Why do you wear a white coat? (if you indeed do)

[RNdynamic]

This thread is designed to explore why nursing professionals and other professionals wear white lab coats to work. As most of us know, medical doctors have had a long history of wearing white lab coats. We also see PAs and APRNs wearing white lab coats, which makes sense to me, given that mid-levels are quasi-colleagues of MDs and prescribers in their own right.

However, I have even seen nurse managers, nurse educators, case managers, and skin team nurses running around hospitals in those long white lab coats. Why? It has even gotten to the point where sometimes I'll walk onto a unit and there are more people wearing white lab coats than there are "normal employees." It's hardly even a status symbol anymore, certainly not when more people are wearing them in a given situation than not.

Some of you may disagree with this, but I think white lab coats are ugly as hell and that wearing one demonstrates an utter lack of style. It's become what people are wear when they can't figure out how to put together an impressive outfit. If I were a mid-level practitioner, I wouldn't EVER wear a white lab coat if I could help it. I'd rather wear well-fitted, professional clothing.

Besides having no style, there are other downsides to wearing those long white lab coats. For one thing, they show everything. I can't even begin to count how many times I've seen people in those coats with black pen marks all over. That's professional looking. Or how about when people drape their lab coats over the backs of swivel chairs? Someone then sits down and starts idly rolling their chair around while the bottom of the person's lab coat drags along a nice gritty, dirty floor. Then they can come back and put on their nice, gritty, dirty lab coat. Ewwwwww.

Alternatively, someone will sit down in a chair with the lab coat still on and it gets all scrunched up under their buttocks. Have you ever noticed how EXTREMELY wrinkled those long white lab coats are in the back? Bingo. That's why. Just look around next time you're at work. The backs of everyone's lab coats are wrinkled and it looks terrible.

So... what is the point of them? If you wear one of these white coats, what is the purpose? Do you like how it looks? Is there some amazing utility to these coats than isn't afforded by normal clothing? Okay -- they have a lot of pockets. I can see the benefit of those pockets if you're working in a lab or are carrying a lot of instruments. However, if you're a paper pusher like a case manager or a unit manager, then what are all the pockets for? What am I missing here?

[VANurse2010]

Frankly, I would worry more about giving competent care of patients and recognizing good care by these medical professionals than worrying about their clothing choices. Priorities, people.

[RNdynamic]

Appearances are critical in nursing. Appearance is an integral part of hospital politics. That's why administrators are walking around in power suits and so forth.

And I think white lab coats look very unprofessional when they're wrinkled, gritty, and dirty.

[Farawyn]

RNdynamic said:

Appearances are critical in nursing. Appearance is an integral part of hospital politics. That's why administrators are walking around in power suits and so forth.

And I think white lab coats look very unprofessional when they're wrinkled, gritty, and dirty.

Appearance is not critical. Competence is.

I wear scrubs, usually black or navy, pink top on Wednesdays.

If I'm cold I have a coordinating scrub jacket. I don't stay cold for long, because, ya know, work.

I have never worn a lab coat. I'm not a fan of white. I will only wear it if forced.

[NICUNurseEliz]

Farawyn said:

I wear scrubs, usually black or navy, pink top on Wednesday.

On the actual topic, I work with several physicians and nurses who wear lab coats but theirs are neither stained/grungy nor wrinkly. They find the lab coats useful and look professional every time I see them. That being said, these providers also act very professional so I think I could overlook a few pen marks.

[Whispera, MSN, RN]

I've had a few jobs where it was expected that I'd wear a white coat. Actually, it was expected in the nursing school I attended.

I prefer not to wear one. I think they remind some of "the men in the white coats."

I'd prefer another color, and one way or the other, I must have pockets!

[RNdynamic]

How did you derive that "expectation" that you'd wear a white coat? Did it say in your job description "Expectation: the employee will wear a long white loab coat each they are scheduled to work?" Or did someone tell you they expected it? Or did your peers wear white lab coats, and you took a nod from them?

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

RNdynamic said:

What am I missing here?

My mother always said don't ask the question if you can't handle any possible answer.

[Farawyn]

Horseshoe said:

My mother always said don't ask the question if you can't handle any possible answer.

This made me laugh out realllly loudly!

[xoemmylouox, ASN, RN]

Farawyn said:

This made me laugh out realllly loudly!

Me too!

[jifferte, BSN, MSN, RN]

I teach, and the wearing of a lab coat is explicitly written out in my employee handbook. I wear it for teaching purposes only, and it is neither grungy nor wrinkled. No pen marks either.

[JBudd, MSN]

Agree with the teaching, there really aren't many lab coats in my hospital but the students could always find their instructor in the lab coat. It also gave me a place to put my hands because I am always tempted to reach in and show how it is "supposed to be done", lol.

There was a brief period when our school tried to make all of us use lab coats when in the nursing labs, but it was way too hot to be bearable.