WebMD Blogs
Icon

TV Checkup

The TV Checkup blog is now archived. If you would like to talk with others about your favorite TV medical shows, please join or start a discussion on one of our message boards.

Friday, December 15, 2006

Doctor's Duds: A Fashion Emergency?
AddThis Social Bookmark Button

I remember the first time I put on a pair of scrubs. It really made me feel like a doctor. Funny how paper-thin, green clothes can help give you the confidence to care for patients (4 years of college, 4 years of medical school, and 3 years of residency help too).

Slip on a white coat over those scrubs and VOILA!...You really feel like a big shot.

But why do some TV doctors run around in scrubs and others in regular street clothes?

Most of the docs on TV are in medical training (as in Grey's Anatomy and Scrubs) or working in the emergency room (aka ER). In both of those settings scrubs are the norm.

Interns and residents are required to sleep overnight in the hospital a few times a week (well, that is if they get the opportunity to actually go to bed)and scrubs serve as great pajamas. If there's an emergency you have to be able to get to the patient as quickly as possible. And yes, that usually means you're wearing the same pair of scrubs for a day and a half.

And since the ER can be a messy place, scrubs just make more sense.

When's the last time your doctor walked into the office with a pair of scrubs? If your doctor is a surgeon, then it just may happen. Otherwise it's pretty unusual. By that point we've gotten our infatuation with scrubs.

And not all docs that spend a lot of their hospital time walking around in their greens and blues. It really depends on the area of specialty. Most of the docs on Grey's Anatomy are surgeons and therefore spend a lot more time in scrubs. But the docs on House appear to be more of the Internal Medicine variety and prefer the street clothes approach. This is pretty typical for real docs too.

But why do some docs wear the fancy surgical caps while others wear the poofy bouffant hats? It's all about personal preference. Some docs just don't care -- thus the awful poofy things. But other docs like to make a fashion statement. Grey's Dr. Burke, for instance, is apparently quite fond of his colorful headwear.

Doctors run around the hospital in their fancy scrub caps all day. Can you blame them since they probably haven't even had time for a shower? Imagine the bed head. And then there's the footwear. Doctors and nurses were wearing Croc-like shoes way before they were cool.

But don't those caps have to be sterile for surgery? Actually, they don't.

In order to decrease the risk of infection in patients, doctors and nurses go through a process called scrubbing. The cap isn't required to be sterile (its main use is to keep the hair contained so that it doesn't fall into the patient during surgery).

Scrubs aren't just for doctors. Head out to your local uniform store and grab yourself a pair. They're quite comfy to wear around the house.

Related Topics: ER Report Card: States Get Low Marks, Men Delay ER Trips to Watch Sports

Technorati Tags: , , , ,

Labels:

Posted by: Michael_Smith_MD at 12/15/2006 02:40:00 PM

The opinions expressed in the WebMD Blogs are of the author and the author alone. They do not reflect the opinions of WebMD and they have not been reviewed by a WebMD physician or any member of the WebMD editorial staff for accuracy, balance or objectivity. WebMD Blogs are not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your physician or other qualified health provider because of something you have read on WebMD. WebMD does not endorse any specific product, service or treatment. If you think you have a medical emergency, call your doctor or dial 911 immediately.