White Coat

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Who hates wearing their white coat?

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Me. I've bought 2 and both are ridiculously stained (permanently) through miscellaneous, mysterious means.

And I'm hesitant to buy a 3rd because I'm in that awkward time period where I'll graduate and get a long coat in 10 months but also don't want to be stuck with trashy-looking dirty short white coats for the next 10 months.
 
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Me. I've bought 2 and both are ridiculously stained (permanently) through miscellaneous, mysterious means.

And I'm hesitant to buy a 3rd because I'm in that awkward time period where I'll graduate and get a long coat in 10 months but also don't want to be stuck with trashy-looking dirty short white coats for the next 10 months.

I wore mine approximately never as a fourth year...YMMV based on your school's culture though, I guess.
 
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Why wear it? You're a fourth year now you can do what you want
 
I always feel like a fraud when I put it on.
 
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You guys are weird. It's just a coat. Sometimes admin requires that I wear it. K.
 
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In my fourth year, I wore it to step 2 CS

that's all I can recall. all my other rotations I'm taking don't require it. Or say anything, at least.
 
I don't particularly like or dislike wearing mine. Opinions vary though. One girl loves wearing hers, but mostly at starbucks
 
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Despite all the years of work I put into finally earning the right to wear a white coat, I hate putting it on (and the constant looks I get on the street when I am wearing it). I only wear it when my school requires me to.
 
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Despite all the years of work I put into finally earning the right to wear a white coat, I hate putting it on (and the constant looks I get on the street when I am wearing it). I only wear it when my school requires me to.

why are you wearing on the streets. put it in your bag
 
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why are you wearing on the streets. put it in your bag

I live 2 blocks from school and I don't bring a bag when we only have patient interview lectures. It's not like I wear it out just for ****s and giggles.
 
In the 100+ Texas summer? Yeah, I ****ing hate wearing it.
 
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why are you wearing on the streets. put it in your bag

Eh, I just carry it around these days. I stopped putting it in my bag when an SP marked me off because my coat was wrinkled. :bullcrap:
 
In my fourth year, I wore it to step 2 CS

that's all I can recall. all my other rotations I'm taking don't require it. Or say anything, at least.

I wore my white coat to step 2 CK...jk

I absolutely hate white coats. It's especially annoying when you get those disgusting brown/yellow stains over the collar. There's no reason to wear a white coat. Social workers wear white coats at our hospital...
 
I wonder if there's an association between the dislike of white coats and intended specialty.

I can hazard a guess that aspiring surgeons, EM docs, anesthesiologists, and psychiatrists don't really love the white coat. Probably related to the work environment. White coats just get in the way / are dead weight / freak your patients out.
 
I love my white coat so so much.

If we want to protect the encroachment of midlevel providers, we need to ban them being called doctor and wearing white coats.

Studies have shown people would still prefer to be seen by a doctor. And studies have shown patients think the most doctor-ly thing you could wear would be scrubs and a white coat. I love both

One is over glorified pajamas as work (how many get to do that?) that the hospital does laundry for. Between wearing them at home and work, I only have to do socks and underwear. Assuming I bother with either (j/k)

The coat, I only hate it because I feel like an imposter in it, but the imposter syndrome is always with you when you're called doctor coat or not.

I like that patients, nurses, will know who I am (doctor who can lead and write orders) and seek my help because I'm wearing it. Makes life easier (and harder).

It keeps me warm if I'm cold in the hospital.

If I lay down to nap I can drape it over me like a blanket, or across my eyes to block out the light.

It keeps all my patient notes organized, pocket references, ACLS cards, clipboard, pens, tongue depressors, penlight, reflex hammer, tuning fork, some peanut butter for energy, APAP for HAs, it's like a walking cabinet/pantry/bookshelf. A fanny pack might work but is way dumber looking than a white coat even.

I don't know why people hate them except they're white which seems like it's asking for trouble given how much coffee we tend to gargle down. I guess with it being white at least I can easily tell if what I'm dealing with is a coffee stain or blood.

