Dr. Paul Thomas at Wayne State University School of Medicine for a Lecture on Dressing Well in Medicine
Dr. Paul Thomas at Wayne State University School of Medicine for a Lecture on Dressing Well in Medicine
After the publication of my book, one of the class leaders at Wayne State University School of Medicine reached out and asked if I’d like to give a lecture on my new book, Dressing Well in Medicine. As I believe that this topic - what doctors wear, professionalism in medicine, etc.. - is extremely important for medical students, I jumped at the opportunity.
On Wednesday, May 18th, 2022, I had the privilege of discussing Dressing Well in Medicine with a group of medical students at Wayne State University School of Medicine. Medical students usually have one line or one page to discuss dress code for their medical students. Our syllabus said dress in a manner that is “clean and neat”. Sometimes, there will be a lecture about the residency interview process.
In my opinion, there is a lot more to be said about what physicians wear, how they present themselves, the relevant research about what doctors wear in the hospital and patient preferences for different attire in different settings, what doctors should keep in their bags when they make a house call, and how to dress well as a physician in different scenarios.
During the lecture, we had a great conversation about all of the above - and more - including branding and personal branding. The students enjoyed the material, and one student emailed me after the presentation to say:
"I personally found the presentation both inspiring and informative, learning a lot about physician presentation and branding. We have also received highly positive feedback from attendees."
Thank you again to Wayne State University School of Medicine and their students for having me out to their campus to discuss these important issues.
-Dr. Paul Thomas with Plum Health DPC in Detroit Michigan, author of Dressing Well in Medicine
Additionally, I was recently interviewed by a medical student-run podcast called “Leading the Rounds”. During the conversation, we discuss the Dressing Well in Medicine book and what medical students can do to appear more mature and confident as they progress through their medical school and residency training.
Here’s what they asked me during the podcast interview:
Questions We Asked:
You just released a new book, Dressing Well in Medicine: what to wear for your medical school interviews and how to dress professionally throughout your career in medicine. What inspired you to write about this? How should you dress for a medical school or residency interview? How does virtual interviewing change things? How should you set up your background? Where do you draw the line between standing out and blending in with your dress and attire? How does appearance play into effectiveness leading teams and organizations? Is there a way to dress well when you have to wear scrubs? How do patient expectations change your dress? How much of dress is reading the room vs. holding yourself to a higher standard? You talk about house calls as a DPC physician, how does this change the interaction? How did you learn how to dress and carry yourself well? Book Suggestions?
Dr. Paul Thomas with two medical students at Wayne State University School of Medicine after the lecture on Dressing Well in Medicine.