Dont do this

[BlackSails]

Yesterday, in the elevator, I ran into a med student. How did I know she was a med student? Her ID card? No. It was her monogrammed full-length lab coat, that was also monogrammed with CLASS OF 2010.


Please dont be that person, it looks silly and vain. (And no, its not the med school that gave her that coat)

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[arthrodisiac]

give me a break. the whole coat length thing is ******ed. who was the idiot that decided cloth was the best way to differentiate doctors from students? Should be like the army, stars on the shoulder or purple hearts.

 

[ericdamiansean]

I can easily count more than 5 people who wear their white coats from their homes, in the train, in the university, to the toilet, in their cars.. perhaps they think that it is "prestigious" that people know that he/she is a doctor/med student

It sounds bad but the last thing I wana do on my break, especially after a horrendous night of on call is to have someone remotely know that I'm a doctor and mess up my resting time by asking for help unless it is necessary.

 

[efex101]

What a tool...

 

[Tiger26]

Yesterday, in the elevator, I ran into a med student. How did I know she was a med student? Her ID card? No. It was her monogrammed full-length lab coat, that was also monogrammed with CLASS OF 2010.


Please dont be that person, it looks silly and vain. (And no, its not the med school that gave her that coat)

wow--all I can say. Please don't tell me she had a pager or anything.

 

[hyperbaric]

*hanging head* Guess I better get a new white coat.

 

[kylek044]

I can easily count more than 5 people who wear their white coats from their homes, in the train, in the university, to the toilet, in their cars.. perhaps they think that it is "prestigious" that people know that he/she is a doctor/med student

Some people see it as the medical version of a blazer. Lawyers wear their blazers when they get home, in the car on the way to/from work, etc. I personally wouldn't do it, but I see why someone might.

 

[surrender903]

Some people see it as the medical version of a blazer. Lawyers wear their blazers when they get home, in the car on the way to/from work, etc. I personally wouldn't do it, but I see why someone might.

eww driving with a jacket on is just too constricting.

 

[ericdamiansean]

Some people see it as the medical version of a blazer. Lawyers wear their blazers when they get home, in the car on the way to/from work, etc. I personally wouldn't do it, but I see why someone might.

Perhaps if you wear it in your car, you get to bypass police road blocks

 

[MeowMix]

Do you mean the elevator in a hospital setting, or in your apt building?

We are required to wear short white coats with name and school crest. Most of us would gladly burn ours instead.

 

[DarksideAllstar]

Do you mean the elevator in a hospital setting, or in your apt building?

We are required to wear short white coats with name and school crest. Most of us would gladly burn ours instead.

I think the offense was the fact that it was monogrammed with her name and class of 2010. Maybe a minor offense would be that it was also full length, which I think is laughable.

 

[BlackSails]

I think the offense was the fact that it was monogrammed with her name and class of 2010. Maybe a minor offense would be that it was also full length, which I think is laughable.

Yes, I was laughing at the fact that she got it monogrammed with her name and the fact that she is a student. Everyone else just wears the NYU School of Medicine coats.

 

[Options]

The class of 20xx and the long coat is lame, definately. But I don't see what the problem is with wearing your coat in the car. I mean.. i throw the thing on on my way to the hospital and it usually contains all the crap I had in it from the day before including my car keys. I'm not trying to impress anybody at the stop light at 5 a.m. It's just more convenient.

 

[ericdamiansean]

I think the offense was the fact that it was monogrammed with her name and class of 2010. Maybe a minor offense would be that it was also full length, which I think is laughable.

Should have taken a photo

Just tell her that you've always wanted to be a doctor and you look up to them and that it would be an honor to have a pic with her. (I'm sure she'll gladly agree)

 

[BlackNDecker]

I saw a resident wearing her long white coat with bulging pockets and stethoscope in BEST BUY!!! Who does that?

Also saw an attending in the grocery store with scrubs and long white coat.

I don't even like to wear mine in the hospital!!

 

[Trindelinberg]

I DO WHAT I WANT!!! In fact, I just made a shirt that says "RogueNine sucks mah balls, Class of 2010"

 

[(nicedream)]

I don't get it...all the schools I know give the coats already monogrammed. Personally mine isn't because the one from school didn't fit and I bought my own, but everywhere I've been I'm the one that stands out for NOT having it monogrammed.

 

[Dr JPH]

I think its irresponsible to wear hospital attire anywhere but in the hospital.

Imagine what gets on your coat and scrubs in a typical day, especially if you are the student/intern/resident.

Would you want someone who works at a meat packing plant or in a vets office wearing their soiled uniform while you stand behind them in the line at the bank?

