Wearing Scrubs when Shadowing?

[informatique]

I've been wearing dress pants/skirt and dress shoes when I go to shadow, but its really uncomfortable since I'm running around and helping out.

I'm going to start shadowing some new dentists that I've never met next week. Would it be okay for me to go in wearing scrubs?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Rubber Dam Man]

I think it would be absolutely fine if you went in wearing scrubs... especially if you're running around the office helping out And also, the patients might feel a little more comfortable too with you being in the operatory

 

[Count Orlok]

I personally would not wear scrubs. I feel that when shadowing it is very important to remain extremely professional. I would show up the first day wearing the normal business/business casual attire and then gauge the wearing scrubs off of what the dentist wears. Also, it might not hurt to ask the dentist once you are there to make sure it is ok. Remember that the impression you give not only is of your self but of the dentist and his or her practice.

Key to shadowing: impress the patients and staff = impress the dentist

 

[Regmata]

You need to ask them what they prefer you to wear.

 

[NewMexDent]

You need to ask them what they prefer you to wear.

This is exactly what you should do. Some dentists don't want "shadowers" to look like they are employees, therefore they don't want them in scrubs. Just call the office and ask.

 

[scuzfly]

I've been wearing dress pants/skirt and dress shoes when I go to shadow, but its really uncomfortable since I'm running around and helping out.

What are you doing to help out and why are they having YOU help out if you are there to shadow? Seems a little odd to me.

That being said I wouldn't EVER go into a dentists office wearing scrubs to shadow. Just comes across wrong to me. Think of who wears scrubs. Hygenists, dentists and assistants. Are you one of these people? no. If I was an assistant and saw some kid coming in to shadow wearing scrubs I wouldn't appericate it and I'd probably give the kid smart comments about him coming in dressed to work. You're there to watch. I didn't have to ask what the dress was I assumed it was professional business.

 

[lemoncurry]

If you've been shadowing/volunteering there, they probably know you well enough and wouldn't mind if you decided to wear scrubs. When I shadowed, I wore dress clothes with a clean white lab coat over it all. If I had gotten to the point where I was volunteering and actually doing work, I would ask about wearing scrubs, but i would still wear the lab coat to differentiate myself from the employees.

In either case, you should ask.

 

[jackbauer!]

I've been wearing dress pants/skirt and dress shoes when I go to shadow, but its really uncomfortable since I'm running around and helping out.

I'm going to start shadowing some new dentists that I've never met next week. Would it be okay for me to go in wearing scrubs?

I would ask for the dress code. The dentists I shadowed requested I wear business casual.

jb!

 

[ummjoey]

I've been wearing dress pants/skirt and dress shoes when I go to shadow, but its really uncomfortable since I'm running around and helping out.

I'm going to start shadowing some new dentists that I've never met next week. Would it be okay for me to go in wearing scrubs?

if you are assisting, then i think it is required that you wear scrubs?

but for shadowing, i agree with the others. you should ask the dentist if you are really worried.

 

[sublimeu4ea]

What are you doing to help out and why are they having YOU help out if you are there to shadow? Seems a little odd to me.

That being said I wouldn't EVER go into a dentists office wearing scrubs to shadow. Just comes across wrong to me. Think of who wears scrubs. Hygenists, dentists and assistants. Are you one of these people? no. If I was an assistant and saw some kid coming in to shadow wearing scrubs I wouldn't appericate it and I'd probably give the kid smart comments about him coming in dressed to work. You're there to watch. I didn't have to ask what the dress was I assumed it was professional business.

I don't think that it's so wrong to wear scrubs. I don't know who would be offended by it either. However, I am with mostly everyone in that you should most definitely ask if it's ok. When I shadowed, I always asked and was almost always told to dress business casual. Some dentists prefer those shadowing to look less conspicuous though, because sometimes the patients get nervous around the "shadower" when they're dressed like they just came in off the street to stare into the patients mouth.

Also, some dentists like to involve the shadower in some of the procedures (like holding suction) once they've gotten to know them.

 

[sloken]

It definitely depends on the practice:

First time I ever shadowed was at my oral surgeon's clinic. Everytime I've gone their they've hooked me up with scrubs

A general dentist I shadowed said I needed to wear a collared shirt and labcoat

The family dentist I am currently shadowing is fine with business casual.

 

[1992Corolla]

What are you doing to help out and why are they having YOU help out if you are there to shadow? Seems a little odd to me.

