By Josephine Reid
Uniforms for women enrolled in a medical college or school depends upon the rules and regulations of the specific institution. Generally, there are no strict rules set in place just for women. There are, however, great guidelines for any medical student to follow.
The reasons are rooted in concerns for infection control, communication, and cultural sensitivity. Students should consider the cultural sensitivities of their most conservative potential patients and present yourself in a manner that will earn their respect, ensure their trust, and make them feel comfortable. Recent trends in clothing, body art, and body piercing may not be generally accepted by patients, and are greatly frowned upon when worn by medical students.
In addition to the uniform scrubs, name badges to help identify one as a medical student should be worn at all times and clearly visible. An addition to these guidelines that turn into a uniform of sorts, good personal hygiene is to be maintained at all times. This includes regular bathing, use of deodorants/antiperspirants, and regular dental hygiene. Distracting perfumes are also never a good idea, especially since they can also precipitate allergies! Save the heavy cosmetics for a night out and apply makeup in moderation.
Uniform scrubs should be worn in specific patient care areas only. If the uniform scrubs must be worn outside these areas, it must be clean and then covered with a clean, white lab coat.
The rules and regulations for uniform wear in countries such as China may be more strict seeing the pressures that are put on Chinese medical students. Other countries, in comparison to the US often times have a more formal look when it comes to medical school and hospital facilities overall, particularly with women in the field.
Refer to the specific institution for particulars on what uniforms should be worn and how they should be worn.