I wonder if people hate them because they don't want to admit to loving a dorky costume?

If I was military, police, I imagine I would feel simultaneously proud of the uniform and ridiculous in the get-up.

But I've been told by the people that hate the coat that they really hate it.

I don't get it. It makese sad most people seem to hate it and think I'm weird I love it. Because it's a tradition, I'm a traditional person, and it's a tradition I don't want to see gone as a symbol setting our profession apart for all those reasons, and if I didn't have my white coat, I wouldn't have my binky and candy.
 
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I love my white coat so so much.

If we want to protect the encroachment of midlevel providers, we need to ban them being called doctor and wearing white coats.

Studies have shown people would still prefer to be seen by a doctor. And studies have shown patients think the most doctor-ly thing you could wear would be scrubs and a white coat. I love both

One is over glorified pajamas as work (how many get to do that?) that the hospital does laundry for. Between wearing them at home and work, I only have to do socks and underwear. Assuming I bother with either (j/k)

The coat, I only hate it because I feel like an imposter in it, but the imposter syndrome is always with you when you're called doctor coat or not.

I like that patients, nurses, will know who I am (doctor who can lead and write orders) and seek my help because I'm wearing it. Makes life easier (and harder).

It keeps me warm if I'm cold in the hospital.

If I lay down to nap I can drape it over me like a blanket, or across my eyes to block out the light.

It keeps all my patient notes organized, pocket references, ACLS cards, clipboard, pens, tongue depressors, penlight, reflex hammer, tuning fork, some peanut butter for energy, APAP for HAs, it's like a walking cabinet/pantry/bookshelf. A fanny pack might work but is way dumber looking than a white coat even.

I don't know why people hate them except they're white which seems like it's asking for trouble given how much coffee we tend to gargle down. I guess with it being white at least I can easily tell if what I'm dealing with is a coffee stain or blood.

I wonder if people hate them because they don't want to admit to loving a dorky costume?

If I was military, police, I imagine I would feel simultaneously proud of the uniform and ridiculous in the get-up.

But I've been told by the people that hate the coat that they really hate it.

I don't get it. It makese sad most people seem to hate it and think I'm weird I love it. Because it's a tradition, I'm a traditional person, and it's a tradition I don't want to see gone as a symbol setting our profession apart for all those reasons, and if I didn't have my white coat, I wouldn't have my binky and candy.

Interesting -- I recall my parents still having some latent disbelief that I was a physician (second career after a long time at the first one -- first one to graduate college, yada, yada) until one night when I was night float. I had forgotten something and called my Dad to see if he could swing it by the hospital since it was in a not so nice part of town and we both didn't want my wife driving down there with 2 small kiddos for safety reasons.

So Dad shows up with my Mom in the car with him -- and I'm standing there outside the hospital in my usual night float rig -- scrubs, cowboy work boots, white coat with patient lists, ACLS cards, swabs, scissors, and "stuff" in the pockets with my stethoscope draped around my neck nursing a cup of coffee --- no big deal, grab what I needed and off I go ---

The next day off we were eating lunch when my Mom commented that "You looked good the other night"....Huh? "Yes, you looked like a real DOCTOR" -- since that time, I guess the reality hit them ---

Do I like my white coat? Now I do -- for me, it helps me mentally "gear up" ---

One of the best physicians I know is an attending at the Parkland EM Residency -- he wears a bow tie with a short sleeved dress shirt, slacks and dark sneakers with a white coat that has been tailored so that the bottom 1/3 of his forearms aren't covered -- guess he likes it that way -- but this guy is truly brilliant and watching him interact with patients was a life changing experience both personally and professionally -- so what's the white coat got to do with it --- he was at the level where he didn't have to wear it, but the physicians from his generation were the guys I grew up respecting for their knowledge and compassion -- I guess he (and by some extension the white coat) remind me of that ... and of my obligation to carry on the tradition....

it's not about money, boys and girls.....
 
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****ing hate the short white coat. Can't wait to give this up.
 
