What to wear during Clinical Year

[fromthebox]

So I'm an SGU student and I recently found out I'll be spending my clinical year at the University of Minnesota. We start in January, and currently my island wardrobe consists of shorts, flip flops and t-shirt or tank top (+/- sweatshirts in VSL) in lecture and scrubs with white coat in the campus clinic. I have three button down shirts. Two from my interview outfit and one I picked up for a conference. I own two pair of dress trousers that spend most of the year in my closet.
Not only will MN winter be cold, but I'll be needing a new wardrobe. All the info we have is "Slacks, dress shirt or collared shirt, close-toed cleanable shoes."

So, classes of 2015/16 what do (or did) you wear on clinics and what are some go-to options or things to avoid in building a clinic wardrobe? How many pieces of clothing am I looking at buying (thank god for no MN sales tax on clothing) and what price range should I be looking at ($30 shirts, $60? more?) to fit in and not look too shabby or too chic?

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[Gwenevre]

@LetItSnow

 

[fromthebox]

To be clear, I'm not just looking for opinions from MN, especially as LIS is a dude and I'm not sure he can answer my question specifically. The students from SGU at MN right now are both male and said "nice tops, no jeans."

 

[NStarz]

Business casual.

 

[Gwenevre]

In either case, I'm sure that 1) LIS can give some sort of advice and 2) bumping the tread a little bit will bring other clinical or recently graduated students here. I'd try to help, but I am not a vet student.

 

[Minnerbelle]

I personally wouldn't spend too much on clinic clothing since it'll get ruined or gross. Nice enough to look professional, but I wouldn't set the bar much higher than that.

 

[orca2011]

I have a couple pairs of slacks and a pair of khakis that I kind of rotate through her. A couple of nice tops as well. A lot of people here where colored pants (not jeans..but not like trousers/slacks either) and that doesn't really seem to be frowned upon. Not many wear dresses/skirts but some do. It's probably somewhat dependent on what rotation you're on and how much animal wrestling you're doing. Shoes, mostly flats, crocs/clogs or some other nicer closed toe shoe.

 

[SocialStigma]

Business casual. Most of my business casual wardrobe comes from H&M or Zara. Nothing was above $30. Lots of khakis/cropped ankle pants/printed pants with blouses (or sweaters in the winter). I wear flats in the summer and leather boots in the winter. I didn't wear any of my nice dress clothes (suit, skirt, blazers, etc) for clinics. It's actually not a bad idea to start building your biz casual wardrobe now since you'll most likely need to wear that when you're out in practice too (unless you're mixed/LA or your practice is scrubs only).

 

[LetItSnow]

Seriously, don't overthink this stuff. There is a 'dress code', but deep down underneath the dress code the whole point is: don't look sloppy, be professional. So don't wear jeans. Don't wear shorts. Wear things that are passably professional but can take a bit of animal abuse. For large animal rotations I think they tend to be a bit more laid back and wear polo shirts frequently, but you should ask some LA and/or equine peeps.

Most rotations will send you a syllabus ahead of time, and they usually mention dress code. The general rule of thumb is that on client appt days you dress nice, and on procedure days you dress in scrubs. On rotations like anesthesia and ER you wear scrubs every day. On classroom rotations you usually can wear whatever you want.

Don't worry about the fine print - worry about the spirit of the rule. It'll be ok. Nobody will jump all over you about your clothes so long as you're being reasonable.

You should join the FB page for the UMN 4th year class that you most overlap with. Useful for getting info about the various rotations as they come up. Search FB for "University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine c/o XXXX"

 

[LetItSnow]

Oh. One exception. People will snip at you about the closed-toe shoes occasionally, because that's a safety issue. So take that part seriously.

 

[Minnerbelle]

Oh. One exception. People will snip at you about the closed-toe shoes occasionally, because that's a safety issue. So take that part seriously.

Oh. Second exception. Don't wear that weird running shoe thing with the toes. That's just weird, and I will judge you for it.

 

[LetItSnow]

Oh. Second exception. Don't wear that weird running shoe thing with the toes. That's just weird, and I will judge you for it.

