Clinic Dress

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deedubs

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Hey all,

Anybody go more casual like, Dockers and a Polo, instead of the button down and dress slacks(not a fan off, but this has been my standard fare)? Any patient feedback?

Thanks
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Wouldn't get away with it in my office, but I doubt patients would care. That said, I don't do slacks, but rather chinos with a button down (not dress shirt) and NO TIE.
 
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Polo (preferably with a local college/pro team logo) and slacks daily. Polos are usually dry-fit. If I decide to wear my white coat, I roll up the sleeves. For shoes I mix it up between boots or running shoes.

My patient's don't care.
 
I haven't worn a tie in quite some time. No one ever mentions it.
 
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My program is ok with us wearing polos and pants, tennis shoes is ok.
There are some people that go full dress shirt, pants, tie, dress shoes.
 
VA Hopeful Dr said:
I did that my 3rd year (when I didn't care anymore).

Patients didn't care.
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Ditto.

1st and 2nd year I dressed "the part", now that I'm in 3rd year (heavy clinic) I just wear chinos, dress shirt and some toms. Need to start introducing polo's in the clinic.. see what the faculty say lol.

Alot of the sports places I checked out (infact one interview) is telling me to wear polo's, khakhis and tennis shoes. I guess it makes sense.

Bottom line, If I feel under dressed, I just put on my white coat and it solves the issue.
 
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Most days I'll wear a polo or a button up short sleeved with khakhis and brown leather shoes. No ties. Occasionally I'll do scrubs and a white coat. Patients really don't care at all. I get far more feedback for taking time and actually listening to my patients and translating medical jargin in to English than I ever do for my dress code.
 
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In residency, I always wore a shirt and tie to clinic unless I was post-call or something, in which case I was sometimes still in scrubs. I always wore my lab coat, however, so what I had on underneath it didn't matter as much.

Nowadays, I still wear a lab coat every day, and usually wear a shirt and tie. I'll occasionally wear a polo shirt in the summer, but it's rare. I think I look more professional in a tie. My patients have actually come to expect it, especially since I frequently wear bow ties.
 
I wear professional attire and my lab coat everyday. Differentiates me from the nursing staff. Especially with older patients they know I'm the doctor and not the nurse.
 
Dress shirt, slacks, and tie (unless I'm running really behind lol) + white coat.

Growing up, my personal family physician (in fact, I think any physician I ever saw, pediatrician, ect.) always wore a tie, so it was engrained in my mind to do so.

This is a white collar job, treat it as such. Dress like a professional. I think wearing polos and dressing casual are okay in certain settings (sports medicine, maybe the summer time), and I think can sometimes fly in the academic setting. But if you're going into PP or joining a clinic after residency (even during), I think it's the appropriate thing to do. But to each, his/her own.
 
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Blue Dog said:
In residency, I always wore a shirt and tie to clinic unless I was post-call or something, in which case I was sometimes still in scrubs. I always wore my lab coat, however, so what I had on underneath it didn't matter as much.

Nowadays, I still wear a lab coat every day, and usually wear a shirt and tie. I'll occasionally wear a polo shirt in the summer, but it's rare. I think I look more professional in a tie. My patients have actually come to expect it, especially since I frequently wear bow ties.
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I think that's the biggest thing, especially outside of residency. You dress based on how you've always done it. You can't go from 10 years shirt and tie to suddenly polo shirts all day every day.
 
Well, I used to work for IBM (suits and white dress shirts every day), so what I wear today feels casual.
 
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Interesting that this topic comes along at this time --- right when I'm considering this topic --- So in my MS3/MS4 years I wore shirt, tie, white coat and hagar slacks with lace up dress shoes (dockers brand) and kept that during residency; Our residency required us to wear clinic attire like I described and we absolutely could not wear scrubs no matter what -- I don't care what rotation you were on and coming into clinic, you had to bring a change of clothing with you ----

When I graduated, I rebelled against that -- and would wear hagar slacks and a polo shirt unless I was rounding in the hospital and then it was scrubs, cowboy boots, white coat;

In urgent care, I kept the polo/hagar slacks routine with a white coat and have only now (leaving in a few weeks) started wearing scrubs and a white coat.

So for the practice I'm joining, I'm going to bop down to Jos. A Bank when they're having their buy 1 get 9 million free sales and pick up some suits/slacks/dress shirts and ties -- I'm going to start wearing more formal clinic attire to shirt/tie/dress shoes/slacks with either a white coat or suit coat (most likely white coat);

I did want to ask, I've seen some wingtips with a thick rubber sole (almost like the old style referee shoes from ages gone by) -- anyone know where to get those -- I really like wingtips but with a leather sole, they're painful after more than 6 hours ---
 
JustPlainBill said:
So for the practice I'm joining, I'm going to bop down to Jos. A Bank when they're having their buy 1 get 9 million free sales and pick up some suits/slacks/dress shirts and ties -- I'm going to start wearing more formal clinic attire to shirt/tie/dress shoes/slacks with either a white coat or suit coat (most likely white coat)
Click to expand...

