For what - an interview, or day to day rotations?
NYC and the northeast tends to be more conservative than elsewhere. So if you are interviewing, the black suit is appropriate, and trouser variations are increasingly accepted.
But even there, khakis or a skirt with flats will work on hospital rotations, if the skirt covers your knees when you sit down. Heels are fine if you are comfortable in them and can move as quickly as the rest of the team in them.
The "powerful ramifications" of wearing something inappropriate really comes from when someone gets it really wrong:
- "belly shirts", especially if your belly ring shows
- exercise wear (ie, sweat pants)
- jeans
- sandals or open toed shoes, usually a no - no; may be ok in some fields where there is no bodily splashing going on
- pants so low cut that we can see your thong
- pants so tight that we can see you are wearing a thong
- low cut blouses
- too much jewelry and/or make-up
- wearing sneakers, Birkenstocks, deck shoes or generally filthy shoes with your interview suit
- mini skirts; if the skirt is above your knee when sitting, its too short
