Dress code

[ciestar]

Baggy is unprofessional? Pants that have some loosen-ness to them actually look more professional, in my humble opinion. Super tight pants that show off your thigh/hip/bottom=== unprofessional.
So even the residents dress formally at the hospitals you rotated at? That is a little weird. I always thought scrubs sorta distinguish residents from attendings at hospitals where the attendings wear formal clothes. Like when I volunteered in the ED all the residents wore scrubs, but there the attendings did as well.

I guess i mean ill-fitting is unprofessional. You can definitely tell the difference between the two.

And yes, every rotation ive had (except surg and ob) it is professional dress and all the places ive rotated at. Same goes for my classmates (highly active on social media lol)

It isn’t super weird, it’s reality. You’re gonna have to get used to the idea.

ED is a scrub friendly place. Some specialties just go that way. When i do my EM sub-i i know i can wear scrubs.

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[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I guess i mean ill-fitting is unprofessional. You can definitely tell the difference between the two.

And yes, every rotation ive had (except surg and ob) it is professional dress and all the places ive rotated at. Same goes for my classmates (highly active on social media lol)

It isn’t super weird, it’s reality. You’re gonna have to get used to the idea.

ED is a scrub friendly place. Some specialties just go that way. When i do my EM sub-i i know i can wear scrubs.

Almost everyone on the floor wears scrubs here. Either with a Patagonia or a white coat. Depending on the specialty, a lot of them wear scrubs in clinic too. Just depends on where you are I guess.

 

[mwsapphire]

I guess i mean ill-fitting is unprofessional. You can definitely tell the difference between the two.

And yes, every rotation ive had (except surg and ob) it is professional dress and all the places ive rotated at. Same goes for my classmates (highly active on social media lol)

It isn’t super weird, it’s reality. You’re gonna have to get used to the idea.

ED is a scrub friendly place. Some specialties just go that way. When i do my EM sub-i i know i can wear scrubs.

Well I didn't mean formal expectations is weird - I literally was under the impressions that scrubs is what residents wear to sorta...distinguish themselves from attendings? like at both the ICU and ED the residents worse scrubs even if the attending doc was wearing formal clothing.
Well at least for the long haul it's acceptable.

 

[ciestar]

Well I didn't mean formal expectations is weird - I literally was under the impressions that scrubs is what residents wear to sorta...distinguish themselves from attendings? like at both the ICU and ED the residents worse scrubs even if the attending doc was wearing formal clothing.
Well at least for the long haul it's acceptable.

Yeah, ICU they where scrubs where ive been.
General floor is all professional though. But i guess Matt is right, it depends on where you’re at. My n=10 based on my own rotations and my classmates. It just seems to be the norm. Ive interviewed at 13 FM programs so far and all of them it is professional dress unless you’re on call or on certain rotations.

 

[ciestar]

Almost everyone on the floor wears scrubs here. Either with a Patagonia or a white coat. Depending on the specialty, a lot of them wear scrubs in clinic too. Just depends on where you are I guess.

Yeah ive not seen that unless youre OB or surgery. Where i did surgery they had to do professional dress in clinic whereas OB did not.

Im very guilty of the Patagonia. I never wear my white coat.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Yeah, ICU they where scrubs where ive been.
General floor is all professional though. But i guess Matt is right, it depends on where you’re at. My n=10 based on my own rotations and my classmates. It just seems to be the norm. Ive interviewed at 13 FM programs so far and all of them it is professional dress unless you’re on call or on certain rotations.

We don’t have any FM residents here. All our FM programs are unopposed at other locations. So they might be dressing differently.

 

[Oedipa Maas]

I wish scrubs were “acceptable” for all hospital shifts. I have been in so many situations where I was annoyed to be in professional dress - running to codes, cleaning up patient messes (sometimes bodily fluids), assisting with bedside procedures, etc.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Yeah ive not seen that unless youre OB or surgery. Where i did surgery they had to do professional dress in clinic whereas OB did not.

Im very guilty of the Patagonia. I never wear my white coat.

I already have mine lol. I will probably wear my white coat once just to say I did, but the Patagonia is so much nicer.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I wish scrubs were “acceptable” for all hospital shifts. I have been in so many situations where I was annoyed to be in professional dress - running to codes, cleaning up patient messes (sometimes bodily fluids), assisting with bedside procedures, etc.

Our uniforms are super expensive and easy to ruin, so that might be part of why we get to wear scrubs.

 

[mwsapphire]

I can't imagine getting in trouble for wearing scrubs just here or there though....

