Optometry students wearing scrubs?

[Wizard of Oz]

Ever try to fit a wallet, pda, pens, antibiotic cheat-sheet, alcohol wipes, cell phone, etc into that little pocket on scrub pants? Even putting change from the drink machine back there makes sitting uncomfortable, until if falls out. White coat = storage, plus you can hang it in your locker and somewhat minimize infecting your car and house with MRSA-laden scrubs. With thousands of staff, students, patients, and visitors running around, my school/hospital designates the dress code for ID purposes. Professional attire w/short coat for M3/4s, long coat and/or hospital scrubs for residents and attendings. Each department's staff has a different color retail scrubs, so radiology is black and lab is red and respiratory is blue, etc. So that when EM calls up for an OB consult, the desk staff (who wear regular clothes with a badge) don't accidentally send some high schooler lab tech into the pelvic room instead of the second year OB resident who looks like a high schooler lab tech, and the students know who not to snap at after an on-call nightmare of a day in the ER.

Speaking as a trained and certified medical technologist with a Master's degree, I find it a little bit offensive that you call lab techs "high schoolers." A college-educated, trained, and certified medical technologist is more likely to be skilled in proper specimen collection than a doctor. Otherwise we wouldn't have to reject your specimens due to improper collection.

Also speaking as a medical technologist who works in microbiology, your white coat is just as laden with nosocomial MRSA as your scrubs are. It's probably worse if you are wearing it over the top of your scrubs.

I agree regarding the pocket problem, however, you wouldn't have to carry the antibiotic cheat sheet if you actually learned the material like you were supposed to. If you need help with that material, you can call the lab. They have trained and certified personnel (like myself) who can answer your questions about antibiotics.

I do prefer the color coded scrub idea for hospitals. It is just not as common as it once was. It seems a little odd to me, though, that you feel that it is acceptable to snap at people in general and that there is some hierarchy that dictates to whom you should snap at. In my personal experience, snapping at hospital staff makes them uncomfortable and less able to provide their best efforts. You're a doctor--you're supposed to be the one who absorbs the nightmare shifts. Don't take your job out on other people.

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[Wizard of Oz]

Wearing a lab coat does not equal "working in the lab". Many physicians, including myself (a surgeon) are required to cover scrubs with lab coat when out of the operating room. Since I am also required to go from OR to ward and back to OR, I wear a lab coat cover (sometimes an scrub gown cover) but rest assured, my scrubs are covered.

You should use something that covers your torso completely. A lab coat with lapels is not enough. Go with the gown cover.

White Coat Ceremony is the informal name given to the formal ceremony where an incoming medical student is welcomed into the medical profession by those of us already in the profession. It is an earned right of passage i.e. earned by getting accepted into medical school. The short white jacket is the universal symbol of the medical student and a ceremony welcoming them into the profession is very nice.

My feeling is that we should not be celebrating, we should be learning. If it was just an "entrance celebration," a small welcoming reception might be in order, but I am offended that the white coat is treated like Superman's cape, and the only acceptable person to "cloak" me is another physician.

I didn't go into medicine to experience celebratory rites of passage. I'm sure that residents will give my due rites of passage over the years, and they will not be complimentary in nature.

We do not hold white coat ceremonies for lab technicians and other allied health people who wear white jackets and are not medical students.

Pharmacy students have them as well. Also, a medical technologist is not the same thing as a lab technician. Medical technology requires a degree and includes clinical training.

Wearing a white lab coat does not "distance" a physician from their patients.

My psych professor (an M.D.) disagrees with you.

 

[Droopy Snoopy]

Speaking as a trained and certified medical technologist with a Master's degree, I find it a little bit offensive that you call lab techs "high schoolers." A college-educated, trained, and certified medical technologist is more likely to be skilled in proper specimen collection than a doctor. Otherwise we wouldn't have to reject your specimens due to improper collection.

Also speaking as a medical technologist who works in microbiology, your white coat is just as laden with nosocomial MRSA as your scrubs are. It's probably worse if you are wearing it over the top of your scrubs.

I agree regarding the pocket problem, however, you wouldn't have to carry the antibiotic cheat sheet if you actually learned the material like you were supposed to. If you need help with that material, you can call the lab. They have trained and certified personnel (like myself) who can answer your questions about antibiotics.

