Re: [DCHAS-L] Lab Coat Program

Patricia,

We still use CINTAS (and have been using for several years). It has issues but taking the burden off of us (TA, faculty…) is very helpful. Plus, we use it for all of our researchers (grad, undergrad, postdoc…) to get their FR/CP lab coats. Out of curiosity, was it the cost that led to the termination? I know there are some administrative costs, but we pass the cost of rental on to the students as part of their lab package (manual, goggles…).

Anyway, we have thought about how to do it if we did not have CINTAS. Our first thought is that a student should never bring a lab coat  (potentially contaminated with chemicals, especially if they were going to wash it with other clothing). We have a secondary lab coat program for our TA and peer mentors for teaching labs. In our basement science stores, we have racks of blue lab coats (not FR/CP) so that they stand out to the students as the TA/peer mentor. They come get them before lab and then bring them down and throw them into the hamper. We wash the lab coats every couple of days in a dedicated lab coat washing machine.

We have thought, could we do that for students with white coats. We cannot, it is too much, we have over 1500 students per semester, and it would be too much, no room.

We have thought about giving students lab coats at beginning of term, and a big Ziplock. They put lab coat in Ziplock after lab and then into a big tote…that won’t work either. No room for all the totes needed. 

The only option would be to let the students take them in the Ziplock and rely on the students not removing those and getting cross-contamination.

Long-winded way of saying it is hard to replace them once you get used to the CINTAS AND you do not want to risk contaminated clothing going home with students. I have been at many universities that do have lab coats that students buy (or provided from fees) and let them take them home. But our chair is adamant that we do not allow the lab coats to go home.