To dress up for doctor’s appointments?

[PollencaCalling]

Really re: classism in medicine!

Unless desperately ill I never go to see a GP/consultant etc without making sure that I’m looking well put together. Of course I’m not talking formal attire - just nice, tidy outfit and good hair/makeup. My opinion is that this way things are taken more seriously, and from experience this has been the case. Spoke about it with a friend earlier who thinks I’m bonkers!

Although it shouldn’t be the case I do think that to some extent I am justified in thinking this. Some doctors certainly do still have a class bias and I have experienced it myself. Took DD to A&E a few years ago and got quite a nasty doctor who implied that she was making it up! Once she took her coat off and revealed a hoodie from her (quite MC grammar school) his opinion of her completely changed and he couldn’t have been more pleasant or helpful. It really bothered me at the time and has stuck with me since

I remember an old doctor I had years ago who would have eaten you alive for wearing make up.
He said he needed to see the patients pallor. Fair point I suppose

This is an actual thing.
A young doctor unwittingly told me they are looking out for signs of neglect.His wife was a primary school teacher and he told me they had to keep reports of kids were unkempt etc .
I had always made sure the days my kids had dentist or doctor appointments they had clean fresh uniform and were able to go home get changed/ brush teeth into clean clothes before any appointment
Likewise as an adult I always try to look smart .well dressed , best shoes etc for any hospital appointment.
I think it’s important as you are going to see a medical professional so it’s important to have some respect ?

Not medical but school. As a single and quite young mum I found staff could be extremely condescending and treated me like an idiot until they realised that I was a graduate and training to teach. At our Dr's my GP wears tracky bottoms and trainers. Fine by me as he gets results for his patients.

This is happened to me aswell.

i had insomnia i’m pretty sure its because my thyroid medication not right because its happened everytime my thyroid meds not in the right level. I got phone appointments with GP and he thinks i got anxiety and even he ask me “on today living crisis its really often people got anxiety without they realising it”. I kept insist want to meet him face to face and he agreed i got appointment in the evening.

later that evening i came with my son and he saw me dress up nicely and saw my son school private school uniform and the first thing he said “you clearly dont have a problem with living crisis”. And he agreed to do a lab check. I was so upset, cant believe GP can be so judgemental like that.

It’s definitely a thing, you get judged on everything. Everything. Even your bloody name.

I can’t believe a previous poster said it was delusional to think doctors judge you. Of course they do! What planet do you live on? Their treatment and advice may not change but if you think they treat an unemployed young man, in dirty joggers, smelling of fags and weed and dirt under his finger nails the same as they would treat a 40 year lawyer in a sharp suit and a good watch then you’re delusional.

The only time I considered what I wore to the GP was when I was clinically depressed and thought if I turned up looking a mess it would flag concern. A bit daft really cos I think I had already crossed that threshold and was only kidding myself.
I think if you're seeing a GP for MH issues then how you present yourself tells them a lot.
For physical appointments I take into account if I'm going to need to remove clothes for an exam e.g. loose leg trousers that can roll UP rather than tights or skinny jeans that would need to come DOWN to show my knees, or sleeves that can easily be rolled up for blood pressure, or skirt and top rather than jump suit if I need to get my belly out.

I did a stint in A&E as a newly qualified healthcare professional. I can vouch for the fact that quite a lot of the patients had literally soiled themselves in one way or another… So the thing about wearing clean pants incase you go under a bus is utterly futile. The medical staff really don’t care what you are wearing.

I mean I wouldn't wear a suit or anything, but I always wear like proper clothes eg all black fitting clothes to see the GP. I always seem to wear sports clothes to see my psychiatrist though. I have no idea why

I know a few doctors socially and while academically smart and very qualified they're not on some elevated emotional and spiritual plane. They are humans and as such are as likely to be riddled with unexamined bias as the rest of us. So yes I think you're probably not wrong to think that some doctors do listen to well off people more than they listen to less well off people.

My feeling on this stems from my experience of driving btw. For work I drive a lot of different cars (from £200 runarounds up to Bentleys) and I am always very amused by how much road rage I am on the receiving end while driving a shit car (LOADS) compared to when I am driving an expensive car (none whatsoever). It has really opened my eyes to the level of disdain held for poor people in our society and I'm sure that a lot of the people with such bias have no idea they even feel that way!