That being said I wouldn't EVER go into a dentists office wearing scrubs to shadow. Just comes across wrong to me. Think of who wears scrubs. Hygenists, dentists and assistants. Are you one of these people? no. If I was an assistant and saw some kid coming in to shadow wearing scrubs I wouldn't appericate it and I'd probably give the kid smart comments about him coming in dressed to work. You're there to watch. I didn't have to ask what the dress was I assumed it was professional business.

I would go the first day dressed professionally and then ask what you should wear next time. My dentist just gave me a white coat and told me to 'pretend to be a doc' sarcastically of course.

Shadowing doesn't mean just sitting over the shoulder of a dentist and watching. The best way to learn is to help out with procedures. Taking impressions, sterilizing, suction, blah blah blah.

The answer has been said: ask the staff and dentist

 

[Regmata]

Heh, I couldn't imagine taking an impression for the first time on an actual paying patient in a private dental office...

 

[1992Corolla]

practice on the dental assistants a couple of times first...and warn the patient and exude confidence.

 

[Lopyswine]

I have shadowed at 12 different dental offices over the last 4 years.

ALWAYS show up in dress/professional attire for the first day. If you get the vibe they would like you to help out, and you are willing to get dirty, then ask if its ok to wear scrubs.

Of the 12 places I shadowed, about 8-9 just flat out told me to toss the dress cloths and they gave me scrubs. The other 2-3 wanted me to stay in dress clothes.

So dont presume anything.

 

[MnBr63]

What are you doing to help out and why are they having YOU help out if you are there to shadow? Seems a little odd to me.

That being said I wouldn't EVER go into a dentists office wearing scrubs to shadow. Just comes across wrong to me. Think of who wears scrubs. Hygenists, dentists and assistants. Are you one of these people? no. If I was an assistant and saw some kid coming in to shadow wearing scrubs I wouldn't appericate it and I'd probably give the kid smart comments about him coming in dressed to work. You're there to watch. I didn't have to ask what the dress was I assumed it was professional business.

1) They are doing you a favor by letting you pretty much tag along and interfere with the way they normally do business. It's not unreasonable for them to ask you to do some work for them, its being nice. It'd be kind of arrogant to just blow off a task asked of you by a dentist you are shadowing. Besides, what would be so bad about learning the other aspects of what does on in a dental office besides the procedures performed by the dentist?

2) Dressing in scrubs helps you look more like a part of the dental office staff. I came in the first day dressed in professional business attire, but was asked to wear scrubs. It was appropriate for the setting, and eased the patients more to the idea that I was there.

In highschool I was in a program that allowed you to shadow a different rotation in the hospital every 2 weeks. They required that we wear scrubs everyday as we walked around the hospital because it was the most appropriate. We weren't playing dress up.

 

[already954]

You need to ask them what they prefer you to wear.

I agree totally Reg. Each dentist has their preference.

 

[Dentalishus]

The orthodontist I shadowed wanted me to wear scrubs so I would blend in with everyone else and people wouldn't wonder what am I doing standing over them along with him. His words were "Wear scrubs so we can get you in there and get you dirty a little bit." I didn't have to worry about anything messing up my nice clothes.

 

[scuzfly]

I agree it would be arrogant to blow them off I'm simply wondering what task the dentist would ask a shadower to do when he has the assistants. Woud he ask them to hold something, simple. Would he ask them for a particular tool? odd. I wouldn't think a dentist would ask too much of someone shadowing them. As far as getting your hands dirty...I'd be scared out of my mind simply because if you mess up it's his practice.

 

[doc3232]

I did.

 

[Dentalishus]

I agree it would be arrogant to blow them off I'm simply wondering what task the dentist would ask a shadower to do when he has the assistants. Woud he ask them to hold something, simple. Would he ask them for a particular tool? odd. I wouldn't think a dentist would ask too much of someone shadowing them. As far as getting your hands dirty...I'd be scared out of my mind simply because if you mess up it's his practice.

If you are refering to my comment: C'mon... of course he wouldn't have me do things that would jeopardize his practice. There are simple things that a person can do when shadowing that goes beyond just holding a tool. Also, I did go along side some of the assistants (as they did a lot) just to see what they were doing and to learn something if I could.

 

[scuzfly]

I'm not saying he would but I can't think of what the doctor would ask you to do. I guess I just assumed shadowing was stand there and watch. That's what I've been doing. Different shadowing experiences. I'm also wondering what an ortho would have someone shadowing do that could be "hands on."

 

[MnBr63]

I agree it would be arrogant to blow them off I'm simply wondering what task the dentist would ask a shadower to do when he has the assistants. Woud he ask them to hold something, simple. Would he ask them for a particular tool? odd. I wouldn't think a dentist would ask too much of someone shadowing them. As far as getting your hands dirty...I'd be scared out of my mind simply because if you mess up it's his practice.

