Category Archives: Medical Professionals

stain-resistant-lab-coat

The Biggest Factor Of Choosing Your Lab Coat

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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!

Cute Lab Coat For Women

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

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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

What to Wear Medical Mission

What To Wear On A Medical Mission

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Each year billions of dollars are spent on medical missions that send medical professionals – from medical students, residents, nurses, PAs, to orthodontists and dentists – to provide much-needed healthcare in regions where local communities have limited access to medical services. These far flung destinations include places such as Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Africa, and have the aim to help underserved populations both short and long term.

If you are planning such a trip, or are part of a medical mission, you’ll want to make sure that you and the rest of your team are outfitted appropriately in a way that helps you perform your best, while remaining cost effective.

Here’s what to look for when deciding what your team should wear on your medical mission:

  1. Weather adaptive. Many of these regions have unpredictable yet extreme climates, so find a scrubs brand that uses performance fabric to keep you and your team cool in hot climates, warm in cold climates, and dry in humid climates. Chances are you’ll experience some combination of all three!
  2. Comfortable. Have you ever had to take a test or give a presentation when you’re wearing a shirt with an itchy tag or that keeps riding up? Appearance may not be a huge priority on a medical mission, but your team will perform its best when they are the most comfortable and aren’t distracted by ill-fitting, scratchy scrubs.
  3. Low maintenance. Look for performance fabrics that wick moisture, are wrinkle free, and that release stains easily. Once you get to your destination, you aren’t going to want to worry about wrinkled scrubs and sweat stains!
  4. Durable. To keep costs down you might be inclined to spend as little as possible on your medical apparel, but that might end up costing you more in the long run. If you spend $10 on a pair of scrubs pants that start to rip apart after 5 washes, you’re not really saving anything by buying those instead of investing a little on a pair of scrub pants that might cost $40 but will last for hundreds of washes.
  5. Consider underscrubs. Depending on the climate, it might be wise to include comfortable “underscrubs” – performance shirts that can be worn comfortably under a scrubs top – in your medical mission uniform.
Male Physician Wardrobe Guide

A Male Physician’s Basic Wardrobe Guide

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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

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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.
Miranda B Lab Coat

True Petite Lab Coats for Doctors With a Small Frame

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As we’ve discussed many times, the options for women in medicine seeking a professional lab coat was lacking for many years, until 2008 when Medelita introduced its first lab coat designed to fit the proportions of a woman’s body. Their collection of white lab coats has come a long way since then, but one of their most revolutionary products was the introduction of the first (and only) fitted lab coat for petite medical professionals.

Petite Lab Coat Ellody

The Ellody Petite Fit Lab Coat

The white coats from Medelita offer a wide variety of sizes that are measured like regular clothing – meaning the sizes come in numbers (2, 4, 6, etc) rather than small, medium, and large. In fact, the Ellody lab coat comes in sizes that goes as small as 00, making it the perfect option for physicians with a small frame who seek a professional look while on the job.

Making a petite lab coat is more complicated than just taking a typical woman’s garment pattern and making it smaller. The proportions must be completely specialized, so a new pattern is required that must be fitted on a fit model with those smaller proportions. This is an example of the attention to detail that goes into every Medelita lab coat.

Lab Coat Germs

Do White Coats Really Spread Germs?

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Over the last few years a debate has begun about the deficiencies of lab coats worn in doctors’ practices and clinical settings. Most criticisms have to do with the spread of germs and a lack of hygiene. On the surface, these claims seem to make sense – but dive a little deeper, and you’ll actually see that this threat is mostly bark with very little bite. As a matter of fact, with the proper care and worn in the right settings, the white coat is still very much an integral part of the patient care experience.

The white coat of today comes in performance fabrics that help doctors reduce the likelihood of spreading germs. Because the fact is, germs and bacteria are everywhere anyways – take off your white coat and you have bacteria on your arms and hands. There simply is no escaping all the bacteria, but there also hasn’t been any research that indicates doctors’ lab coats spread bacteria in cases of hospital-acquired infections.

Actually, in the UK health leaders started implementing a “bare below the elbows” policy for doctors with their lab coats. The intention was to prevent the spread of germs through the sleeves of the lab coat, which are the most likely to pick up bacteria throughout the work day. However, studies found that this measure didn’t have a significant effect on the reduction of hospital-acquired infection in patients.

