The Whitecoat is officially meaningless...

[BADMD]

I rarely wear mine in the ED, but as I do a significant amount of work on the floors, I wear one frequently (hospital policy).

In the last day, I saw two medical assistants wearing long white coats and a gaggle of nursing students wearing them.

It is official, the long white coat is meant to keep lunch off your scrubs.

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[McSnappy]

I rarely wear mine in the ED, but as I do a significant amount of work on the floors, I wear one frequently (hospital policy).

In the last day, I saw two medical assistants wearing long white coats and a gaggle of nursing students wearing them.

It is official, the long white coat is meant to keep lunch off your scrubs.

Agreed.

However, as a med student with a goofy short white coat, I feel it comes in handy... every now and then. Everyone in the hospital culture recognizes the short white coat as a student that doesn't know anything. Like when I am getting pimped. I intentionally hike it up, extra high, highlighting the fact that I really know very little and will have a difficult time with many difficult questions.

 

[southerndoc]

There is one hospital I am familiar with that has a policy that only physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners may wear white coats. All other healthcare workers may wear long coats, but they must be a different color. Non-healthcare workers (cooks, housekeeping, etc.) must wear short non-white coats if they choose to wear one. Scrubs are color coordinated -- dark blue for nurses, light blue for techs, purple for housekeeping, green for surgical scrub techs, maroon for administrative (secretaries and other ancillary staff), and teal for volunteer staff. Definitely makes it easy to figure out who is who!

 

[GeneralVeers]

There is one hospital I am familiar with that has a policy that only physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners may wear white coats. All other healthcare workers may wear long coats, but they must be a different color. Non-healthcare workers (cooks, housekeeping, etc.) must wear short non-white coats if they choose to wear one. Scrubs are color coordinated -- dark blue for nurses, light blue for techs, purple for housekeeping, green for surgical scrub techs, maroon for administrative (secretaries and other ancillary staff), and teal for volunteer staff. Definitely makes it easy to figure out who is who!

I don't really care about the color. As long as I don't have to wear a tie to work I'm happy.

 

[Hard24Get]

dunno, being a young looking black woman, wearing my white coat is the only way to convince people I'm a doctor! It comes together with my badge, the around the neck stethoscope, scrubs, and a serious expression on my face. If any of these components are missing (including the white coat), I am relegated back to nurse

 

[DrMom]

dunno, being a young looking black woman, wearing my white coat is the only way to convince people I'm a doctor! It comes together with my badge, the around the neck stethoscope, scrubs, and a serious expression on my face. If any of these components are missing (including the white coat), I am relegated back to nurse

Heck, some patients still don't get it with all of those components plus introducing yourself as Dr. xyz!

 

[EM2BE]

Especially since (as a female) I go to med school to become a nurse

 

[domer621]

As much as I absolutely despise wearing the short white coat, it's definitely a necessary evil and a rite of passage.

And nurses wearing white coats...

 

[xaelia]

dunno, being a young looking black woman, wearing my white coat is the only way to convince people I'm a doctor! It comes together with my badge, the around the neck stethoscope, scrubs, and a serious expression on my face. If any of these components are missing (including the white coat), I am relegated back to nurse

You can't be a nurse at Harbor - you don't speak Tagalog!

 

[Tiger26]

Agree with all--not that I'd ever really be into wearing it in an ED myself, I feel like we still need to protect the symbol from degradation. Not necessarily a matter of trying to feel better than anybody or anything, but it's got to be incredibly confusing from a pt point of view when every respiratory tech, transcriptionist, janitor, etc. is wearing one. Especially when you notice that they don't even have anything in those pockets . . . . .

 

[GoBuckeyes913]

I don't really care about the color. As long as I don't have to wear a tie to work I'm happy.

