OMG im so sick of these people

[45408]

Im a 2nd year and I very well know that I am clueless, stupid, and inferior so I guess I am ahead of the game.

You might think so, but just wait until next year when it really sets in. It only takes a few times from the nurses going "Could you right an order for, oh wait, never mind, you're just a med student."

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[beastmaster]

In MS1 I was also quite enamored with myself. It's natural. Years of longing, and you finally did it. Now at MS4 the last thing I want anyone to know about me is that I'm in med school.

Few months ago, after a very long day in the OR, went out to eat at 8pm at a fairly nice restaurant. We all had scrubs on, but most embarassingly so. We didn't want the attention, just a nice meal. But surely back in MS1 we'd be on top of the world.

 

[78222]

wtf is wrong with wearing scrubs? I wear them all the time. They are comfortable and not too hot. So frickin what?

As for most of the things in the OP, yeah, they are pretty douchey. However, I really don't understand why medstudents feel that any sign of pride of being in medical field is "douchebaggery". Do you people really think that what we do is so special that it requires us to hide it from all the lowly commoners in the world? Medicine is a great profession and getting here (and finishing) is no easy task but we aren't celebrities or anything. Good grief, I have a sticker for my medschool on my car and I've even been known to *gasp* wear a tshirt that says "____ School of Medicine".

 

[scotties123]

wtf is wrong with wearing scrubs? I wear them all the time. They are comfortable and not too hot. So frickin what?

As for most of the things in the OP, yeah, they are pretty douchey. However, I really don't understand why medstudents feel that any sign of pride of being in medical field is "douchebaggery". Do you people really think that what we do is so special that it requires us to hide it from all the lowly commoners in the world? Medicine is a great profession and getting here (and finishing) is no easy task but we aren't celebrities or anything. Good grief, I have a sticker for my medschool on my car and I've even been known to *gasp* wear a tshirt that says "____ School of Medicine".

There is nothing wrong with having some pride for your school, or being proud that you are in medical school. I have a small window sticker that reps my school. Even wearing a shirt with it is perfectly normal. Im talking about the extremes that are just so overboard you cant help but think "does that person really think they look cool like that?"

 

[deleted77919]

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[IHeartNerds]

i don't give a flying monkey's arse what people think, i wear scrub pants on a regular basis. why? because every other day i'm in research lab after class doing things with chemicals, stains, and other crap that could ruin the two actual pairs of pants that i own, and i can't afford to replace them. so yes, i'll go with the free pants from the hospital basement. yay for living on loans

 

[DwyaneWade]

As for te steth on the rear view mirror, I'd check laws in your state. I know where I grew up anything (parking tag, fuzzy dice, whatever) hanging from your rearview mirror is a ticket.

So perhaps they meant it's a great way to get a ticket.

Wow that is sort of ridiculous

 

[NJDIF]

personally, i cant wait to shed the white coat. i am a firm believer that short white coats were designed to humiliate med students. they look ******ed.

my school is almost the opposite. we are almost so careful as to NOT look lame, so we all put off putting on the coat until the last possible minute.

i remember in college, everyone had a lame excuse as to why they were wearing the entire scrub outfit in public

"oh i work at ___ and i had ABSOLUTELY no time to change"

"theyre just so comfortable"

"oh, the guy i shadow makes me wear them, i guess i forgot to change"

in the words of Jesse Spano, gag me with a spoon.

 

[Excelsius]

Haha, I love the premise of this thread. People who love lording it over everyone that they are med students are so pathetic. Some people, amazingly, continue this attitude until well into clinical years and continue to believe that their existence on the earth is the single greatest and most important development in the history of the world. When they become residents they "suddenly" attain the realization that med students are inferior, stupid, and clueless and deserve to be treated as such. Then when they become attendings they discover that residents suck. If they end up going into a subspecialty residency they also discover that primary care physicians are stupid and clueless, and those in their specialty are the enlightened ones. ...

I think this was a good insider observation. We can add to that the super-development of the ego-god-complex and the condescension-complex of every other profession not involving an allopathic professional school, especially those damn stupid chiropractors, CAMs, and quacks in general!

