scrubs in clinic

[Supernumerary]

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How many of your schools out there wear scrubs in the clinics? My school is currently deciding whether or not to allow this.

Currently the code is dress clothes and a lab jacket. I tend to be in favor of keeping things the way they are. I just think a professional appearance is more likely to inspire confidence in the minds of patients who are letting 20-somethings invade their body cavities with high-speed instruments. Scrubs just seem too casual.

Right now, I think I'm one of about 3 people who thinks it's a good idea to not wear scrubs. (So, it's probably pointless to ask at this point 🙂 ) But... what are your thoughts on the matter? What does your school do?

 

[ItsGavinC]

Our school may or may not allow it. Right now they are saying they will encourage us to use disposable gowns, rather than have us wear scrubs. I think their feeling is that trouble arises when students wear those scrubs outside the building.

I personally don't care one way or the other.

 

[DrRob]

I always wear scrubs even when I was in school. Many instructors did not like this but I didn't care. Most Px don't care what you wear, as long as you treat them kindley and with respect.

I think you should look clean, but how can anyone be comfortable with a shirt and tie, + a clinic gown!! It just seems like for the type of work we do - that being comfortable makes more sense!

 

[PashaJ]

I share the same views and situation as Supernumerary. We have to wear scrubs with sneakers while we're in the clinic but I like wearing the shirt and tie. As DMD1's we have to be uniform but once we start treating patients we can wear what we want, we're just assisting the fourth years now.

 

[aphistis]

Either business attire or scrubs are perfectly acceptable at IUSD. Disposable gown are required in either case, so what's underneath doesn't particularly matter beyond looking properly doctorish.

 

[UBTom]

White coat is a bit impractical... You tend to get splatters on the outer garment-- Blood, waterspray bouncing off the rubber dam contaminated with amalgam, or whatever other material you are working with. They are acceptable at my school's clinic but almost nobody wears those.. Especially since these white coats tend to get real ratty-looking after a couple of months with stains that even repeated laundering cannot completely remove.

Scrubs are also acceptable. If they are OK for other health professionals like ER residents and surgeons, there is no reason why dentists couldn't wear them and not look "professional." Everybody at my school wears these.

Disposable gowns are worn over everything of course.

What I tend to do: Wear a nice business outfit the first time I am seeing a new patient to make a good impression. Then scrubs on subsequent visits. 😀

 

[PashaJ]

There was an article in dental economics about this maybe 3 months ago. The author felt it was better to wear the white coat bc he thought you could sell/convince procedures better to the patient. I've spoken to maybe 5 people and all prefer the more professional, white coat and tie combo over the scrubs because of certain connotations.

 

[UBTom]

In private practice where you can hire a uniform service to get clean white coats every week, yes it is a good option.

But in most dental schools where the student usually has just one or maybe two white coats? A bit impractical I think... Though I do remember all you NYU third-years showing up in white coats while on OMFS rotation at Bellevue for the three weeks I was there on externship.. 😀

 

[3rdMolarRoller]

I might be wrong on this, but from my understanding so far, here at NYU when you get your white coat dirty you just bring it to the cleaner in the building and he gets you another one. Not a new one but a clean one. I think its a good idea...swap a dirty for a clean and we don't have to do any dental laundry

 

[UBTom]

Yeah, I know. I remember the OMFS guys stopping by the Aramark exchange window in the basement to get clean scrubs/white coats on our way to Orthognathic Case Conferences with Dr. Glickman. But how many other schools could afford a laundry service? (It's also a pain in the ass when they ran out of a particular size heh heh) Maybe that's why you guys pay the big bucks at NYU! 😀

Yeah I'm being facetious. I'm sure lots of schools out there also has a laundry service. Still, I think scrubs are practical and perfectly OK.

 

[scandalouslj]

Here at Upenn, we can wear either scrubs or dress attire, with a gown over everything. We wear white coats in dent sim so i dont know if we can wear it in other instances or not.

 

[ddstothecor]

At Nova, they made us sign a contract saying that we would abide by the dress code which was dress slacks, tie, button-up collared shirts, shoes, and whatever else that makes you look pro. Then, we arrived at school, and were informed that hunter green is our color for the next 4 years.
I'm lost in a sea of green scrubs, and I have no chance to wear all of my nice, new dress-up clothes. Figures (not that I'm all that disappointed--it just figures, that's all).

 

[Rob2005]

What is the point of wearing a shirt and tie to clinic? Most of us wear gowns that cover our top half, so how will a patient know either way?

Rob

 

[PashaJ]

green? That's rough.

I read that the reason why most scrubs are green is because it is soft and comforting to the eyes of the patient thereby calming them down.

 

[DrJeff]

My office attire is essentially 100% scrubs, with the louder and more obnoxious the print, the better😀 My partner and I have a little competition to see who can wear the wildest scrubs on a daily basis. Most of our patients eem to love this, since it gives us something to joke about with them from the start, which puts them at ease(yes, there is a method to my madness!). I will add that it is quite a conversation piece when the 6'3" dentist(me) walks into the operatory in full cow print scrubs!😱

About the only time that I don't wear scrubs at the office is when either I'm going off to teach at UCONN in the afternoon, or one of the local specialists is taking me and my partner to lunch at a "nice" restaurant.

How great a things is it that you get to spend the day working in a pair of 100% cotton pajamas!😀

BTW, from what I saw the 3rd and 4th year UCONN students in during class this past week, scrubs are definately still allowed in the clinics there

 

[PashaJ]

where do you get cow print scrubs?

 

[Hot-n-Aml]

At Upitt, scrubs are a must, since we have no choice. Another rule is that our white coat must be worn over our scrubs in patients areas, which covers practically the whole school. So I wear them everyday, even if I'm not in clinic.

Scrubs are allowed to be worn outside of class since we leave our coats at school, and wear protective gowns on top of everything in clinic.

I'm in first year at the moment, so I'm not exactly in clinic just yet (other than labs where scrubs are necessary). So I figure that when I get there, the rules will be more obvious to me.

Hot-n-Aml

_______________________________________________
UPitt, SDM, Class of 2007

 

[DrJeff]

Originally posted by PashaJ
where do you get cow print scrubs?

Mainelyscrubs.com is where I ordered them from.

The Lobster print is another nice one too!

 

[UBTom]

I'm glad my school doesn't have a dress code as to what color scrubs one has to wear... That way we can wear unique-looking scrubs from other institutions we had previous affiliations with. 😀

 

[xc1999]

At Temple, we have to wear a white labcoat when seeing patients. I think you can wear a disposable gown also, but most people just wear the labcoat, probably b/c the school doesn't have enough money to fund disposable gowns very everyone (I could be wrong about this). You must either wear "business casual" clothing underneath or just scrubs. Most of the 3rd and 4th years in the clinics seeing patients usually just wear scrubs underneath the white labcoat.