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I can't imagine getting in trouble for wearing scrubs just here or there though....

Different places have different policies for whatever reason. If you don’t follow them, be prepared to get in trouble (whether the policies are enforced or not is a different question).

 

[ciestar]

I wish scrubs were “acceptable” for all hospital shifts. I have been in so many situations where I was annoyed to be in professional dress - running to codes, cleaning up patient messes (sometimes bodily fluids), assisting with bedside procedures, etc.

For real lol
I had 15 straight weeks of OB then surgery and it was all scrubs the entire time. It was so nice.

 

[ciestar]

I can't imagine getting in trouble for wearing scrubs just here or there though....

You just gotta follow hospital policy. Residents are less likely to get in trouble for it, though. As a student you just follow it 100% because the last thing you need is whoever is evaluating you to ding you for it. The downside to being the low man.

 

[dpmd]

I dont even own heels hahah

Idk what it is, i just find things without an elastic waist uncomfortable. A good point was made in that women’s stuff on a whole is much more fitted and my body is just hard to dress a lot of the time due to my proportions. I carry my weight more so on my lower abdomen but my legs are thinner. I also have a short torso, so my waist is just bigger in general (i am not overweight), so, in order to get pants to fit, i need a bigger size. As a consequence, this stuff does not fit in my legs and is baggy. Baggy is super unprofessional lol

I have taken to purchasing men's pants for the elasticized waist and more importantly, for pockets that can actually fit things into them. The way you describe your proportions you might find men's pants fit better. Worth looking at.

 

[bananafish94]

At my institution the unspoken policy is to wear professional clothes in clinic no matter what and on the floor for non-surgical rotations. We wear scrubs on surgery and OB except for clinic, on the weekend, and when you’re on call. I do think that during M3 year you should avoid unforced errors as much as possible, so erring on the side of dressing conservatively is probably the best bet. The vast majority of people probably won’t care if you wear something a little eccentric (I know I wouldn’t) but you never know who might have an issue with it and unfortunately one bad evaluation can often be enough to keep you from the grade you want.

 

[ciestar]

At my institution the unspoken policy is to wear professional clothes in clinic no matter what and on the floor for non-surgical rotations. We wear scrubs on surgery and OB except for clinic, on the weekend, and when you’re on call. I do think that during M3 year you should avoid unforced errors as much as possible, so erring on the side of dressing conservatively is probably the best bet. The vast majority of people probably won’t care if you wear something a little eccentric (I know I wouldn’t) but you never know who might have an issue with it and unfortunately one bad evaluation can often be enough to keep you from the grade you want.

And they can knock you for legit anything.
I got marked down on one rotation for “not wearing my white coat” when literally not a single resident or attending wore one. I made a stupid assumption, nobody said anything, then it showed up on my eval.

 

[dpmd]

I would have less issue with a student who wore respectable cuts of clothing with fun colors or patterns than one who wore revealing or impractical clothing (had a student come in 3 inch heels one time, for guys I would not appreciate extra medium shirts with skinny pants that make it hard for them to bend over and do stuff). You also don't want to be the only one on scrubs as a student. Safe bet is wear toned down business clothes with your white coat and get a feel for who your team is before doing something different (like the eccentric color combos or changing to scrubs or ditching the coat)

 

[hallowmann]

I disagree. I think scrubs are pretty standard for anyone in the hospital. The PM&R folks like scrubs because it allows them to move around comfortably. The IM folks like it because they're ready for bedside procedures should the need arise. Same with FM. Our OB folks wear scrubs because baby-catching. Some (not all) of our peds folks wear scrubs on the wards because sick kids can vomit on you. Etc, etc, etc.

Highly dependent on atmosphere/culture of the site. Scrubs are pretty much the norm here. The only people who don't wear scrubs are people who are going to clinic, and Peds. Peds officially are required to wear scrubs at all times unless they are doing a 24 or night float. Our hospital wide policy is scrubs or business casual dress while on duty.

Psych also wears business casual on inpatient, but not while on the Med-Psych unit, night float, or if they have a call shift.

Yeah, but do yours look like they just came out of a duffel bag or are they nicely pressed (which was a huge pain in the ass as a student nurse in the army on clinicals and doing actual patient care with body fluids involved so there was opposite incentives-have clean stuff on or get another day out of the starched creases).

They come from in-house so they almost always look pressed with the occasional oddly positioned crease.

None of the places I’ve rotated at allow this.