Good call. I honestly think doctors are taken more seriously when they dress like doctors rather than Best Buy salespeople.

I did want to ask, I've seen some wingtips with a thick rubber sole (almost like the old style referee shoes from ages gone by) -- anyone know where to get those -- I really like wingtips but with a leather sole, they're painful after more than 6 hours
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That's a Vibram sole. Rockport makes some: http://www.rockport.com/rocsports-lite-business-wingtip/rocsportltbsnwing.html
 
Ugh, I hate ties. Dress shirts with no ties, button downs, polos, and slacks/khakis are most of my "work" attire. Sometimes a sweater.

Also tend to wear a zip up hoodie too...I'm sure I'll get chastised for that by some :p

It does depend on the culture of the residency/workplace. I know when I did rotations in the East Coast, everyone had a dress shirt, tie and dress pants. In residency, I feel as if things are more casual, which fits my style perfectly.
 
KnuxNole said:
Also tend to wear a zip up hoodie too...I'm sure I'll get chastised for that by some :p
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Well, I should certainly hope so... :p

It does depend on the culture of the residency/workplace.
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Nothing wrong with raising the bar, though.

For those who are uncertain, always err on the side of being overdressed.
 
mark v said:
Most days I'll wear a polo or a button up short sleeved with khakhis and brown leather shoes. No ties. Occasionally I'll do scrubs and a white coat. Patients really don't care at all. I get far more feedback for taking time and actually listening to my patients and translating medical jargin in to English than I ever do for my dress code.
Click to expand...

I got in trouble for sporting scrubs one day. It didnt come from nursing, faculty, or the patient, though.
 
I wear dress pants, dress shirt, and a white coat at my outpatient clinic job. Occasionally I will wear short sleeved dress shirt w/o the lab coat.

At urgent care I wear the provided scrub top + black khakis.

I would have to add a caveat, I am covered in tattoos from wrists to chests. At the urgent care I will get mostly positive remarks with an occasional "why would you destroy your body" from older patients. The outpatient clinic is actually a Indian Health Services clinic and at least 80% of my patients of ALL ages (including seniors) have tattoos as it is cultural.
 
Blue Dog said:
Good call. I honestly think doctors are taken more seriously when they dress like doctors rather than Best Buy salespeople.



That's a Vibram sole. Rockport makes some: http://www.rockport.com/rocsports-lite-business-wingtip/rocsportltbsnwing.html
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BD -- thanks for the link -- that's not quite what I'm referring to but close -- The one's I saw were supposedly from Merrell's -- an administrative RN had them on with a set of slacks/sportcoat and they looked really nice -- had a 1/2 to 1 inch black "foam" sole that didn't look like a clown shoe a la Johnston & Murphy (they have a set of wingtips with a white or orange or green foam sole) -- I went to the local Merrell's where the RN indicated they were and no joy on the shoes -- But hey, I'll try the Rockports ---

Just found a link to Florsheim which is what I think the RN was wearing ---

http://www.florsheim.com/shop/style/14127-001.html


BTW -- Jos A Bank runs buy 1 get 3 free sales usually around major holidays and other good sales at the end of each quarter -- good time to stock up ----
 
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So our local Majors Medical Books was having a "going out of business" sale -- really just going to an online store -- and I grabbed a labcoat for $17 --

Recognizing this is personal preference -- any thoughts on thread color/letter style for name/creds on the jacket? I'm just used to block/dark blue as I have trouble reading cursive ---

Anyone?
 
JustPlainBill said:
So our local Majors Medical Books was having a "going out of business" sale -- really just going to an online store -- and I grabbed a labcoat for $17 --

Recognizing this is personal preference -- any thoughts on thread color/letter style for name/creds on the jacket? I'm just used to block/dark blue as I have trouble reading cursive ---

Anyone?
Click to expand...

My personal preference is block print, for legibility. That's what I used as a resident. Color is a personal thing, and I've tended to favor blue or green. That being said, our current linen service did all of mine in script (I wasn't given a choice), in our "corporate" teal color (which is fine).
 
No one here has mentioned their thoughts on the studies showing toes, long sleeves and white coats being harbors of bacteria...

Full disclosure though....I occasionally wear a tie and I wear a white coat daily, due to residency requirement.
 
mabinante said:
No one here has mentioned their thoughts on the studies showing toes, long sleeves and white coats being harbors of bacteria...
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That's because no study has ever demonstrated any link to disease transmission. The most important thing is hand washing.
 
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For what it is worth: I don't see any difference wearing a lab coat everyday to touching the cart at the grocery store. I suspect the cart has more germs. Just like the lady asking me if her her 6 month old would catch and ear infection from the 2 yr old. Um no. Bacteria are going to target who are vulnerable. It just the world we live in.
 