I do prefer the color coded scrub idea for hospitals. It is just not as common as it once was. It seems a little odd to me, though, that you feel that it is acceptable to snap at people in general and that there is some hierarchy that dictates to whom you should snap at. In my personal experience, snapping at hospital staff makes them uncomfortable and less able to provide their best efforts. You're a doctor--you're supposed to be the one who absorbs the nightmare shifts. Don't take your job out on other people.

Didn't mean to piss in your cornflakes, dude. I wasn't talking about a "college educated, trained and certified medical technologist with a Master's degree", more like the kids with the after-school jobs running cultures to and fro, like I did six years ago. And I don't feel the need to snap at people in general, just making the observation that it happens. Chill...

 

[JackBauERfan]

Can anybody explain to me why residents always wear scrubs and doctors do not (i am not talking about surgeons, etc.)? Is the possibility of being splashed by body fluids is over once your residency is over?

maybe the fact you are on call or post call 2 out of 5 days at least haha.

 

[hyperbaric]

See http://www.mum.org/haloCost.htm

That outfit is SO last year.

 

[Northerner]

Speaking as a trained and certified medical technologist with a Master's degree, I find it a little bit offensive that you call lab techs "high schoolers." A college-educated, trained, and certified medical technologist is more likely to be skilled in proper specimen collection than a doctor. Otherwise we wouldn't have to reject your specimens due to improper collection.

Also speaking as a medical technologist who works in microbiology, your white coat is just as laden with nosocomial MRSA as your scrubs are. It's probably worse if you are wearing it over the top of your scrubs.

I agree regarding the pocket problem, however, you wouldn't have to carry the antibiotic cheat sheet if you actually learned the material like you were supposed to. If you need help with that material, you can call the lab. They have trained and certified personnel (like myself) who can answer your questions about antibiotics.

I do prefer the color coded scrub idea for hospitals. It is just not as common as it once was. It seems a little odd to me, though, that you feel that it is acceptable to snap at people in general and that there is some hierarchy that dictates to whom you should snap at. In my personal experience, snapping at hospital staff makes them uncomfortable and less able to provide their best efforts. You're a doctor--you're supposed to be the one who absorbs the nightmare shifts. Don't take your job out on other people.

You should use something that covers your torso completely. A lab coat with lapels is not enough. Go with the gown cover.



My feeling is that we should not be celebrating, we should be learning. If it was just an "entrance celebration," a small welcoming reception might be in order, but I am offended that the white coat is treated like Superman's cape, and the only acceptable person to "cloak" me is another physician.

I didn't go into medicine to experience celebratory rites of passage. I'm sure that residents will give my due rites of passage over the years, and they will not be complimentary in nature.



Pharmacy students have them as well. Also, a medical technologist is not the same thing as a lab technician. Medical technology requires a degree and includes clinical training.



My psych professor (an M.D.) disagrees with you.

Yeah, but you have to keep in mind that as far as idiots go, you're a pretty big one. I'm not sure if you factored that in to your response.

 

[crazy_cavalier]

umm because they wanted to? jesus christ why do people care so much about scrubs? there's always some thread about if it's ok to wear scrubs as a premed or if dentist should be wearing scrubs or whatever. scrubs are not the registered trademark of MD's.


it matters so little that i can't believe you even took the time to ask the question.

No, a premed wearing scrubs is a first-class poser.

All others are grad students in professional programs and are therefore not posers.

 

[ForbiddenComma]

I think a lot of students get riled up about this issue because there is no longer a "uniform" for the profession, the way there once was. There is no outfit or accessory to declare to the world what our profession is. White coat? Stethoscope? Scrubs? Pagers? All are worn by non-doctors too, so the actual M.D.s don't have any kind of distinctive clothing.

This is not so trivial a concern as you may think. Most cops obsess about their uniforms -- it is a symbol of what they do and even who they are. Jettisoning the uniforms or letting just anyone wear them would not go over well with cops, especially the young ones. I've heard cops say that the simple act of putting on the uniform helps put them into "cop mode." And earning the right to wear the uniform is a hell of a day for a new cop...

similarly, why do you think "white coat ceremonies" are such a big deal at most med schools? would all your friends and family show up if they just issued you a sweatshirt?

Now, the obvious counterpoint is that the white coat or other uniform serves as a psychological barrier between the doctor and patient, and according to today's p.c. "empathy uber alles" dogma, nothing could possibly be worse.

 

[Law2Doc]

I think a lot of students get riled up about this issue because there is no longer a "uniform" for the profession, the way there once was. There is no outfit or accessory to declare to the world what our profession is. White coat? Stethoscope? Scrubs? Pagers? All are worn by non-doctors too, so the actual M.D.s don't have any kind of distinctive clothing.

