Uniforms = how historically do medics not have a uniform but nurses, cartographers etc. do?

[mids2019]

I work in a hospital and it is taken for granted that consultants and more junior doctors within my speciality do not wear uniform yet nursing staff and cartographers have strict uniform policies. Co s anyone know historically how we needed here or even if it s right.

A nurse and consultant will see the same patients with the same infection control measures so why does it aid to have one profession in uniform and not otherd? I guess the non uniform in itself marks a staff member out as medical in reality but it did make me think.

(I also think some of the male consultants look a little under dressed as they can't wear ties for infection control purposes and there does seem an element of power dressing amongst female consultants (think heels and fairly short clingy dresses but that's an aside)

Ah radiogapher in the title......I don't care what cartographers wear or if they have a uniform.....

I was trying to work out which medical speciality needed maps 😂

In our trust all medics wear scrubs. I sort of agree re the uniform, but it does make it easier for patients to work out who’s who

I was intrigued by cartographer!

Back in the day doctors wore white coats, as they still do in many US hospitals.

Can't remember how and when it all slowly changed!

Social status.

Doctors managed to become seen as 'professionals', with university training meaning (pre welfare state) family money for private school then university. So they dressed as 'gentlemen'.

Nurses generally more like a superior sort of servant, and servants wore a uniform.

Of course things have changed a lot in the last 80 years or so, but the traditions linger.

Great points.

The medics I work with are in ontology and so it may be no uniform is more comforting to patients when discussing sensitive news. I get the impression consultants at least avoid scrubs if not utterly necessary.

I think non uniform is associated with professionalism (possibly not the armed forces) so in a way do nurses need to be expected to be uniformed at all times?

Some of the medics do look good in their clothes but it's as if there is a subsection of the NH S that can show their sartorial elegance!

I read in a history book that surgeons were originally barbers, so they just had normal clothes with an apron and were just called 'Mr' when in the medical tent at the frontline of battles. At some point the apron evolved into a white coat as more about bacteria and infection became known. This was only a year 3 book so no idea how true or simplified it was!

This.

(Also because of where we live, close to two hospitals, lots of our neighbours are senior medics — when they’re on call and get called i from home, they will just arrive as fast as possible in whatever they’re wearing. I have seen my nice cardio consultant neighbour dash off wearing anything from full MAMIL cycling gear to whatever he was wearing to mulch the garden.)

But nurses are also professionals with degrees?

I think historically, nurses did the mucky stuff, bedpans, changing beds, washing people, etc. Doctors, especially medics, just sailed around "consulting" with the patients.

I'm a dietitian of 33 years. we wore white coats in the 90s, then an admin style uniform (blouse and skirt/trousers), and now we wear tunics or polo shirts and trousers. The national uniform is allegedly coming next year, but I reckon I will be retired before it happens (there is one in Scotland)

Our (medical) consultants still wear mufti, but everyone else up to Registrars wears scrubs and has done since covid. GPs wear their own clothes, too, but everyone else is uniformed.