Notice

This blog has been barren for a while, because I switched to a different platform in which most posts were "friends only."  I've decided to go back to public postings on this blog and to use the other one for more person posts, and I plan to migrate the rest of the med school-relevant entries to this blog in the next month.  I just need to finish off my last class of the year, and then I'll have the time to go through them.

How Does an Ugly Dockling Dress?

Winter break was great.  I did nothing but catch up with friends and play Minecraft.  I deliberately used my parents' desktop and did not put it on my laptop, because I cannot afford to get addicted to a computer game while trying to get through med school.

I thought I'd write a little about how I dress as a medical student, because that was something I really wanted to know before starting school.

My school does not have an every day dress code, but we are required to dress professionally whenever we see real patients (including standardized patients, and patients who talk to us during a lecture).  This is pretty standard.  There are some med schools that require their students to be in professional dress all the time, even for regular lectures.  Even if you don't go to one of those schools, your third and fourth years are all clinical rotations, so you'll need to be in professional dress all the time for those years.  So if you're starting med school, start building a professional wardrobe now, and keep an eye open for sales throughout the year.

I don't think there's a whole lot to say for men.  Trousers, dress shirt, tie (usually), non-sneaker shoes.  Maybe there are complexities to professional attire for men that I'm not aware of, but women certainly do have more choices to make, and there are changing opinions of how women should look.  Here's my take:

• Dresses, skirts, and dress pants are all acceptable.  I see my female professors and the doctors I shadow wearing all 3.  However, all female medical students should be aware that there will always be an older male physician or patient who still thinks that women should look like ladies: skirts, heels, pantyhose.  The flip of that is the older female physician who thinks high heels and pantyhose encourage people to objectify women, and therefore an empowered woman shouldn't wear them.  Whatever, wear what you want.  You can find countless articles about how professional women should dress, written with all kinds of social viewpoints.  Articles about how men should dress all say pretty much the same thing.  Bottom line: people pay an awful lot of attention to how women dress, and you can't please everyone.  So don't try.  I wear a lot of skirts because I like them.  (Dress pants are hard to shop for when you're short.)  I don't wear them to conform to a social standard or to make a political statement.
• You need to put a little practical thought into the sort of top you wear, whether it's a button-down blouse or a shell or a sweater or a cami and cardigan.  Obviously, cleavage is not acceptable.  Keep in mind that you're going to be examining people.  You're going to be very close to them, sometimes leaning forward with your patient sitting on a high table.  Even if your top isn't especially low-cut, the neck might still gape when you lean over, giving your patient the opportunity to see more than you bargained for.  So when you try something on in the dressing room, be sure to lean over and make sure you're not showing too much skin.  Also keep in mind that you'll probably want to wear your stethoscope around your neck, so avoid those tops with the really ruffly necklines or the attached jewelry so nothing gets tangled.
• Not everything looks good under that cheap white coat you're going to have to wear.  It's not a bad idea to take it shopping with you.  Don't wear it into the store, you'll look like an arrogant jerk, but maybe put it in a large purse or a backpack.  There have been several times when I've found a great dress and then discovered that its length or the placement of the belt or the width of its collar looked strange with my coat.
• White coats are boring.  Consider wearing something with a little color.  Don't go overboard.  "Professional" means not too distracting.  Really loud prints and all-over bright colors are not considered appropriate for professional dress by most people.  But since the white coat hides most of it anyway, you can absolutely wear a top with some color or texture.  That white dress shirt that people always say is the staple of a professional wardrobe is going to look really boring under a white coat.
• Here's the other reason for finding tops in interesting colors: you can't wear a lot of accessories.  Every accessory you put on is one more thing that will get in your way and carry around bacteria.  Long necklaces, scarves, bangles, rings, dangly earrings, those are all out.  Find a few elegant chokers or short necklaces that don't dangle much when you lean forward and just wear those.  Or wear something that doesn't need jewelry.
• Shoes MUST be comfortable.  If you go into the medical profession, you spend an awful lot of time on your feet.  That's probably not news to anyone.  I'm in the habit of wearing boots with a 2-inch heel, so wearing 2-inch heeled pumps all day doesn't bother me if they've got a good insole.  But I'd never want to wear anything higher than that.  I wear flats probably as often as I wear heels.  (So far, I've just been in offices and student exam rooms, not the hospital.  I don't think heels in a hospital are a good idea, even if you're just following some residents around during rounds.  I've worked in hospitals before, and there are always spills and tripping hazards around.)  Most of my friends also wear flats or low heels.  I have one classmate who always wears 3-inch heels and seems to do fine.  If that's somehow comfortable for you, go for it.
• Get your hair out of your eyes, and make sure it's not going to hit someone in the face when you're examining them.  Pulling the top layer back in a barrette works well for me.
• There seems to be a lot of debate about makeup.  I recently heard some female fourth years say that women should never wear makeup if they want to be respected.  My own research and experience tells me that's not true.  A lot of people see a little bit of natural makeup on a woman as the equivalent of a tie on a man.  Just remember that fluorescent light makes makeup look heavier, so stick with sheer colors and always err on the side of too little, rather than too much.