This is not so trivial a concern as you may think. Most cops obsess about their uniforms -- it is a symbol of what they do and even who they are. Jettisoning the uniforms or letting just anyone wear them would not go over well with cops, especially the young ones. I've heard cops say that the simple act of putting on the uniform helps put them into "cop mode." And earning the right to wear the uniform is a hell of a day for a new cop...

similarly, why do you think "white coat ceremonies" are such a big deal at most med schools? would all your friends and family show up if they just issued you a sweatshirt?

Now, the obvious counterpoint is that the white coat or other uniform serves as a psychological barrier between the doctor and patient, and according to today's p.c. "empathy uber alles" dogma, nothing could possibly be worse.


Anyway, I'm not sure which side I come down on. But I will say that the coats are very useful if for no other reason than all those big pockets. How else are you supposed to carry around handbooks, reference tables, pt notes, stethoscope, trauma shears, gauze, pens, penlight, etc. etc. all at the same time, and still leave room for that energy bar you'll need later after 10 hours straight of being on your feet?

I'm not sure why everyone is so upset about not having a uniform. I went to a high school with uniforms and folks couldn't wait to get out of them at the end of the day. Then I was in a profession where suits were the daily uniform and people pushed hard for casual Fridays, and then weren't happy until the industry moved to daily business casual dress. So from my point of view the folks in uniforms want out. Not sure why the future docs here want in so bad.

 

[Pembleton]

The "comfort" thing always gets me.

Medical school girls seem to really need to be "comfy" AT ALL TIMES. Heaven forbid they come to class wearing a pair of pants. For 60% of them, apparently pajamas in professional school come off well. It's like college - sorority girls more committed to being "comfy" AT ALL TIMES than to the 8 guys they ****ed during rush week. Scrubs are supposed to be worn for utility value, not because people think they look like "pjs" which girls love SO MUCH when they're at home studying in their bunny slippers and listening to Kelly Clarkson and eating ice cream while desperately trying to remind all of us and themselves that they're "medical". Do us a favor - put on a pair of goddamned pants. Wearing ACTUAL clothing doesn't mean sacrificing any comfort at all. Jeans and a sweater. A shirt and pants. This isn't rocket science.

Edit: guys do it too.

Thank you very much!

 

[duvals101]

After rotations scrubs have become my full wardrobe.......

1.) I wear them to church.

2.) I wear them when I swim laps at the gym.....and then proceed to lift.

3.) I wear them when I'm at Nobu eating with my girlfriend.

4.) I've stopped wearing them in the shower because it takes longer to soap up.

Point is, I don't care what people think of me in my scrubs and I don't care that others wear scrubs. One thing is for sure: they're hella more comfortable than a damn shirt, under****, boxers (or nothin if I'm feelin like Mr. Dangerous) tie, dress pants, dress socks, dress shoes, belt and whatever else that qualifies you as "professionally dressed".

 

[SitraAchra]

lol, i think you misspelled "undershirt."

double lol at Mr. Dangerous

 

[MossPoh]

If I were in charge I would not allow ancillary staff (secretaries, transporters, x-ray people) to wear scrubs.

Xray techs can have some pretty nasty stuff happen....while it isn't a daily occurence there have been people that have thrown feces, stood up and started peeing on equipment and a whole host of other stuff.....I think a lot of hospitals make people wear them as more of a cheap version of a uniform. I know all of the janitors and whatnot wear them in our hospital.

 

[ColinHay]

This remains my favorit post

 

[Kris1]

This remains my favorit post

Thank you... thank you! I do my best.

 

[CanadianGolden]

My guess was so they could be identified by the patients as medical staff?

 

[Hurricane95]

They have the same right to wear the scrubs that the overweight cuban ladies serving coffee and answering the phone in my doctor's office do.

Who cares?

 

[Kris1]

They have the same right to wear the scrubs that the overweight cuban ladies serving coffee and answering the phone in my doctor's office do.

Who cares?

At least those overweight Cuban ladies run the risk of spilling coffee on their clothing.

 

[LindsayRein1]

Anyone who works in a hospital can wear scrubs as a uniform. I have no problem with this as scrubs are usually more comfortable than the old white uniforms that nurses used to be required to wear.

