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I’ve never been a stickler for dress codes. In fact, I’ve never really understood them.
My colleagues down the street at the Mayo Clinic Scottsdale show up for work each day in the traditional uniform of our profession – a nice business suit, with tie. They look very fashionable.
That’s not me.
My choice of clothing has evolved over the years. In residency it was a shirt, tie, and slacks, sometimes with a white coat. Eventually, I ditched the white coat when I decided it was easier just to carry my neurology toys in a black bag.
When I became an attending physician in 1998, I continued this outfit for about 6 months, then dropped the tie and switched to more comfortable short-sleeve shirts. I did this until June 15, 2006 – a day that will live forever in fashion infamy.
I was getting dressed that morning. It was supposed to be around 114° F, and I suddenly had an epiphany. I realized that dressing like that every damn day was insane. So I decided to go with a decent pair of shorts. But business shirts and shoes don’t go with shorts, so I pulled on a Hawaiian shirt and sneakers.
Nobody complained, so I continued. Because of the weather here I can do this year-round, too.
As I’ve learned, the vast majority of patients don’t care. Granted, there are exceptions, as this post about me on the doctor review site vitals.com notes: "HOW CAN YOU TRUST A DOC THAT ... SHOWS UP IN HAWAIAN SHORTS AND KHAKIS? REALLY?" (Caps and misspellings are sic.)
Another person on the site criticized me for wearing jeans to work. This is a LIE! I’ve never worn jeans to work. Only shorts since 2006.
In 6 years, I’ve had four patients fire me over my appearance. And I don’t care. If a nice outfit makes you feel I’m a better doctor, there are plenty of others you can see.
If I have to spend my day at a high-stress job, I might as well be comfortable. And I am.
I’ve never been a stickler for dress codes. In fact, I’ve never really understood them.
My colleagues down the street at the Mayo Clinic Scottsdale show up for work each day in the traditional uniform of our profession – a nice business suit, with tie. They look very fashionable.
That’s not me.
My choice of clothing has evolved over the years. In residency it was a shirt, tie, and slacks, sometimes with a white coat. Eventually, I ditched the white coat when I decided it was easier just to carry my neurology toys in a black bag.
When I became an attending physician in 1998, I continued this outfit for about 6 months, then dropped the tie and switched to more comfortable short-sleeve shirts. I did this until June 15, 2006 – a day that will live forever in fashion infamy.
I was getting dressed that morning. It was supposed to be around 114° F, and I suddenly had an epiphany. I realized that dressing like that every damn day was insane. So I decided to go with a decent pair of shorts. But business shirts and shoes don’t go with shorts, so I pulled on a Hawaiian shirt and sneakers.
Nobody complained, so I continued. Because of the weather here I can do this year-round, too.
As I’ve learned, the vast majority of patients don’t care. Granted, there are exceptions, as this post about me on the doctor review site vitals.com notes: "HOW CAN YOU TRUST A DOC THAT ... SHOWS UP IN HAWAIAN SHORTS AND KHAKIS? REALLY?" (Caps and misspellings are sic.)
Another person on the site criticized me for wearing jeans to work. This is a LIE! I’ve never worn jeans to work. Only shorts since 2006.
In 6 years, I’ve had four patients fire me over my appearance. And I don’t care. If a nice outfit makes you feel I’m a better doctor, there are plenty of others you can see.
If I have to spend my day at a high-stress job, I might as well be comfortable. And I am.
I’ve never been a stickler for dress codes. In fact, I’ve never really understood them.
My colleagues down the street at the Mayo Clinic Scottsdale show up for work each day in the traditional uniform of our profession – a nice business suit, with tie. They look very fashionable.
That’s not me.
My choice of clothing has evolved over the years. In residency it was a shirt, tie, and slacks, sometimes with a white coat. Eventually, I ditched the white coat when I decided it was easier just to carry my neurology toys in a black bag.
When I became an attending physician in 1998, I continued this outfit for about 6 months, then dropped the tie and switched to more comfortable short-sleeve shirts. I did this until June 15, 2006 – a day that will live forever in fashion infamy.
I was getting dressed that morning. It was supposed to be around 114° F, and I suddenly had an epiphany. I realized that dressing like that every damn day was insane. So I decided to go with a decent pair of shorts. But business shirts and shoes don’t go with shorts, so I pulled on a Hawaiian shirt and sneakers.
Nobody complained, so I continued. Because of the weather here I can do this year-round, too.
As I’ve learned, the vast majority of patients don’t care. Granted, there are exceptions, as this post about me on the doctor review site vitals.com notes: "HOW CAN YOU TRUST A DOC THAT ... SHOWS UP IN HAWAIAN SHORTS AND KHAKIS? REALLY?" (Caps and misspellings are sic.)
Another person on the site criticized me for wearing jeans to work. This is a LIE! I’ve never worn jeans to work. Only shorts since 2006.
In 6 years, I’ve had four patients fire me over my appearance. And I don’t care. If a nice outfit makes you feel I’m a better doctor, there are plenty of others you can see.
If I have to spend my day at a high-stress job, I might as well be comfortable. And I am.