Tips on Dressing the Part

[PTAwesome]

I'd like to dedicate this thread to general tips on how to dress as a PTA/PT, particularly while going though clinicals. Most sites have dress codes for their students and employees, but in my experience some places are pretty vague and it leaves one stressing over whether they'll be over or under dressed on day one.

Here's my own tip:
I'm an SPTA starting my final year of PTA school in a couple weeks. Prior to starting PTA school, I worked in a factory and wore exclusively t-shirts and jeans.
In preparation of clinicals (and in hopeful preparation of holding a career as a professional in the near future) I've started to build a wardrobe of "professional" clothing. Tops, slacks, accessories, all high quality items all purchased secondhand or super-duper cheap. I'm talking like-new blazers for $0.44 at Good Will liquidation sales and tag sale 1/2 price slacks from the Salvation Army. Sometimes it's a bust, but sometimes you can find the perfect item with a perfect fit at a fraction of what something like it would cost brand new. I can't recommend secondhand shops enough.

And my questions:
How do you dress? What have you learned about representing yourself through the way you dress? What do you wish you'd done differently when building your PT/A wardrobe? What kind of clothes are and aren't functional in this line of work? Is a wristwatch a no-no due to its potential for scratching a patient or harboring bacteria?

Also:
I've got a nice section of my closet dedicated to "professional" clothes and it served me well during my first clinical, but I'm missing a major detail: shoes.
I've never liked shoe shopping and I could care less about shoes in general. However, I wore a worn out pair of tennis shoes to my first clinical with a hole in the top because they were the least crappy pair of shoes I had and while I didn't get any flack for it, I became aware of how important footwear can be when it comes to making a first impression and representing your school/employer/field and it led me to feeling rather embarrassed.

Looks aren't everything though: to be pragmatic, I need to invest in something that looks professional and takes care of my feet as I'll be on them all day. (No heels!) I have some pretty big problems with my feet (metatarsalgia and friction ulcers at some of the metatarsal heads, due in part I'm sure to wearing the same shoes for years at a time) and have to figure out how to balance good shoes with effective inserts, but can anyone give me a place to start? I'm in need of women's shoes but I wouldn't rule out wearing a man's shoe if it were sound. But I don't know what brands, designs, etc to even begin exploring.

Feel free to ask your own dressing related questions or share tips here. Any information is welcomed.

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[Doc-PT]

I built my wardrobe almost exclusively around cardigans of varying weights, sleeveless button-up shirts and loafers (i.e. Sperrys). It's casual but professional. Sleeveless button-ups can be worn in summer, spring, fall or winter depending on what type of cardigan you throw over it so I've found it to work very well (plus who wants long sleeves bunched up under a sweater?). Grab some comfy khakis in different shades and some nice jeans if your site allows and you've got a great wardrobe that's not too dressy and not too casual.

Hope this helps...it was definitely not cheap but it's a drop in the bucket compared to my school expenses and, quite honestly, it was an investment in myself...it's not like you won't be needing the clothes after clinicals too.

 

[truthseeker]

I built my wardrobe almost exclusively around cardigans of varying weights, sleeveless button-up shirts and loafers (i.e. Sperrys). It's casual but professional. Sleeveless button-ups can be worn in summer, spring, fall or winter depending on what type of cardigan you throw over it so I've found it to work very well (plus who wants long sleeves bunched up under a sweater?). Grab some comfy khakis in different shades and some nice jeans if your site allows and you've got a great wardrobe that's not too dressy and not too casual.

Hope this helps...it was definitely not cheap but it's a drop in the bucket compared to my school expenses and, quite honestly, it was an investment in myself...it's not like you won't be needing the clothes after clinicals too.

better over than under dressed the first day. figure out the style of the clinic and what you want your style to be after that.

 

[PTAwesome]

I just want to say thanks for the input. I've stepped up my cardigan/sleeveless shirt game (snagged a couple of each on 2 for $0.88 day at the Goodwill, woohoo). Shoes continue to vex me, but I'll remember Sperrys.

 

[Doc-PT]

I just want to say thanks for the input. I've stepped up my cardigan/sleeveless shirt game (snagged a couple of each on 2 for $0.88 day at the Goodwill, woohoo). Shoes continue to vex me, but I'll remember Sperrys.

Awesome, I'm happy it helped. Pro tip for sperrys: get some heel grips to avoid blisters and, should one develop, always have duct tape on hand cause nothing covers your sore heel like a second-skin better than duct tape (I am completely aware that sounds like a terrible idea but it is the ONLY thing that's ever worked for me in the blister department aside from wearing completely different shoes like boots or something).

 

[TwoSpinz]

Awesome, I'm happy it helped. Pro tip for sperrys: get some heel grips to avoid blisters and, should one develop, always have duct tape on hand cause nothing covers your sore heel like a second-skin better than duct tape (I am completely aware that sounds like a terrible idea but it is the ONLY thing that's ever worked for me in the blister department aside from wearing completely different shoes like boots or something).

Another pro tip: Put your sperrys in the washer on rinse and leave them outside to dry. It'll soften he leather and you won't get any blisters

 

[PTAwesome]

Thanks also for the Sperry's tips. It's funny, the other day I saw one of my classmates wearing a pair and I thought, "Whoa, she's way ahead of me."

New question for anyone who wants to weigh in:
How do you deal with the risk of bringing contaminants home with you from work?

I'm worried about/working on amassing and preserving a wardrobe of professional and functional clothing, but it's hit me that it would be risky to wear work clothes at home or hang them right back in the closet without washing them first, but frequent washing will wear stuff out quickly. What's the point of having "nice" work clothes if their life will be greatly shortened by the nature of the need to clean them thoroughly with frequency? I understand that some settings may carry a higher potential for contamination than others (say, working in the isolation wing of an SNF setting VS in general out patient), but every patient one encounters has the potential to expose you to MRSA or lice or bedbugs or C.diff, etc and you can't be too careful.

One classmate told me that her CI on her last clinical owns one pair of scrubs that she wears to work. After clocking out each day, she changes from her scrubs into non-work clothes, puts the scrubs into a bag, drives home, puts the scrubs directly into a washing machine, and then into a special "medical grade dryer" to ensure they are sanitary, and presumably lays them out for the next day. I won't knock that CI for being careful, but that does sound tedious. And I've never liked the idea of wearing scrubs, though I've never tried it.

So what's your process?

 

[Kidney Care]

Quality over quantity Up to a certain point, price really does affect quality. Make sure you buy less items- opt instead for better-grade pieces. Always aim for durable fabrics like cotton, wool, linen, and silk, and avoid synthetic fabrics like polyester that wear off more quickly, and have an unflattering "sheen" to them.