Veterinary work attire

[Flyingleads]

Hey guys! This may a bit of an odd question but for those of you in vet school or those of you that have already graduated, what were y'all required to wear during school and/or when y'all got into clinicals.

Also, what do you think would be appropriate attire for a large animal veterinarian? Do you think that Jeans and boots and a nice embroidered, collared shirt is too casual. I just ask this because people criticize our vet where I work because this is what he wears, but he is just a country vet. Any opinions would be great!!

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[CurrySpice]

Here's a great thread on proper attire for different vet schools: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=710889&highlight=scrubs

Not to hijack your thread... but I have to buy scrubs for a volunteer trip and I was wondering what the most useful color is to buy? I don't want to buy bright red ones and then realize those are inappropriate in the workplace, but I would love fun-colored ones if they're okay.

 

[HopefulAg]

Depends entirely on your work place. Some want nothing but polo shirts (even on the technicians), some want polo shirts on reception, and scrubs on techs, and some want uniform colored scrubs only, while others don't care what scrubs you wear.

 

[twelvetigers]

I have some purple-ish ones and some hot pink ones, among some more normal colors. If you mean for VIDA, it really doesn't matter. If you want them for future use, you might do more ciel blue and tan, but most workplaces don't seem to care as long as you avoid the Loony Tunes and Pooh Bear category.

 

[VeganSoprano]

You could buy solid colored pants and tops in both matching solids and coordinating prints. Then you have more options open to you. For most true volunteer type situations (s/n clinics, etc.), you'll probably be able to wear whatever you want.

 

[VeganSoprano]

Depends entirely on your work place. Some want nothing but polo shirts (even on the technicians), some want polo shirts on reception, and scrubs on techs, and some want uniform colored scrubs only, while others don't care what scrubs you wear.

*Nothing* but polo shirts? Your workplace sounds crazy! 🙂

 

[HopefulAg]

Not my work place, and yes, I'll never go back to that clinic ever again. The horrors....horrors!!

 

[UM2014]

My equine clinic's 'uniform' for the vets/ride alongs is kakis, a polo in summer (nice sweater/jacket in winter), belt and work boots. The techs wear nice scrub tops embroidered with the clinics logo and dark/non-holey jeans. I like this policy since it still looks professional/appropriate while being functional on farms in all kinds of weather. As far as clinicals goes...I'm not sure. From spending time at my school it looks like scrubs were appropriate on some rotations and attire similar to what my equine vets wear was appropriate for others.

 

[katryn]

The SA clinic I'm at now is either uniform polos and jeans/dress clothes (our preference) for reception, scrubs for the techs (pretty much anything goes), and professional dress w/Dr.'s coat for the docs.

 

[Willowhand]

*Nothing* but polo shirts? Your workplace sounds crazy! 🙂

 

[heylodeb]

hmm...I LOVE wearing my cartoon shirts. I have a wonderful halloween scooby-doo scrub top and another great one of little cartoon puppies and kittens saying "woof and meow." I've never understood the fear of the great scrubtops that are geared towards pediatrics. We embrace them at our clinic - techs AND vets. 🙂
end of story: I think it totally depends on the clinic - and if you want to buy some great red scrubs - go for it! You'll be able to use them to clean house and paint, etc if your clinic doesn't like them.

 

[BlacKAT33]

hmm...I LOVE wearing my cartoon shirts. I have a wonderful halloween scooby-doo scrub top and another great one of little cartoon puppies and kittens saying "woof and meow." I've never understood the fear of the great scrubtops that are geared towards pediatrics. We embrace them at our clinic - techs AND vets. 🙂
end of story: I think it totally depends on the clinic - and if you want to buy some great red scrubs - go for it! You'll be able to use them to clean house and paint, etc if your clinic doesn't like them.

