what to wear?

Depends on your program. Some places like Mayo have a strict dress code. Others like mine don't care. I prefer scrubs as much as possible. Scrubs (and the cleaning for them) are provided by the different hospitals. I would change them after an autopsy or surg path day. They don't get visibly dirty, but there's still the yuck factor.

Yeah, I would never ever re-wear scrubs after the maximum one work-day's wear. Scrubs should be laundered and therefore provided by the hospital, for the "biohazard safety" i.e. yuck reasons.

Most of the scrub-wearing is going to be on AP.

On CP you'll probably be in regular clinical service wear +/- a white coat if you're on one of the services that sees patients.

It varies here - some residents wear scrubs every single day, even when they are on chemistry or hemepath or something. It's kind of annoying I think, not very professional. I generally only wear scrubs if I am on a heavy grossing rotation or on call, but not always. Some people will wear scrubs anytime they get an excuse (Oh, I'm on dermpath, I have to gross in a couple of wide locals, better wear scrubs), and some never wear them.

yaah said:

Some people will wear scrubs anytime they get an excuse (Oh, I'm on dermpath, I have to gross in a couple of wide locals, better wear scrubs), and some never wear them.

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This is kind of an aside, but your program has you gross while your on Dermpath? The wide excisions are done by people on surgicals here and our Dermpath elective consists entirely of sitting in on signout.

Oh, yeah, On grossing/frozen/call nights on AP always wear scrubs. When signing out, usually wear something "more professional."

UCSFbound said:

This is kind of an aside, but your program has you gross while your on Dermpath? The wide excisions are done by people on surgicals here and our Dermpath elective consists entirely of sitting in on signout.

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We gross during our first dermpath month. After that, I think we only have to do the "square" procedures that come out friday night and have to be done over the weekend. The PAs will do the rest. I guess it is part of our training, to familiarize us with the wide variety of wide locals. Like on thursday, I grossed in half an ear, a twisted and scarred piece of skin that was impossible to orient, and a 12 x 8 excision of skin with a 2 cm melanoma and 3 large satellite nodules. Builds character, I guess. We see all of the dermpath signout and preview, grossing is usually only an hour or so a day (more on weekends).


In terms of scrubs and signout - there is really only one resident I know of here that signs out and then changes into scrubs to gross. We don't have the best locker facilities for path residents here, we can use the morgue but that is about it. Most people just wear them all day, and since I hate doing that I usually just gown up and cover everything up to gross. On our main surg path rotation we sort of have to wear scrubs because there is the potential we will be sent into the OR.

yaah said:

In terms of scrubs and signout - there is really only one resident I know of here that signs out and then changes into scrubs to gross. We don't have the best locker facilities for path residents here, we can use the morgue but that is about it. Most people just wear them all day, and since I hate doing that I usually just gown up and cover everything up to gross. On our main surg path rotation we sort of have to wear scrubs because there is the potential we will be sent into the OR.

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Ah, I see now. We have a dedicated sign out day, a dedicated cutting day, a dedicated frozen day, etc. which usually facilitates the wearing of a single piece of attire (scrubs) throughout the duration of the day. And yeah, I will typically change in the morgue.

seems like there's always a good excuse to wear scrubs...

on our rotation, Grossing: yup of course.
previewing: well, you're gonna be there hella late, so you should be comfortable.....
sign out: there's always that possibility of having to go dumpster diving ("back to to bucket" if you prefer), so who wants to ruin nice pants and shoes?....better of wearing scrubs....

so yah, for me, there's always an excuse. But occasionally i will throw in a tie day just to remind myself how to wrap the damn thing around my neck and make a sweet crisp sharp knot.

for most: just depends.