I wouldnt.

I have seen people in the medical field, nurses to physicians, wearing their uniforms in places like the grocery store. I realize that convenience of going home and changing isnt always easy, but at least remove the coat, stethoscope or scrub top...and try to throw on a T-shirt to contain some of the festering goodness on your clothes.

With that said, I know many residents who throw their white coat over the passenger seat back with their name and title conveniently showing...some say its in case they get pulled over for speeding while Im sure others do it to impress people next to you in traffic. Afterall, nothing says "sexy" like a young doctor in a white coat...driving his Toyota Corrolla.

 

[ericdamiansean]

With that said, I know many residents who throw their white coat over the passenger seat back with their name and title conveniently showing...some say its in case they get pulled over for speeding while Im sure others do it to impress people next to you in traffic. Afterall, nothing says "sexy" like a young doctor in a white coat...driving his Toyota Corrolla.

I used to hang my coat with a hangar in the car, but after a while I got lazy and now it's in a crumpled heap at my passenger seat, along with my stethoscope etc.

The heat in the car especially when it's really warm helps to disinfect it

 

[pillowhead]

With that said, I know many residents who throw their white coat over the passenger seat back with their name and title conveniently showing...some say its in case they get pulled over for speeding while Im sure others do it to impress people next to you in traffic. Afterall, nothing says "sexy" like a young doctor in a white coat...driving his Toyota Corrolla.

I do that but it's certainly not to show off. When I was just throwing my white coat in the car or laying it on the seat, stuff used to fall out of the pockets all the time. Hanging it up on the seat just prevents stuff from sliding out, that's all.

 

[hyperbaric]

I used to hang my coat with a hangar in the car, but after a while I got lazy and now it's in a crumpled heap at my passenger seat, along with my stethoscope etc.

The heat in the car especially when it's really warm helps to disinfect it

Disinfect or incubate?

 

[ericdamiansean]

Disinfect or incubate?

I wish it was warm enough to incubate, it's so warm here that it not only disinfects but kids die when parents leave them in the car without the a/c even for half an hour

 

[Winged Scapula]

I do that but it's certainly not to show off. When I was just throwing my white coat in the car or laying it on the seat, stuff used to fall out of the pockets all the time. Hanging it up on the seat just prevents stuff from sliding out, that's all.

That's why I try to do...it never fails that if I lay the coat on the seat everything falls out of the pockets and I end up without something I need the next day.

 

[Hallm_7]

Most students at my school have their coats monogrammed with their names below our emblem. However, we all must wear short coats.

Funny story about short/long coats: As most schools do, the summer between our M1 and M2 is filled with lab time, clinic time, or a combination of both. One guy in my class was working in a lab and doing a clinic rotation in surgery. Evidently he didn't like the whole short coat thing, so he decided to wear his long white coat that he wore in the lab doing research. He got to rounds one (or some other gathering) wearing the long coat and the residents and M3/M4s gave him grief over it. The attending came a few minutes later and absolutely lit into him about how students are supposed to be in short coats. He then made him leave and get his short coat.

 

[AmoryBlaine]

I do that but it's certainly not to show off. When I was just throwing my white coat in the car or laying it on the seat, stuff used to fall out of the pockets all the time. Hanging it up on the seat just prevents stuff from sliding out, that's all.

I do the drivers-seat-drape as well. It really is just so i don't have to lay it across the back seat and deal with the ensuing wrinkles and drop-outs.

I always err on the side of not flashing my fly med-student status around, but this one is purely for convenience.

 

[smq123]

Yesterday, in the elevator, I ran into a med student. How did I know she was a med student? Her ID card? No. It was her monogrammed full-length lab coat, that was also monogrammed with CLASS OF 2010.

Just curious - what if this girl needs to take a year off sometime, and has to join the class of 2011 or 2012? Does she have to pick out the embroidery herself, or will the shop do it for her? Or should she just cross out the "0" with a permanent marker, and write in the 1 or the 2? Decisions, decisions.

 

[FutureNavyDOc]

I agree that a student getting a long white coat makes as much sense as a student getting business cards with their name folloewd by DO/MD during their first year of school. It's just plain false advertising.

But rest assured that someday, likely soon, an actual physician having a crappy day will see it and unload on her. If that doesn't happen, the first time she wears that coat on a rotation, she'll be put in her place.

As far as the length of the white coats and white coats in general, I don't put too much stock in them.
Think of all the people who you've seen in hospital settings wearing short white coats: Med Students, Pharm students, PT students, PA students, nurses, pharm techs, RT's PT's, OT's, volunteers, etc.
I've seen the following types in long white coats: Docs and residents (obviously), pharmacists, nurses, PhD's, lab techs, path techs, cleaning people, etc.