As long as you launder your white coat regularly, there is very little evidence to indicate that lab coats are any more unhygienic than any other garment worn in a clinical setting. I would recommend that you wash your lab coat 3-5 times a week – not only will this reduce the amount of dirt and bacteria day-to-day, but keeping your lab coat fresh at all times is an easy way to prevent the buildup of these in the fabric as well.

Professional Doctor White Coat

What Does A Professional Doctor Look Like?

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What is the image that comes to mind when you picture a modern professional?

Your answer will of course depend on what kind of occupation the person has, but there are a few things that are crucial for a professional image regardless of the type of work. For example, a professional businessman would probably wear a beautiful designer suit with impeccable details that fits him well. He would probably match it with a tasteful silk tie and high quality collared shirt. If it’s a businesswoman, she would likely wear a pants suit, or a skirt suit, or a modestly elegant dress.

Notice the key factors here: fits well, detailed construction, high quality garments.

This is no different in the medical industry! Like it or not, people judge a book by it’s cover every time they meet someone new. In the patient-physician relationship, your professional appearance can set the entire tone – are you wearing a shabby, ill-fitting lab coat? Your patient will notice, and they will subconsciously form an opinion of you that may not reflect your true level of professionalism.

As a doctor, it’s really important to keep in mind the image you are presenting to the outside world. Having a lab coat that fits like a tailored jacket is important, as is the quality of the fabric and construction. These details make a significant difference in making you look professional. After all, you worked hard for years to get that white coat – why not choose one that reflects your level of skill and sacrifice?

Doctor Dress Code

Lab Coats Or Scrubs: A Dress Code For Doctors?

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If you think that your sartorial choices are irrelevant to your performance as a physician or clinician, you are mistaken. An article from the Washington Post has described how the apparel of a physician actually has a huge effect on how patients perceive their doctors.

It turns out that patients strongly prefer their doctors wear lab coats in a clinical setting, as it conveys an image of professionalism and skillfulness. Though the data collected was done in an informal study, the findings indicate that most patients feel pretty negatively about their doctors wearing scrubs to consult with patients, unless they are operating or are in an EM setting – in these hands-on settings, scrubs are rated favorably.

In general, the results showed that patients are not impressed when their doctor wears casual attire, be it scrubs or everyday clothing. There was a strong preference for doctors who wore formal attire or a lab coat, or both.

These studies are not conclusive and the authors of the article are in the process of completing a more in-depth study to more definitively assess exactly what their patients prefer them to wear, depending on specialty. These findings should provide more evidence as to how a doctor’s work attire actively plays a role in the way they are perceived by a patient.

Seven Steps To A Perfect Professional Portrait

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As a practicing physician, it is likely that you will find yourself in a situation where you need a professional portrait taken. Here are some basic rules that you can refer to ensure that your photograph is flattering enough to actually want other people to see it!

  1. Wear a solid top – no patterns! Any pattern is going to make you look larger, and will attract attention away from your face.
  2. Pick a color top that is flattering for your skin tone. Jewel tones look particularly good on camera, and you definitely want to avoid any neutral shades that might blend in with your skin or make you look sallow.
  3. Style your hair to be low maintenance. You don’t want to risk errant hairs creating a distraction in your picture, so it’s best to keep it simple unless you plan on using an entire can of hair spray.
  4. Eliminate shine. Use a loose setting powder on your T-zone – I particularly like this one from Nars. If you are adverse to putting on more makeup than you absolutely have to, you can also use blotting sheets in a pinch.
  5. Create a shoulders-up slimming effect. You will probably be wearing either a professional lab coat or a blazer. Either way, select a style with vertical contoured lapels, which will give the illusion of slimming your frame.
  6. Keep your makeup neutral. Believe me, this is not the place to try out that trendy blue eyeshadow you were eyeing in Glamour. You will regret it.
  7. Showcase your personal style with accessories, but make sure they aren’t too distracting. For example, if you are wearing bold earrings then do not wear a necklace. Or if you are wearing a statement necklace, keep your earrings minimal or don’t wear any at all.