Female fashion on the wards - part II
Professional life is continuum of compromises. Or so it seems on the wards. Not only have you got to tone down your extra-curricular behaviour, conflicting your civil liberties (re: pot) in order to be in concordance with the GMC, but you've also got to keep it conventional on the wards, for having piercings, coloured/fake hair, artsy make-up and wearing anything aside from the old blouse/jumper/skirt/trousers combo automatically deems you unprofessional.
We could sit here all day debating the semantics of professionalism, or what it means to be professional. What is often lost in the egotism of the construct is that professionalism is an attitude, of being able to carry out your mission with competence and confidence. How a few pieces of metal or a head of locked hair are going to prevent an able doctor from being able to provide the care that is in the best interests of the patient is beyond me, along with the notion that doctors shouldn't be allowed to express their individuality. (This has got nothing to do with the fact I find all the surfer boys with dreadlocks in the lower years at ICSM undeniably attractive, honest!)
It's a fundamental human right. If we're providing another (good health) to the majority, what's to say we don't have a few concessions for ourselves, personal ones, EWTD aside?
Long-winded ranticle (brought on by the fact I dress more like a Goldsmith's student than an ICSM one) aside, I thought I'd bring some lightness into our final issue. How does beachwear (read nudity) sit on the wards? Temperature considerations aside (we need to be homeostasising at the optimum to deliver the most competent care we can), the summer brings its own quandary, with regards to how far we can maximise our comfort without entertaining the perverts on the 'scared of the elderly' wards a little too much for their ACE-inhibitors to take care of?
Less is nearly always more - so the basic rules come into play. Anti-perspirant, deoderant and anti-foot odour powder are staples for the locker room. We're here to make the patients comfortable, remember?
With regards to footwear, flip-flops are a no, since the smell of your respiring feet is not one I'd like to continue a wardround with. Open toed sandals would go down a treat with perfectly manicured feet, provided you've scrubbed between the toes. High-heels, as I said before, lengthen your legs and increase your chances of getting it on with a Harley high-flier along with his house officer job in the most affluent catchment area your deanery has. Skirts should not be confused for belts to the naked eye and the rule of inverse proportion with hemline length and neckline depth should come into play in order to be taken seriously. Especially where the uglier GEP's are concerned - no one wants to see a pair of stale aubergines when they're being woken up to give you a history at 8am.
St Tropez tan will also score you points. Patients are unlikely to leave the hospital grounds, so any semblance of a more glamorous outside ward where you CAN tell whether it is night or day will bring both envy and hope into their life. Teaming these with shaved legs is the key to success. As for jewellery, my personal bugbear - keep it light and summery. Rapper-impersonators with jingling bling aren't what I'd like to share my wardround with. Hair should be treated the same way - beachy bohemian waves will keep the patients ideal in the
same way as the fake-tan will. They'll be more likely to give you their history and help you score points on that all-important ward round.
And that's how we like to keep it - rising and rising against the odds, so we can eventually afford a decent cocktail cabinet with endless supplies of limoncello when I get to pop round to visit you.
Have a great summer, readers and I'll be back next year!
We could sit here all day debating the semantics of professionalism, or what it means to be professional. What is often lost in the egotism of the construct is that professionalism is an attitude, of being able to carry out your mission with competence and confidence. How a few pieces of metal or a head of locked hair are going to prevent an able doctor from being able to provide the care that is in the best interests of the patient is beyond me, along with the notion that doctors shouldn't be allowed to express their individuality. (This has got nothing to do with the fact I find all the surfer boys with dreadlocks in the lower years at ICSM undeniably attractive, honest!)
It's a fundamental human right. If we're providing another (good health) to the majority, what's to say we don't have a few concessions for ourselves, personal ones, EWTD aside?
Long-winded ranticle (brought on by the fact I dress more like a Goldsmith's student than an ICSM one) aside, I thought I'd bring some lightness into our final issue. How does beachwear (read nudity) sit on the wards? Temperature considerations aside (we need to be homeostasising at the optimum to deliver the most competent care we can), the summer brings its own quandary, with regards to how far we can maximise our comfort without entertaining the perverts on the 'scared of the elderly' wards a little too much for their ACE-inhibitors to take care of?
Less is nearly always more - so the basic rules come into play. Anti-perspirant, deoderant and anti-foot odour powder are staples for the locker room. We're here to make the patients comfortable, remember?
With regards to footwear, flip-flops are a no, since the smell of your respiring feet is not one I'd like to continue a wardround with. Open toed sandals would go down a treat with perfectly manicured feet, provided you've scrubbed between the toes. High-heels, as I said before, lengthen your legs and increase your chances of getting it on with a Harley high-flier along with his house officer job in the most affluent catchment area your deanery has. Skirts should not be confused for belts to the naked eye and the rule of inverse proportion with hemline length and neckline depth should come into play in order to be taken seriously. Especially where the uglier GEP's are concerned - no one wants to see a pair of stale aubergines when they're being woken up to give you a history at 8am.
St Tropez tan will also score you points. Patients are unlikely to leave the hospital grounds, so any semblance of a more glamorous outside ward where you CAN tell whether it is night or day will bring both envy and hope into their life. Teaming these with shaved legs is the key to success. As for jewellery, my personal bugbear - keep it light and summery. Rapper-impersonators with jingling bling aren't what I'd like to share my wardround with. Hair should be treated the same way - beachy bohemian waves will keep the patients ideal in the
same way as the fake-tan will. They'll be more likely to give you their history and help you score points on that all-important ward round.
And that's how we like to keep it - rising and rising against the odds, so we can eventually afford a decent cocktail cabinet with endless supplies of limoncello when I get to pop round to visit you.
Have a great summer, readers and I'll be back next year!