Callous Comics

The White Coat
    I remember the days when I was a struggling med student and was longing for the day I could wear one of those long white coats that billowed about as I storm through the hospital hallways like my mentors' would.  That day did eventually arrive and I quickly realized what it meant to wear a coat, any coat, in a tropical country like mine.  It was hot and uncomfortable!  After only a few days of wearing it proudly I found it to be more of a nuisance than anything else.  It would get in the way, would get caught in the wheels of a desk chair, and would get dirty quite often (just imagine all the fluids we doctors encounter), among other disadvantages.
    But the effect it has on patients is noticeable.  Wearing a sharp doctor's coat does give that immediate positive first impression more often than not.  And sometimes, that first moment really, really counts.  Obtaining a patient's trust is more than half the battle and keeping it is a lifelong mission.  So any means one can use to establish a good, honest rapport with a patient is valuable.  Just be sure to wash that doctor's coat often.