My clinic is like this too 😀 the secretaries and vet techs all wear pictured scrubs that are really cute. Our vet even orders bulk scrubs sometimes with cute designs/cartoons for everyone. for the longest time i thought this was how every clinic did it lol. That was until i started interning at another clinic and they had to wear plain color scrubs specifically ordered with the hospital name on it, and only certain colors allowed. Also, the secretaries had to wear certain colors and the vet techs other certain colors. No bright colors allowed lol
Of course, that isnt as strange as the polos!!! lol

 

[Bearby]

hmm...I LOVE wearing my cartoon shirts. I have a wonderful halloween scooby-doo scrub top and another great one of little cartoon puppies and kittens saying "woof and meow." I've never understood the fear of the great scrubtops that are geared towards pediatrics. We embrace them at our clinic - techs AND vets. 🙂
end of story: I think it totally depends on the clinic - and if you want to buy some great red scrubs - go for it! You'll be able to use them to clean house and paint, etc if your clinic doesn't like them.

The clinic I currently work at requires us to wear scrubs that they provide in some pretty ugly colors, but the previous 2 clinics I worked at had no dress code when it came to scrubs. I have an awesome collection of dog/cat, sheep, cow, horse scrubs that I really wish I could still wear. It's funny because I think that people were more relaxed and open to talking with me when we didn't all look the same. I also got so many compliments on my tops. I miss it!

 

[lizinwonderland]

.

 

[Armymutt25A]

I like the scrubs at my current clinic - Army Combat Uniform pattern with a velcro strip for my name and a square for my rank (not that I've really taken the time to bother putting them on). Gotta match even in the clinic. Since the vet and the tech are both females under 5'6", I'm the only one wearing XL, so I sort of have my own. It's temporary right now, but definitely a motivation for the future.

 

[clouds815]

does no one wear coveralls for large animals?

 

[KKibo]

I've always hated all the silly scrubs. I have a huge pet peeve with those in regards to the image they give industry and from that I prefer matching scrubs. Also, I hate it when receptionists/office managers wear scrubs.

The female doctors at the practice I work with always wear scrubs, with or without a lab coat. The owner *always* wears a polo and khakis even when he is in surgery. The other male associate, from AU, always wears dress slacks, a button down shirt, and a tie (which always gets in the damn way lol) and scrubs on his surgery days.

Recently, at this clinic, we changed our uniforms and dress code details. From listening to clients input and reading post-visit surveys...they typically prefer the polo look for the doctors. Most of the comments about Dr.'s/admin staff wearing scrubs were along the lines "they looked unprofessional (even in solid color scrubs) and/or it made them seem in a hurry". Which I tend to agree with.

The dress shirt with tie brought in good responses, but the polo look was the most well received with the general trend of the responses being more along the lines of feeling more comfortable around the Doctor.

Polos are my favorite, too.

 

[cowgirla]

I have Pooh scrubs, and scooby scrubs, and lots of pretty flowery scrubs, and pretty geometric designs, and bright, happy colors 🙂
Along with either danskos or crocs depending on the weather. With the rubber muck boots never too far away, just in case 🙂

Clinic I was at before this one required either navy or hunter scrubs.

Clinic before that required ciel blue for LVTs, navy for unlicensed techs, khakis/embroidered navy polos for receptionists, and jeans/plain blue polos for kennel people.


Needless to say, I like the place I'm at now 🙂


ETA: Female vet wears fun, colored scrubs 9 times out of 10. Occasionaly a scrub top and khakis.
Male vet wears khaki dress pants and a button down shirt, plus one of those zip up scrub top thingies with his name embroidered on.

I dont think I've ever seen either of them wear a white lab coat. I don't even think we have lab coats anywhere in the clinic.

We do have coveralls though, although to be honest, we tend to use them more in the iso ward with things that dont really need full, sterile gowns, but you still dont want touching your regular clothes.
Occasionally, we'll throw them on for farm calls with cows or pigs, but rarely with horses or small ruminants.

 

[BlacKAT33]

I've always hated all the silly scrubs. I have a huge pet peeve with those in regards to the image they give industry

When comparing the 2 clinics i work at, the one with the "silly" scrubs always has more interaction with the clients. Like someone mentioned above, we get compliments all the time. It usually starts a conversation and our clients feel really comfortable talking to everyone. This also helps the techs and secretaries remember the clients names+pet names better. The positive energy in this clinic is amazing.

