Part 1: View and Analysis
In the context of the second slide, it is evident that the level of professionalism is not as high. For instance, one of the medical practitioners in the image is wearing a suit. Although suits might be professional in other areas, they are an unacceptable set of attire while within the hospital. As such, a person wearing a suit is expected to hang his or her coat and put on a lab coat as a way to ensure that he or she will be easily identified by the patients and other medical practitioners. As such, being dressed in uniform or hospital attire is a key consideration that all practitioners in all professions ought to adhere. The African American man on the right-hand side is also inappropriately dressed for a hospital setting. It is extremely hard to determine if he or she is part of the hospital staff or just a patient when dressed in casual wear. Such casual wear should be avoided at all costs. However, most of the women in the background are well dressed. They are dressed in comfortable shoes and appropriate workplace attire.
In the third picture, depending on the hospital, the subjects can be said to be dressed appropriately. However, it is crucial to consider that with a uniform similar across all medical professions, identification might be a key challenge. However, all the subjects have stethoscopes on their shoulders, which would suggest that they are all doctors. As such, the individuals have dressed appropriately for the occasion with each of them dressed in the appropriate lab coats. One of the subjects in the middle is dressed in an overall, hat and mask, which suggests that they are from a surgical operation. As such, the attire is appropriate in the third slide.
Part 2: Personal response
One of the key ways to maintain professionalism in the world of medicine is the need for attire adherences. As such, unlike most professions where the dress code is meant to make one presentable, medical assistant, nurses, doctors and other practitioners within a hospital setting have to dress in the appropriate attire to be easily located by the patients or other medical practitioners when needed (Baxter, Hennings & Handley, 2015). All different professions within a healthcare institution have their set of professional clothes to wear. The need for all medical practitioners to dress in scrubs or the suitable attires such as the white lab coat for lab technicians and doctors is instrumental in hospitals and ought to be adhered to at all times.
Primarily, in any given health care organization, each new staff member is handed with a handbook stipulating what is acceptable and what is unacceptable within the hospital setting. Primarily, each institution has its set of rules pertaining to dressing, but most of them are relatively similar. After being hired, it is crucial for medical assistants to review the dress code handbook in detail and assess what has been denied as a dress code and hence develop their idea of how to dress appropriately. Primarily, most of the ground rules in most healthcare institutions are relatively similar. As such, there are a few ground rules on how to dress professionally.
Primarily, hats are not allowed indoors of a hospital unless they have a medical significance, as is the case for most surgeons, cultural significance or religious significance. Otherwise, it is better not to wear a hat at all when within the hospital premises. Another key consideration pertaining to the world of medicine is the need for people to cover up any inappropriate tattoos. It is advisable to cover up any given tattoo whatsoever (Baxter, Hennings & Handley, 2015). Likewise, appropriate grooming is a key consideration among all medical practitioners. Being neat and clean at all times is one of the key rules of any hospital. Personal grooming must be maintained at an all high maximum at all times.
In the contemporary hospital setting all practitioners have been noted to wear scrubs. Scrubs are loose short-sleeved shirts paired with a similar set of pants. Scrubs are the evolved workplace attire of the 21st century. Arguably, this dress code is appropriate for all people in the contemporary organization. However, this is mostly in western countries and scrubs would be inappropriate for women in some of the most conservative countries. Scrubs are mostly green for medical assistants, but also vary from one hospital to another. Some hospitals have different colors of scrubs for their practitioners and medical assistants depending on their department.
In relation to shoes, one of the pickiest professions when it comes to shoes is the medical profession. The attire of the shoes to be worn within a hospital is very strict. For instance, women are not allowed to wear heels, particularly medical assistants. Some doctors might occasionally wear heels, but this is highly discouraged in the context of the medical assistant. Primarily, one of the key reasons this is the case is due to the fact that most of the time, medical assistants are required to wear shoes that will not cause them fatigue, and they have to be comfortable to run in during emergencies (French & Fordney, 2012). Likewise, closed shoes are advocates for all through the hospital, as the use of open shoes would pose a greater risk, such as the fact it exposes the toes or the skin to fluids that might have disastrous outcomes. Flip flops, sandals and other open shoes should be largely avoided.
Jewelry should also be avoided as much as possible (French & Fordney, 2012). Primarily, it is crucial to ensure that one does not have any jewelry while working on a patient. In some cases, surgeons who operated with their watches on might have left the watches or rings inside one of their patients. As such, it is highly advisable that jewelry is avoided within the hospital setting at all costs. Additionally, it is crucial to understanding that not all hospitals or health care institution abide by the same set of laws and restrictions. Some hospitals are very welcoming to the wearing of skirts, dresses and skirted suits, especially for doctors. Any given medical practitioner or medical assistant should review of the handout to outline some of the key considerations in the dress code when starting to work in a new hospital.
References
Baxter, K., Hennings, A. & Handley, A. (2015). “What Healthcare Professionals Should Never (Ever!) Wear.” Web June 25, 2015. Retrieved from http://allhealthcare.monster.com/benefits/articles/3496-what-healthcare-professionals-should-never-ever-wear?page=1
French, L., & Fordney, M. (2012). Administrative Medical Assisting. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