So basically long white coat means anything from Chief NeuroSurgeon all the way down to phlebotomist.



Regarding wearing white coats in cars, I do it just because I'm lazy and it's easier than carrying it, plus I don't run the previously mentioned risk of all the crap in it dumping out when I throw it into the car seat next to me. I used to hang it up with a hangar in the back of my car, but quickly realized that wasn't worth the time and effort especially when on rotations where I'm at multiple hospitals during the course of the day. Now, the main determining factor as to whether or not I wear it in the car is the temp since my AC has been broken for a year and I'm not about to drop a grand to fix the AC in a car with 150k miles.

I agree with JP regarding wearing your white coat in public. If you think you're not at risk of doing any harm wearing your white coat/scrubs in public, think about the following; what's harder to kill; community acquired MRSA or hospital? How many diabetics, elderly and other immunocompromised people do you encounter in your everyday lives outside the hospital? If you're like me, you've probably never thought about that. Who knows what resistant bug you're carrying that someone's grandma right behind you is breathing in that will give her a resistant Strep pneumonia that may be her final undoing.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Think of all the people who you've seen in hospital settings wearing short white coats: Med Students, Pharm students, PT students, PA students, nurses, pharm techs, RT's PT's, OT's, volunteers, etc.

In my residency, there was a Neurology attending who used to wear a short coat...I was very confused about this (especially since he was older and seemed to be in charge) for quite a while.

 

[surrender903]

unless they start making lab coats out of underarmour, id like to wear mine as little as possible.

god that thing insulates heat like an electric blanket

 

[dilated]

god, who the hell cares? between this and the scrubs thread on the EM board, the amount of anger people have towards other people's meaningless clothing decisions is really sad.

for my clinical research gig this summer, I grab a white coat off the hook and wear it in clinic and it's ... wait for it ... long!!! Were someone to take the unbelievably douchey step of commenting on it, I would silently point out a nearby respiratory tech in a long white coat.

what's worse is that I don't even keep a set of spare clothes in my car to change out of scrubs and back if I'm going to the convenience store. can you believe it, I walk into a store wearing scrubs? How do I sleep at night? I'm conscienceless, that's how.

 

[retroviridae]

obviously no one is at MGH/BWH where even the attendings have short coats. During my recent interview it was SO ODD to see all these really old peeps (ok not really old, but not med student age) walking around in short coats. Some were monogrammed with "Partners," "MGH" and "BWH," ... plus John Smith, MD, PhD. Seemed like an awful lot for such a small coat. Anyway, where I am now, MS IIIs and IVs are apparently given long coats on surgery rotations. This is to avoid confusion of patients between med students and doctors. Really, I think it's because the surgery interns/rez never see the patient if there is a med student. Better the patients don't get "confused." Once they come over to the dark side of IM, I personally just ignore it. As mentioned above, it's just a coat. It really doesn't matter. If it weren't requrired by my program, I wouldn't wear it. But the pockets are nice.


That having been said, I do have a great big hangup about wearing a short coat as a fellow.

 

[smq123]

I can easily count more than 5 people who wear their white coats from their homes, in the train, in the university, to the toilet, in their cars.. perhaps they think that it is "prestigious" that people know that he/she is a doctor/med student

One summer, I worked with an attending who would spend the morning in her (heavily air conditioned) office just wearing her everyday street clothes.

However, whenever we went outside to get lunch, she made a specific point of putting ON her long white coat. Keep in mind that it was July - 95F, with 90% humidity. And those white coats are made of heavy cotton.

She was a pretty senior member of the staff too - you would've thought that the novelty had worn off by now.

what's worse is that I don't even keep a set of spare clothes in my car to change out of scrubs and back if I'm going to the convenience store. can you believe it, I walk into a store wearing scrubs? How do I sleep at night? I'm conscienceless, that's how.

Just don't be like this one guy I saw at the supermarket once. He was wearing scrubs, but what made it REALLY bad was...the Littmann he had around his neck.

And it's not like he couldn't stash it someplace - he drove to the supermarket! And he made a point of mentioning it to the cashier!

 

[genX]

This comment I believe doesnt deserve a new thread so I'll post here. Friend of mine at neighboring US med school of mine is req to wear a long coat on there OBGYN and SURG rotation. They could not believe that my school had us wearing short coats on those two rotations. I am the only one that has never heard of such a thing as a med student req to wear a long lab coat on surg and OBGYN.