We've never had any complaints and we are the most popular clinic in the area 😀 Do i think it makes us look unprofessional? not really. everyone is extremely knowledgeable and we also have the most up to date technology. They know they are getting the best care for their animal and that is what matters. Also, kids LOVE us because of our fun scrubs. and similar to when clients see that their pets likes you, they also love it if their kid likes you too!

I'm not against the boring plain scrubs 😛 lol but there are reasons why some vets like colorful scrubs. its all personal opinion, but i definitely think there are positive sides to it too.

 

[DVMDream]

In the clinic I work at the vet techs wear scrubs and white shoes. The scrubs can be anything you want. I also have a scooby doo scrub top, a mickey mouse scrub top, and scrubs with dogs, cats, etc on it. I used to have a scrub top with fishies on motorcycles but it got a hole in it. 🙁 It was one of my favorites. The vets at my clinic dress buisness casual. Usually khakis (for the guy), black pants (for the ladies) and then a decent top. Then they also wear a white lab coat over it. I have many times gotten clients asking about my scrubs or my scrubs being the start of a conversation. It really can be an ice breaker and I also feel that if you show that you understand what you are doing and are knowledgeable it does not matter if you have on fun scrubs or plain scrubs. I think the fun scrubs also make for a more relaxed environment, IMO.

 

[Lissarae06]

I actually got asked about this in my OKstate interview. My interviewer asked if I thought it was inappropriate for a rural vet to wear jeans and cowboy boots. I said I thought it was totally appropriate because it allowed him to relate to his clients. Plus, it's practical. The clinic where I worked last summer color coded everyone. Reception wore black scrubs, techs were in blue, vets in forest green, and kennels in brown. The clients liked it because they could tell what job everyone had.

 

[VeganSoprano]

I wear navy blue hospital logo scrubs. Every. Single. Day. With Mary Jane style Crocs (love them!) and a thermal undershirt in colder weather. Senior techs wear navy scrubs. Junior techs wear olive green or tan scrubs. Front desk/pharmacy staff wears khakis and a hospital approved shirt. They're issued uniform dress shirts but the hospital also has a cafepress.com store and all shirts from that store are allowed as well. Doctors and their assistants choose from any of the above mentioned uniforms - navy, olive, or tan scrubs or khakis with a hospital logo shirt.

I personally don't mind the uniform since I have to wear navy and I'm fine with that color. I would like a little more flexibility, though, personally. But I don't think I'd ever feel comfortable in colorful print scrubs. That's just me, though.

 

[der2002]

I've always hated all the silly scrubs. I have a huge pet peeve with those in regards to the image they give industry and from that I prefer matching scrubs. Also, I hate it when receptionists/office managers wear scrubs.

I'm with you on the decorative scrubs. Perhaps it's just my modern, streamlined aesthetic, but I think those scrubs are just ridiculous. IMHO, I think they're fine for pediatric medical staff, but have no place in a professional vet practice. If people want to express personal flair, they can have different cuts/styles of scrubs in one uniform color. And frankly, I like the idea of having different staff wear their respective scrub colors/having a set uniform.

 

[scb44f]

The two clinics I go to are very different from one another.

In the first one, no one wears scrubs, except for the vet assistant during surgery (I don't think any of the Dr.'s staff members are licensed techs). The vet himself wears slacks and a button-up, with the sleeves rolled up, the entire time he's working, no matter what he's doing. He does only SA though. Everyone else just wears jeans and t-shirts or sweaters or whatever as long as it's appropriate.

In the other clinic, there is one licensed tech, me (a shadow who is allowed to be involved), a few vet assistants who have been working there for many years who have all sorts of responsibilities, a part time receptionist, and the vet. The vet wears a scrub top with jeans and tennis shoes unless he goes on a farm call. Me and the licensed tech wear either jeans and a scrub top, or all scrubs. Everyone else wears scrubs. Except for the vet, everyone has both solid and print scrubs. I don't have any that are cartoons, mostly just flowers or some other pattern. Other people do have some with cartoons but they never bothered me.

