Clothes

[rganglion]

Super random question lol

What do med students usually wear? I know professionalism is definitley a very important factor. So to lectures do students dress a little fancier, or more laid back and the more professional clothing (dress pants, cute shirts) are reserved for shadowing/CBLs? 

[freewheeler]

Wear modest business casual when shadowing or working clinically and to class some people wear the same while others are dressed entirely casually. Really up to you. 

[robclem21]

Most people start off caring what they look like when attending lectures, but usually after the first month or so, people revert back to casual wear (i.e. jeans, track pants, t-shirts, etc. - shorts in the summer). In clinical settings, you should always dress professionally depending on your location. Clinic or any in-hospital service where you are not doing procedures you should wear business casual. Procedure heavy services (e.g. EM, Call) you wear scrubs. 

[canada747]

Some/most dress casually, but I think in general med students dress better than most. Probably the whole perfectionist personality seeping into their fashion choices. You can see that some people are basically wearing their LOC

[LostLamb]

Don’t wear scrubs to class in preclerkship. 

[Aetherus]

For pre-clerkship just wear whatever you would normally. People will eventually revert to super casual clothes similar to attending undergrad lectures.

For clerkship or any clinical activities you should dress anywhere from business casual to « professional » attire depending on the rotation/setting. I would tend to say that in clinics people are usually a little better dressed than in the hospital but it varies from location to location. If you’re a guy, my suggestion is to get some lululemon dress pants or Kit and Ace and wear those. You want something that looks clean but that you are comfortable in and, in my opinion Kit and Ace does it the best. Their whole brand is based on business clothing that you can commute (ride a bike etc) to work in. 

[polarbear123]

What to wear to clinical activities is literally my biggest stress right now as an upcoming medical student. Appropriate clothing feels like it should be super obvious and at the bottom of my stress list, but it really isn't. And I've worked for years in academia and in the offices of a non-profit, but somehow, I feel my current work clothes don't fit the conservativeness expected by my school (e.g, they don't have the right neckline, pans may be tighter than what is considered conservative, dresses and skirts are above the knee so probably considered too short, ect...). So I've been trying really hard to find the right outfits that are both conservative/professional while still being something I like and comfortable and that are not a suit. I haven't had any luck yet, but I'm still looking! If any women on here have any suggestions for any store or brand-specific appropriate clothing, I'm all ears...

[frenchpress]

5 hours ago, medschool40&cool said:

What to wear to clinical activities is literally my biggest stress right now as an upcoming medical student. Appropriate clothing feels like it should be super obvious and at the bottom of my stress list, but it really isn't. And I've worked for years in academia and in the offices of a non-profit, but somehow, I feel my current work clothes don't fit the conservativeness expected by my school (e.g, they don't have the right neckline, pans may be tighter than what is considered conservative, dresses and skirts are above the knee so probably considered too short, ect...). So I've been trying really hard to find the right outfits that are both conservative/professional while still being something I like and comfortable and that are not a suit. I haven't had any luck yet, but I'm still looking! If any women on here have any suggestions for any store or brand-specific appropriate clothing, I'm all ears...

Wear what you like and find comfortable - most ‘office’ work clothes you have are probably fine. And over time you can add things to your wardrobe as you figure out what you like to wear to clinic, etc. You will find that staff wear a variety of things - some are fancier than others, some are quite casual.  As long as you’re clean and put together, you’re fine. I’ve rarely heard about or personally run into old farts (patient or staff) who don’t like women showing legs in dresses or bare shoulders, and that really shouldn’t be your problem. The majority of people won’t care.

These days I try not to worry about it. If I do think I might be working with someone who might care, I will occasionally bring a cardigan to throw over whatever else I am wearing. Opaque tights under a shorter dress/skirt is also usually a good compromise. But again, I don’t find it’s often actually an issue.

[Hanmari]

It's been a long work in progress but I'm slowly easing these thousand year old conservative blockheads into tolerating me in increasingly casual wear

Society needs to grow the hell up and realize what I wear won't change the efficacy of the meds I prescribe

I fully expect t-shirt and beach shorts by end of residency

[Lactic Folly]

Regarding clinical activities, if white coats are in use at your institution, this instantly elevates the professional appearance of whatever you might be wearing underneath.

[The Ace of Spades]

3 hours ago, Hanmari said:

It's been a long work in progress but I'm slowly easing these thousand year old conservative blockheads into tolerating me in increasingly casual wear

Society needs to grow the hell up and realize what I wear won't change the efficacy of the meds I prescribe

I fully expect t-shirt and beach shorts by end of residency

I used to wear dress pants and a shirt with tie every day, including clinics or inpatient service. I tried wearing jeans and an untucked button shirt once to see if anyone would say anything. It's been a year of wearing this now and have yet to hear any comments. At this point, it was actually be weird *if* somebody said something now.

[LostLamb]

You don’t need to buy your clothes at holt or equivalent to dress appropriately as a female in clerkship/residency. 

A lot of appropriate clothes can be found at relatively inexpensive places like rickis, joe fresh, gap/br, and H&M. Stay away from super trendy, short skirts, & low cut necklines and you should be ok. 

Basically you need to know that if you bend down, bend over, or don’t sit with your legs perfectly crossed/together that you aren’t inadvertently giving a “show” to patients, families, and staff. If you’re unsure, get a friend to give you some feedback. 

There is no need for dress suits—save them for interviews and big presentations/meetings. 

 

[NLengr]

Just for reference, I wear dress pants and a dress shirt, no tie, in my private office. Almost all my stuff is from indochino. In the hospital, whether it's OR or an outpatient clinic, I wear scrubs. I don't want to bring hospital grossness home on my clothes. Clinic scrubs aren't a great idea as a clerk unless you get specifically told it's ok by the residents. 

If I go in after hours to the ER, I just show up with whatever I have on. Usually jeans and a t-shirt, sometimes with a baseball cap (I'm not doing up my hair to visit ER).