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I like mine. Above the coat pocket it reads:

mimelim, MD
Vascular Surgery

People bow before me as I stroll the hallways, so I wear it.








ps. kidding of course....




pps. kinda kidding...
 
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And nurses. And pa students. And pharmacy students. And do students.
And most different kind of techs, and at my hospital the janitor type people wear surgical scrubs, but that's beside the point.
 
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Around my hospital, everyone else seems to wear long coats. I guess the PA students wear short coats, but there are only a handful of them.
 
The only thing that gets me are attending coats on dudes. Looks like a dress. The resident length is better, but damn I'd trade it in for the attending coat.

I didn't mind the short coat asthetically except it meant I was a good for nothing med student.

And pooey to midlevels wearing. DO is fine, they end with the doctor title as do MDs. Personally I have no issue with DOs except now they're allowed to apply to allopathic residecies and there ain't enough slots to go around. Phlebotomists can keep the white coats I guess to see if they got blood on 'em.

Everyone else I just want to throw paint on them like PETA people do to fur coats.
 
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I love wearing it, I don't know why anyone wouldn't. It keeps me from having to iron the backs of my dress shirts.
 
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When you're quoting someone don't change the quote

There, I put some brackets around it to indicate it was implied but not said by you, as you were appending onto the sentence you quoted.

Regardless, you do realize that DO students are med students, right....?

(Right?)
 
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Who hates wearing their white coat?


I'll play. I hate wearing it. I only wear it when I have to chat with patients, otherwise it's scrub tops and disposable surgical gowns, especially for particularly bloody procedures.

My boss ordered mine with Fancy, DDS on them in bright fuschia pink writing though. He's the best :D
 
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There, I put some brackets around it to indicate it was implied but not said by you, as you were appending onto the sentence you quoted.

Regardless, you do realize that DO students are med students, right....?

(Right?)
PREACH
 
I'll play. I hate wearing it. I only wear it when I have to chat with patients, otherwise it's scrub tops and disposable surgical gowns, especially for particularly bloody procedures.

My boss ordered mine with Fancy, DDS on them in bright fuschia pink writing though. He's the best :D
But all your shoes go with white :/
 
I love my white coat so so much.

If we want to protect the encroachment of midlevel providers, we need to ban them being called doctor and wearing white coats.

Studies have shown people would still prefer to be seen by a doctor. And studies have shown patients think the most doctor-ly thing you could wear would be scrubs and a white coat. I love both

One is over glorified pajamas as work (how many get to do that?) that the hospital does laundry for. Between wearing them at home and work, I only have to do socks and underwear. Assuming I bother with either (j/k)

The coat, I only hate it because I feel like an imposter in it, but the imposter syndrome is always with you when you're called doctor coat or not.

I like that patients, nurses, will know who I am (doctor who can lead and write orders) and seek my help because I'm wearing it. Makes life easier (and harder).

It keeps me warm if I'm cold in the hospital.

If I lay down to nap I can drape it over me like a blanket, or across my eyes to block out the light.

It keeps all my patient notes organized, pocket references, ACLS cards, clipboard, pens, tongue depressors, penlight, reflex hammer, tuning fork, some peanut butter for energy, APAP for HAs, it's like a walking cabinet/pantry/bookshelf. A fanny pack might work but is way dumber looking than a white coat even.

I don't know why people hate them except they're white which seems like it's asking for trouble given how much coffee we tend to gargle down. I guess with it being white at least I can easily tell if what I'm dealing with is a coffee stain or blood.

I wonder if people hate them because they don't want to admit to loving a dorky costume?

If I was military, police, I imagine I would feel simultaneously proud of the uniform and ridiculous in the get-up.


But I've been told by the people that hate the coat that they really hate it.

I don't get it. It makese sad most people seem to hate it and think I'm weird I love it. Because it's a tradition, I'm a traditional person, and it's a tradition I don't want to see gone as a symbol setting our profession apart for all those reasons, and if I didn't have my white coat, I wouldn't have my binky and candy.

As former military, I can definitely attest to that feeling. I remember the first day I wore my ACU's out in public. I felt like a total impostor and *****. It wore off after a little bit (most especially after a year wearing it in a combat zone).