I, on the other hand, would applaud if I saw someone running through the hospital in those.

 

[Minnerbelle]

I, on the other hand, would applaud if I saw someone running through the hospital in those.

Different strokes for different folks I guess.

 

[dyachei]

Different strokes for different folks I guess.

careful using the S word around the old man

 

[deleted498041]

Oh. Second exception. Don't wear that weird running shoe thing with the toes. That's just weird, and I will judge you for it.

Someone wore those for all of our clinical skills labs the last two years. I judged. Hard.

 

[nyanko]

I bought all my clinics clothes at the thrift store

 

[deleted498041]

Obviously YMMV depending on school but my wardrobe is pretty simple. A couple pairs of dress pants and blouses to wear under my white coat, two pairs of coveralls for the food animal stuff, polo shirts and khakis for ponies, scrubs (with no patterns!). Shoes include dansko clogs since leather shoes are required for some rotations, muck boots, and paddock boots.

 

[Skimble]

Obviously YMMV depending on school but my wardrobe is pretty simple. A couple pairs of dress pants and blouses to wear under my white coat, two pairs of coveralls for the food animal stuff, polo shirts and khakis for ponies, scrubs (with no patterns!). Shoes include dansko clogs since leather shoes are required for some rotations, muck boots, and paddock boots.

Leather shoes are required for some rotations? I don't understand the purpose of this. I haven't worn leather in over 20 years, and I'm hoping pleather will be acceptable.

 

[jmo1012]

i wore mostly "nice" tops with either black slacks or khakis. i found stuff for good prices at new york and company outlets (the regular store is ridiculous, but the outlet is cheap!).in the winter i wore sweaters with nice pants. i always wore sneakers because i need that for my poor feet. i also found stuff at kohls that was okay. the caveat to all of this is that i look absolutely stupid in dress clothes. i am missing that section of my brain, i'm terrible at making outfits, i just look dumb as an adult. idk why, but it's unfortunate. i am SO glad that we are required to wear uniform scrubs at my internship! it makes everyday so much easier, and they are embroidered with the company logo and our names and it looks nice. for winter large animal stuff, i wore khakis and sweaters, and then about 3 fleece coats haha. everyone in the barn wore khakis, and most wore polos with a vest and a coat of sorts. i was buried under fleece anyway, so i didnt really care what i wore at the base of my outfit when it was 50 degrees inside and 10 outside (i was super lucky to have equine med during the coldest 2 weeks of winter in raleigh haha). in april, i bought a couple of polos for $8 at walmart in order to better blend in, and then wore a fleece jacket over top (i'm a super cold person). i didnt have to invest in long sleeve coveralls because path was in september for me, and large animal was in april when it was warm enough out.

 

[chickenlittle]

Another vote for NY & Company.... that's where most of my work clothes come from these days. If you shop the outlets or the clearance racks, you'll find a good selection of decent work shirts for a low price. Given that my clothes are at high risk of being ruined by my patients, I refuse to spend more than about $15 on a work shirt (or $20 if I REALLY love it) or $25 on pants.

In vet school, though, most of my clinic clothes came from Goodwill.

 

[pooter]

Do not spend $60 on a shirt for clinics. Instead, take all that extra money and mail it to my house. I'll PM you the address.

Okay, serious answer: get yourself a couple pairs of dress pants that can take a beating. For tops, I mostly stuck with silky, blouse-like shirts when forced to not wear scrubs. Make sure everything is machine-washable. In winter, I pulled a sweater over a button-down shirt a couple of times. Looked classy af, but once I put the white coat on over top, I found that I quickly overheated. Of course, I went to school in a place with normal weather rather than the climate of a post-apocalyptic tundra. Bottom line: you won't be impressing anybody in clinics anyway, so save any wardrobe expenses for after you graduate. Just $0.02 from a broke and jaded former student.