I couldn't care less what people wear to be honest. If there were more people and it was a multiple-doctor clinic, I could see the point of having a specific dress code, but there are no more than 7 people who work there so it's not really a big deal. I understand the point about maintaining professionalism, but it seems like you'd have to take into account the area you are working in. I would dress very differently if I were shadowing a SA vet in Kansas City than I would out here in the country.

 

[chii chan]

We wear whatever we want! Sometimes some of us have jeans on instead of scrub bottoms, and if we wear a sweatshirt, which for the tech and I is practically all the time since we're freezing, we usually don't wear a scrub top underneath. It just depends. The manager who does tech stuff sometimes wears jeans and a t-shirt because he hates scrubs. He also hides his Star Wars figures around the front counter, seeing if anyone notices them. =P

 

[clairbear]

does no one wear coveralls for large animals?

The large animal vets that my animals have been to have all worn coveralls or blue jeans. Nothing too fancy.

They're pretty relaxed at the clinics I've shadowed at.

 

[HopefulAg]

The male vets have generally always worn polo shirts and slacks with a lab coat in the places I've been. The female vets wear either the same, or scrubs.

While I see the appeal of color-coded scrubs, I would think that'd create conflict. By separating ranks, you're no longer part of a team, you're just a kennel person, a receptionist, a technician, etc. You've been reduced to a cog with a label. Not a fan.

 

[BlacKAT33]

While I see the appeal of color-coded scrubs, I would think that'd create conflict. By separating ranks, you're no longer part of a team, you're just a kennel person, a receptionist, a technician, etc. You've been reduced to a cog with a label. Not a fan.

i see this at the more conservative clinic i intern at. i feel bad. the kennel workers have to wear a name tag that says "kennel assistant" 🙁 they are all definitely more shy and dont include themselves in the vet tech "click". since im just interning i talk to them all the time and hopefully they feel like they fit in a little more. Also, new vet techs have to wear an "in training" tag and its usually for a couple months 🙁 and this wasnt even really a new vet tech, she just came from another clinic but she has been working as a tech for many many yrs. and of course the clients were very hesitant when they saw her handling their pet.

i dunno, maybe my two experiences are biased. if i work in another clinic later in life that has uniforms and the same positive, team friendly atmosphere then i will be in support of uniforms and labeling jobs, but til then...

 

[twelvetigers]

vet tech "click"

the vet tech clique 🙂

 

[eventualeventer]

It depends on the region and the clientele. I live in the D.C. area and have worked for a couple equine vet places around here, and the first time I ever saw an embroidered shirt in the style I assume you are referring to in person was when someone wore one to his interview at Iowa State. Around here, you would probably be mocked in private by the dressage queens and upper-middle class clientele. Equine vets around here tend to wear nice jeans, khakis or dress-ish pants, dark colored work boots (have not seen cowboy boots around here) such as Blundstones, and polo or button-down shirts. No t-shirts, scrub shirts sometimes (and obviously for surgery) but usually scrub shirts worn over a shirt with a collar for farm calls and changed after palpating mares. Coveralls are worn sometimes but usually over said business casual-type wear. The "dressed-down" clients are the ones who wear jeans with holes in them and skanky tube tops, not something a vet would want to emulate. I'm guessing expected attire is different in the rural West, though.

As for tech attire, at both my current job and my previous job we were expected to wear scrub shirts (with or without something underneath) and either scrub pants or decent jeans/khakis. Scrub shirts and pants are given to each new employee. Everyone wears greens for the OR, otherwise navy blue shirts (the residents sometimes wear polos). I prefer to wear a polo shirt of a matching or neutral color under my scrub shirt, even when it's freakin' hot; it's just a weird personal preference.

 

[BlacKAT33]

the vet tech clique 🙂

lol its funny, after i wrote that i knew i should change it to a q but then i was like eh no one will probably care or notice haha

 

[katryn]

i see this at the more conservative clinic i intern at. i feel bad. the kennel workers have to wear a name tag that says "kennel assistant" 🙁 they are all definitely more shy and dont include themselves in the vet tech "click". since im just interning i talk to them all the time and hopefully they feel like they fit in a little more. Also, new vet techs have to wear an "in training" tag and its usually for a couple months 🙁 and this wasnt even really a new vet tech, she just came from another clinic but she has been working as a tech for many many yrs. and of course the clients were very hesitant when they saw her handling their pet.

i dunno, maybe my two experiences are biased. if i work in another clinic later in life that has uniforms and the same positive, team friendly atmosphere then i will be in support of uniforms and labeling jobs, but til then...

