Dress for Success to Excel in Medicine

Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.

You've likely heard this advice before--when you put your best self forward, people around you will treat you with professionalism and respect. This philosophy is especially true for health care professionals, and to understand why, you can take it one step further:

Dress to be the medical professional you'd want in your time of need.

Think about it: people turn to you for guidance and knowledge in their darkest hours. They need to feel that you are pulled together and ready to help in when they need it most. Patients don't know or care that you're coming in on a Saturday, fresh from a day at the park with your family. It doesn't matter to the parents of a sick child that today is your last day on call before a vacation. They just want and need a staff of professionals to put them at ease--just like you would if you were in their shoes. Can you give solid medical advice in jeans and a flannel shirt? Of course. But a pulled-together image and presentation helps convey a sense of authority people need when they put their lives and the lives of their loved ones in your hands.

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