Re: white coat. It keeps me warm in the usually cold hospital and it holds all my crap. The white does attract stains like flies to a dumpster, but I guess it's not too bad.
 
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There, I put some brackets around it to indicate it was implied but not said by you, as you were appending onto the sentence you quoted.

Regardless, you do realize that DO students are med students, right....?

(Right?)

Why are you trying to lecture to me
i don't even know why your panties are in a bunch
Good luck getting over that complex though
 
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I love pockets. Big pockets, small pockets, wide pockets, narrow pockets, deep pockets, shallow pockets, back pockets, chest pockets, inside the coat pockets, outside the coat pockets, pants pockets, all types of pockets. White coats are good at having pockets.
 
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I like the pockets. They hold my food.
 
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My opinion is that white coats only become needed if you have to dress professionally. You can't fit anything in the pockets of professional attire which necessitates the coat. I get that. But when I'm in scrubs, I have enough pockets to carry all I need and not need the coat.
I'll wear it if I HAVE to. But I've learned that a lot of residents don't care or even want you not to wear it.
I've gotten so used to being able to not rely on my coat for pockets.
Scrubs really are efficient.
 
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My opinion is that white coats only become needed if you have to dress professionally. You can't fit anything in the pockets of professional attire which necessitates the coat. I get that. But when I'm in scrubs, I have enough pockets to carry all I need and not need the coat.
I'll wear it if I HAVE to. But I've learned that a lot of residents don't care or even want you not to wear it.
I've gotten so used to being able to not rely on my coat for pockets.
Scrubs really are efficient.
You're lucky that your scrubs have side leg pockets. A lot don't.
 
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The only thing that gets me are attending coats on dudes. Looks like a dress. The resident length is better, but damn I'd trade it in for the attending coat.

I didn't mind the short coat asthetically except it meant I was a good for nothing med student.

And pooey to midlevels wearing. DO is fine, they end with the doctor title as do MDs. Personally I have no issue with DOs except now they're allowed to apply to allopathic residecies and there ain't enough slots to go around. Phlebotomists can keep the white coats I guess to see if they got blood on 'em.

Everyone else I just want to throw pain on them like PETA people do to fur coats.
DOs have been allowed to apply to allopathic residencies for decades. The only recent change is that now all formerly DO-only residencies are required to accept applications from MDs.
 
Interesting -- I recall my parents still having some latent disbelief that I was a physician (second career after a long time at the first one -- first one to graduate college, yada, yada) until one night when I was night float. I had forgotten something and called my Dad to see if he could swing it by the hospital since it was in a not so nice part of town and we both didn't want my wife driving down there with 2 small kiddos for safety reasons.

So Dad shows up with my Mom in the car with him -- and I'm standing there outside the hospital in my usual night float rig -- scrubs, cowboy work boots, white coat with patient lists, ACLS cards, swabs, scissors, and "stuff" in the pockets with my stethoscope draped around my neck nursing a cup of coffee --- no big deal, grab what I needed and off I go ---

The next day off we were eating lunch when my Mom commented that "You looked good the other night"....Huh? "Yes, you looked like a real DOCTOR" -- since that time, I guess the reality hit them ---

Do I like my white coat? Now I do -- for me, it helps me mentally "gear up" ---

One of the best physicians I know is an attending at the Parkland EM Residency -- he wears a bow tie with a short sleeved dress shirt, slacks and dark sneakers with a white coat that has been tailored so that the bottom 1/3 of his forearms aren't covered -- guess he likes it that way -- but this guy is truly brilliant and watching him interact with patients was a life changing experience both personally and professionally -- so what's the white coat got to do with it --- he was at the level where he didn't have to wear it, but the physicians from his generation were the guys I grew up respecting for their knowledge and compassion -- I guess he (and by some extension the white coat) remind me of that ... and of my obligation to carry on the tradition....

it's not about money, boys and girls.....
This dude is my spirit animal! Cowboy boots and scrubs hell yes!
 
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