Wearing a lab coat does not equal "working in the lab". Many physicians, including myself (a surgeon) are required to cover scrubs with lab coat when out of the operating room. Since I am also required to go from OR to ward and back to OR, I wear a lab coat cover (sometimes an scrub gown cover) but rest assured, my scrubs are covered.

White Coat Ceremony is the informal name given to the formal ceremony where an incoming medical student is welcomed into the medical profession by those of us already in the profession. It is an earned right of passage i.e. earned by getting accepted into medical school. The short white jacket is the universal symbol of the medical student and a ceremony welcoming them into the profession is very nice. We do not hold white coat ceremonies for lab technicians and other allied health people who wear white jackets and are not medical students.

Wearing a white lab coat does not "distance" a physician from their patients. On the contrary, patients tend to expect that their physicians will be wearing white lab coats and appreciate this fact. After all, I do not go to an auto mechanic for evaluation of the knock in my left rear tire and expect to see them dressed in a business suit wearing a white coat. In contrast, my patients do not expect to see me on the wards or in my clinic wearing street clothing without my clean white lab coat.

When I was covering the Surgical Intensive Care unit after hours, I could often be found wearing a Virginia Cavalier sweat shirt wrapped in a blanket studying under the "french-fry" heating lamps because I was cold most of the time. If a patient's family needed to speak with me, I would remove my sweat shirt, put on my white coat and speak to them.

Everything you wrote is fantastic, so I feel bad adding... but : some (actually a lot) of PA schools have "white coat" ceremonies. I've been to a few of my friends... "Physician Assitant White Coat Ceremony". It doesn't matter to me either way, I couldn't care less who has a white coat ceremony, but it isn't only for medical students...

 

[Non-TradTulsa]

I couldn't care less who wears scrubs. I notice that scrubs seem to be much more popular with the allied and supporting professions than they are with physicians - so I hardly think scrubs are the province of doctors.

Actually, at my school, a medical student wearing scrubs outside of the hospital would be terribly declassé. The dental students wear them, the allied health students wear them... and I think they look just adorable going to class.

When you see a student on campus with thongs, shorts, and a faded T-shirt - there is about a 95% chance that you're looking at a medical student. We take full advantage of our allopathic school's tradition of having no dress code (for those who go to class, of course - I became pretty much a home-schooler).

What irritates me is that neckties are still considered standard attire for physicians. I know that several studies have validated that silk neckties, which are rarely ever dry-cleaned, tend to become a haven for Pseudomonas, C. diff, MRSA, you name it. Nasty stuff.

I hate thinking that I might be contaminating some poor elderly patient with a weak immune system in order to comply with the clinic/hospital dress code. We should have gone to no-ties a long time ago - for real clinical reasons. It reminds me of doctors who refused to wash their hands before delivering babies because it wasn't traditional to do so!

One last sore spot of mine... take a second to use an alcohol wipe on your stethoscope between patients, especially in the hospital. I see few people bothering to do that - and I think it's nasty not to.

 

[SomeDoc]

I was at a health fair this past weekend where optometry students were providing free vision services to the community. About 20 students arrived and every single one of them was wearing scrubs from top to bottom for the purpose of doing vision screenings. Can anyone give me a reason as to why they would be wearing scrubs (i.e. afraid of getting tears on their clothing)?

Damn you for making this thread.



...and while we're on the subject; for the medical students:
http://www.stoppagingme.com/articles.php?articleId=293
Top 5 Places Not to Wear Scrubs

When we entered into the field of medicine, we earned the unique right to wear pajamas to work. However, we at SPM have noticed a disturbing trend among medical students and housestaff: excessive out-of-hospital scrub wear. It is our belief that scrubs should be worn only within the confines of the hospital, or in the privacy of your own home. Here are the top 5 places not to be caught in your scrubs:

1. The Gym – This is probably the most frequently offending location. Let us remind you external scrub-wearers that this is only acceptable in an emergency workout situation. In other words…never. ​

2. Any Sporting Event - Please, don't be that guy. Whether it is softball, basketball, or even ping pong. Unless you're going to shoot hoops outside the hospital like Doug and Mark in ER circa 1996, there is no excuse. And don't give us the "I had nothing clean excuse." Gym shorts are never too dirty to wear again.
​

3. Irish Pub: Or any bar for that matter. C'mon guys. We all know where you're going with that. No matter if you just got out of the O.R. or you actually drove to the bar like that, it's still lame. To send out that "I'm a doctor" vibe when out partying, we recommend the more conservative pager technique.
​

4. Restaurant: This is socially and hygienically inappropriate; your scrub shirt probably houses more bacteria than a broken truck-stop toilet bowl.
​

5. The Ghetto: As a safety precaution, avoid wearing scrubs when wandering in the ghetto. Nothing says "I'm a wuss…please mug me" more than someone wearing a full set of scrubs. And don't think they have any sympathy for doctors either.​

1. 
   [*]
   [*]Supermarket – Please! Everyone knows that the supermarket is a meat market for more than one reason but do you have to make it a cheese-fest? Leave the scrubs at home and bring you're A-game, because there is no easier place ot score a dinner date than the place where people are shopping for theirs.

