Long White Coats?

[sommerwing]

Beginner's question, but just curious. When do trainees receive their "long white coats." Is it after we graduate and begin our internships?

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[armybound]

Your residency program usually provides it for you when you start.

 

[DrBowtie]

When you become part of nursing administration.

 

[sommerwing]

When you become part of nursing administration.

I found that quite interesting.
The nursing students here receive a long white coat from day 1 during their white coat ceremony.

The med students don't even get their short coats until later in the year.

Yes i have coat envy.

 

[calvnandhobbs68]

I found that quite interesting.
The nursing students here receive a long white coat from day 1 during their white coat ceremony.

The med students don't even get their short coats until later in the year.

Yes i have coat envy.

Don't worry about it everyone and their mom gets white coats now. Hell I think the guys who work in medical records wear white coats here. It doesn't mean anything.

 

[drizzt3117]

Yeah, I buck the trend and just don't wear one; everyone thinks i'm an attending now. Seems to work so I don't correct them

 

[SpecterGT260]

Don't worry about it everyone and their mom gets white coats now. Hell I think the guys who work in medical records wear white coats here. It doesn't mean anything.

This is true..... while the techs wear them as PPE, most health related schools are doing ceremonial coats.

 

[KinasePro]

At mass general, even the attendings wear short white coats.

 

[gasblaster]

At mass general, even the attendings wear short white coats.

Yep. Chair of Anesthesia wears a short white coat.

 

[deleted103644]

Yep. Chair of Anesthesia wears a short white coat.

Is this new? I had heard before that MGH was the most ridiculous about these things with different length coats for interns vs residents vs attendings vs chairs. Maybe that was BWH instead, or maybe they just ended that policy.

 

[topsurgeon2010]

not that it really matters, but cleveland clinic (case western program) students wear long white coats..

 

[pkwraith]

Order the whitecoat as 50L, roll up the sleeves.

 

[gimghoul]

Doctors should start wearing capes around the hospital, then sit back and laugh when everyone else starts doing it, too.

 

[deleted103644]

This is my white coat. I keep my stethoscope under the hat and test reflexes with the cane.

 

[loveoforganic2]

At mass general, even the attendings wear short white coats.

I actually dig the symbolism behind that, but white coats in general, meh, I'd rather be in business casual unless I actually might get crap on me

 

[neusu]

On my service none of the residents or attendings wear white coats. Ironically, the PAs/NPs/PT/OT/Pharm.D's who do wear white coats will come to us when the patient wants to talk to the doctor and say the patient wants to see an MD on the coat.

 

[bad virus]

only wore my white coat 4 times. Three of those times were for standardized patient exams, because I was told I would literally fail the exams. The other day I did it was for the my first ever shift in 3rd year. After the first day I realized I could get away with not wearing it and I did. Look I am not sure what all the hell you guys are carrying like pack mules that requires you to have a white coat, but I sure do love my huge pants pockets. Even in scrubs, you have an inner and outer top and bottom pocket. Thats four pockets. You only need the green book to study anything at all in the hospital anyway.

Well enough ranting, I just realized my whole post was a lie as I actually wore the filthy thing 5 times. The additional day was at the silly white coat ceremony.

 

[andon]

i would be curious if they commented on your not wearing it on your evals. our schools policy is to wear them, so I do.

Interestingly, at southwestern in dallas med students wear long coats.

 

[deleted103644]

i would be curious if they commented on your not wearing it on your evals. our schools policy is to wear them, so I do.

Interestingly, at southwestern in dallas med students wear long coats.

Obviously you go with the culture of your school/program, but not all require them.

Honestly, they are just disease vectors with big pockets.

 

[dr zaius]

i would be curious if they commented on your not wearing it on your evals. our schools policy is to wear them, so I do.

Interestingly, at southwestern in dallas med students wear long coats.

We are expected to wear them except on peds. We also have long coats. Even if we weren't required to wear them I still would because omg pockets for everything.

 

[VivaLaVida]

Look I am not sure what all the hell you guys are carrying like pack mules that requires you to have a white coat, but I sure do love my huge pants pockets.

You must be male. (It's difficult to find women's dress attire with normal sized pockets. Khakis are about it. Most nicer slacks have fake or shallow pockets that could maybe hold a chapstick. And don't even get me started about skirts!)

