Why do some doctors wear white coats?

Picture a doctor and you probably see them in a long white coat. It’s such a common visual that it’s easy to see it as the de-facto doctor uniform. But why do some doctors wear these coats, and does it mean anything when a doctor doesn’t have one on?

What does a white coat represent?

Practically, doctors wear white coats for three reasons:

• To communicate to others their role as a health care professional.
• As a convenient way to carry around needed items, like tools and reference materials (those pockets are deep!).
• To protect their clothes from whatever they might encounter throughout their day (it is much quicker to pull off a white coat than it is to change your entire outfit).

There is also a symbolic reason doctors wear white coats. Many medical schools will hold a “White Coat Ceremony” to welcome aspiring medical students to the profession. These events, typically held before classes start, are an opportunity to introduce students to their duty to provide compassionate care as physicians.

When did doctors start wearing white coats?

Doctors didn’t always wear white coats. Until the 1800s, it was common for doctors to wear long black coats. These coats, which communicated the seriousness and formality of the profession, were often not washed between surgeries.

In the 19th century, many doctors began to adopt the long white coat that laboratory researchers wore. This change was a nod to how the field of medicine was building their modern practices based on scientific principles. And, as researchers began to show how germs can be spread between patients, the white coat became a symbol of cleanliness.

Can only doctors wear white coats?

While white coats are a common symbol for doctors, in Canada there are no laws restricting their use by others. Researchers in laboratories, for example, use lab coats to protect their clothing from their experiments. Depending on the setting, other health care providers may also use a white coat to communicate their role and protect their clothes.

What does it mean when a doctor doesn’t wear a white coat?

Doctors are not required to wear white coats when seeing patients. This may be for comfort or practicality, especially in warmer weather, or concerns about spreading germs between patients (although the idea that a frequently cleaned white lab coat could spread germs between patients is still being debated).

Whether or not doctors wear white coats may also depend on where they trained or are practising. For example, paediatricians and psychiatrists commonly forego their white coat to appear more approachable to patients.