General floor is all professional though. But i guess Matt is right, it depends on where you’re at. My n=10 based on my own rotations and my classmates. It just seems to be the norm. Ive interviewed at 13 FM programs so far and all of them it is professional dress unless you’re on call or on certain rotations.

Varies heavily depending on the site. If you are going to clinic at some point, usually you wear business casual. I have experience with multiple FM programs, and when people were on inpatient they wore scrubs. Its the same here. Like I say above, if you're in clinic, on an outpatient rotation or in a department that primarily wears dress clothes (for my university its Peds and Psych), then you dress up. If not, you wear in-house scrubs. Now that I think about, I think Neuro also dresses up.

 

[ciestar]

Highly dependent on atmosphere/culture of the site. Scrubs are pretty much the norm here. The only people who don't wear scrubs are people who are going to clinic, and Peds. Peds officially are required to wear scrubs at all times unless they are doing a 24 or night float. Our hospital wide policy is scrubs or business casual dress while on duty.

Psych also wears business casual on inpatient, but not while on the Med-Psych unit, night float, or if they have a call shift.



They come from in-house so they almost always look pressed with the occasional oddly positioned crease.





Varies heavily depending on the site. If you are going to clinic at some point, usually you where business casual. I have experience with multiple FM programs, and when people were on inpatient they wore scrubs. Its the same here. Like I say above, if you're in clinic, on an outpatient rotation or in a department that primarily wears dress clothes (for my university its Peds and Psych), then you dress up. If not, you wear in-house scrubs. Now that I think about, I think Neuro also dresses up.

Hospital policies i guess

 

[radsisrad]

I wish scrubs were “acceptable” for all hospital shifts. I have been in so many situations where I was annoyed to be in professional dress - running to codes, cleaning up patient messes (sometimes bodily fluids), assisting with bedside procedures, etc.

Scrubs are absolutely acceptable attire in the hospital and most clinics, regardless of what uptight attendings might think. Medicine is not a white-collar job, and there's no good reason to be forced to wear a shirt that might brush against a pressure ulcer or the saliva on a geriatric pt's shirt.

 

[radsisrad]

And they can knock you for legit anything.
I got marked down on one rotation for “not wearing my white coat” when literally not a single resident or attending wore one. I made a stupid assumption, nobody said anything, then it showed up on my eval.

White coats are unnecessary for residents and attendings.

However, the short white coat is important for students - it's a marker for your level of training.

 

[mwsapphire]

Highly dependent on atmosphere/culture of the site. Scrubs are pretty much the norm here. The only people who don't wear scrubs are people who are going to clinic, and Peds. Peds officially are required to wear scrubs at all times unless they are doing a 24 or night float. Our hospital wide policy is scrubs or business casual dress while on duty.

Psych also wears business casual on inpatient, but not while on the Med-Psych unit, night float, or if they have a call shift.



They come from in-house so they almost always look pressed with the occasional oddly positioned crease.





Varies heavily depending on the site. If you are going to clinic at some point, usually you wear business casual. I have experience with multiple FM programs, and when people were on inpatient they wore scrubs. Its the same here. Like I say above, if you're in clinic, on an outpatient rotation or in a department that primarily wears dress clothes (for my university its Peds and Psych), then you dress up. If not, you wear in-house scrubs. Now that I think about, I think Neuro also dresses up.

So, back to first question: would jeans ( non skinny, not ripped, professional, sleek jeans) be okay for business casual? I know this is detailed but I'm always a little confused by business casual.I think people say " no jeans" for business casual bc of skinny/ripped jeans that some young folks wear.
I feel like sleek washed, loose fitted jeans and a cotton/linen button-down looks reasonable polished.

 

[ciestar]

White coats are unnecessary for residents and attendings.

However, the short white coat is important for students - it's a marker for your level of training.

Ive only encountered this once. I wore it while rounding on inpatient rotations, though. Otherwise, nah.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

White coats are unnecessary for residents and attendings.

However, the short white coat is important for students - it's a marker for your level of training.

We have the option of wearing Patagonias. They have our name and “class of 2023” or whatever so everyone knows we’re medical students.

 

[ciestar]

So, back to first question: would jeans ( non skinny, not ripped, professional, sleek jeans) be okay for business casual? I know this is detailed but I'm always a little confused by business casual.I think people say " no jeans" for business casual bc of skinny/ripped jeans that some young folks wear.
I feel like sleek washed, loose fitted jeans and a cotton/linen button-down looks reasonable polished.

