Short White Coats

[TulaneKid24]

What residency programs make interns wear short white coats?

Someone mentioned Duke does in another post, so now I am curious.

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[Apollyon]

Duke does, and the Long Island College Hospital (community hospital in Brooklyn Heights, NY) makes all medicine housestaff wear them. At Harvard, it's either Harvard people, or one or the other of MGH or B&W that wears them (even after leaving). I hope someone from Cambridge can clarify.

 

[Stinky Tofu]

Attendings, fellows, residents, interns, and Harvard medical students at MGH & BWH all wear the same short coat. The exception is the Ortho residents because they order their own long coats that say "Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Residency Program". I have both the MGH long and short coat, but I prefer the short coat because they have both wider pockets and inner pockets. Also, you don't want to be the only one on the team wearing a long coat when your world-renowned attending is wearing a short one. 😉

 

[ERMudPhud]

When I was at Columbia Pres. the interns and residents wore short coats. Fellows, chief residents, and attendings wore long coats. That was a few years ago

 

[leaf]

I believe UCSF residents wear short coats for a few years, though the exact time varies depending on the residency.

 

[doc_strange2001]

But why?

 

[Apollyon]

Strictly traditional. At LICH, the housestaff wore the short coat, and the chief residents, fellows, and attending got the long coat as their reward for "time served".

An attending here at Duke told the story - just 20 years ago, when he was a student, the students wore short coat and street clothes. The house staff wore short coat and white pants; I think the white shirts was also indicated. There was a special Duke-only button-up front scrub top that was also worn (specially made for, and only for, Duke). The fellows and attendings wore the long coat. This way, in a moment, you knew who everyone was. Today, the short coat is for all students and interns, and general surgery is a special case - short coat and white pants for first AND second years.

As far as surgery here, besides people that are not white males, there is NOTHING different about surgery from 60 years ago. As traditional as the day is long.

 

[charlie brown]

when i interviewed at emory for residency a few years ago, the rule still was that interns wore short white coats. don't know whether that has changed...

 

[The White Coat Investor]

Short white coats are just another way to demean doctors in training, just like outrageous hours. I went to a medical school where everyone from 1st year students to attendings wore the same length coat and now go to a residency (different place) where it is the same. Patients know who I am because I introduce myself as such (student-doctor, resident doctor etc.) If they don't know the difference between a student and an attending, that just helps me get my work done, it doesn't keep the attending from doing his and doesn't result in poor patient care. To demand someone wear a stupid looking outfit so patients/nurses etc don't get confused is idiotic. Its time the East Coast grows up, otherwise they'll keep doing stupid things that lose their accreditation (i.e. Hopkins IM) Internship is demeaning enough without having to wear an elf coat.

 

[Galaxian]

five months until (hopefully from the sounds of this post) I get to drop the short white coat. Its so stupid looking, and since the inner seam isn't tacked down, it gets caught on patient's beds and causes for embarassment, and damn it, it just drops my credibility so low the instant I walk into the patient's room that I'm sick of it. It's like I walk in and they get this smile on their face like (oh no, I get to be someone else's guinea pig today!). I always introduce my self with my name and tell them I'm working with said attending, but they're pretty wise...these gomers have been in the system for a while. Then they ask, where's doctor so and so, like you're going to commit some crime on them before their doctor can come and save them! The worst is on the maternity ward when they tell you to turn around and walk out the door cause "you ain't touchin' my baby!"

Of course, if I was a patient, I wouldn't let a student get within 10 feet of me either, but hey, I gotta learn somehow!

 

[RADRULES]

Wow, it is amazing to me that hospital make doctors wear short coats. That is outrageous. The bullsh#t ivory tower of academic medicine never ceases to amaze me.

I vowed when I finished med school to never wear a short coat again, and I haven't. I like the long coat, even though I am not a real doctor.

 

[lodger]

now don't get me wrong i hate the short white coats as much as the next guy but what is the big deal if tradition says you wear them a little longer at some hospitals.