Length of Doctors' Lab Coats Have Special Meanings

It is a universal sign that doctors wear white lab coats. One study found that 72 percent of hospital doctors and medical students wear white coats, and most wear them at least 75 percent of the time. They do so for four main reasons:

1. Doctors wear white lab coats to make them easily recognizable by colleagues and patients.
2. They wear white lab coats to communicate to others their role as a health care professional.
3. It is a convenient way to carry around needed items and reference materials in those deep pockets during their rounds.
4. The last reason is apparent: to protect their clothing.

The White Coat Length

You might have noticed that most doctors wear white coats, but few people have noticed that not all the coats are the same length. There are reasons some coats are short, medium length, or long. The different lengths have nothing to do with personal preferences. The various lengths of the coats mean different and significant things. The length of a doctor's white coat signifies the level of training and experience. The doctor's rank determines the length of the coat that is worn.

This is more obvious in a medical center or hospital where several physicians are on duty. If you see only one in your doctor's office, you probably wouldn't notice because there aren't others to compare it to.

The next time you go to the hospital or medical center, check out the different lengths of the white lab coats the doctors wear. Those coat lengths serve as a quick way for patients to identify the role of their care providers and reflect the hierarchy within the medical profession.

It doesn't mean physicians who wear short or medium-length lab coats are not qualified to do their work. However, it does mean they can't do what doctors with longer coats are assigned to do.

Short White Coat

Medical students typically wear a short white coat to mark the beginning of their journey into becoming a doctor. Their white coats are usually hip-length.

Medium-Length Coat

The medium-length coat is usually worn by doctors in residency, indicating they are gaining more experience. They can take patients' medical histories. They are allowed to diagnose and prescribe lab tests, treatment, and medication with approval from a supervising physician. They usually have a master’s degree and 2,000 hours of patient care experience. Their white coats are a little longer than those worn by new doctors, but shorter than those worn by longtime physicians.

Full-Length Coat

The full-length coat is worn by licensed physicians, signifying that they have completed their residency and are now practicing as licensed physicians. Their coats come down to the knees, indicating that they have graduated after 3 to 7 years of training

The White Coat Tradition

Surgeons were the first to wear the white lab coat. Then, hospital doctors and general practitioners in their private offices began wearing them. By 1915, wearing white coats had become customary. Doctors on home visits are not required to wear white coats.

It is a tradition for doctors to wear white lab coats while working in a doctor's office, hospital, or medical center. Doctors start out wearing short white coats to symbolize their commitment. As they continue studying, the coats become longer and longer.

To this day, more than 90 percent of medical schools in the United States hold a "White Coat Ceremony" in which new students are given a short white coat at the beginning of their studies. When they graduate, they get a long white lab coat.

Please Comment

Comment if this information is new to you, or if you were aware of the white lab coat tradition among doctors.