 

[ericdamiansean]

This comment I believe doesnt deserve a new thread so I'll post here. Friend of mine at neighboring US med school of mine is req to wear a long coat on there OBGYN and SURG rotation. They could not believe that my school had us wearing short coats on those two rotations. I am the only one that has never heard of such a thing as a med student req to wear a long lab coat on surg and OBGYN.

Here, we're forced to wear it all the time, regardless of rotation. Some hospital directors make it a point and it is a requirement for all doctors and medical students to wear white coats as long as they are within the hospital, you can take it off in the canteen if you want to but most people don't

unless they start making lab coats out of underarmour, id like to wear mine as little as possible.

god that thing insulates heat like an electric blanket

I sweat like crazy so I'll be dripping all underneath I've seen some students custom make theirs from thin material..the only problem is that..it just doesn't look as nice as those made from thick material

 

[kat82]

i hate the white coat, long or short. i think if you are in a nice office setting, its ok, but on the wards it just gets plain gross, smelly and dirty. i hate that gross ring that forms on the neck no matter how many showers you take!

when i did my EM rotation, i actually didnt wear my white coat b/c it got in the way, esp during traumas and things. i felt liberated. i wasnt sweating and weighed down all the time. whats even better, i realized i dont even USE 75% of the things in my white coat- so i abandoned them all together. i would just stick a pen, a pharmacopoeia, trauma shears and a penlight in my scrubs, and have my stethoscope around my neck. oh and of course, always wore my ID which prominently displayed my position as a med student!

soo liberating

 

[dilated]

Just don't be like this one guy I saw at the supermarket once. He was wearing scrubs, but what made it REALLY bad was...the Littmann he had around his neck.

And it's not like he couldn't stash it someplace - he drove to the supermarket! And he made a point of mentioning it to the cashier!

OK, that's just lame

 

[justsomeguy]

Just don't be like this one guy I saw at the supermarket once. He was wearing scrubs, but what made it REALLY bad was...the Littmann he had around his neck.

Sometimes I see people go to McDonald's (not connected to the hospital, btw) with a stethoscope around their neck. I sometimes wonder maybe there is some super secret discount you can get by going to supermarkets and fast food joints wearing a stethoscope around your neck? Or maybe the person is trying to make a statement about how fast food and junk food does wonders for your heart.

I think its the latter, because when I angrily demanded my discount for my Whopper Jr., I got a boot planted firmly in my rear.

It's stayed there ever since.

 

[PhDtoDO]

Speaking of spreading infection....

How often do you wash your coat? Because its worse to spread germs within the hospital and from the hospital. There will be little if any impact from wearing it in public accept the risk you put the public in.

If you don't wash it (and I know many students who don't wash it more than once a month if that) that's what's bad.

Scrubs in public...no problem. Even the cleaning guys where them. The coat...pho-pa grande.

 

[ocean11]

Yesterday, in the elevator, I ran into a med student. How did I know she was a med student? Her ID card? No. It was her monogrammed full-length lab coat, that was also monogrammed with CLASS OF 2010.


Please dont be that person, it looks silly and vain. (And no, its not the med school that gave her that coat)

what's the big deal?!?! so she's wearing her lab coat outside the hospital.... sometimes people forget they are on, or they have to quickly run an errand just before call etc etc..... its not a big deal! get over it.... if it bothers you so much, then get into medical school yourself.

the ONLY thing wrong with it is if the lab coat is dirty and you are in a very public place, other than that who gives a &*^%

 

[smq123]

what's the big deal?!?! so she's wearing her lab coat outside the hospital.... sometimes people forget they are on, or they have to quickly run an errand just before call etc etc..... its not a big deal! get over it.... if it bothers you so much, then get into medical school yourself.

I don't think it was the fact that she was wearing her coat outside the hospital. I think it was the fact that she had gotten it embroidered.

Did you get yours embroidered? My school just gives us plain white coats, and, for us, getting it specially embroidered is like wearing a gigantic "KICK ME" sign.

Sometimes I see people go to McDonald's (not connected to the hospital, btw) with a stethoscope around their neck. I sometimes wonder maybe there is some super secret discount you can get by going to supermarkets and fast food joints wearing a stethoscope around your neck? Or maybe the person is trying to make a statement about how fast food and junk food does wonders for your heart.

I think its the latter, because when I angrily demanded my discount for my Whopper Jr., I got a boot planted firmly in my rear.

It's stayed there ever since.

Heh - wasn't there a Scrubs episode like that? I think Kelso was remembering how it was in the "good old days" when you could wear your white coat to the barbershop, and the haircut would be free. He tries the same trick again, and the barber has to chase him down the street.

