What do you do with your rings/jewelry when scrubbing in?

Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine
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What do you do with your rings when scrubbing in

  • On a necklace

    Votes: 15 17.6%

  • On my pants strings

    Votes: 14 16.5%

  • In my pocket

    Votes: 10 11.8%

  • Leave it at home/don't wear it

    Votes: 41 48.2%

  • other

    Votes: 5 5.9%
  • Total voters
    85
armybound

armybound

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What do you guys do with your rings, etc when you're scrubbing in? (especially guys)

I usually just take my wedding ring off and put it in my scrubs pocket, but I've found myself almost returning my scrubs with my ring still in the pocket a couple of times. I've seen guys wear a necklace and put their ring on it, but I'm not sure I like that idea. I've heard of tying it in your pants strings, but I have no doubt I'd end up losing my ring in the toilet before too long.

Seems like the other options are just to go completely without a ring, which I'm not interested in doing, or do something like get a tattoo.

Thoughts? Experiences?
 
Put it on a chain and wear it around your neck. Gangster AND utility. I know a lot of surgeons that do this.
 
The physician I scribed for has lost 3 wedding rings by tying them to his scrubs.

Most recently, he had his wallet in his scrubs pocket and tossed his scrubs in the dirty laundry bin after his last surgery. He got home from his shift, and he couldn't for the life of him remember where he put his wallet. He and his wife tore up their place looking for it, and he realized it was in that dirty laundry bin. He frantically called the OR, and all of the nurses ended up digging through the laundry for his wallet. He was lucky they found it (and volunteered in the first place to dig through awfully dirty scrubs), because that laundry bin was about to be taken to the basement by the cleaning staff.

He passed on these stories to a new physician, and she just laughed and said she is safe tying her ring to her scrubs. She has a very large rock, so I'm hoping she'll heed his advice sooner rather than later (when it's too late).
 
What about a wrist watch, like a reaalllyy nice watch that some doctors wear. What do they do with that? That would be quite a bit bulkier than a ring.
 
MT Headed said:
What about a wrist watch, like a reaalllyy nice watch that some doctors wear. What do they do with that? That would be quite a bit bulkier than a ring.
Click to expand...

I have a really nice (read: expensive) wrist watch I wear daily, and when I'm scrubbing in I usually put it in my scrub shirt pocket. It's bulky there and a bit awkward, which is exactly why I want it there; I never forget to take it out of the pocket and put it back on my wrist afterwards (it also helps that my wrist feels naked without it).

When you scrub in, once you have the gown on there's an exceedingly low chance it'd ever fall out of your shirt pocket from leaning over.
 
I always just put my phone, watch, pager, and wedding band on the circulating nurse's desk. After we were done I would just pick all of it up. Easy and that's what all the other surgeons did too.
 
armybound said:
I've seen guys wear a necklace and put their ring on it, but I'm not sure I like that idea.
Click to expand...

Why not?

armybound said:
I've heard of tying it in your pants strings, but I have no doubt I'd end up losing my ring in the toilet before too long.
Click to expand...

You could also knot your ring to the end of the drawstring, and then tie your pants. That way, it won't fall off when you use the bathroom, but when you take your pants off, you'll notice that it's there.
 
milosavljevic said:
The physician I scribed for has lost 3 wedding rings by tying them to his scrubs.
Click to expand...


I've had too many close calls forgetting about the ring on my scrubs, leaving the ring on the floor of the locker room after yanking the tie off the pants. Thank god I've been able to recover it afterwards, but now I just leave it at home.

I've gotten lucky finding lost rings way too many times, don't want to think about what my wife would say if I really lost mine. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. I leave the ring at home now.
 
At least try a necklace first before you go tattooing a wedding ring on your finger... 🙂
 
I wear a semi cheap watch since I always end up banging it on stuff. I loop my wedding ring through the band and clasp it shut then stick the whole thing in my back pocket. I was worried just sticking the ring in my pocket would be small enough for me to forget or drop without noticing. The watch/ring combo is bulky enough to not be ignored.
 
The tattoo would probably look dumb if you ever wanted to actually wear your wedding ring again.

I'm not married and don't wear any rings but if I had a ring I'd do the necklace. Harder to lose.
 
TiE iT To yoUr dRawStrinG WiTH Its oWN KNnot, SePArate froM THE oNE YoU uSe tO HoLd yOUr pANts uP.
 
armybound said:
Leave it in their locker.


What do you guys think about the tattoo idea? Lame?
Click to expand...


Don't. Just....don't.

My brother did this (he was engaged at the time). First, you apparently can't tattoo the front of your hand so all you have is half a band. Second, if you get divorced (or break up as in the case of my brother) it automatically makes you look like an idiot.

Okay, you're not going to get divorced? What if your SO dies? Eventually you may want to remarry, but the baggage that comes with someone who will always think about their loved one when they look at their hand (so...every 20 minutes?) is huge.
 
Several surgeons where I rotated had a blanket pin (like a large safety pin but looks nicer) and they would pin their rings to their scrubs or ID badge.

Do you have a locker? I usually put mine on my watch band and left both in my shoe in my locker.
 
My watch is not fancy, but I keep it on the inside pocket of my scrubs.
 
mdpdgirl said:
Several surgeons where I rotated had a blanket pin (like a large safety pin but looks nicer) and they would pin their rings to their scrubs or ID badge.

Do you have a locker? I usually put mine on my watch band and left both in my shoe in my locker.
Click to expand...

I've seen people wear these pins and I think it's a good system... you still display the ring as a symbol and it's pretty much impossible to lose.
 
neusu said:
Put your watch and your wedding ring in your loupes box.
Click to expand...

Might be good advice for a resident/attending but no medical student owns loupes. (or at least I hope not, those things are expensive and I can't think of why you would need them till residency)
 
Most of the guys I know either do the drawstring thing or don't wear it.

The girls I know either do the necklace thing or safety pin it to their bras (either through the scrubs and the bra or just inside their shirt)

I don't have a ring but I put my watch in my shirt pocket. Haven't lost it yet.
 
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