I always hated the idea of "title tags", but I did work at one clinic that went through the trouble of ordering actual dog collar tags with the staff members' names on them and made them into pins. Each section got a different tag (bones for the kennel, hearts for the techs, etc) but the titles weren't actually on them. I still have mine around just for kicks. 😀

 

[twelvetigers]

lol its funny, after i wrote that i knew i should change it to a q but then i was like eh no one will probably care or notice haha

I was joking around with cowgirla that it was one of my pet peeves when people did things like spell it 'siked' instead of 'psyched', or say it's a 'mute point' instead of a 'moot point'... Lol. In other words, don't take it personally. I kinda assumed you knew what was going on, anyway.

 

[BlacKAT33]

I was joking around with cowgirla that it was one of my pet peeves when people did things like spell it 'siked' instead of 'psyched', or say it's a 'mute point' instead of a 'moot point'... Lol. In other words, don't take it personally. I kinda assumed you knew what was going on, anyway.

mute?!?!?! HAHAHAH my bf's fav word is moot he says it all the time! psyched does bother me too, i guess more so because i relate it to psychology, just thinking of someone spelling it sikology freaks me out, ewww lol. but ya, sryyy 🙂

 

[AUhopeful]

The LA clinic I work for has only three techs (we all answer phones, clean, assist etc.) and we have navy blue scrub tops with the clinic logo on them and we are allowed to wear jeans and boots. The vet wears kakis and his light blue scrub top and in the winter he has a nice vest and jacket that has the clinic logo.

The SA clinic I used to work for didn't really have a dress code. We could wear bright or patterned scrub tops with shorts, jeans or kakis and tennis shoes. The female vet (owner) often wore kakis shorts with a polo that had her name on it. The other male doctor liked to dress up and he always had a button down shirt with a tie. They both would change into scrub tops for surgery. This was a real relaxed clinic which fit with the clientele that came in.

Whenever I have my own clinic, I think I will have a relaxed dress code. I would probably have the clinic logo on scrub tops and allow kakis or jeans. I’m not sure on the badges with job titles though.

 

[DVMDream]

We wear name tags with titles on them. Mine says veterinary assistant since I am not certified (certified techs have certified technician on them) and receptionists have one that say receptionist on it, but I still have my one that used to say kennel back when I was doing that job. The clients never really seem to pay that much attention to them. I misplaced my vet assistant name tag one day and just wore the kennel one and no one seemed to care/notice. I have actually had a few clients say, as I am leaving the room saying that the vet will be in soon, "Oh, you're not the vet?" (I am 21, almost 22 and I was carded going into a R-rated movie back in December..so I know I look like a teenager, you really think I am the vet...😕). Really, I have not seen any difference in the way clients treat us based on our name tags. In all honesty, I do not think they even bother to look at them; which is really frustrating when a client says that one girl told me it would only cost x amount of money this time (told from a previous visit). Ok, what is her name? I don't know, she has brown hair. (Most of us do.) Well, do you know what her NAME was because then I could get more information. NO. 😡 But, they often remember the scrubs they were wearing and since many of us do not have the same patterned scrubs we can figure out who it was by that. I could not imagine someone going, "Oh the person in blue scrubs, with brown hair told me x." if everyone in the clinic has to wear blue scrubs. It would sure be hard to solve client/technician communication issues when you have no idea who said what/when.

 

[cowgirla]

I was joking around with cowgirla that it was one of my pet peeves when people did things like spell it 'siked' instead of 'psyched', or say it's a 'mute point' instead of a 'moot point'... Lol. In other words, don't take it personally. I kinda assumed you knew what was going on, anyway.

Sometimes I have to sit on my hands trying not to correct people's spelling and grammar 😎