Haha, this is funny.......I hate white coats though! They are like extra insulation, and I get super hot and sweaty in them. Can't take it off cause I'm a student and they have been required on almost every ED rotation I've done, and god only knows what kind of pit marks are left on my scrubs. Plus, mine is a disaster. I have betadine on the sleeve that I've tried dry cleaning 3 times, and ink stains on my breast pocket that won't come out either, and half of my lower pocket is falling off from all my handy ED gadgets I stuff into it. It's a hot mess

 

[notdeadyet]

Agree with all--not that I'd ever really be into wearing it in an ED myself, I feel like we still need to protect the symbol from degradation. Not necessarily a matter of trying to feel better than anybody or anything, but it's got to be incredibly confusing from a pt point of view when every respiratory tech, transcriptionist, janitor, etc. is wearing one.

I had a friend working at Taco Bell who had the same feeling. Everyone wore uniforms, but the managers wore a different style polo shirt and no name tag. When they changed the policy so that everyone got the polo shirt, he felt it was being de-valued and would be confusing to customers.

The white coat thing is a much bigger deal to doctors/nurses than it ever will be to patients. It will impact your life (if you let it) a lot more than the folks on the other side of the bedsheet.

 

[medicinesux]

uh...this topic is so ten years ago. Have you been in a coma since?

 

[zenlike]

I felt the same way when people started wearing those Porn Star shirts around.

 

[ZincFingers]

Not to mention the interesting varieties of staph that are growing on the typical white coat, an extra little bonus for the patients we see. Seriously... how often does anyone wash their white coat?

 

[spyderdoc]

It's funny. I never wore a white coat in residency, or afterwards. A few months ago, our director "encouraged" all of us to wear them, so I got one. I still really dislike it, but I guess it is growing on me (literally, I guess with all the resistant bugs on it)...

 

[EM2BE]

It's funny. I never wore a white coat in residency, or afterwards. A few months ago, our director "encouraged" all of us to wear them, so I got one. I still really dislike it, but I guess it is growing on me (literally, I guess with all the resistant bugs on it)...

Ties are worse. Ask anyone in the hospital wearing one how often they get them cleaned or throw them out (heard this as an alternative to cleaning).

 

[zmeister22]

After 4 years in an ER as a tech, I question anything besides scrubs. I have seen residents from IM come in to do paracentesis in steve madden leather loafers, dress pants and a tie. Of course, they first lean over the patient to examine them, dragging their tie and often their sleeves (which don't get cleaned by handwashing) on the bed, sheets and patients and then go on to the next patient down the hall. Administration needs to realize a practical balance between professional presentation and critical needs of patients, like infection control. Just my 2¢...

 

[Apollyon]

My cue...colonized? Even if so, there is NO evidence of anyone getting sick from them - it's been studied several times.

Providers (especially doctors) not washing their hands is a much bigger issue (and that, also, has been studied many times).

 

[emtcsmith]

I think the answer is baseball jersey's. Try being the poor medic that goes to 5-10 different ED's and tries to learn who everyone is in the attempt not to give your report to the food services person.

 

[bulgethetwine]

I felt the same way when people started wearing those Porn Star shirts around.

Best line I've heard on this issue in years.

I've never understood why some physicians whine that it's a shame they're not the only ones wearing a white coat when you're surrounded by other allied health providers. The debate about short/long is just as absurd!

You shouldn't need someone else's acknowledgement that you're a physician to be secure in your role as one -- whether you're female, male, black, white or whatever. Defensiveness stands in the way of many a fine day's work.

 

[mlw47]

You shouldn't need someone else's acknowledgement that you're a physician to be secure in your role as one -- whether you're female, male, black, white or whatever. Defensiveness stands in the way of many a fine day's work.

Change "a physician" in the first line to "important" and tell that the LPNs, medical assistants, and dietitians wearing long white coats.

Everybody and their grandmother wants to wear a long white coat because it invokes the clout that a doctor carries. Ironic though that the more people that wear them the less value they retain.

