Does radiology’s dress code need a bit more creativity?

It might be time for radiologists to start thinking a bit outside the box when it comes to what they wear to work, according to an entertaining column published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

“PACS has led to fewer face-to-face physician interactions, so why not indulge in more creative dress?” wrote Mark Schweitzer, MD, of Stony Brook University in New York. “We are in a historical period where uniforms, whether they be ‘Gap-like’ casual or lawyerly formal, are not needed for most of our practices. This personal expression might stimulate our inventive nature and perhaps make us better at our craft.”

Schweitzer wrote that white coats are still common in radiology, but the length of your coat was once “a window into your seniority.”

“Much like nurse’s hats that identified where they trained, the length of our laboratory coats as an indicator of seniority is a symbol of a time that has long since passed,” he wrote.

Modern radiologists, he added, now opt for “neat casual clothing.” But where’s the excitement in that?

Schweitzer concluded by joking that a Lady Gaga dress might be a bit too excessive, but something like “a pair of loud socks or an interesting scarf” could help radiologists “get the juices in the left side of our brains going.”

(Note: With #pinksocks becoming a major trend for healthcare specialists, including radiologists, perhaps Schweitzer is on to something?)