 

[psychforme]

Any of you people wear scrubs while clubbing?

 

[smq123]

Any of you people wear scrubs while clubbing?

Please.

I go to the gym in my white coat and stethoscope. Doesn't everyone?

 

[scotties123]

Please.

I go to the gym in my white coat and stethoscope. Doesn't everyone?

i usually keep my stethoscope in my locker unless there are a buncha hot babes around ya know brah?

 

[Excelsius]

Please.

I go to the gym in my white coat and stethoscope. Doesn't everyone?

That's nothing. When I go to the gym and get on the treadmill, instead of the boring ipod or heart monitors, I immediately whip out my stethoscope and monitor my heart directly while running and holding the microphone to the right side of my chest. I accept and trust no other substitute. If I feel generous enough, I may offer to monitor another runner if she happens to be a worthy female specimen. Then when I go to the steam room, I hide my 27" stethoscope in my shorts (no underwear). When the moment is right, I start stretching in a manner as to let the stethoscope to slowly hang down below my shorts and I let it stay that way as long as it will provide me with strategic advantage. Then, when I leave the steam room to take a shower, I don't take any boring bathrobes with me - I put my scrubs and the lab coat instead.

Oh, and I am not in med school yet.

 

[ZonaRidicularis]

z

 

[coldweatherblue]

I don't really notice this kind of thing. people will do different things, who cares?

 

[Sage880]

No offense man, but you're waltzing around in scrubs and you're not even in med school? That makes you a pretty big goober. I didn't really mean it when I said no offense.

Ha ha ha!

 

[78222]

That was good

We're not allowed to wear our coats outside the labs & hospital. If someone gets caught doing that they will surely get their ass handed to them.

Why exactly? I think it's kind of lame to wear your white coat all over town too (although you don't see IBankers change out of their coats when they leave the office, nor do you see construction workers take off the overalls, lest someone know what they do for a living) but I also don't understand why it's a cardinal sin .

As for te steth on the rear view mirror, I'd check laws in your state. I know where I grew up anything (parking tag, fuzzy dice, whatever) hanging from your rearview mirror is a ticket.

So perhaps they meant it's a great way to get a ticket.

Really? That seems really stupid.

There is nothing wrong with having some pride for your school, or being proud that you are in medical school. I have a small window sticker that reps my school. Even wearing a shirt with it is perfectly normal. Im talking about the extremes that are just so overboard you cant help but think "does that person really think they look cool like that?"

Well, like i said, most things mentioned by the OP really are douchey. Attention seeking behavior is pretty lame, especially in adults. That said, the "omg, he wears scrubs outside of school!" thing is exactly what I'm talking about. Who cares if someone wears scrubs? Scrubs are in no way limited to physicians. Just about everyone from the Janitor to the Committee Chair of Surgery wear scrubs in the hospital. So I really don't see wearing scrubs as being attention seeking. They are comfortable and make great pajamas.

 

[neuroprotector]

I'm pretty sure I can't think of any career in which people fight this much over what people wear...except like project runway. What the hell is wrong with us?

 

[meister]

Rampant narcissism mixed with endemic self-doubt?

 

[fahimaz7]

I saw a pre-med on the bus the other day with a lab coat (long, white, chemistry-type lab coat) on and a steth around his neck. He said that he was volunteering at the hospital between classes so he didn't have time to change.

lol.....The kid is in his 3rd year of college....

 

[yaah]

Wearing the same thing you wear in the hospital everywhere else, as I said, spreads germs. MRSA is everywhere. Why is it everywhere? It's hard to see how the rampant scrubs-wearing everywhere is not contributing to this. I mean, people blame ties for spread MRSA for crying out loud. And scrubs encounter MRSA-contaminated surfaces about 100x more often than ties. That surgery resident I saw stuffing his face at the diner after he finished his ICU overnight shift (while still in scrubs) was a prime example. He'd probably say it was fine because he washed his hands. Did he really wash his hands or did he just run them under the water and then spray some of that foam on them? Then wipe his hands off on his scrub top?

