You made a deliberate choice to go to medical school. You made a deliberate choice when you decided on a specialty. Every day, you make deliberate choices about how to treat and diagnose your patients – both medically, and personally.

Doesn’t the way you visually present yourself at work deserve the same deliberate consideration?

We’ve made it easy for you men who work in medicine and want to look professional, but don’t have time to put together a snappy new outfit every day. A lot of this can be adapted to personal tastes, but in general here are the basics that all male physicians should have in their professional wardrobe:

• At least five white lab coats. There’s been some debate over whether the white coat is needed in this day and age, but the research is in and it turns out that patients really do prefer when their doctors look professional and wear white lab coats. You’ll want one for every day of the week so that you can wash them easily on the weekends. Check out these styles of men’s designer lab coats.
• At least five sets (shirt and pants) of nice physician scrubs. If you work in a clinical setting there is a good chance you’ll be wearing them every day, so this is no place to cut corners on your workwear. Opt for scrubs made of high performance fabrics that are comfortable and keep you cool and dry.
• At least one suit. You probably won’t wear it every day or even every week, but there will definitely be times when you want to look sharp and professional during a business meeting, a presentation, or event.
• At least one pair of nice leather dress shoes for the same reason as above. Don’t forget dress socks to go with them!
• At least two pairs of comfortable yet professional shoes. You can either go with an orthopedic dress shoe, or a professional leather physician clog that is specifically made for medical professionals who stand on their feet for many hours a day.
• At least ten high-quality button down shirts to go with your suit, or just to wear under your white lab coats. You’ll want at least ten nice yet versatile ties to go with them.
• At least ten absorbent male undershirts. You probably don’t need me to tell you that physicians sweat, a lot. Having an undershirt extends the life of your other shirts and keeps you comfortable throughout the day.
• At least five dress slacks to wear with your button down shirts for days when you want to look professional yet casual.

Professional lab coat, dress shirt, and tie.