Shadow Dress Codes

[Sparda29]

Well, I'm about to start a shadowing experience soon, and I have never met the doctor. I set up the whole thing by phone. I work at a Pharmacy right now, so basically I just went into the prescription archives and wrote down the names and numbers of like 30 osteopathic doctors and ran up my cell phone bills calling up all of them.

Now, what should I be wearing to the shadowing experience? Suit? Khakis/polo shirt, shirt/tie, jeans/t-shirt, scrubs?

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[TexasTriathlete]

Why don't you call someone at the office/jhospital where you will be doing this and ask them?

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[OCHO]

Dress for success when you walk in. You are about to make a first impression with the doctor that will probably write you an LOR. Put your best foot forward. After that first day if you were to overdressed well you will know what to wear the next time. Plus, its always best to overdress than not to. I am not talking walk in there with a tux on. Rather Khaki's, nice button down shirt with matching tie. (Be sure to wear matching belt and shoes and dont wear blinding white gym socks)

Good luck

 

[thethethe]

i was told to dress formal. its always better to be over dressed than under dressed. plus after your first day, you can see how you should dress.

 

[BeachBlondie]

OOOooooohhhh....

What if you're a lady? Slacks? Or a skirt/suit thing. I mean, I could also go naked if I want to make a statement.

 

[OCHO]

OOOooooohhhh....

What if you're a lady? Slacks? Or a skirt/suit thing. I mean, I could also go naked if I want to make a statement.

Depends whether or not you want a good LOR or a bad one hahahahaha

 

[BeachBlondie]

...Or a naughty one. *Grrrrrrrrrrooooowwwwlll*

Damn. Watch my doctor be a member on here.

 

[runner898]

I am a female and I always wore nice khaki pants with long sleeved button down dress shirt or sweater or black pants and a nice shirt. Wear something that you would go to a job interview in. The DO that you are shadowing will more than likely introduce you to the patients (the DO's that I shadowed did), so they patients already view you as a professional, so dress like you are one. Also, the ER doc that I shadowed wore scrubs every day, but I still dressed up. Didn't seem to be an issue at all.

 

[TexasTriathlete]

...Or a naughty one. *Grrrrrrrrrrooooowwwwlll*

Damn. Watch my doctor be a member on here.

haha you said "member"

 

[TriathleticGirl]

Well, I'm about to start a shadowing experience soon, and I have never met the doctor. I set up the whole thing by phone. I work at a Pharmacy right now, so basically I just went into the prescription archives and wrote down the names and numbers of like 30 osteopathic doctors and ran up my cell phone bills calling up all of them.

Now, what should I be wearing to the shadowing experience? Suit? Khakis/polo shirt, shirt/tie, jeans/t-shirt, scrubs?

I always think with shadowing... risk being over dressed rather than under dressed. And if they ever want you in scrubs (if you'll be going into the OR, etc) they will provide them for you, unless they tell you otherwise in advance.

 

[JaggerPlate]

Well, I'm about to start a shadowing experience soon, and I have never met the doctor. I set up the whole thing by phone. I work at a Pharmacy right now, so basically I just went into the prescription archives and wrote down the names and numbers of like 30 osteopathic doctors and ran up my cell phone bills calling up all of them.

Now, what should I be wearing to the shadowing experience? Suit? Khakis/polo shirt, shirt/tie, jeans/t-shirt, scrubs?

No shoes, no shirt, no shadow. That's what I was told.

(PS: Don't show up in scrubs, some places don't like this because it creates confusion. Only do this if the physician asks.)

 

[meggielou]

also, I'd wear comfortable shoes because you'll probably be doing a lot of standing/pretending like you're invisible in the corner.

 

[p30doc]

I shadowed in a hospital setting, wore a white dress shirt, tie, black pants and dress shoes.

 

[MossPoh]

Generally I wore kaki pants with a collared long sleeve shirt and tie. If it was a little more casual, which it usually wound up being, then I wore a polo shirt or just the collared shirt without the tie. If I was doing rounds with the doctor then I had my own white coat that I put on. It tended to make the patients feel a little more at ease. If I was with a surgeon or in the ER for more than 10 hours, I stole some scrubs from the change room and put those bad boys on.

I tended to spent around 14-15 hours at the hospital a day, so I always wore dressier shoes, but comfortable ones.

I could take a few more liberties though since my dad was a doctor at the hospital for nearly 20 years and I knew pretty much everyone there... including the patients.

 

[TexasTriathlete]

Shadow Dress Codes

I'd recommend something like this ^^^

 

[qev]

My doc wore scrubs and tennis shoes in his clinic, so I might have looked out of place out dressing him in Black pin-stripe slacks, solid lavender shirt, no tie and black dress shoes. But as said before, its always better to be overdressed. I wore something similar the next time I shadowed him too.

