Category Archives: Lab Coats

dry-cleaning-lab-coats

Should You Be Dry Cleaning Your Lab Coat?

The best way to keep your clothes looking nice for as long as possible? Taking good care of them. Try to avoid putting your nice clothes in the dryer, as high heat and tumbling can really wreck the fabric, and make sure you’re keeping your clothing clean and free of stains.

These are good rules of thumb, but proper maintenance of your professional clothing doesn’t need to be expensive and there actually is no reason for you to be having your lab coat dry cleaned after every wear. It’s expensive and if your lab coat is made of durable high quality fabric, it should be able to withstand going through the washing machine.

Especially if you’ve spent a lot of money on a premium lab coat, you may be tempted to take it to the dry cleaner instead of regular laundry, and that ultimately is a choice that is up to you, but at the end of the day it’s probably unnecessary. In fact, having to dry clean your lab coat might mean it ends up getting dirtier than it should, since it is a pain to have to visit the dry cleaner every time you wear your coat once.

And for the record…you should be washing your lab coat after every use!

Ellody back belt

stain-resistant-lab-coat

The Biggest Factor Of Choosing Your Lab Coat

A lab coat to a physician is what a suit is to a business person. That’s why you really shouldn’t cut corners when it comes to picking out a lab coat – if you picked out a cheap, shoddy lab coat what does that say about you? Believe me, your patients and colleagues will notice if you have been thrifty (or stingy, depending on how you look at it) with your uniform shopping, and one of the biggest reasons for that is that cheap lab coats are made with cheap fabric.

On the other hand, a nicer quality lab coat will really show. Quality is apparent in the cut, style and details of your coat, and a professional appearance for a doctor also depends on that coat being impeccably bright white.

So the biggest factor of choosing a lab coat…is the ability of that lab coat to release stains.

You don’t need me to tell you that during your shifts there is a large chance you’ll get some sort of bodily fluid on your clothes, or spill your coffee, or have a pen explode in your pocket. Once a coat is stained, you really can’t wear it again, so to make your lab coat last you as long as possible, you should find a high quality white lab coat made with a performance fabric.

Most performance fabrics are made with the wearer in mind. In the case of performance lab coats, this means that the lab coat should easily release stains in the wash. That way you can wear your coat again and again without having to throw it out once it gets a stain!

Lab Coats for New Doctors

How Many Lab Coats Should A New Doctor Have?

Congratulations to all recent medical school graduates and new residents! Now that you have an MD behind your name, you get to ditch the short student coat and finally put on a sleek long(er) coat like the ones you see other MDs wear around the hospital.

You probably know to choose a lab coat that is high quality and made in a style that fits you well. It may seem superficial and frivolous, but it actually isn’t: sometimes perception is reality and the reality is that patients perceive doctors in white coats to be more competent than their peers without.

But how many lab coats should you have as a new doctor?

The answer to this question really depends on your access to a washing machine. Just for the sake of hygiene and sanitation, you’ll want to wash your lab coat after each wear. So if you are able to do laundry every day, you might be able to get by with one lab coat – but if you’re washing it every day there is a greater likelihood that the coat will start to experience some wear and tear pretty quick.

We recommend having at least 3-5 lab coats for this exact reason. That way if your favorite coat gets ripped or stained, or if you don’t have time to wash them after every shift, you still have a nice professional lab coat to get you through your next shift. Optimally a practicing doctor should have five lab coats, one for every day of the week, though as you continue your medical career you might find that your white coat wardrobe grows along with you!

iPad Pocket Lab Coat

iPad Pockets On Lab Coats

What a doctor needs from their uniform changes as technology and medical tools continue to evolve. Five years ago there weren’t all that many iPads and tablets around; today they are nearly ubiquitous in the medical setting. They are incredibly handy tools that can be used for quick references, educating patients, and more.

So what today’s modern doctor needs is a lab coat that has pockets roomy enough to hold their tablet or iPad. Having larger pockets frees up your hands so that you can carry your tablet with you during your rotations or consultations, without having to carry yet another thing along with you.

But lab coats with iPad pockets are also useful even if you don’t have a tablet. The large pockets can hold anything you might need to carry around with you.

Lab Coat with Ipad Pockets

Cute Lab Coat For Women

My Favorite Lab Coat For Female Physicians, Nurses, and PAs

There are many lab coats today for women in medicine – a big change from the scant options available 8 years ago. It’s great for female healthcare professionals to have the option to choose a professional white lab coat that is figure-flattering and shows off your personal style.

There are classic options for women in medicine who prefer the more traditional look of a lab coat – no frills, just a high quality professional white coat, but for women. However I personally prefer a more modern style: the Vera G. lab coat from Medelita.

Flattering Feminine Lab Coat

The Vera G. has a modern style and is still professional.

Named for the first female surgeon in Russia, Vera Gedroiz, the Vera G. lab coat is exceptionally flattering for women with a lean, athletic figure. It is a slim-cut lab coat; the slim fit is great because it skims over your body without being clingy, tight, or uncomfortable. It’s just incredibly flattering and gives you more confidence while making your rounds, consulting with patients, or even just interacting with your colleagues at an event or medical conference.

What I love most about the Vera G. is the sleek construction. It features a beautiful envelope collar, a super professional and modern looking detail which I’ve hardly found on a blazer or suit jacket, much less a medical lab coat.