To me, the hygeine portion is the most important part of my anti-scrubs in public stance. The other part is that it looks lazy and silly. People are obsessed now with this notion that they are more comfortable and that looking professional or appropriate is for losers or kissasses. OK. Fine. You're still professional. You're just dirty.

 

[87138]

The latter is really only going to work if you're a firefighter, paramedic or surgeon. The cops don't care about med students.

Actually, to be fair, I got out of a speeding ticket 3 years ago because I had an old crappy stethocope in my back seat. It was a weekend and I was driving to see a friend about 2 hours away, was speeding on the highway, and got pulled over.

Him: "So, son, I see that's a stethoscope back there. You in med school?"
Me: "Nah, not yet. I'm planning on it though. Right now I just help out at a doctor's office."
Him: "I see"


The cop took my info, went back to his car to write up the ticket, and appeared a normal length of time later.


Him: "Well son, I know you're pretty much screwed with how much money you're gonna owe in the long run, so I think we can look past this ticket for now. But don't let me catch you speeding ever again."

 

[meister]

Interesting. I think I'll start putting my stethoscope in the backseat on long trips now. I can start tonight on my 12 hour sojourn to Maine!

 

[45408]

It's hard to see how the rampant scrubs-wearing everywhere is not contributing to this. I mean, people blame ties for spread MRSA for crying out loud. And scrubs encounter MRSA-contaminated surfaces about 100x more often than ties.

Nobody washes ties, that's why. Scrubs are washed all the time. I bet the real source of the MRSA is from your nares, fingernails and hair.

 

[howelljolly]

Why exactly? I think it's kind of lame to wear your white coat all over town too (although you don't see IBankers change out of their coats when they leave the office, nor do you see construction workers take off the overalls, lest someone know what they do for a living) but I also don't understand why it's a cardinal sin .

.

Have you ever, in your life, seen a paramedic on their commute? They might have paraphernelia on their car, but dont go to and from work in a uniform, with a steth hanging from them. They change at work.

Which reminds me... anyone that has a stethoscope hanging from their rear view mirror isnt using it. The stinkin thing will freeze SOLID in your car, and eventually crack, and im sure the blistering heat won't be good for it either.

 

[psipsina]

Actually, to be fair, I got out of a speeding ticket 3 years ago because I had an old crappy stethocope in my back seat. It was a weekend and I was driving to see a friend about 2 hours away, was speeding on the highway, and got pulled over.

Him: "So, son, I see that's a stethoscope back there. You in med school?"
Me: "Nah, not yet. I'm planning on it though. Right now I just help out at a doctor's office."
Him: "I see"


The cop took my info, went back to his car to write up the ticket, and appeared a normal length of time later.


Him: "Well son, I know you're pretty much screwed with how much money you're gonna owe in the long run, so I think we can look past this ticket for now. But don't let me catch you speeding ever again."

Yah I know someone in my class who got out of one for being in her gross lab scrubs. The cop asked if she was a medstudent and when she said yes he went on about how he understands how little sleep we get (it was early in the morning) and told her to take it easy getting home and let her off. Pretty sweet perk.

 

[dunmaglas]

Why exactly? I think it's kind of lame to wear your white coat all over town too (although you don't see IBankers change out of their coats when they leave the office, nor do you see construction workers take off the overalls, lest someone know what they do for a living) but I also don't understand why it's a cardinal sin .

Just a note on the construction workers thing; in my opinion the perception works in much the same way. I worked as a framer for 6 years to pay my way through University, and we'd always have a laugh at the super cool guys who would wear their safety vests and hardhats (and even fall-arrest gear) offsite. Apparently they thought this improved their image (somewhere along the lines of trying to appeal to those women who are attracted to the "rugged" and dirty profession of construction workers). Not quite sure what's attractive about being covered in mud, sweat and sawdust, but then again what do I know.
In the end if you're wearing equipment that is not appropriate to the situation, you're going to look like an ass. I'm proud to be going to medical school but I hardly feel it's necessary to broadcast that to the world.

 

[78222]

Have you ever, in your life, seen a paramedic on their commute? They might have paraphernelia on their car, but dont go to and from work in a uniform, with a steth hanging from them. They change at work.