 

[Coffee Machine]

The dental hygienists at my school have a white coat ceremony at the beginning of the year. Complete with taking an oath and everything. Provided some nice kaughs. I can't imagine what the hell that oath must've been.

 

[username456789]

The dental hygienists at my school have a white coat ceremony at the beginning of the year. Complete with taking an oath and everything. Provided some nice kaughs. I can't imagine what the hell that oath must've been.

Something about promising to never ask questions unless their hand or an instrument was already in your mouth.

 

[username456789]

On my service none of the residents or attendings wear white coats. Ironically, the PAs/NPs/PT/OT/Pharm.D's who do wear white coats will come to us when the patient wants to talk to the doctor and say the patient wants to see an MD on the coat.

I did an elective early on this year in my TY, and it was a surgical one. I spent a day in clinic (before realizing "surgical elective" was code for "month long vacation" here) with one of the attendings and his PA (who was, admittedly, very nice and cool, and probably about my age). We (the residents in our program) have a red plastic card thing attached to our badgeholder that says in big white letters PHYSICIAN to easily delineate between different coat-wearers.

The PA that day looked at my ID badge and pointed to the red PHYSICIAN tag and said (when the attending was in another room) "Oh, uh . . . around here [this clinic/surgical practice] we're not supposed to wear those tags . . . " and then muttered something about equality. It was all very strange, but amusing nonetheless.

 

[bakanoisha]

Beginner's question, but just curious. When do trainees receive their "long white coats." Is it after we graduate and begin our internships?

White coats are stupid -___- Especially since they are practically an icon created by the field of medicine, yet now everybody and their mothers has one in the hospital.

I personally think we should wear capes.

 

[deleted103644]

White coats are stupid -___- Especially since they are practically an icon created by the field of medicine, yet now everybody and their mothers has one in the hospital.

I personally think we should wear capes.

No capes!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M68ndaZSKa8

 

[45408]

Well enough ranting, I just realized my whole post was a lie as I actually wore the filthy thing 5 times. The additional day was at the silly white coat ceremony.

The last time I wore mine was when I took it paintballing. Me and about 15 other guys in my class went to a private paintball field and had a blast. It certainly took out the possibility of sneaking up on your opponents, since we were all in white, but it was a blast. You just had to rush your opponents or stay completely hidden.

 

[deleted103644]

The last time I wore mine was when I took it paintballing. Me and about 15 other guys in my class went to a private paintball field and had a blast. It certainly took out the possibility of sneaking up on your opponents, since we were all in white, but it was a blast. You just had to rush your opponents or stay completely hidden.

I hope you wore your coat at least once after that... It would look much better after multiple paintball hits.

 

[greg1184]

i would be curious if they commented on your not wearing it on your evals. our schools policy is to wear them, so I do.

Interestingly, at southwestern in dallas med students wear long coats.

Same in a couple of Florida schools.

 

[mjl1717]

This is my white coat. I keep my stethoscope under the hat and test reflexes with the cane.

Funny!

 

[Bancrofti]

No capes!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M68ndaZSKa8

Haha, loved that movie.

Isn't there supposed to be a phasing out of white coats anyway or was that just a suggestion I read somewhere? I remember reading about how it's likely physicians/residents/other people with a white coat were facilitating the transfer of microorganisms from patient to patient since they always kept it on in every patient's room..

 

[Oxer45]

Haha, loved that movie.

Isn't there supposed to be a phasing out of white coats anyway or was that just a suggestion I read somewhere? I remember reading about how it's likely physicians/residents/other people with a white coat were facilitating the transfer of microorganisms from patient to patient since they always kept it on in every patient's room..

Even if you wear scrubs instead of white coats, you'll still transfer germs from one room to another. But stethoscopes are the worst carriers of germs, since they touch every pts body and most people dont clean them with alcohol wipes before using it on different pts (i dont either)

 

[deleted103644]

Even if you wear scrubs instead of white coats, you'll still transfer germs from one room to another. But stethoscopes are the worst carriers of germs, since they touch every pts body and most people dont clean them with alcohol wipes before using it on different pts (i dont either)

People can more easily change scrubs every day (or more than every day) than change white coats.