Envelope Collar on Lab Coat

Envelope Collar on Lab Coat

Shop Fitted Lab Coats

Fitted Lab Coats: What To Look For

Many doctors and medical professionals these days are turning their backs to the standard-issue one-size-fits-all unisex lab coats of the past, instead opting for styled, tailored, high quality white coats that speak to their high levels of professionalism. Choosing a lab coat that fits you well and looks sharp and polished is always a good move for a physician who is upgrading their professional appearance.

Because like it or not, the way you visually present yourself to the world does matter. It doesn’t make you vain or frivolous, it makes you smart. Studies have shown that patients definitely do notice what their physicians wear, and doctors who wear professional-looking white lab coats frequently cite higher patient satisfaction scores.

Men's Fitted Lab Coat

So if you’re shopping for your first professional, fitted white lab coat, here are some guidelines so you know what to look for:

Fabric

A high quality lab coat starts with the raw materials. If the fabric used to make it is poor quality, chances are the construction of the coat will be as well, and it is likely that the lab coat won’t make it past a few washes in the laundry before falling apart at the seams.

Look for performance fabrics that breathe and repel stains, with a bright white finish.

Fit and Design

This is probably common sense, but a unisex lab coat is not going to look good on anyone. The brand of fitted lab coat that you find should have separate styles available for men and women, because there are definite differences in proportion and design between the two sexes. The more styles there are available for either gender, the better, because you can bet that a lab coat company with many different styles is putting a heck of a lot of thought into every new style they introduce.

Sizing

Small, medium, and large might suffice for scrubs sizes, but if you can, try to find a brand of lab coats that offers blazer-style sizing. If you want your fitted lab coat to fit like a nice suit or jacket, you need this level of detail to sizes so that you look as professional as possible.

This fitted lab coats company offers men’s lab coats in blazer sizes (38, 40, 42, etc) and women’s lab coats in dress sizes (0, 2, 4, etc)

Slim Fit or Classic Fit?

This depends on your personal style. A company that offers these options is going to be paying a lot of attention to how their designs fit the wearer, so you can’t go wrong either way if you’re looking for a fitted lab coat. Generally, slim fit tends to be more contemporary looking while classic fit is a bit more traditional and not quite as close fitting to the body.

Women's Fitted Lab Coat

The Many Uses Of Lab Coats

The image of the crisp white lab coat immediately conjures the idea of a medical doctor or healthcare professional. But the use of the lab coat isn’t limited to healthcare settings!

Here are a few more places or people that you might run into while they wear a white coat:

  • Scientists
  • Halloween costumes
  • Chefs
  • Veterinarians
  • Preschool children while fingerpainting
  • Makeup artists
  • Themed costume parties
  • Professors
  • Biology and chemistry students
  • Jewelers
  • Aestheticians

I probably missed a few, but my point is that lab coats are ubiquitous and can serve a multitude of purposes. So rock the white coat whenever you can!

Callia Lab Coat For Women

Curved Seams Lab Coat Construction

Lab Coat Curves Make All The Difference

If you’ve tried on a Medelita lab coat, the first thing you probably noticed was the fabric, followed by the exemplary fit. Compared to these designer lab coats, the standard-issue cheap white coat feels practically like a preschool smock – you know, the ones they give to students before a messy finger painting session!

Why is the fit of these coats so remarkably different? Of course, there is a massive amount of time and care that goes into the design of every coat, but what makes these lab coats fit like a blazer or suit jacket rather than a typical lab coat is the fine construction – specifically the curved seams that allow proper fit and full range of movement.

This is just one of the many ways you can tell if your white lab coat is high quality. As any home seamstress can tell you, sewing straight seams is a piece of cake compared to sewing curved seams. Though the effort is well worth it when you reveal the finished product, creating a coat that fits well involves a lot of these curved seams, and that can be a painstakingly slow process.

The typical standard-issue lab coats that you’re probably used to are crafted with all straight seams. That’s why these frumpy white lab coats are so boxy and shapeless – they’re designed to fit a cardboard cutout, not an actual human who moves around while wearing their lab coat. The human body has curves, which is why Medelita deliberately takes the time and effort to design patterns that incorporate appropriately curved seams in the arms, shoulders, neck, and waistline of their lab coats.

It takes time and effort to build the perfect lab coat, but most of the clinicians who have tried a designer lab coat now feel they can never go back to the straight-seam standard.

Male Physician Wardrobe Guide

A Male Physician’s Basic Wardrobe Guide

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.
Doctor Professional Style

Professional lab coat, dress shirt, and tie.

Taking Body Measurements

A Guide For Taking Your Lab Coat And Scrubs Measurements

If you’re a size small, what does that make your blazer size? If you know your jeans are size 30, what size should you buy for scrubs pants? What about your inseam? What do all those numbers mean, anyways??

Unless you’re a professional tailor, I don’t blame you for getting confused about sizes, especially when shopping between different brands of clothes, scrubs, or lab coats. It seems that today just about every brand has their own sizing, and this is mostly a problem when you’re trying to make a purchase online and can’t try things on (although this scrubs and lab coats company does have a complimentary at-home try on program).

 

Fortunately, most company’s do provide a size guide to help out with determining your exact size for that exact brand, but you’ll need to know your measurements. Here is a guide for taking the measurements you’ll need to get your sizes right! All you need is a measuring tape.

  1. Bust: Wrap the measuring tape all the way around your bust and back on the broadest point of your bust.
  2. Chest: For women, take this measurement directly under your bust. For men, take this measurement directly under your arms around your chest.
  3. Waist: Measure at the narrowest point of your waist. Usually this is right below your belly button.
  4. Hips: Measure around the widest point of your hips or hip bones.
  5. Inseam: Measure from the topmost position between your legs, to the floor. It will probably help if you have someone assist you in this.