Depends on the hospital, my top choice program doesn’t allow denim. Or leggings, for obvious reasons.

Nobody really seems to care if you wear skinny pants, like khakis for example.

 

[hallowmann]

So, back to first question: would jeans ( non skinny, not ripped, professional, sleek jeans) be okay for business casual? I know this is detailed but I'm always a little confused by business casual.I think people say " no jeans" for business casual bc of skinny/ripped jeans that some young folks wear.
I feel like sleek washed, loose fitted jeans and a cotton/linen button-down looks reasonable polished.

In my hospital, no. Jeans are explicitly prohibited in the dress code while on duty.

 

[dpmd]

So, back to first question: would jeans ( non skinny, not ripped, professional, sleek jeans) be okay for business casual? I know this is detailed but I'm always a little confused by business casual.I think people say " no jeans" for business casual bc of skinny/ripped jeans that some young folks wear.
I feel like sleek washed, loose fitted jeans and a cotton/linen button-down looks reasonable polished.

I think a dark jean is fine but I have also worn yoga pants with my white coat so i mght be more lenient than others

 

[Bonne Nuit]

So, back to first question: would jeans ( non skinny, not ripped, professional, sleek jeans) be okay for business casual? I know this is detailed but I'm always a little confused by business casual.I think people say " no jeans" for business casual bc of skinny/ripped jeans that some young folks wear.
I feel like sleek washed, loose fitted jeans and a cotton/linen button-down looks reasonable polished.

Denim is never business casual, even “nice” denim. The color and detailing doesn’t matter; if your pants are constructed like a pair of jeans, they’re not business casual. Business casual for women = skirt or slacks. Cotton, wool, and poly-blends are appropriate in dark or neutral colors. Leggings and anything super tight/stretchy are also too casual to fall under the “business casual” umbrella.

 

[Oh_Gee]

3 piece suit only

Mr./Mrs. Mayo over here

 

[Oh_Gee]

White coats are unnecessary for residents and attendings.

However, the short white coat is important for students - it's a marker for your level of training.

patients keep calling me "doctor" though

 

[radsisrad]

patients keep calling me "doctor" though

Who said I was talking about the pts' perspective?

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Mr./Mrs. Mayo over here

That’s Future Doctor Mayo to you.

 

[Mass Effect]

Hospital dependant. My residency hospital, all of the hospitalists wore nice clothes except the overnight guy who wore scrubs.

My wife was a hospitalist and she and all of her partners wore nice clothes unless working overnight as well.

The hospital my father-in-law worked at everyone wore scrubs no matter day or night shifts.

I agree about L&D folks. But otherwise in my experience it's just been overnight/on-call docs, ED physicians, and surgeons/anesthesia who are working in the OR that day. And ICU attendings--all of which are wearing scrub bottoms, and a t-shirt and fleece vest/sweater.

I am in PM&R and other than a few co-residents who were admittedly rather lazy, have yet to meet a physiatrist who wore scrubs unless they were doing interventional pain. I'm sure there out there, but I haven't seen them.

I guess it goes to show how different the culture is at different places. Most of my training/experience was in the Midwest, where people generally dress a bit nicer, though the few places I've worked on the west coast have been fairly similar.

None of the places I’ve rotated at allow this.

Let me rephrase: scrubs should be acceptable professional wear. The hospital may decide whether or not you can wear them, but I don't think there's anything inherently unprofessional about a pair of scrubs, provided they don't look like you just fished them out of a trash can.

 

[Mass Effect]

Omg I would never wear heels! Its just that women's clothing is always fitted - (

It sounds like you need a stylist or personal shopper. Nordstrom's offers this service. You should look into it for at least a one time thing to give you some tips. Women's clothing doesn't have to be fitted (that's why tunics exist), but there are some basic fashion rules: if top is baggy, bottom should be fitted (leggings, skinny pants) and if bottom is baggy, top should be somewhat fitted. That said, lots of shift dresses out there that are 100% professional and baggy from hem to hem.

 

[Mass Effect]

Baggy is super unprofessional lol

No it isn't. Lots of fashion misconceptions in this thread.

 

[Mass Effect]

So, back to first question: would jeans ( non skinny, not ripped, professional, sleek jeans) be okay for business casual? I know this is detailed but I'm always a little confused by business casual.I think people say " no jeans" for business casual bc of skinny/ripped jeans that some young folks wear.
I feel like sleek washed, loose fitted jeans and a cotton/linen button-down looks reasonable polished.

