Scrubs

With having spent most of my professional life (from PhD onwards) working either in or in close proximity to hospitals, one tends to get used to seeing medical doctors wandering about. This was the same both here and in Manchester - although there seems to be one major difference in terms of the manner in which the doctors dress. Whilst in the UK, consultants, registrars, house officers and such were nearly always dressed smarrtly with white coats on (if necessary). This, too, applied to the surgeons and the theatre staff - at least when they weren't in the actual theatre. There was, indeed, the odd occasions when you would meet staff dressed in scrubs, usually with a white coat on over the top - but that was it. This is in sharp contrast to over here.

Whenever i go to the main MUSC hospital building here, it's to either eat in the canteen or to drop off DNA for sequencing or, on occasion, to buy a coffee at the Starbucks there. What seems to be somewhat de rigeur is for all Doctors, nurses and theater (note the spelling) staff to be happily walking around in scrubs, with hairnets and even with face masks still on. Be it in corridor, coffee shop or canteen. This, perhaps, isn't so bad (despite the large number of people in these places) but what is even more amazing to me, is when you see these staff happily sat outside eating sandwiches, walking to other buildings, or SMOKING. Even when i'm at the gym, you often see a number of obvious clinicians lifting weights, running on the treadmills and such in their scrubs. Now, whilst i'm sure all these people are concietious and will obviously wash up well, and, indeed, these clothes are probably used for such a purpose as being out of the the normal confines, so there is no problem. Personally, though, I find it rather disconcerting and would wish that they at least spend a few moments switching clothes before they go walkabout. I'm sure that i'm not alone in that either.