Which reminds me... anyone that has a stethoscope hanging from their rear view mirror isnt using it. The stinkin thing will freeze SOLID in your car, and eventually crack, and im sure the blistering heat won't be good for it either.

I've seen plenty of fat ass, off duty, paramedics wearing their uniforms while they suck down cheeseburgers like they're chiclets. Now personally, I can't see any reason to wear your white coat around town unless you are just leaving the hospital to pick up lunch and if I saw anyone wearing one on a day off, I'd probably ridicule them.

 

[78222]

Wearing the same thing you wear in the hospital everywhere else, as I said, spreads germs. MRSA is everywhere. Why is it everywhere? It's hard to see how the rampant scrubs-wearing everywhere is not contributing to this. I mean, people blame ties for spread MRSA for crying out loud. And scrubs encounter MRSA-contaminated surfaces about 100x more often than ties. That surgery resident I saw stuffing his face at the diner after he finished his ICU overnight shift (while still in scrubs) was a prime example. He'd probably say it was fine because he washed his hands. Did he really wash his hands or did he just run them under the water and then spray some of that foam on them? Then wipe his hands off on his scrub top?

To me, the hygeine portion is the most important part of my anti-scrubs in public stance. The other part is that it looks lazy and silly. People are obsessed now with this notion that they are more comfortable and that looking professional or appropriate is for losers or kissasses. OK. Fine. You're still professional. You're just dirty.

The scrubs I wear have been washed in my own washer. I doubt they are any dirtier than anything else I own. As someone else pointed out most of us are colonized with MRSA anyway so it's unlikely to matter whether we wear scrubs or not, we are still carrying resistant bugs around with us.

 

[ZonaRidicularis]

.

 

[howelljolly]

I've seen plenty of fat ass, off duty, paramedics wearing their uniforms while they suck down cheeseburgers like they're chiclets. Now personally, I can't see any reason to wear your white coat around town unless you are just leaving the hospital to pick up lunch and if I saw anyone wearing one on a day off, I'd probably ridicule them.

Oh, i brought that up, bcs. I noticed that the only ppl that wear their work get-up on the subway ride I take every day are construction ppl... and I used to be a paramedic. None of the ones on my unit ever did, and Ive never seen anyone else in passing.

 

[WellWornLad]

How can anyone find room for an ego in med school? Not a day goes by that I'm not reminded that I'm at the bottom of a very tall totem pole.

The only people I impress are pre-meds, and I lost respect for them long ago.

 

[howelljolly]

Am I the only one who doesnt want to feel obligated to look at every random persons rash, or act like superman when Im a random bystander to a person in trouble? I prefer to be incognito.

 

[45408]

Have you ever, in your life, seen a paramedic on their commute? They might have paraphernelia on their car, but dont go to and from work in a uniform, with a steth hanging from them. They change at work.

Which reminds me... anyone that has a stethoscope hanging from their rear view mirror isnt using it. The stinkin thing will freeze SOLID in your car, and eventually crack, and im sure the blistering heat won't be good for it either.

Actually, having worked with quite a few paramedics, they all commuted in their uniforms, often with their stethoscope around their necks. I can't think of any of them who ever showed up and then changed. Most people wear their work clothes on their way to work.

 

[78222]

Yaah summed it up pretty nicely for me. Especially about the professionalism part. We're supposed to dress nice to our final exams, it's not required but it's standard practice. If it's an oral final exam... forget it.. guys have to wear a suit and the ladies in professional attire as well. If you show up to the oral exam wearing jeans and a t-shirt... I guess you'll get a sloppy grade to go along with the sloppy attire. Most countries outside the US are like this, they just have different customs I guess. But I still wouldn't walk around in scrubs.

I show up to exams in jeans and a tshirt all the time. Why should I dress up to go take a shelf exam when the only people who will see me are other students and the secretary giving the exam? For an oral exam I'd wear the white coat, tie, and slacks but that's totally different than just taking an exam.
I didn't come to medschool to be a runway fashion model. I came here to learn medicine.