No, no, no. Jeans are never considered business casual, not even dark jeans, not even designer jeans that aren't skinny or ripped. No jeans. I can actually picture attendings sending you home to change if you showed up in jeans.

 

[mwsapphire]

No, no, no. Jeans are never considered business casual, not even dark jeans, not even designer jeans that aren't skinny or ripped. No jeans. I can actually picture attendings sending you home to change if you showed up in jeans.

Geez, geez okay. I remember my ped doc wearing jeans and not thinking it was weird. It's not that I don't understand clothes- just the nuances of professional dress I'm not used to.

 

[Mass Effect]

Geez, geez okay. I remember my ped doc wearing jeans and not thinking it was weird. It's not that I don't understand clothes- just the nuances of professional dress I'm not used to.

I think you misinterpreted my affect. I actually wasn't worked up, though I can see how it may have "sounded" like that online. I was just emphasizing the point.

 

[ciestar]

No it isn't. Lots of fashion misconceptions in this thread.

Yeah, not the best choice of words on my part. I meant more of “ill-fitting” rather than baggy.

 

[Newyawk]

Have heard of a med student being called out for cross dressing. What do yall think about that?

 

[Oedipa Maas]

I am guilty of wearing black jeans to a family med clinic I rotated at. Day one I showed up in the typical business casual + white coat. My attending was in cargo shorts, a t-shirt, and crocs, and one of the patients said "Wow the students dress better than the doctors these days". I was so mortified that I dressed down the rest of the rotation (NOT to the shorts + crocs level, more like black jeans + a casual button down and flats or boots or danskos) and felt much more comfortable in that environment that way. He was a quirky older doc with a great sense of humor and his patients loved him. Ultimately I think the theme of the thread is "attendings can wear what they want".

 

[dpmd]

No it isn't. Lots of fashion misconceptions in this thread.

There is a difference between loose fitting nicely draping clothing and wearing stuff that is obviously too big like a kid playing dress up.

 

[ortnakas]

Almost every job you could ever have will have a dress code of some sort. Err on the side of being conservative and professional. You can show some personality through your clothing, but it shouldn’t be the most important thing about you.

Khakis are generally okay for clinic.
Jeans might be okay once you’re an Attending, but that’ll still depend on the policy of where you work.
Scrubs are institution (and even rotation) dependent.

 

[dpmd]

Have heard of a med student being called out for cross dressing. What do yall think about that?

Depends. Someone who is wearing professional attire and trying to look like the opposite gender would be fine for me (but some politically conservative folks would still be upset), looking like a drag queen or other costume would not be.

 

[PTPuser]

I would love to see someone in full blown drag.

 

[mistafab]

...bringing this back to OP.

I would definitely judge you for your clothes at work. If my family needed a psychiatrist, I would definitely not take them to the cheetah-print and purple shoe wearing fiasco. If I was in the academic setting, I would also not promote someone dressing so out of the ordinary, nor would I hire them.

This is professional school, and I seek to perform a profession with other professionals. I would not want people dressing to express themselves as part of my team. They can express themselves at home, when patients are not around.

But then again, that is just me. Not saying my way is “right,” just letting you hear my thoughts. Best of luck.

 

[mjl1717]

Geez. Even Hippocrates said it so many words.. Be clean. Dress well. Smell decent!

(Unfortunately many do not know how to dress appropriately)

 

[dpmd]

Geez. Even Hippocrates said it so many words.. Be clean. Dress well. Smell decent!

(Unfortunately many do not know how to dress appropriately)

Smell decent doesn't mean bathe oneself in cologne or perfume either just for those out there who think that is ok.

 

[deleted1001426]

So, back to first question: would jeans ( non skinny, not ripped, professional, sleek jeans) be okay for business casual? I know this is detailed but I'm always a little confused by business casual.I think people say " no jeans" for business casual bc of skinny/ripped jeans that some young folks wear.
I feel like sleek washed, loose fitted jeans and a cotton/linen button-down looks reasonable polished.

Dark solid color jeans can be business casual in most settings if paired with dress shoes/complimentary colored dress shirt. Safer bet is dress pants though

 

[deleted1001426]

No it isn't. Lots of fashion misconceptions in this thread.

It’s on a gradient. So tight that I can see your junk is unprofessional as is baggy to the point where it looks like if you got caught in a gust of wind your pants would serve as a wing and you’d fly away. There is a nice middle ground between the two where truly professional dress lies. Coming from a business background I can confirm that 90% of people haven’t learned to walk this line and end up looking ridiculous