bad odor and after a week, I took her aside and let her know in and nice and helpful manner. She was very greatful, because if I had not told her, she would have never realized and been embarrassed!
I'm reminded from the words of my grandmother, "It's all about the packaging, Sweet Baby!!" These words have resonated with me to present date. While this is a touchy subject it is one that, unfortunately, carries with it lasting impressions. Because I serve in the area of Career Services, I have to impress upon my students the importance of a well-groomed employee. You only get one chance to make a first impression.
Hi Shawn,
Poor Hygiene sure is a very sensitive topic. The way you have expressed to handle this topic is exactly how I handle the topic. Most students are very receptive. I have even had some students to cry, but they still improved in the area and thanked me.
Patricia
Unfortunately, this issue comes up from time to time. It really isn't anything you can ignore, and it must be addressed. If you DO ignore it, your are doing a disservice to that student.
This is a very sensitive subject, and I think talking to the student in private is a must. It is unfortunate that in your case, the student was so offended that they dropped out.
I feel fortunate that our school has a 'student resource advocate' available to everyone. The last time (that I'm aware of) that this situation arose here, the SRA was able to sit down with the student, discover exactly what the issue was (housing issues, as I recall), and help them find some sort of (affordable) solution that worked for the student AND the classroom environment.