Bonus Location:

Review Course – I was astounded to see that there were actually dudes donning scrubs to a week-long, all-day review course in Minnesota.
​

 

[nebrfan]

If you guys have the time to be upset at people wearing scrubs, I urge you to take a look at this:

http://online.wsj.com/public/article_print/SB120710036831882059.html

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is set to be standard by 2015 - and they by all means plan on billing it as giving them equal knowledge as med school.

Do some research - many programs are part time for 1-2 years, many are ONLINE(!) allowing for the clinical portion to be filled by their current NP job.

Allowed unchecked, they will be able to introduce themselves to patients as "Dr. X"

This is scary. This will kill people. Stand up for your patients rights.

 

[DoctorPardi]

I'm not sure why everyone is so upset about not having a uniform. I went to a high school with uniforms and folks couldn't wait to get out of them at the end of the day. Then I was in a profession where suits were the daily uniform and people pushed hard for casual Fridays, and then weren't happy until the industry moved to daily business casual dress. So from my point of view the folks in uniforms want out. Not sure why the future docs here want in so bad.

Well the difference between a high school uniform and a "Doctor Uniform" would be what it means. It doesn't mean anything about you in particular for you to wear a high school uniform, other than you go to such and such school. However a "Doctor Uniform" signifies something you have earned and worked hard for, on purpose mind you, while the high school get-up is mostly incidental.

Maybe the whole Doctor Uniform thing is a microcosm of the mid level provider furor going on, I don't know. It could be that doctors are feeling threatened by the other professions which dress like doctors, which may be thought of as encroaching on our territory, not only in the way they dress but in what they do (CRNA vs Anesthesiologist etc).

Also a long white lab coat is much more specific to the MD than a nice business suit is to the Lawyer. Anyone might wear a nice suit at any given time, but you wouldn't find a random person wearing a long white lab coat unless they were a doctor, or a handful of other professions.

In some ways part of the appeal of medicine is being a professional very different from lawyers, businessmen, engineers etc. There is a level of respect most people/communities have for doctors that isn't afforded to the other professions. So having a uniform for doctors is a way of being conspicuous about who a person is and what they have accomplished.

I personally look forward to my white coat ceremony, and would appreciate the ability to wear something that indicates what I do more than just scrubs or a business suit. (In the appropriate setting mind you, wearing a lab coat to a bar or probably anywhere but the hospital is likely to be inappropriate)

 

[lapelirroja]

Yeah, I know this thread is old, but someone else brought it up so I'm chiming in also.
You cannot be a lab tech as a high school student. You can't even be a lab technician as a high school student. You can work in the lab support office, maybe. You could be a phlebotomist, maybe. But to be a medical laboratory technician (MLT) you have to have an associate's degree with a year of clinical rotations, and to be a medical technologist (MT) you have to have a bachelor's degree with a year of clinical rotations..and it's a pre-med degree with all the classes you would take to go to medical school, plus more pathology focused ones. I'm sick and tired of people not understanding my profession, or degrading it to one that a high schooler could perform. Check out the curriculum of any MT program and realize how hard it is and how important laboratorians are to the everyday functioning of the hospital.

I know nobody knows anything about the lab and probably never will, but I'll do my job to educate medical professionals and others about the field now and when I am a PA as well.

 

[Moniker]

Well the difference between a high school uniform and a "Doctor Uniform" would be what it means. It doesn't mean anything about you in particular for you to wear a high school uniform, other than you go to such and such school. However a "Doctor Uniform" signifies something you have earned and worked hard for, on purpose mind you, while the high school get-up is mostly incidental.

Maybe the whole Doctor Uniform thing is a microcosm of the mid level provider furor going on, I don't know. It could be that doctors are feeling threatened by the other professions which dress like doctors, which may be thought of as encroaching on our territory, not only in the way they dress but in what they do (CRNA vs Anesthesiologist etc).