 

[jake2]

Am I the only one who finds scrub pants annoying? In all the ones I've worn there is usually only one pocket in the back that's prone to having things fall out of it. Unless you tie them tight as hell, they tend to fall off. I'll take a pair of comfortable khakis any day.

I like the scrub top though. It's a nice excuse the wear a t-shirt to work rather than a starched shirt with a noose/tie.

 

[jake2]

Why exactly? I think it's kind of lame to wear your white coat all over town too (although you don't see IBankers change out of their coats when they leave the office, nor do you see construction workers take off the overalls, lest someone know what they do for a living) but I also don't understand why it's a cardinal sin .



Really? That seems really stupid.



Well, like i said, most things mentioned by the OP really are douchey. Attention seeking behavior is pretty lame, especially in adults. That said, the "omg, he wears scrubs outside of school!" thing is exactly what I'm talking about. Who cares if someone wears scrubs? Scrubs are in no way limited to physicians. Just about everyone from the Janitor to the Committee Chair of Surgery wear scrubs in the hospital. So I really don't see wearing scrubs as being attention seeking. They are comfortable and make great pajamas.

The line I draw in deciding the douchbagery of wearing a uniform outside of work is based on the amount of work changing requires. Changing scrubs at the end of a days work may be a pain so I see no fault in seeing people around in them. I associate scrubs with nurses more anyway. At my institution, docs and med students are usually required to wear shirt and tie with white coat, and most of the people I see around town in scrubs are nurses. Similarly, it would be a pain to change and clean up after a day as a paramedic/construction worker so I can't fault them for not.

On the other hand, it takes little to no effort to take off a white coat and doing so results in improved personal comfort, so the only reason I can see for keeping one on is to specifically point out to those around you that you are a doctor. Thus a white coat around town = high level of douchbag.

O yeah, agreed with yaah on not the people who don't change scrubs before entering the OR. What the hell's the point if they're not clean? The scrubs aren't there as a comfort measure. I'm certain our surgery department would do away with them if they were...

 

[howelljolly]

Am I the only one who finds scrub pants annoying? In all the ones I've worn there is usually only one pocket in the back that's prone to having things fall out of it. Unless you tie them tight as hell, they tend to fall off. I'll take a pair of comfortable khakis any day.

I like the scrub top though. It's a nice excuse the wear a t-shirt to work rather than a starched shirt with a noose/tie.

Ha! I dont like either one. Ive only found one scrub top that fit me well, and that was in a hopital that keeps a very close check on them (so I couldnt steal it). All the rest have neck holes that are too big, and the underarm chafes me so.

I dont much like ties either.... so Im kinda stuck.

 

[howelljolly]

O yeah, agreed with yaah on not the people who don't change scrubs before entering the OR. What the hell's the point if they're not clean? The scrubs aren't there as a comfort measure. I'm certain our surgery department would do away with them if they were...

I only recently discovered this nonsense of not changing scrubs on entering the OR. In the other two ORs I rotated in, and one where I observed as a pre-med, you were required to change into the hospital's clean scrubs in the locker room just prior to entering the OR.

 

[GatorsWearJorts]

Is it acceptable for med students to wear the stethoscope around the neck? Ive wondered this for a while. I do it, but wonder about its d-bagginess.

 

[Tired]

I only recently discovered this nonsense of not changing scrubs on entering the OR. In the other two ORs I rotated in, and one where I observed as a pre-med, you were required to change into the hospital's clean scrubs in the locker room just prior to entering the OR.

It's such a ******ed policy. Nothing worse than changing clothes every time you have to run up the floors in between cases.

 

[87138]

The line I draw in deciding the douchbagery of wearing a uniform outside of work is based on the amount of work changing requires. Changing scrubs at the end of a days work may be a pain so I see no fault in seeing people around in them. I associate scrubs with nurses more anyway. At my institution, docs and med students are usually required to wear shirt and tie with white coat, and most of the people I see around town in scrubs are nurses. Similarly, it would be a pain to change and clean up after a day as a paramedic/construction worker so I can't fault them for not.

