Attire for ER Sub-Internship

[Jared999]

I know that ER Physician Attire varies considerable from institution to institution from business attire to Polos and Khakis to Scrubs.

Normally I would just overdress on the first day and go from there, but I'm doing several sub-Is far from home, so I need to pack properly. I will be sure to pack a suit in-case they want to interview me while I'm there. I know one hospital provides scrubs, so that isn't an issue, but they others do not.

What would you suggest wearing on the first day of a Sub-I rotation?

What would you suggest wearing the rest of the Sub-I?

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[Stellar Clouds]

Scrubs and scrubs. I hardly doubt anyone will ever give you a hard time for wearing scrubs on an ER rotation.

If in doubt, call the coordinator and ask.

 

[Daiphon]

Doesn't really matter, unless you're rotating somewhere with a strange dress code (ties? in an ED? really?). Scrubs, or business casual are the norm. Something that you don't mind getting dirty/bloody/pukey/etc.

That said, please don't be like a few of my current med students and wear your name badge. I'm personally +/- on the coat. I may know you, but the nurses, techs, whomever probably won't at the beginning... and ticking them off is *never* a good idea.

I like the idea of calling the coordinator, or perhaps the chief resident (who presumably would know these things).

Good luck!
-d

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[Pons Asinorum]

Scrubs. I would also recommend not calling it the ER, or the physicians who staff it ER physicians.

 

[Siggy]

That said, please don't be like a few of my current med students and wear your name badge. I'm personally +/- on the coat. I may know you, but the nurses, techs, whomever probably won't at the beginning... and ticking them off is *never* a good idea.

Students don't wear their ID card? What the heck? Granted, my main hospital uses the ID cards as proximity badges to get into, well, just about every place, and the badges for people in the ED (students, residents, etc) is first name, last initial, but yea... no badges?

[insert Treasure of the Sierra Madre quote here]

 

[QuackaDO]

I'd say shirt and tie for the FIRST day, IF that first day is an orientation type day or lecture day. After that, scrubs. If your first day is an actual shift in the ED (not ER, as mentioned above) and not an orientation type day then you'll probably be looked at a little strange if you show up in anything but scrubs. Plus, you might earn yourself a free ticket to be expected to wear shirt and tie for the rest of the month when you ask the rotation director (who meets you while you're wearing shirt and tie) what kind of attire and he/she replies "oh, what you're wearing now is fine" unless they are cool and let you off the hook and tell you "or scrubs".

 

[Jared999]

I'd say shirt and tie for the FIRST day, IF that first day is an orientation type day or lecture day. After that, scrubs. If your first day is an actual shift in the ED (not ER, as mentioned above) and not an orientation type day then you'll probably be looked at a little strange if you show up in anything but scrubs. Plus, you might earn yourself a free ticket to be expected to wear shirt and tie for the rest of the month when you ask the rotation director (who meets you while you're wearing shirt and tie) what kind of attire and he/she replies "oh, what you're wearing now is fine" unless they are cool and let you off the hook and tell you "or scrubs".

Good point, but let's save the ER vs ED discussion for another day.

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[evilbooyaa]

Only one way to dress like an attending in the ED.

Scrubs top, khaki pants.

 

[futuredoctor10]

Only one way to dress like an attending in the ED.

Scrubs top, khaki pants.

Haha this is so true. Almost ALL the attendings in our ED dress like that!

 

[FlowRate]

Doesn't really matter, unless you're rotating somewhere with a strange dress code (ties? in an ED? really?). Scrubs, or business casual are the norm. Something that you don't mind getting dirty/bloody/pukey/etc.

That said, please don't be like a few of my current med students and wear your name badge. I'm personally +/- on the coat. I may know you, but the nurses, techs, whomever probably won't at the beginning... and ticking them off is *never* a good idea.

I like the idea of calling the coordinator, or perhaps the chief resident (who presumably would know these things).

Good luck!
-d

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

Just as an aside, shirt-tie-white coat are probably 66% of attending attire at my hospital ED. Residents and more relaxed attendings in scrubs.

Explain?

 

[Daiphon]

I have a current batch who either don't wear it, or leave it on the coat that they ditch on a chair somewhere... should def wear it, but keep it on your top (scrub, polo, button down, whatever).

Unidentified people in the ED, especially staff/residents/students, cause no end of consternation... in July, it's magnified as who knows the new interns from Adam.

Just a peeve.

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[survivordo]

Just wear dress clothes and bring scrubs in your bag... best of both worlds.

Survivor DO

 

[gocoastal]

Haha this is so true. Almost ALL the attendings in our ED dress like that!

Or mismatched scrub top and bottom. I think all of our ER residents must be color blind.

 

[Rendar5]

As an Emergency Physician, I wear scrubs all day. But it's very dependnt on the local culture. You will not go wrong with a dress shirt and a white coat for your first day, and then adapt thereafter to the local dress code.

 

[b-real]

Good point, but let's save the ER vs ED discussion for another day.

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Humor me, what's the discussion? One is correct and the other is not.

 

[FlowRate]

Humor me, what's the discussion? One is correct and the other is not.

I'm still confused about why there's a debate. Not because I think one is wrong and the other is right, but because it seems like they describe different practice environments. And because ED sounds more official ("we have our own specialty") vs ER ("lol we sit in a room")--also more oldschool.

I've also heard plenty of people use EW.

 

[Siggy]

I'm still confused about why there's a debate. Not because I think one is wrong and the other is right, but because it seems like they describe different practice environments. And because ED sounds more official ("we have our own specialty") vs ER ("lol we sit in a room")--also more oldschool.

I've also heard plenty of people use EW.

The hospital I volunteered at during undergrad called it the Emergency Care Unit (ECU). That said, do surgeons get upset over using the word "OR" for the entire part of the hospital that contains the surgical suites?

 

[alpinism]

Who cares?

If you really want to be super uptight officially correct:

ED = erectile dysfunction

 

[Winged Scapula]

That said, do surgeons get upset over using the word "OR" for the entire part of the hospital that contains the surgical suites?

No.

 

[Doctor Bob]

I'm still confused about why there's a debate. Not because I think one is wrong and the other is right, but because it seems like they describe different practice environments. And because ED sounds more official ("we have our own specialty") vs ER ("lol we sit in a room")--also more oldschool.

I've also heard plenty of people use EW.

The debate over this occurs primarily at the administrative level. Historically the "ER/ED/EW/ECU/Drive Through Window" has been either part of the department of medicine or department of surgery (and at many places it still is). As part of the push to gain departmental independence at many facilities, the administrators took to calling the emergency room the emergency department. It's a semantic point meant to help during higher level discussions.

To the pit doc there is no difference. And the vast majority of us don't care which you call it.

Only one way to dress like an attending in the ED.

Scrubs top, khaki pants.

Commonly referred to as the "ER Mullet"... party up top, all business below.

Not to be confused with the "OB Jammies"; scrub pants with a t-shirt. Not sure why this is so common amongst OB staff/residents.

 

[evilbooyaa]

Commonly referred to as the "ER Mullet"... party up top, all business below.

Not to be confused with the "OB Jammies"; scrub pants with a t-shirt. Not sure why this is so common amongst OB staff/residents.

Solid terminology.

 

[CaptainSSO]

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