 

[Fin-Nor]

our school embroiders our name and underneath it,"student physician"

crapola, now im automatically "that guy"

at least its a short dink coat.

 

[Miami_med]

Everyone here wears long coats, including the students and ancillary staff. It's Ok though, because the patients don't speak English and have no US cultural context through which to view the long white coat as being independently important.

Note that this is in a place where a cold night is about 50 degress.

 

[ericdamiansean]

Speaking of spreading infection....

How often do you wash your coat? Because its worse to spread germs within the hospital and from the hospital. There will be little if any impact from wearing it in public accept the risk you put the public in.

If you don't wash it (and I know many students who don't wash it more than once a month if that) that's what's bad.

Scrubs in public...no problem. Even the cleaning guys where them. The coat...pho-pa grande.

I wash mine 2-3 weeks once, I don't get them dirty.

I have seen alot of people with "yellow" coats..not washed for probably 2-3 years, and I had the unfortunate opportunity to accidentally touch one..the fabric was tough and my fingers became sticky..and it belonged to a girl..urgh..

 

[Taty]

Speaking of spreading infection....

How often do you wash your coat? Because its worse to spread germs within the hospital and from the hospital. There will be little if any impact from wearing it in public accept the risk you put the public in.

If you don't wash it (and I know many students who don't wash it more than once a month if that) that's what's bad.

Scrubs in public...no problem. Even the cleaning guys where them. The coat...pho-pa grande.

I have seen so many people wearing scrubs in NYC subway...scary...

 

[kito]

when i did my EM rotation, i actually didnt wear my white coat b/c it got in the way, esp during traumas and things. i felt liberated. i wasnt sweating and weighed down all the time. whats even better, i realized i dont even USE 75% of the things in my white coat- so i abandoned them all together. i would just stick a pen, a pharmacopoeia, trauma shears and a penlight in my scrubs, and have my stethoscope around my neck. oh and of course, always wore my ID which prominently displayed my position as a med student!

soo liberating

I realized this on medicine way back in August and have never looked back.

 

[GreenShirt]

All the med students in the neighborhood I live in wear their white coats out to lunch in the area restuarants. Do they not have lockers?

 

[domer621]

All the med students in the neighborhood I live in wear their white coats out to lunch in the area restuarants.

Tell them to get over themselves and leave their white coats in their cars. The white coat is there to protect from contamination... they have no business being worn outside the hospital!

 

[Aaron Earles]

when i did my EM rotation, i actually didnt wear my white coat b/c it got in the way, esp during traumas and things. i felt liberated. i wasnt sweating and weighed down all the time. whats even better, i realized i dont even USE 75% of the things in my white coat- so i abandoned them all together. i would just stick a pen, a pharmacopoeia, trauma shears and a penlight in my scrubs, and have my stethoscope around my neck. oh and of course, always wore my ID which prominently displayed my position as a med student!

soo liberating

Amen. My first rotation was EM. It took me about 2 days to realize that the white coat in the ER is not always a good idea. Not to mention the fact that in my ER it can sometimes be 78 degrees. I put my pen, PDA, and penlight in my scrubs and carried them around.

I am pretty warm natured anyway and I dont see me wearing a coat much unless it is required. Some attendings where I rotate wear short coats as well. In Mississippi, it is always like 99 degrees and wearing a long coat makes it even worse.

During my first two years of medical school, some of my clinical intructors were very serious about medical students only wearing short coats to signify that they were just that, students. It seems all professions in a hospital wear a white coat these days, so that argument IMHO doesnt hold much water to me. I dont see a problem with a student wearing a long coat as long as they introduce themselves as a student to the patients, which we were taught to do regardless of what we are wearing.

 

[stoic]

my school gives us short coats with our name embroidered on them and makes a big deal about wearing them whenver we are in the hospital.

personally i don't like the coat at all, ever. it's constraining and people are always stopping you to ask for directions in the hospital (and usually I have no idea were things are).

i can handle slacks and a nice shirt... but whenever possible i ditch the coat and tie.

 

[felipe5]

my school gives us short coats with our name embroidered on them and makes a big deal about wearing them whenver we are in the hospital.

personally i don't like the coat at all, ever. it's constraining and people are always stopping you to ask for directions in the hospital (and usually I have no idea were things are).

i can handle slacks and a nice shirt... but whenever possible i ditch the coat and tie.

you guys have your names on the coat???? HAHAHAHAHAHA, i'm gonna scut the F out of you dude.....just kidding dude, how's life?