I do believe in unconscious bias.

Daily shower, hair always neat and tidy, always a bit of make-up, always tidy, always a spritz of perfume. No bling but good rings, watch, etc. It's the same whether I am dressed for work (smart casual) or not dressed for work (tidy casual). I don't differentiate between the Dr or Tescos.

The people at Tescos are always polite and helpful. NHS staff are not. GPs can be arrogant and dismissive in my experience, hospital consultants are usually better but not always. Some reception/admin/nursing staff are excruciatingly rude.

My dentist and his staff are lovely.

My grannie always said to dress down for the Dr and Dentist so they didn't enhance the bill.

I also think if you have an RP accent you get taken much more seriously and people are more courteous to you.

I saw my consultant for a post op sign-off yesterday and I did indeed dress up, freshly done hair, make up, smart clothes, jewellery and good handbag.
I'd be damned if I was going to do anything less for a meeting with him in his beautifully cut suit, Lobb shoes and Hermès tie.
So I felt armed and able to hold my own in the face of all that urbane charm. I want them to take me seriously and be less likely to talk down to me, at the very least.

I wonder if the variety of opinions on here depends on what people’s idea of smart is?

I wouldn’t go out of my way dress up or put makeup on to go the doctors but I do make sure that me and my clothes are clean and tidy and there’s certain things I wouldn’t wear

@Birdisland - the scan operator was worried when he found out that you're a solicitor because that means you know the law and you might be Trouble. So he'd better start being nice to you.

When I was a midwife lots of my colleagues were nervous of any patient with the title 'doctor'. Most of the time they were PhDs, which always amused me.

You can tell quite a bit about someone's emotional state by what they're wearing. If they look like they've just thrown on whatever they found on the floor, not brushed their hair or bothered about mismatched socks etc they may be depressed.

Surely it's polite to dress reasonably well to go to an appointment with someone?

Always turn up clean and tidy. I think if you turn up looking like Waynetta Slob you get dismissed and the assumption is your life style choices are causing your problems, not something you can't control, like cancer.

I think self confidence definitely plays a part. I expect to be taken seriously but I’m often surprised at just how seriously they take the time to explain, draw diagrams etc. I’m pretty certain they don’t do that for everyone. They just wouldn’t have the time.
I’m not always dressed really smartly.

I was dressed smartly for my last Docs appt, only because I went from work. I do try to make an effort when I leave the house unless I physically can't.

Sometimes, but not necessarily with NHS staff. I've also been on the receiving end of snidey comments.

It wouldn't occur to me to 'dress up', I just go in my normal clothes, which are quite respectable. Never had any complaints with doctors or treatment. I doubt it makes any difference.

She is not being ridiculous, unconscious bias is a real thing and doctors are only human after all.

It's true in all aspects of life really. I noticed a trend on instagram where people post about starting to dress smart when flying and noticing better treatment at the airport and on the plane.

Unconscious bias is most definitely a thing. Last time I was in a&e (I was very seriously ill) DH said as soon as he mentioned I'm Dr Amethyst they were suddenly a lot more attentive. I'd like to think it's because they noticed how much pain I was in but he's sadly probably right.

My GP does seem to notice. I have quite a few appointments due to various health issues
Last time I was there was with tonsillitis and I felt so awful that I had no makeup on (which isn't like me at all) and she was "oh dear you do look ill"
Thanks for that

I try to remember to wear something with loose sleeves if I'm having blood taken or a vaccination - that's about the extent of 'dressing' for the occasion.

Oh, & no holes in socks if I need to take my shoes off.

@rightsraptor, when I went into early labour and explained dh would be a while because was in court, an assumption was made that he was in the Dock. The snr midwife came and perched on the bed and told me she imagined I must be going through a very stressful time. "Er yes, it is always stressful when he's in court", cue hand pat and look of alarm. At which point, the penny dropped and I noted "he's the barrister for the prosecution". At which point I got a ticking off because I'd worried everyone.

😂😂