Also, you should wipe your stethoscope down with alcohol (at least) after every patient. You should also use a glove/stethoscope cover in isolation rooms.

Ideally there would be a stethoscope in each room - then you only really need to worry about cleaning the ear pieces.

 

[evilbooyaa]

People can more easily change scrubs every day (or more than every day) than change white coats.

Also, you should wipe your stethoscope down with alcohol (at least) after every patient. You should also use a glove/stethoscope cover in isolation rooms.

Ideally there would be a stethoscope in each room - then you only really need to worry about cleaning the ear pieces.

This. At the very least protect patients from those that are in isolation with a glove + alcohol wipedown.

 

[VisionaryTics]

This. At the very least protect patients from those that are in isolation with a glove + alcohol wipedown.

The diaphragms I use with my stethoscope are allegedly antimicrobial if switched out once per month. I have no idea if they actually work, but it makes me feel a tiny bit better.

That being said, I definitely started swabbing down my reflex hammer with alcohol after a few days doing Babinski's in the NSICU.

 

[peteB]

Don't worry about it everyone and their mom gets white coats now. Hell I think the guys who work in medical records wear white coats here. It doesn't mean anything.

I've seen employees at Walmart wearing long white coats too.

 

[deleted103644]

The diaphragms I use with my stethoscope are allegedly antimicrobial if switched out once per month. I have no idea if they actually work, but it makes me feel a tiny bit better.

That being said, I definitely started swabbing down my reflex hammer with alcohol after a few days doing Babinski's in the NSICU.

They're not that anti-microbial.

That just means they aren't porous and are maybe bacteriostatic (but certainly not all types).

Wipe that **** down.

 

[Bancrofti]

Even if you wear scrubs instead of white coats, you'll still transfer germs from one room to another. But stethoscopes are the worst carriers of germs, since they touch every pts body and most people dont clean them with alcohol wipes before using it on different pts (i dont either)

I thought of that as I was typing it out. I think it may have mentioned that white coats are worst because they hang down and touch more things inadvertently without you even knowing. And as was said, you typically don't wear the same scrubs every day. I know many hospitals have a cleaning service for the white coats, but I don't know how frequently that happens.

In reality though if you really wanted to be a stickler, there's no way to COMPLETELY prevent the spread of things. Standard precaution for isolation rooms is gown and gloves, but nothing for the shoes. With the bodily fluids from every possible orifice I've seen on floors when I was working before, I never took more than 2 steps into my house with my work sneakers on.

 

[evilbooyaa]

They're not that anti-microbial.

That just means they aren't porous and are maybe bacteriostatic (but certainly not all types).

Wipe that **** down.

This. Unless it has a sanitizer on it, it's not going to be anti-microbial. And if it has a sanitizer on it, it's not going to last one month.

 

[Siggy]

only wore my white coat 4 times. Three of those times were for standardized patient exams, because I was told I would literally fail the exams. The other day I did it was for the my first ever shift in 3rd year. After the first day I realized I could get away with not wearing it and I did. Look I am not sure what all the hell you guys are carrying like pack mules that requires you to have a white coat, but I sure do love my huge pants pockets. Even in scrubs, you have an inner and outer top and bottom pocket. Thats four pockets. You only need the green book to study anything at all in the hospital anyway.

Well enough ranting, I just realized my whole post was a lie as I actually wore the filthy thing 5 times. The additional day was at the silly white coat ceremony.

Random junk like tuning forks, green book, etc. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of scrubs, but I guess I can go busting around the hospital just in a shirt and slacks (...and will if I'm playing gopher to get supplies for procedures for a critical patient). However I carry as much as I can on my belt, which is one of the reasons I like slacks more than scrubs.

 

[Siggy]

I've seen employees at Walmart wearing long white coats too.

The Walmart near my house has both a pharmacy and an optometrist practice. Of course given the number of white coats, I think anyone working in the pharmacy or OD practice (including techs) are wearing white coats.

 

[Shnurek]

The Walmart near my house has both a pharmacy and an optometrist practice. Of course given the number of white coats, I think anyone working in the pharmacy or OD practice (including techs) are wearing white coats.

