Physician's Attire by Ted Bacharach MD (retired)

I recently spent a week in Nicaragua and once again was made aware of the fact that the way physicians dress has a definite effect on the patient. Early in my career I was impressed by a female medical student who in the course of drawing a blood sample had a breast fall out of her blouse. It really affected her very little and she simply poked it back in with a deft flip of her wrist. It did upset the patient at least a little and I am sure he related this story to quite a few of his friends. It even impressed me and I am not easily impressed.

During my recent trip we had several medical students to help examine some of our patients. There were several women patients who objected to the male medical students. It was interesting to note that their objections were less to the students attired in “scrubs” and a stethoscope around their neck.
The white coat once a necessary part of the physician dress code has gradually been replaced  The identification of medical personnel by costume, like nurses' caps, has disappeared. The difference in dress between the doctor and most other personnel is minimal. Egalitarianism is winning and the patient’s ability to guess will have to improve considerably.

Image above: The distinctive dress worn by the “Plague Doctors” was a little more distinctive than the type of attire espoused by physicians since that time.