Some dentists do allow you to do suction and things like that. Some teach you how to sterilize equipment. Its not really doing the assistants work as much as them teaching you whats going on in the procedure. Some schools have classes where you assist a 4th year while in your first 2 years so I'd get use to the feeling.

 

[chevyiiguy]

I started off just observing the dentist do procedures, but after shadowing for a while the dentist allowed me to assist. His dental assistants really liked showing me how to help with the procedures. Before too long I was able to assist the dentist without the help of his dental assistants. It gave me a chance to see the procedures up close. I think it all depends on the dentist. The second time I shadowed a dentist I only observed procedures.

 

[mooks1524]

yeah, ask the dentist first before making the decision. For myself, when I shadow my dentists, I wear a lab coat.

 

[CaliGirl15]

The office I volunteer at has me wearing business attire with a white lab coat. So I would definitely ask first what their office prefers.

 

[dr bojangles]

button up and jeans, i'm set. then again, my dentist is really laid back.

 

[alanan84]

I'm wearing professional clothes unless they tell me otherwise. Doesn't really bother me. It's kind of an insignificant part of the experience. I'm a whole lot more interested in whats going on in that patients mouth than what I look like.

 

[bigstix808]

I would ask for the dress code. The dentists I shadowed requested I wear business casual.

jb!

ditto ^^

 

[dentcouple]

i agree

 

[Lipoxygenase]

I would ask as well.

But I don't see how anyone could see anything without getting up close to the patients? On my shadowing days, I always came out of the practice all smelly with chemicals srinkled over my clothes because I was standing so close to the patients for hours. Don't you have to get that close to be able to observe anything? Otherwise it feels as though you are watching some tools working their way in and out of patient's mouth but you have no clue what's actually going on in there...

When I shadowed dentists, I asked if it's OK to show up in scrubs. Most definitely they said yes please do. I was also asked to put on disposable gloves, goggles, and masks and even help them out on an occasion.

 

[sublimeu4ea]

I'm not saying he would but I can't think of what the doctor would ask you to do. I guess I just assumed shadowing was stand there and watch. That's what I've been doing. Different shadowing experiences. I'm also wondering what an ortho would have someone shadowing do that could be "hands on."

Depends on the orthodontist. The one I shadowed LOVED teaching, so when I was shadowing he would ask me to glove up and pull an explorer/forceps/string of ligature ties/how plier/three-prong plier out of the draw while him and the assistant were busy doing something else and covered in the patients saliva. He would just ask me to open the draw and hand him the three-pronged plier on the far right, and then he would explain it's significance.

When you have an extra hand willing to help out and learn at the same time, why not take advantage of it... everyone benefits. Just because you don't know what they're talking about doesn't mean that they don't want to teach you. It's not like they're asking you to extract a tooth or seat a crown.

 

[scuzfly]

Depends on the orthodontist. The one I shadowed LOVED teaching, so when I was shadowing he would ask me to glove up and pull an explorer/forceps/string of ligature ties/how plier/three-prong plier out of the draw while him and the assistant were busy doing something else and covered in the patients saliva. He would just ask me to open the draw and hand him the three-pronged plier on the far right, and then he would explain it's significance.

When you have an extra hand willing to help out and learn at the same time, why not take advantage of it... everyone benefits. Just because you don't know what they're talking about doesn't mean that they don't want to teach you. It's not like they're asking you to extract a tooth or seat a crown.

Now THAT would be cool I think. Getting to learn the names and functions of each tool as well as the differences.

 

[TheWiredNerv]

I wore business casual and a lab coat like lemoncurry though this summer I'll be wearing dress pants and the scrub top because I'll be doing more assisting.

 

[topdent1]

i remember the first time I went to shadow a OMFS. I didn't really know what to expect so i went to the clinic with jeans and a polo. The moment i stepped foot into the lobby i knew i was not dressed right. That and i got a scolding from the surgeon i was shadowing. It was all good though since he taught me to be more professional in everything i do.

 

[sublimeu4ea]

Now THAT would be cool I think. Getting to learn the names and functions of each tool as well as the differences.

As well as overwhelming, he quizzed me one day and I was stumped, haha. If you're shadowing a dentist that seems approachable, don't ever be afraid to ask questions... it might be best to ask after the procedure though, so as to not make the patient nervous. Some patients just don't really care at all what the dentist is doing and do not want to know.