White Coat - Baller or corny?

[cfx]

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Okay so a classmate of mine is freakin' obsessed with the idea of wearing her white coat all the time because she thinks they look cool. I think they look dumb, and now since OT, PT, PA, and NP wear them they don't really mean a whole lot.

Just wanted to see what the Pre-Allo thought on this tradition is?

Corny. Is your friend the type who wears scrubs EVERYWHERE, also? Like a young Dr. Oz...

 

[Wolfman89]

don't forget the goggles. Which thankfully I haven't had to wear since Orgo. Now I'm wondering though if I should keep them for any labs in med school or if its normal for them not to be used.

I used to feel like I was proclaiming to the world my nerd status. especially with the sexy red lines on my face after lab. 👎

Or try wearing them in a New Mexico summer when it is like 100 F outside (ok its not that bad in the chem lab but it isn't cooler either.)

Call BS of you want but def a true story. He paid for it
himself. He wears it with pride, he is your typical pre med dbag. In an earlier post about gunners I was talking about him doing another ******* thing. At the end of our genetics class he gave out his "business card" which says pretty much the same as his coat..


Name
College
Pre-med
major/minor
class of 2012 or 2011 can't remember

I can see the use of having a business card if you are actually in charge of something important and need people to have your contact info.

I'm Communications Director with my university's chapter of College Dems and I could see how useful business cards could be at political events and the like.

But in the case of your classmate I think he wins the Tool of the Millennium Award with an oakleaf cluster.

That's the same guy? This guy is one of the biggest douches I have ever heard of. Normally I am rooting for people to get in to med-school, but with this guy I think it would be pretty funny if he didn't.

👍👍

 

[Poliscidoc]

How does he manage to do that? Don't people literally laugh out loud when they see him?

They do and we refer to him as that guy. But he doesn't have many friends I think he probably doesn't go out much. So I guess he's your typical "gunner"?

 

[TriagePreMed]

I voted "silly" because wearing them outside of where you're required to is *****ic. The short ones suck too and everyone and their mama wear them.

 

[MegaProjectile]

Imitation is the best form of flattery. So what if everyone and their mother is wearing a white coat? Should surgeons stop wearing scrubs because the ultrasound tech wears them too? Should physicians ditch their stethoscope because every floor nurse, phlebotomist, and medical assistant wields one as well?

There are some valid reasons for not wearing a white coat-germ transfer, awkward fitting etc. And I think doctors/medical students should make their personal decision based on that. But I never really understood the above reason. It sounds a bit elitist and insecure.



Soapbox ends.

 

[MossPoh]

Imitation is the best form of flattery. So what if everyone and their mother is wearing a white coat? Should surgeons stop wearing scrubs because the ultrasound tech wears them too? Should physicians ditch their stethoscope because every floor nurse, phlebotomist, and medical assistant wields one as well?

There are some valid reasons for not wearing a white coat-germ transfer, awkward fitting etc. And I think doctors/medical students should make their personal decision based on that. But I never really understood the above reason. It sounds a bit elitist and insecure.



Soapbox ends.

Scrubs and a stethoscope have much more of a purpose outside of appearance. The primary purpose of the white coat was an identification thing. So, if stethoscopes and scrubs were used as physician identifiers then yes, everyone should stop wearing them who isn't a physician.

 

[MegaProjectile]

Scrubs and a stethoscope have much more of a purpose outside of appearance. The primary purpose of the white coat was an identification thing

The stethoscope has historically been identified with the physician. It had symbolized a physician's tool (you still see ads with doctors and their stethoscope). As health care expanded, both the white coat and stethoscope evolved and are now been used(or worn) by other allied healthcare professionals.

So, if stethoscopes and scrubs were used as physician identifiers then yes, everyone should stop wearing them who isn't a physician

As healthcare continues to expand, things that are traditionally in the domain of a physician (white coat, stethoscope, prescription rights etc) will evolve as well. Some things are worth fighting against (CRNA, NPs etc) and others are not really worth losing sleep over (white coat and stethoscope).

 

[LizzyM]

It is funny how the coat has different symbolism depending on the culture. In South America it is called a guardapolvo and it is worn over or in place of a school uniform.

http://www.suedyuniformes.com.ar/guardapolvo-ninos.htm

 

[Abby_Normal]

I think it depends upon institutional culture and the standards of dress set by that particular institution. For example, in an ER where I volunteered, they switched at some point from everyone just wearing scrubs to the doctors and NPs/PAs wearing lab coats over business attire or scrubs and everyone else just wearing scrubs. For identification purposes, this was a good thing because the RNs and doctors/NPs/PAs served different functions and this made it easier to tell them apart at a glance (as to the question of NPs and PAs looking like MDs, I wouldn't consider it an issue here because they performed similar functions).