Oh, and Jilary? Leather is not required, at least at UPenn. (Or, more accurately, it wasn't as of 3 months ago.) Some kind of cleanable boot is preferable if you're going to spend a lot of time around large animals, but I survived <i>six whole weeks</i> at NBC while alternating between boots made of sneaker-like material and actual sneakers. If you go that route, just make sure to choose shoes that you're not particularly attached to. For any activities involving *ahem* deep ****, you'll be wearing either rubber muck boots or Tingley rubber pull-overs.

 

[fromthebox]

Seriously, don't overthink this stuff. There is a 'dress code', but deep down underneath the dress code the whole point is: don't look sloppy, be professional. So don't wear jeans. Don't wear shorts. Wear things that are passably professional but can take a bit of animal abuse. For large animal rotations I think they tend to be a bit more laid back and wear polo shirts frequently, but you should ask some LA and/or equine peeps.

Most rotations will send you a syllabus ahead of time, and they usually mention dress code. The general rule of thumb is that on client appt days you dress nice, and on procedure days you dress in scrubs. On rotations like anesthesia and ER you wear scrubs every day. On classroom rotations you usually can wear whatever you want.

Don't worry about the fine print - worry about the spirit of the rule. It'll be ok. Nobody will jump all over you about your clothes so long as you're being reasonable.

You should join the FB page for the UMN 4th year class that you most overlap with. Useful for getting info about the various rotations as they come up. Search FB for "University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine c/o XXXX"

Thanks! I'm just having a bit of social anxiety over having to wear slacks. I like my scrubs and running shorts with tank tops and have hideous taste in non-button down professional tops. I've requested to join the Class of 2017 page (can't find 2016's) but that request has been languishing for weeks. I messaged one of the admins on FB today telling her who I was but no dice so far.

I, on the other hand, would applaud if I saw someone running through the hospital in those.

I do own a pair of Vibram's but I'm kinda over running in them after learning first hand that they offer no protection for the toes of my clumsy feet. I broke a toe and avulsed the nail on a rock while out hashing. Had to walk another 1.5 miles on the hash trail to find my way back to the cars.

 

[nyanko]

holy crap it's ftb. i didn't read fully when i opened this thread and had no idea who posted it, haha. hey friend.

 

[fromthebox]

holy crap it's ftb. i didn't read fully when i opened this thread and had no idea who posted it, haha. hey friend.

Hey
I really need to get on here more often.

 

[DVMDream]

Just go in your birthday suit....







In all seriousness, don't be spending lots of money. Get a few "nicer" shirts, some black pants, maybe khakis if you like them and you'll be fine.

 

[wheelin2vetmed]

Someone wore those for all of our clinical skills labs the last two years. I judged. Hard.

When I see those I think of two things:

1. Crossfit
2. Gluten-free

 

[Jamr0ckin]

I have about 6 pairs of khakis and nice pants that I wear. Then I got about 10 button ups and 6 polos along with 3 pairs of scrubs. the pants work for both small animal and large animal

 

[Trilt]

I amazon'd a couple pairs of black and khaki pants, then raided Marshalls for sub $15 blouse-y shirts a couple months leading up to clinics. (the junior's section often has really cheap but still dressy enough stuff!) I do lots of cardigans over different coloured camis or dressy tanks. At least at my school, there's a very wide range of clothing that is still OK - just don't wear jeans and don't look a slob.

 

[rural-jersey-girl]

Building up an entire business casual wardrobe can be pretty expensive. If possible, I recommend checking out some thrift stores. The larger ones (GoodWill) have a huge selection of business casual clothes. It can be a little harder to find what you're looking, but it's totally worth it. I've found a brand new $70 business skirt, with the tags still on, for just $11. I've also gotten 4 nice blouses for under $20. Most large thrift stores also have an abundance of button-ups and pretty wide variety of dress pants and khakis. Even though department stores are pretty cheap, thrifting is even cheaper! Good luck!

 

[KCgophervet]

Thanks! I'm just having a bit of social anxiety over having to wear slacks. I like my scrubs and running shorts with tank tops and have hideous taste in non-button down professional tops. I've requested to join the Class of 2017 page (can't find 2016's) but that request has been languishing for weeks.

