Why do surgeons/surgery residents/students wear scrub caps outside of the OR

[bluesTank]

Don't they need to be sterile and changed in the OR? Why would you wear it around the medical center if you are going to lunch, or in the library (a student) etc... there is really only one reason i can think of...

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[Depakote]

Don't they need to be sterile and changed in the OR? Why would you wear it around the medical center if you are going to lunch, or in the library (a student) etc... there is really only one reason i can think of...

because we think it makes us look cool. 😎



But really, if you see someone wearing their cap outside the OR, they're probably headed back in and they probably wont change it when they go back. Like the mask or scrubs worn under the gown they are not considered sterile, the cap is just there to keep hair from falling into the sterile field.

Ideally they'd be clean and new if they're leaving the OR suite, but it's no different (and no more likely to pick up contaminants) than the scrubs, shoe covers, or anything else that comes back to the OR without being changed.

 

[MasterShakeDO]

It's not to proclaim to the world, "hey look at me, I'm a surgeon" if that's what you're getting at.
Personally, I wear it outside of the OR because scrub caps give you serious hat head.

 

[howelljolly]

Its against the rules at my hospital buuuttt..... yeah, i can totally understand the hat-head issue. Sometimes I wish I could keep the cap on.

 

[SouthernSurgeon]

Don't they need to be sterile and changed in the OR? Why would you wear it around the medical center if you are going to lunch, or in the library (a student) etc... there is really only one reason i can think of...

1) Lazy, don't want to take it off

2) Hat head

3) Literally forgot it was on (seriously, it can happen, esp when you are tired)

 

[fergustsi]

Don't they need to be sterile and changed in the OR? Why would you wear it around the medical center if you are going to lunch, or in the library (a student) etc... there is really only one reason i can think of...

probably for the same reason pathologists drag around their microscopes everywhere they go too. just to show off.

 

[scpod]

I don't have a whole lot of hair... so they make me look a lot better. I wear them at home too 🙂

 

[ZagDoc]

1) Lazy, don't want to take it off

2) Hat head

3) Literally forgot it was on (seriously, it can happen, esp when you are tired)

👍

 

[Momentum70]

I do it when im on OB because its one less thing I have to rush to put on when they call for a delivery. Sometimes those nurses only give you a few minutes notice.

 

[Hayden2102]

They're comfy!! I wear them the whole time I'm on call for surg, or when I'm in the ED.

 

[CrescentWrench]

It's not to proclaim to the world, "hey look at me, I'm a surgeon" if that's what you're getting at.
Personally, I wear it outside of the OR because scrub caps give you serious hat head.

+1 for "because of hat head"

 

[J ROD]

To keep all that intelligence in!! 😀

 

[McGillGrad]

I don't understand why you wear them to the cafeteria... It just screams douchebag when I am standing next to a fully dressed med student in head-to-toe scrubs picking up a sandwich and grape Fruitopia®.

I understand that we are all tired and strive for comfort, but you are an asshair away from that guy I saw at the adjacent food court with a full white coat and hospital badge and stethoscope around the neck. Are you that desperate for foodcourt skanks that this is what is has come down to???

 

[J ROD]

I don't understand why you wear them to the cafeteria... It just screams douchebag when I am standing next to a fully dressed med student in head-to-toe scrubs picking up a sandwich and grape Fruitopia®.

I understand that we are all tired and strive for comfort, but you are an asshair away from that guy I saw at the adjacent food court with a full white coat and hospital badge and stethoscope around the neck. Are you that desperate for foodcourt skanks that this is what is has come down to???

Hard times call for desperate measures!!

 

[lord_jeebus]

I just leave it on all day because I got sick of being yelled at by nurses for forgetting to put it on when I go in the OR area...

 

[BobBarker]

Most people just forget its on. Recently, I had to run over to the school from the hospital and I forgot that I still had my stethoscope around my neck. It just happens. I'm the last person that would do stuff like this to intentionally draw attention to themselves.

 

[bola]

I used to think ppl that did this were douches until I caught myself doing it during the gyn portion of ob/gyn- there are 5 laproscopic cases scheduled with 20 mins between each for OR turnover and that is all the time you have to get a snack - there is no point taking off booties or the hat, and even the mask sometimes can only be slid down the face - you run to the cafeteria get what you need and live with ppl like me thinking you're being a douche

 

[Buckeye(OH)]

Forget its on.

 

[Electrophile]

It looks forkin' ace, that's why.

 

[bluesTank]

So if someone were to walk up to you in the cafeteria or wherever and said "hey did you know you are still wearing your surgical cap?" would you take it off?

 

[MossPoh]

I think its a "don't really give a damn" thing at that point. I'd leave it on just to spite them for calling me out on it probably....unless it were a higher up, in which case....probably would.

 

[McGillGrad]

I think its a "don't really give a damn" thing at that point. I'd leave it on just to spite them for calling me out on it probably....unless it were a higher up, in which case....probably would.

