Do You Still Wear The ‘White Coat’?

By Jodi Schoenhaus, DPM and Harold Schoenhaus, DPM

Jodi Schoenhaus, DPM: The white coat is the symbolic uniform of a doctor. Do you still wear one? When the young graduate first enters practice, the act of putting on the white coat is a form of self-satisfaction. It provides an immediate confidence and energy boost as well as a reassurance of your skills and everything you have learned. It represents the culmination of hard work and dedication, providing pleasure in knowing you are about to begin your journey as a doctor. It is white, crisp, freshly laundered, pressed and free of bacteria from the disastrous diabetic infection that awaits. 

This is symbolic of the young practitioner. You have a vast knowledge base, which you have learned and explored in residency, and you are now ready to conquer your professional career. When you first enter practice, one should explore all aspects of foot and ankle practice. Read a lot, pursue board certifications, get on insurance panels, hit the pavement hard to build your name and plan how to develop your practice and reputation. Developing a well-rounded, busy and successful practice will not come easy nor should it.  

The years pass and the white coat gets hung on the hook behind the office door, or it sits on the back of your chair and starts to wrinkle. Some days you wear it. Some days you look at it and recall the soiled blood stain on the sleeve from the previous day. You forgot to get it washed and you just do not want to wear the white coat. It is cumbersome, can get in the way and gets dirty easily. You have grown and changed sizes so the crisp, new white coat no longer fits the same. You are changing, adapting and growing the practice and your skills. You are fine-tuning mistakes made in the first several years of practice. You have experienced practice management pitfalls and now have written and established policies to combat these issues You have realized your best skills and start to focus on them. Marketing and self-brand image are molding you and your practice into the specialty you desire through, which will hopefully bring you monetary or personal success. 

Then there are the glory years. You discover your true passion within your scope and skill set. You are becoming the expert in that arena and people will travel far and wide to see you for your expertise and knowledge. By this point, it is nice to be content with who you are, your practice and what you have developed. The white coat is sitting at home in a closet collecting dust. This is not because you are old. It is not because you do not respect what the white coat symbolizes. The reality is at this point, you have decided upon your uniform. It may be scrubs, a suit, pants and an athletic shirt with your company logo, or whatever represents who you are. You are more comfortable and confident with your knowledge and expertise, and feel that if a patient does not develop a working relationship with you, it is not because of what you are wearing. 

All of these outfit choices are good options in the 21^st-century. I do not believe these shifts in uniform would have occurred 50 years ago when doctors wore suits with the white coat on a daily basis and changed into scrubs only to enter the operating room. Who better to hear about the latter perspective than someone who started practicing during that era. 

Harold Schoenhaus, DPM: Fifty years ago, I was so proud to wear a white coat, even when grocery shopping. The white coat implied respect. In the office, it was mandatory. I was 25 years old when I started in private practice in 1971. I was young and looked even younger. Patients would ask when my father would be in to see them. My father was not a doctor. 

My white coat gave me comfort and projected knowledge without necessarily having significant experience. Teaching at the Pennsylvania College of Podiatric Medicine (PCPM, now Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine) was also challenging but my coat (pacifier) was with me. White signifies purity. Both environments required it. Making rounds in hospitals also requires proper attire, which helped provide comfort to patients. Interestingly, treating many children, I would take my coat off to avoid the stigma of pain, thanks to pediatricians who inject children regularly for vaccinations. 

As the years passed, my personal need for a coat became less important but was necessary to protect my clothing. I always wore a suit and tie at professional venues, but the white coat itself became less and less important. Patients actually felt comfortable knowing me as a doctor and a friend. Being established in my later years with a high volume of surgery, I began to wear scrubs in the office and even to lecture at the college. While it was still a uniform, it projected a different image. I would occasionally wear the white coat over scrubs in the office and continue to do so to this day. Putting on a crisp white coat still feels good. 

Interestingly, when I came to Florida, I saw a much more relaxed dress code with my doctors. Jeans and a nice shirt were common. Most of my doctors trained in the Northeast where white coats were the norm but that transitioned into a different outlook. Depending upon where you work may also dictate a dress code of the practice. Your name, logo and title could easily display who you are. Many offices emphasize emphasize a standard dress code for doctors and their staff, and these are certainly acceptable alternatives. 

Remember, though, that white represents purity in clothing and exemplifies your status in life. Decide judiciously and remember clothing can help make a man or woman.

Dr. Jodi Schoenhaus is a Diplomate of the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery. She is in private practice in Boca Raton and Boynton Beach, Fla. One can follow Dr. Schoenhaus online at @bocafootandveindoc and www.bocaratonfootcare.com.

Dr. Harold Schoenhaus is a Fellow and Past President of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. He is in private practice in Philadelphia, Pa.