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Female employees at University Medical Center may be rethinking those breezy sundresses this summer thanks to a dress code implemented earlier this month.

Among the code's five pages of rules is the requirement that women wear hosiery with skirts and dresses, which already has some staff grumbling in the halls. Also out are casual Fridays and denim of any sort.

The pantyhose mandate "is crazy, 'cause we're in Arizona," said Liza Bush, a pathology tech. To get an exception, she said, "You have to have a medical note saying you can't wear them."

Hospitals have long been known for their uniforms — nurses, formerly dressed in white suits and caps, now don familiar medical scrubs. The dress-code concept is no more unique to the health-care field than, say, finance. But in recent years hospitals have begun adopting more traditional standards of business attire in an effort to rebrand their corporate image.

"I think hospitals are coming under fire because of the perceived chaos in the health-care industry," said Sherry Maysonave, founder and president of the image-consulting firm Empowerment Enterprises in Austin, Texas. "There's been a tendency in those instances, when an industry comes under fire, that the business attire swings to a more formal look. It's about inspiring trust and credibility."

One of the authors responsible for the UMC dress code echoed the sentiment in her defense of the new rules.

Citing reports published in industry journals, Marty Enriquez, UMC's vice president of patient-care services, said hospital dress codes are about projecting a professional image as well as "instilling trust and confidence."

"We've always had a dress-code policy, but it was a very simple, left up to interpretation, kind of thing. This is really specific and spells out the standards," she said.

UMC was Southern Arizona's 14th-largest employer at the end of last year, with 2,969 full-time-equivalent positions, according to the annual Star 200 survey.

Departments and positions without a specific uniform already in place would be expected to follow the new regulations.

Code authors did allow for a little leeway in personal expression, permitting nonoffensive tattoos to be visible, though it's preferable that they be covered altogether.

Marketing specialist Susan Guerrero — adhering appropriately to the code in a long black skirt, turtleneck and thin jacket — said she wouldn't have minded if the code began requiring nurses to wear hats similar to those worn a few decades ago.

"But the nurses would probably hate me for saying that," she said, giggling.

She did, however, sympathize with one computer technician who, after nearly three decades on the job, has suddenly found himself wearing ties.

Other portions of the dress code dealing with personal hygiene have more to do with courtesy and safety — excessive body odor is a no-no, as are the vaguely described, "extremely long fingernails."

"If they have a disheveled look, or poor grooming, that works against the image of the hospital as a whole," consultant Maysonave said.

At Tucson Medical Center, there's no formal dress code policy, if only because "there is an expressed expectation of appearance," said Mike Letson, spokesman for the hospital. "The overriding message is to have a neat appearance suitable to your job. We're not trying to delineate every article of apparel."

Carondelet Health Network representatives did not return calls regarding their dress policy.

Elsewhere at UMC, causing some problems is the extent of the new code's applicability to non-UMC employees at the hospitals.

Both University Physicians Healthcare and the University of Arizona have staffers at the hospital, none of whom are required to adhere to the new policy.

Enriquez admitted the difference might cause confusion, but said she hoped the other companies and institutions operating out of UMC would view the dress code as a positive and consider adopting one similar for their employees.

But hosiery during the summer's 100-plus temperatures?

Said Maysonave: "There are huge challenges to looking professional and businesslike while staying cool. The regional climate does make a difference."