I'm of the idea that wearing ties, especially older ones, can be unsanitary unless you happen to wash your tie often.

As an additional tip, watch what you eat that day. No smelly foods like onions/garlic you don't want the doc to have to smell what you ate when you're trying to get to know him/her.

 

[OCHO]

As an additional tip, watch what you eat that day. No smelly foods like onions/garlic you don't want the doc to have to smell what you ate when you're trying to get to know him/her.

GOOD POINT! You dont know how many teachers I have turned away in interviews because their breath stunk. I figure if I cant talk to the person, how will the kids. They would never ask for help. Another side tip, dont chew gum, it can come off cocky and arrogant. Breath mints are great!

 

[RySerr21]

also, I'd wear comfortable shoes because you'll probably be doing a lot of standing/pretending like you're invisible in the corner.

haha good point. the last doc i shadowed was so awesome tho. the first patient on the first day i shadowed she goes "ryan take a seat, i dont let any of my shadows/students/residents stand because its too hard to learn when you are worrying about how your feet hurt." i was like duuuude you are awesome.

 

[Sparda29]

The only thing I worry about is how patients react to have their doctor being shadowed. Like my grandma for instance, when her doctor was being shadowed, and her doctor didn't tell her that the other guy was just an undergraduate student learning, she thought that her doctor was being monitored or something

 

[MossPoh]

The only thing I worry about is how patients react to have their doctor being shadowed. Like my grandma for instance, when her doctor was being shadowed, and her doctor didn't tell her that the other guy was just an undergraduate student learning, she thought that her doctor was being monitored or something

I got called "doctor" a lot. Most of the doctors left out the undergrad part and just said they had a student with them. They tended to think I was at least a medical student. There is a magical line where things become a little more ok when they think that for some reason. I stayed in the room talking to a few patients before I reduced their fracture and what not and they were kind of surprised when I told them I was still an undergrad, but luckily they still trusted me enough to do it.

Once again, my experience is kind of the exception rather than the rule.

 

[BitingPlates]

The only thing I worry about is how patients react to have their doctor being shadowed. Like my grandma for instance, when her doctor was being shadowed, and her doctor didn't tell her that the other guy was just an undergraduate student learning, she thought that her doctor was being monitored or something

When I shadow, I have had patients ask me if I was a doctor. I wear nice pants long sleeve with a tie and wear a blank lab coat. When I walk into the rooms with the doctors, the doctors tell them that we have a student with us(for liabilities). The patients just think I am a medical student.

 

[BeachBlondie]

I'd recommend something like this ^^^

Should I bring the uzis today, too?

 

[meggielou]

I made the comfortable shoes comment because I had an experience with very uncomfortable shoes. I was working with an orthopedic surgeon and finally got to watch a surgery (spinal fusion). I wore uncomfortable shoes, and the nurse who gave me the surgical scrubs, etc. said, "Are you going to be able to stand in those for 7+ hours?" I admitted that it probably would be very bad.

So I ended up taking the shoes off and putting the surgical booties on over my socks. I had to stand barefooted in the ER for 8 hours! It was definitely better than in the shoes of death though.

 

[TabibaF]

The doctor I shadowed was a surgeon, so I wore scrubs given by the hospital. I would make sure to wear comfortable shoes all the time because sometimes you don't know how long it is going to take. Also, if you are shadowing in an office wear nice pants, a nice shirt and wear a white coat too. All the doctors I shadowed introduced me to the patient as their student which made the patient at ease.
Hope this helps!

 

[Sparda29]

I'm also starting a volunteer job at a hospital tomorrow, and I was surprised to learn that they want volunteers to be in khakis, a collared shirt, and a volunteer jacket.

Aren't scrubs a more sanitary choice, given that I'm going to be working in ER?

 

[Archer]

After hearing some docs talk about how they weed out students that want to shadow or want a LOR, I would say dress very professionally, be extremely polite to EVERYONE that works in their office, and leave a number that you can actually be reached at during the day.

 

[White Rabbit]

For me it was Department of Surgery in a busy ER and their department administrator told me to wear scrubs and a lab coat if I had one. I wore my research lab coat but soon got rid of it because too many people were deferring to me in the chaos; I simply spent too much time explaining I wasn't a doctor.

 

[Bacchus]

Aren't scrubs a more sanitary choice, given that I'm going to be working in ER?

I think this could lead to a lot of confusion, especially to new staff and EMTs along with patients.

 

[Sparda29]

I'm hoping that the shadowing is going to be more interesting than volunteering in the Orthopedic department.

By the way, is it absolutely necessary for me to shadow a D.O? Or can I get away with shadowing an M.D.? I know a doctor that is a close friend of the family and he is going to let me shadow him, but he's a MD.