 

[Substance]

I took part in a simulated mass casualty exercise, and noticed one glaring problem with our current ED system that was made extremely obvious in that particular setting:

It was impossible to tell who was who from a distance, because everyone was wearing the same damn scrubs! Doctors, techs, social work, JANITORS wtf!

What we need is a universal system of colored scrubs that are consistent over every North American hospital. Doctors wear green, nurses wear white etc.(and only docs should have the option of wearing the white coat)

This organization, which is currently in shambles, is extremely important for patient care. We need to have uniforms in hospitals - especially in the ED, where time is of the essence.

 

[EM2BE]

I took part in a simulated mass casualty exercise, and noticed one glaring problem with our current ED system that was made extremely obvious in that particular setting:

It was impossible to tell who was who from a distance, because everyone was wearing the same damn scrubs! Doctors, techs, social work, JANITORS wtf!

What we need is a universal system of colored scrubs that are consistent over every North American hospital. Doctors wear green, nurses wear white etc.(and only docs should have the option of wearing the white coat)

This organization, which is currently in shambles, is extremely important for patient care. We need to have uniforms in hospitals - especially in the ED, where time is of the essence.

According to some patients, it's easy. Girls are nurses and boys are doctors.

 

[bulgethetwine]

According to some patients, it's easy. Girls are nurses and boys are doctors.

You just perceive it that way. You change your thinking, they'll change theirs (shrug).

Some people want to be victims their whole lives...

 

[EM2BE]

You just perceive it that way. You change your thinking, they'll change theirs (shrug).

Some people want to be victims their whole lives...

Definitely missed the sarcasm. I actually had someone use that theory the other day. We laughed about it and life goes on. Doesn't matter to me. Just glad to work. Half the time I will introduce myself, but not that clearly, so definitely don't identify with the occupation.

 

[GeneralVeers]

All the doctors should just have gold-plated stethoscopes.

 

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[njac]

admittedly,I <3 the coat, even the short one.

pockets are the best thing ever. that crappy single pocket in the scrub pants? totally insufficient.

although I have a pressing, live-saving question. How the hell do men with no hips/butts manage to keep scrub bottoms on if they have more than one electronic leash (pager, phone, etc) hanging off of them?

I am fascinated by this. I spend more time pulling up my pants if I have anything in the pocket than not. And if I have to go somewhere in a hurry or do stairs forget it - one hand just holds the pants the whole way.

 

[Drawing Dead]

You mean like this guy? I'm already sporting a similar look as a med student. I think it's really helped on my evals.

I think you're on to something here. Sacred Heart should be the model for all hospitals. By that I mean, the residents don't wear coats and they all wear scrubs, no matter what service they are on. I absolutely hated my student coat, because it was short and kind of goofy looking. Now that I have a resident "3/4" length coat, its heavier, hangs awkwardly when I sit on it, and I rarely wear it because it just makes me feel hot. Then I take it off and hang it on a chair, only so the bottom gets run over by the wheels of the chair.

 

[enfuegoEP]

Change "a physician" in the first line to "important" and tell that the LPNs, medical assistants, and dietitians wearing long white coats.

Everybody and their grandmother wants to wear a long white coat because it invokes the clout that a doctor carries. Ironic though that the more people that wear them the less value they retain.

Valid point. It has to be as uncomfortable for them as it is for us.

 

[ZincFingers]

I tried going without my coat this week. Everybody had a comment.

"Dude, where's your coat?"
"Why aren't you wearing your coat?"
"You leave your coat at the dry cleaners?"
etc etc

If I had my way, I'd burn the damn thing and all the staph growing on it. Let the nurse case managers and nurse clinical coordinators have it. Besides, all the cool attendings wear business suits these days anyway.

 

[southerndoc]

If I had my way, I'd burn the damn thing and all the staph growing on it.

You should wash it every once in a while.

 

[GeneralVeers]

You mean like this guy? I'm already sporting a similar look as a med student. I think it's really helped on my evals.

Sure thing, sport!