Only reason ODs work at Walmart is because they get paid ridiculous amount of money. $143,000 is the median salary for ODs at Walmart for 35-40 hours a week. I personally think it is a prostitution of the profession.

 

[calvnandhobbs68]

Only reason ODs work at Walmart is because they get paid ridiculous amount of money. $143,000 is the median salary for ODs at Walmart for 35-40 hours a week. I personally think it is a prostitution of the profession.

We don't care...we just don't care.

I'd love to repost this in the OD forums though and see what your pals over there have to say about it

 

[peteB]

Only reason ODs work at Walmart is because they get paid ridiculous amount of money. $143,000 is the median salary for ODs at Walmart for 35-40 hours a week. I personally think it is a prostitution of the profession.

Wow you are in this thread too? You are like a desperate MD groupie.

 

[peteB]

The Walmart near my house has both a pharmacy and an optometrist practice. Of course given the number of white coats, I think anyone working in the pharmacy or OD practice (including techs) are wearing white coats.

That's true, but I was actually referring to employees who were carting around boxes of stuff. I saw a couple of them wearing long white coats too. Maybe they work in the meat department and wear them to avoid getting stuff on their clothes when they're chopping meat.

 

[Shnurek]

Wow you are in this thread too? You are like a desperate MD groupie.

Desperation isn't quite the word. Its more like passion.

 

[Barley426]

I see y'all have the pitchforks out when the OD student dropped by so I'm sure you wont take kindly to a humble scientist turned pre-med waltzing over to the allo forums but here goes nuttin'. [/country drawl]

They're not that anti-microbial...That just means they aren't porous and are maybe bacteriostatic (but certainly not all types)...Wipe that **** down.

This. Unless it has a sanitizer on it, it's not going to be anti-microbial. And if it has a sanitizer on it, it's not going to last one month.

It's actually called antimicrobial because of the impregnated silver ions, which is becoming more common on public fixtures with a high germ probability (like restroom door handles). I doubt its overall effectiveness, but thats besides the point. Here's an article.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17482998

White coats are stupid -___- Especially since they are practically an icon created by the field of medicine, yet now everybody and their mothers has one in the hospital.

Actually physicians began wearing them in the late 1800s when they were trying to get away from being perceived as quacks and took the lab coat from the highly respected scientist in an attempt to promote a more scientific appearance, in addition to promoting a clean appearance.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_coat#In_medicine

Now I'll retreat back to pre-allo...

 

[deleted103644]

I see y'all have the pitchforks out when the OD student dropped by so I'm sure you wont take kindly to a humble scientist turned pre-med waltzing over to the allo forums but here goes nuttin'. [/country drawl]





It's actually called antimicrobial because of the impregnated silver ions, which is becoming more common on public fixtures with a high germ probability (like restroom door handles). I doubt its overall effectiveness, but thats besides the point. Here's an article.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17482998



Actually physicians began wearing them in the late 1800s when they were trying to get away from being perceived as quacks and took the lab coat from the highly respected scientist in an attempt to promote a more scientific appearance, in addition to promoting a clean appearance.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_coat#In_medicine

Now I'll retreat back to pre-allo...

Didn't say it wasn't anti-microbial, just that it wasn't enough. And IIRC, impregnated silver is only bacteriostatic (why I said that in my post).

Your stethoscope should be wiped with EtOH after each patient and washed when visibly dirty (or once a day, whichever comes first).

It should never come into direct contact with someone with confirmed or suspected c diff or MRSA.

Also - what is a stethoscope sanitizer? Never heard of that before.

 

[K31]

I see y'all have the pitchforks out when the OD student dropped by so I'm sure you wont take kindly to a humble scientist turned pre-med waltzing over to the allo forums but here goes nuttin'. [/country drawl]

That reaction happened because Shnurek feels the need to comment in every thread where ODs are mentioned, no matter how peripherally. We aren't opposed to non-med students posting, just the annoying ones.

 

[peteB]

I see y'all have the pitchforks out when the OD student dropped by so I'm sure you wont take kindly to a humble scientist turned pre-med waltzing over to the allo forums but here goes nuttin'. [/country drawl]

We didn't get the pitchforks out because he's an OD student, we got them out because he's trolling