On Thursday, we were fitted for our long white coats.

People that are not in the medical field (and even some that are) don’t realize the significance of the length of the white coat. I was unclear about the specific history, so decided to look up what trusty Wikipedia had to say:

To emphasize the transition to the more scientific approach to modern medicine, physicians sought to represent themselves as scientists, and began to wear the most recognizable symbol of the scientist, the white laboratory coat.

The modern white coat was introduced to medicine in Canada by Dr. George Armstrong (1855–1933) who was a surgeon at the Montreal General Hospital and President of the Canadian Medical Association.

Some patients who have their blood pressure measured in a clinical setting have higher readings than they do when measured in a home setting. This is apparently a result of patients feeling more relaxed when they are at home. The phenomenon is sometimes called “white coat hypertension,” in reference to the traditional white coats worn in a clinical setting, though the coats themselves may have nothing to do with the elevated readings.

Until the mid-1920s, students who were examining cadavers would wear black lab coats to show respect for the dead.

Hm. A bunch of interesting facts, sure. But nothing about the significance of the length? C’mon.

Graduating from the short hip-length med student attire to the knee-length coat of residency is its own special thrill.

We had a White Coat Ceremony in medical school, after we finished the classroom bit (Basic Sciences: Years 1 & 2) and before we were unleashed on the hospital hallways (Clinical Rotations: Years 3 & 4).

Here we are. Brandon and I flashing white teeth to match our new white coats, the next chapter in our medical careers. Little did we know how soon we’d be longing for pockets that were just a bit bigger. Oh, and having our name embroidered on the front would be nice too…

Full-fledged residents and physicians are the only doctors that wear full-length white coats in the hospital. It is a mostly unspoken, but very mandatory rule. It would be better for a medical student to wear no coat at all than to don something longer than they have earned.

The whole thing probably seems a bit ridiculous from the outside.

But I can’t wait to get my new long coat next week.