I'm in the co 2017 and so is @dovelover if you want to pm me.

 

[deleted498041]

Leather shoes are required for some rotations? I don't understand the purpose of this. I haven't worn leather in over 20 years, and I'm hoping pleather will be acceptable.

Yeah, they were. Most people have gotten away with just wearing sneakers though. I bought the dansko clogs just because they're more comfortable than the cheap sneakers I already owned and they can handle more of a beating. I see the guys sticking more to the leather shoes thing than the girls. For equine, leather shoes (whether hiking boots or paddock boots) are absolutely required.

 

[deleted498041]

When I see those I think of two things:

1. Crossfit
2. Gluten-free

We have an entire crossfit-loving, paleo-eating plague sweeping across our class.

 

[DVMDream]

We have an entire crossfit-loving, paleo-eating plague sweeping across our class.

I'd want to slam my head into a wall repeatedly if a bunch of my class joined in on this craze. You would think people who are supposed to be somewhat scientifically-minded could see through the BS...

 

[pinkpuppy9]

When I see those I think of two things:

1. Crossfit
2. Gluten-free

Also, this thread goes pretty in depth when it comes to new climate preparation: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/adjusting-to-new-climate-when-attending-vet-school.1121854/

 

[that redhead]

So I'm an SGU student and I recently found out I'll be spending my clinical year at the University of Minnesota. We start in January, and currently my island wardrobe consists of shorts, flip flops and t-shirt or tank top (+/- sweatshirts in VSL) in lecture and scrubs with white coat in the campus clinic. I have three button down shirts. Two from my interview outfit and one I picked up for a conference. I own two pair of dress trousers that spend most of the year in my closet.
Not only will MN winter be cold, but I'll be needing a new wardrobe. All the info we have is "Slacks, dress shirt or collared shirt, close-toed cleanable shoes."

So, classes of 2015/16 what do (or did) you wear on clinics and what are some go-to options or things to avoid in building a clinic wardrobe? How many pieces of clothing am I looking at buying (thank god for no MN sales tax on clothing) and what price range should I be looking at ($30 shirts, $60? more?) to fit in and not look too shabby or too chic?

For small animal, I had a couple pairs of khakis and a couple pairs of "casual-type" slacks from Old Navy (dk blue and black) and a handful of nice tops (this means no words, crazy sequins or neon, mostly). I mostly wore black leather-looking flats or Toms (solid, neutral color) for shoes. For large animal, I wore shorts and a Tshirt and had my coveralls over them the whole time, with rubber boots. (My rotation mates wore nice clothes but I said FTP since the syllabus for the class said either was fine.)

Most people will not judge you for your ability (or lack thereof) to make a nice outfit and if they are, they aren't paying attention to the right stuff during clinics. Comfort is important, as is durability and ease of wear, so do keep that in mind.

 

[orca2011]

We have an entire crossfit-loving, paleo-eating plague sweeping across our class.

I do CrossFit, but definitely not on the paleo train. I like my carbs. And dairy. And cheese because it gets it own category from dairy.

 

[Coquette22]

For large animal, I wore shorts and a Tshirt and had my coveralls over them the whole time, with rubber boots. (My rotation mates wore nice clothes but I said FTP since the syllabus for the class said either was fine.).

You rebel you.

Small animal - Neutral pants + blouse+ comfortable shoes. I wore a pair of leather Clark's and I still wear them for work. Avoid anything with difficult instructions, wash and wear is your friend, ain't nobody got time for ironing or handwashing. A sticky lint roller is a huge asset.

Large animal - Khakis, polo or button down. Paddock boots or steel toe work boots, should be waterproof. Or coveralls.

 

[LetItSnow]

You rebel you.

Well, to be fair, if you asked me what I wore .... it changed as fourth year went on. I was a good student at the beginning: nice slacks, button-up shirt, clean white coat. Then by the end of fourth year I wore scrubs - often ripped - and maybe threw on a white coat every other Monday or so if I remembered and it had been washed in the last 2 months.