On the other hand, it takes little to no effort to take off a white coat and doing so results in improved personal comfort, so the only reason I can see for keeping one on is to specifically point out to those around you that you are a doctor. Thus a white coat around town = high level of douchbag.

O yeah, agreed with yaah on not the people who don't change scrubs before entering the OR. What the hell's the point if they're not clean? The scrubs aren't there as a comfort measure. I'm certain our surgery department would do away with them if they were...

Wait, are there actually med students that DON'T feel like a tool when wearing a short white coat?

 

[jake2]

Is it acceptable for med students to wear the stethoscope around the neck? Ive wondered this for a while. I do it, but wonder about its d-bagginess.

On the wards, yeah of course its cool. As a note though, tradition (at least where I'm at) is that docs on medical services wear their stethoscope around their next while the surgical services keep stethoscopes in one of their white coat pockets.

If you mean in like a supermarket or a bar though, then the level of douchbaggery is very high. Who the f*** you going to ausciltate there?

(Question left open for witty responses)

 

[smq123]

Is it acceptable for med students to wear the stethoscope around the neck? Ive wondered this for a while. I do it, but wonder about its d-bagginess.

You can wear your stethoscope around your neck, at least while in the hospital.

It's kind of disgusting to do so, if you stop and think about it. Unless you're really careful about wiping down your stethoscope with bleach, you're hanging a germ-magnet around your neck. Blech.

 

[deleted77919]

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[JeffLebowski]

Okay here's something I never understood (in reference to an earlier comment)...

What's the deal with the *****s wearing the "reverse scrub mullet" (i.e. scrub pants with a regular shirt)? What the hell? Am I missing something, or is this totally stupid? I mean if you're going to wear scrubs, that means it's too bloody/fluidy etc. to wear your own clothes, correct? How disgusting would it be to be in a scrubs-necessary environment and get blood on your own shirt from home that you think looks "cute" with your scrub pants? And if you're wearing scrubs, why just the pants? Don't their arms come out of their torsos? Who does IV's/foleys/ABG's/dressing changes/suturing with their legs?

 

[JTubule1386]

So what you guys are telling me that I will be a future social outcast when I get into med school? I haven't started med school yet. I don't see anything wrong with wearing scrubs though. I had a friend that use to wear them after school and on weekends in high school because she was taking a special class that required her to wear them sometimes. I also knew a lot of people during undergrad that wore them. My cousin works in a cardiologist's office and all the nurses wear them. So how is wearing them a status symbol that you're in med school. I mean you don't need a license that says you are a doctor or a doctor in training to buy them, so basically a homeless person can wear them. Does that boost his status symbol while he's lying on the sidewalk? How do you know everyone who wears scrubs are doing it for social status.

Also if I wear jeans to long and too much it starts to irritate my skin. I get very uncomfortable to the point its all I can think about until I get them off, and sometimes I even break out. I know there are a lot of other materials that I can were, but scrubs seem to be the cheapest and most durable. I have also never been a fan of buying clothes for fashion. I will opt for comfort over trendiness any day. Now I understand the coat and the stethoscope because I don't like extra clothes on and objects hanging on my body. I also don't see the need to place them on display for everyone to see. I also agree that scrubs shouldn't be worn in lab or the OR or anywhere they could have come into contact with bodily fluid, and then be worn out in the public for social frolicking. I also agree that they shouldn't be worn for social frolicking and then into the hospital around patients. But if you have some lounging scrubs, what is wrong with wearing them to be more comfortable. Also I ask, if you are calling them vain and insecure for wearing scrubs out in public, aren't you just as vain and insecure for judging someone by what they are wearing? After all, to someone who doesn't know that they are a med student, they might as well be a PT, an undergrad, a receptionist in a doctor's office, or a high school student.

 

[Pinkertinkle]

So what you guys are telling me that I will be a future social outcast when I get into med school?

You definitely won't earn yourself any points by doing so.

 

[JTubule1386]

Good thing I was never one to care about what people thought about what I wore...or what they thought about me by what I wore.

 

[Pinkertinkle]

Good thing I was never one to care about what people thought about what I wore...or what they thought about me by what I wore.

That's exactly what they'll be doing when you interview for medical school