The other factor, I think, is how patients react. Even if the white coat doesn't really mean much anymore, if patients still expect to see/prefer their doctor in a white coat, then it might be worthwhile. Conversely, in situations in which patients are likely to be made uncomfortable by a white coat (for example, in psychiatry due to the 'men in the white coats' stereotype), then perhaps they should be forsaken.

 

[chman]

It is funny how the coat has different symbolism depending on the culture. In South America it is called a guardapolvo and it is worn over or in place of a school uniform.

http://www.suedyuniformes.com.ar/guardapolvo-ninos.htm

Interesting.

I could really care less who wears a white coat and who does not. I also think it is rather childish and insecure to look at the white coat as a status symbol.

 

[Geekchick921]

The white coat is stupid, it's the MD or DO behind your name that gives you the baller status.

Which is embroidered on your white coat. 😉

well in undergrad lab, they're a lot more baller than my black tarp lab apron that I decided to keep so I wouldnt have to buy the coat.

I like the gesture when they actually mean something/are embroidered with school name or name/degree, however, I know I'm probably gonna look aweful cause they have no shape.

Yeah, they'll probably look like hot shiz on me, too.

Well, the white coat is baller in the since that you can give all your patients a baller set of diseases from it. I personally think the white coat should be reserved for non-patient interactions and graduation. That being said, I like them as a historical symbol and a metaphor.

Really, I think most of the doctors I work with that actually DO wear their white coat take it off when directly interacting with patients. They stay on the back of the computer chair at the nurse's station where they were last sitting, or they're over by the med drawer at the opening of the patient's room. They mostly have them on when talking the halls or entering stuff into the computer system.

 

[Baron Samedi]

Imitation is the best form of flattery. So what if everyone and their mother is wearing a white coat? Should surgeons stop wearing scrubs because the ultrasound tech wears them too? Should physicians ditch their stethoscope because every floor nurse, phlebotomist, and medical assistant wields one as well?

There are some valid reasons for not wearing a white coat-germ transfer, awkward fitting etc. And I think doctors/medical students should make their personal decision based on that. But I never really understood the above reason. It sounds a bit elitist and insecure.



Soapbox ends.

Scrubs and steths have a practical purpose. Nothing about a white coat is practical(besides pockets). In fact, I think a nice tweed jacket would be 50x more baller than a short white coat.

 

[Parts Unknown]

Okay so a classmate of mine is freakin' obsessed with the idea of wearing her white coat all the time because she thinks they look cool. I think they look dumb, and now since OT, PT, PA, and NP wear them they don't really mean a whole lot.

Just wanted to see what the Pre-Allo thought on this tradition is?

Ah, the long white coat.

You'll spend four years trying to get into one, and your entire residency trying to get back out.

 

[MediCynical]

Call BS of you want but def a true story. He paid for it
himself. He wears it with pride, he is your typical pre med dbag. In an earlier post about gunners I was talking about him doing another ******* thing. At the end of our genetics class he gave out his "business card" which says pretty much the same as his coat..


Name
College
Pre-med
major/minor
class of 2012 or 2011 can't remember

am I a bad person for hating someone I've never met? I can't think of anything more douchey sounding than a premed with a coat + stethoscope + business cards

 

[Xiao]

How does he manage to do that? Don't people literally laugh out loud when they see him?

In his defense...Stethoscope really do come in handy. I wear one around my neck at volunteering since I have to take BPs like every 15 mins. It sure beats putting it in your pockets because then your clothing become heavy as hell.

But the personalized coat and business cards. I have no idea why.

 

[orthomyxo]

In his defense...Stethoscope really do come in handy. I wear one around my neck at volunteering since I have to take BPs like every 15 mins. It sure beats putting it in your pockets because then your clothing become heavy as hell.

But the personalized coat and business cards. I have no idea why.

Sure, as steth is handy if you're taking BP's, but why in the HELL would a premed wear one for no damn reason?? I'll tell you why. He's the douche of the millenium.

 

[TriagePreMed]

The stethoscope has historically been identified with the physician. It had symbolized a physician's tool (you still see ads with doctors and their stethoscope). As health care expanded, both the white coat and stethoscope evolved and are now been used(or worn) by other allied healthcare professionals.

As healthcare continues to expand, things that are traditionally in the domain of a physician (white coat, stethoscope, prescription rights etc) will evolve as well. Some things are worth fighting against (CRNA, NPs etc) and others are not really worth losing sleep over (white coat and stethoscope).

I wouldn't lose sleep over it, but at the same time it is no longer an identifier. The white coat's only purpose was that, whereas a stethoscope has a purpose beyond it.