Also a long white lab coat is much more specific to the MD than a nice business suit is to the Lawyer. Anyone might wear a nice suit at any given time, but you wouldn't find a random person wearing a long white lab coat unless they were a doctor, or a handful of other professions.

In some ways part of the appeal of medicine is being a professional very different from lawyers, businessmen, engineers etc. There is a level of respect most people/communities have for doctors that isn't afforded to the other professions. So having a uniform for doctors is a way of being conspicuous about who a person is and what they have accomplished.

I personally look forward to my white coat ceremony, and would appreciate the ability to wear something that indicates what I do more than just scrubs or a business suit. (In the appropriate setting mind you, wearing a lab coat to a bar or probably anywhere but the hospital is likely to be inappropriate)

Yeah everytime I see a med student post "oh who cares, it's just a white coat let them wear them"....I just remember that this is precisely the attitude that's screwed us over so far. Doctors in the past had it good, or good enough not to care about the little stuff, so they conceded it at every turn. "Oh who cares if they wear white coats". "Oh who cares if they write prescriptions". "Oh who cares if they set up their own offices". "Oh who cares if they do parts of our job". I've got news for you, YOU should care. We're finding out now that this attitude has cost us parts of our profession. If you want to be replaced by someone with lesser training and having accomplished less than you have because they know they've got more to gain and have lobbying power and people realize it's cheaper to let them do it, by all means keep conceding things. Eventually we'll all be "doctors", we'll all be wearing the same thing, and us MD's will be too expensive to hire anymore. Bright future with the "oh who cares" attitude. Now I'm sure someone will bring up patient care....as if the fact that someone CAN do something means they should....and as if there's good reason to think patients are currently suffering more than they should because we don't want nurses wearing white coats.

 

[smq123]

What irritates me is that neckties are still considered standard attire for physicians. I know that several studies have validated that silk neckties, which are rarely ever dry-cleaned, tend to become a haven for Pseudomonas, C. diff, MRSA, you name it. Nasty stuff.

I hate thinking that I might be contaminating some poor elderly patient with a weak immune system in order to comply with the clinic/hospital dress code.

Pagers are also havens for Pseudomonas, C. diff, and MRSA. So are the sleeves of your white coat. So are your nares, for that matter.

If you have some poor elderly patient whose immune system is SO fragile that they'll become deathly ill if they come in contact with your necktie, then they'll be on contact precautions - and you'll have to come into their room swathed in a papery disposable gown. So they won't come in contact with your germy tie, anyway.

We should have gone to no-ties a long time ago - for real clinical reasons.

You don't have to wear a necktie, if you're afraid of germs. That's fine.

You can always choose to wear a bowtie instead. Hey, the pediatricians do it. The neuro guys do it. Orville Redenbacher did it. You can too.

 

[Moniker]

Pagers are also havens for Pseudomonas, C. diff, and MRSA. So are the sleeves of your white coat. So are your nares, for that matter.

If you have some poor elderly patient whose immune system is SO fragile that they'll become deathly ill if they come in contact with your necktie, then they'll be on contact precautions - and you'll have to come into their room swathed in a papery disposable gown. So they won't come in contact with your germy tie, anyway.



You don't have to wear a necktie, if you're afraid of germs. That's fine.

You can always choose to wear a bowtie instead. Hey, the pediatricians do it. The neuro guys do it. Orville Redenbacher did it. You can too.

i agree - or you could tuck the tie into your shirt, or you could keep your coat buttoned, or you could wear a sweater or something under it. anything that keeps it from dangling directly onto the patient. i think everyone's freaking out about ties under the guise of this "bacteria" thing in order so they don't have to wear them anymore. let's not downgrade our professional appearance, i think it's important.

 

[roja]

Why to wear scrubs:
1. comfort.
2. everyone else is doing it
3. laziness
4. you can kind of pass it off as part of your profession
5. don't have to worry about matching. (oh wait, I did lazy)
6. Puke, blood, pee.

Reasons NOT to wear scrubs:

1. Everyone else is doing it.
2. Can be percieved as unprofessional
3. They aren't really THAT comfortable. (and you can buy comfortable regular clothes)
4. Because everyone else is doing it, people sometimes don't know who thier doctor is.


Having said that, in the ED, I have had blood splattered on me a number of times. In my dress clothes. Had a stretcher tear a pair of pants.


So, I buy nice looking dress clothes that don't matter to much if they get messed up. I occasionally wear scrubs... on overnights, etc.