So following your logic, you'd be okay if someone came in with the flu and coughed on you in the cafeteria. Good to know.

 

[basupran]

I also wonder why internists wear stethoscopes around their neck while in the cafeteria.

 

[45408]

So following your logic, you'd be okay if someone came in with the flu and coughed on you in the cafeteria. Good to know.

Well, at least you could follow his logic. I can't follow yours.

 

[McGillGrad]

Well, at least you could follow his logic. I can't follow yours.

Just because a dog doesn't understand TV does not make it any less real.

You = Dog
TV = Logic
Does that make sense? [said in a s-l-o-w southern drawl]😉

 

[Depakote]

Just because a dog doesn't understand TV does not make it any less real.

You = Dog
TV = Logic
Does that make sense? [said in a s-l-o-w southern drawl]😉

no, I agree with Prowler. Your first comment didn't make sense.

 

[penguin24]

I don't see the big deal w/ wearing a cap. It's one less thing I have to worry about when I get back to the OR. That way all I need to put on is my mask.

 

[McGillGrad]

no, I agree with Prowler. Your first comment didn't make sense.

It was metaphor for infection control. Just as you do not like people coughing on you in the cafeteria, I do not appreciate people wearing potentially contaminated douche-gear in the caf.

While the scrubs may (or may not) be dirty, it is the essentially the same as coughing in a room without covering your mouth.

 

[45408]

It was metaphor for infection control. Just as you do not like people coughing on you in the cafeteria, I do not appreciate people wearing potentially contaminated douche-gear in the caf.

While the scrubs may (or may not) be dirty, it is the essentially the same as coughing in a room without covering your mouth.

So I've been in the OR quite a bit, and I can't say I've ever seen anyone stick their head into anything contaminated. Your point would be valid if they wore their gloves into the cafeteria, but the cap is probably the cleanest thing on them.

Which is why this demonstrates a complete lack of logic:

So following your logic, you'd be okay if someone came in with the flu and coughed on you in the cafeteria. Good to know.

The aides are probably the most contaminated people in the hospital, since they spend the most time in contact with bodily fluids. The surgeons are wearing pretty thick layers of protection.

 

[SouthernSurgeon]

It was metaphor for infection control. Just as you do not like people coughing on you in the cafeteria, I do not appreciate people wearing potentially contaminated douche-gear in the caf.

While the scrubs may (or may not) be dirty, it is the essentially the same as coughing in a room without covering your mouth.

This implies that there is something "dirty" about a scrub cap; I would argue that it is cleaner than almost any other "cafeteria appropriate" item of clothing you'd see on a doc or med student (white coat, tie, dress clothes). If you see me in a paper scrub cap, it is at most about 6 hours old and has been in the
relatively clean environment of the OR. I can virtually guarantee that it has not come into contact with any patients or contaminated surfaces. Unless the miasma theory is making a comeback, the worst it is exposed to are the germs that have colonized my scalp.

 

[Smurfette]

It was metaphor for infection control. Just as you do not like people coughing on you in the cafeteria, I do not appreciate people wearing potentially contaminated douche-gear in the caf.

While the scrubs may (or may not) be dirty, it is the essentially the same as coughing in a room without covering your mouth.

Considering all the nasty things that physicians "brush up" against in a patient room or touch while examining a patient, OR scrubs really aren't all that horrible--the OR gowns protect the front of the scrubs pretty well unless the case is a bloodbath, and the most "at-risk" area is the lower leg and shoes below the level of the gown.

However, men's ties and white coats have been proven to have far more bacteria and have been banned in some hospitals (esp in Europe) due to the bacteria which have been cultured from them. OR scrubs are clean, and most people only wear once before it's washed....ties and white coats go LONG times between cleaning for the majority of people who wear them.

 

[McGillGrad]

lol...How did I know I would stir up a hornet's nest of justifications and rationalizations by those with guilty consciences and lack of consideration for anyone but him/herself?😴

[sarcasm]Yeah, a set of full scrubs are the cleanest things in the world and that's why we wear them in the wards and then wear them home in every service at the hospital[/sarcasm]

Do as you please, but you are a douchebag when you show up to the caf looking like that. Whether you care or not is irrelevant to the other.

 

[VincentAdultman]

lol...How did I know I would stir up a hornet's nest of justifications and rationalizations by those with guilty consciences and lack of consideration for anyone but him/herself?😴

[sarcasm]Yeah, a set of full scrubs are the cleanest things in the world and that's why we wear them in the wards and then wear them home in every service at the hospital[/sarcasm]

Do as you please, but you are a douchebag when you show up to the caf looking like that. Whether you care or not is irrelevant to the other.

Wow this sounds like a really personal issue for you.

 

[nlax30]

It was metaphor for infection control. Just as you do not like people coughing on you in the cafeteria, I do not appreciate people wearing potentially contaminated douche-gear in the caf.