At our residency we are expected to "dress professionally." The tie requirement was dropped 2 years ago. We are allowed to wear polos provided that they are branded with our organizations emblem. No scrubs.

Non branded polos and scrubs are often worn. Never directly challenged. Just passive aggressively during monthly advisor meetings. Meh.

This past month I'm rounding on obstetrics service in the am and frequently have afternoon clinic in the office. I'm not changing for that and will show up in scrubs.

I once had my aunt ask why in the world do doctors wear ties, they already have a white coat? And thats the only comment on doctor attire I have ever received from someone who was not my boss.
 
 
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Blue Dog said:
The evidence for a preference for professional attire by patients is fairly substantial:

https://frontdoor2healthcare.wordpress.com/2013/07/11/professionals-should-dress-professionally/

http://medicaleconomics.modernmedic...s-physician-attire-influence-patien?page=full

http://www.ijms.info/ojs/index.php/IJMS/article/view/47/v1i3a4.html#.Vgbs3bQ79eo

https://www.medelita.com/blog/tag/the-white-coat/

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/a...r-even-lab-coats-could-spread-disease/247987/

http://www.bartonassociates.com/2015/02/24/do-patients-prefer-doctors-with-professional-attire/

http://www.uofmhealth.org/news/archive/201502/do-clothes-make-doctor-u-m-researchers-report-patient
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See now that's odd. Since I ditched my white coat in favor of a long-sleeved oxford style shirt (usually in some form of plaid-ish), I've gotten a very favorable response from patients. Anecdotes and all that, I know, but still.
 
Blue Dog said:
That's because no study has ever demonstrated any link to disease transmission. The most important thing is hand washing.
Click to expand...

http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/50/7/1073.full Not 100% but pretty convincing. Convincing enough for the UK to adopt a no whitecoat policy... Just seems to make sense to me that a sleeve could harbor some bad stuff....and how often to people actually wash their ties? I know mine are dry cleaned MAYBE once the entire time I own it... (Too costly to do at any regularity, been toying with the idea of starting a tie cleaning mail service)
 
deedubs said:
Hey all,

Anybody go more casual like, Dockers and a Polo, instead of the button down and dress slacks(not a fan off, but this has been my standard fare)? Any patient feedback?

Thanks
Click to expand...

I don't, but tons of residents do, nobody in my program seems to mind.
 
mabinante said:
http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/50/7/1073.full Not 100% but pretty convincing. Convincing enough for the UK to adopt a no whitecoat policy... Just seems to make sense to me that a sleeve could harbor some bad stuff....and how often to people actually wash their ties? I know mine are dry cleaned MAYBE once the entire time I own it... (Too costly to do at any regularity, been toying with the idea of starting a tie cleaning mail service)
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If by convincing you mean not at all convincing, then yes I agree.

Gowns for MRSA have been shown to not affect OUTCOMES, except in surgical patients, while also leading to worse care from staff who don't want to go into a room as often if they have to gown up to do it.

Also, despite this having been an issue for years, no one has shown that the bare forearm thing has made any difference or that banning white coats has reduced infection rates.
 
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cabinbuilder said:
For what it is worth: I don't see any difference wearing a lab coat everyday to touching the cart at the grocery store. I suspect the cart has more germs. Just like the lady asking me if her her 6 month old would catch and ear infection from the 2 yr old. Um no. Bacteria are going to target who are vulnerable. It just the world we live in.
Click to expand...

I grab my lab coat and wear/touch it almost daily and let it go months without going to the dry cleaners -- the grocery cart? No -- not until I've wiped it down with the antibacterial wipes provided by the grocery store --- the little mobile petri dishes that sit near where I put my hands are not necessarily the cleanest little munchkins and all you have to do is buy a coke and sit quietly in the cafeteria area of the local grocery store and people watch -- you'll want to do a dance in a Lysol spray before you get into your car to go home from the grocery store after that -- and that's in the good part of town --- but you know this ----

I too love the "am I contagious" question -- I always tell them the standard response that the school district uses -- be fever/vomit/diarrhea free for 24 hours or on abx for 24 hours before you go near anyone -- I love watching their eyes cross when I get into genomic viral shift/drift and shedding, especially the google MD types -- yes, dearie, there really is a reason my professional opinion matters ---

I'm in a mood today so bear with me on my posts --

Like I said, been a day ---
 
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I have worn scrubs every day of my residency. They are the best uniform for medicine. I don't know why everyone doesn't do the same.
 
I think the most casual I'll go typically is a sort of collar-less shirt that has some detailing that makes it fancy, with a long flowy skirt. I generally wear nice clothing. However- I have been known to accidentally wear my very bright colored neon sneakers.

We have to get our lab coats from this drs lounge in the basement of the hospital, and as a small-ish woman I have not been able to find one that does not make me look like a child playing dress up. When I graduate I might invest in a proper white coat so as to boost my credibility. I need all the help I can get as a young relatively soft spoken woman.
 
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