While the scrubs may (or may not) be dirty, it is the essentially the same as coughing in a room without covering your mouth.

So we should also not wear white coats or for that matter my dress shirt and/or tie that I've had on all day in and out of mutiple rooms into the cafeteria?? Seems like you're just picking on scrub caps.

I totally understand if you just think it's a tad toolish to wear them outside of the OR, but to focus one that one item as opposed to what ever else gets worn into the cafe couched in the idea of infection control is a little much.

 

[McGillGrad]

So we should also not wear white coats or for that matter my dress shirt and/or tie that I've had on all day in and out of mutiple rooms into the cafeteria?? Seems like you're just picking on scrub caps.

I totally understand if you just think it's a tad toolish to wear them outside of the OR, but to focus one that one item as opposed to what ever else gets worn into the cafe couched in the idea of infection control is a little much.

You might want to look up the word, metaphor, and rethink your response, laxative.

 

[McGillGrad]

Wow this sounds like a really personal issue for you.

As opposed to a non-personal issue?

 

[VincentAdultman]

As opposed to a non-personal issue?

When I go to the cafeteria between cases, should I still have my scrub cap on, I'll be sure to be wary of the eyes of med students eager to brand me with the "douchebag" lable.

 

[McGillGrad]

When I go to the cafeteria between cases, should I still have my scrub cap on, I'll be sure to be wary of the eyes of med students eager to brand me with the "douchebag" lable.

You seem inordinately concerned about what others think of you.

Pssst...I have a secret... you're a med student and it's not your case. We could wear beanies for all they care.

 

[McGillGrad]

...before you flip out and get all anal retentive, this is a med student forum so chill, no one's talking to you...

 

[VincentAdultman]

You seem inordinately concerned about what others think of you.

Pssst...I have a secret... you're a med student and it's not your case. We could wear beanies for all they care.

I'm a resident.

My post was tongue in cheek, if you failed to pick up on that. I don't necessarily agree with your decision to label everyone who weras a scrub cap outside of the OR a "douchebag," but if you need that to feel good about yourself, then go crazy.

And residents do check out the MS forums, FYI.

 

[McGillGrad]

I'm a resident.

My post was tongue in cheek, if you failed to pick up on that. I don't necessarily agree with your decision to label everyone who weras a scrub cap outside of the OR a "douchebag," but if you need that to feel good about yourself, then go crazy.

And residents do check out the MS forums, FYI.

You have no idea what "tongue-in-cheek" means, do you?

 

[McGillGrad]

As a follow-up, ignore what I say. What the hell do I know. Do what you like.

 

[Whats_up_doc]

If you follow McGillGrad posts in any other thread he is very well known for creating conflicts and stuff, which doesn't surprise me with this thread at all.

🙄


Do us a favor, stop being a douchebag.

-The SDN crowd

 

[Depakote]

just a reminder to keep the discussion in this thread civil.

 

[Whats_up_doc]

Why don't you go back to picking your oranges and strawberries Pedro. Comprende Amiga?

LOL @ your failure of distinguishing between Latin Americans and Puerto Ricans and thinking that every latino is picking up strawberries. I remind you that the highest position in Government an MD can achieve was appointed by President Bush to a Puerto Rican in 1990 (Surgeon General). I remind you that we have a Puerto Rican in the Supreme Court (Sotomayor ring any bells?). I also would like to remind you who is the actual President of your country.

And we thought racism was over...

🙄

 

[braluk]

If you're going to be spreading germs due to a cap, you better be washing your face and any other exposed parts of the body you bring into the OR that isn't thrown out. I'm not dipping my head into a body cavity, and any infectious cases, certainly my cap is most likely not going to be the reason anything gets spread. Having said that, most of the hospitals here require you throw it out but usually the people I see wearing caps in and out of the OR are usually people who are on the run- my douche-o-meter, has never gone off unless I see them sitting around and flaunting their "gear".

 

[DD214_DOC]

Don't they need to be sterile and changed in the OR? Why would you wear it around the medical center if you are going to lunch, or in the library (a student) etc... there is really only one reason i can think of...

They're not sterile to begin with since you grab them out of a box with your bare hands. I always left mine on because it was a pain to quickly put another one back on before the surgeon was already opening up.

 

[markglt]

jimmy crack corn, that's why.

 

[Themistocles]

Why don't you go back to picking your oranges and strawberries Pedro. Comprende Amiga?

I'm not sure why this user has not been banned.

 

[fergustsi]

LOL @ your failure of distinguishing between Latin Americans and Puerto Ricans and thinking that every latino is picking up strawberries. I remind you that the highest position in Government an MD can achieve was appointed by President Bush to a Puerto Rican in 1990 (Surgeon General). I remind you that we have a Puerto Rican in the Supreme Court (Sotomayor ring any bells?). I also would like to remind you who is the actual President of your country.

And we thought racism was over...

🙄

the highest position an MD can achieve in government is actually president (assuming they're a citizen of course)