While “professional clogs” might sound like they are somehow related to the European sport of clogging, they instead are must have’s for those in the medical field. Doctors and nurses know that in order to do their job right their feet need to be comfortable and having the right clogs can make all the difference.

Professional clogs? When you read that, what immediately comes into your head? For me, when I first heard that phrase I automatically thought that they were a line of clogs for clogging competitions in Holland. There has to be some type of professional clogging league in Europe, right? I mean, I have no idea how they score it, but I’m sure they have some type of expensive clogs they buy from suppliers that give them superior clogging ability, right (I know, I know, I’m saying clogs a lot)?

Anyway, I completely digress. To my surprise professional clogs does not have anything to do with dancing, but instead have to do with the medical field. You see, may they be doctors or nurses, people in the medical field love wearing professional clogs. Why? Well, not only are they comfortable for professionals who are on their feet all day, but they are also breathable while being stain resistant. Most clogs can be cleaned with either a cloth or a little spot of water. This is absolutely paramount for a doctor. There is a lot of fluid that a doctor comes across throughout the day. The last thing you want is to have your shoes stain a day after buying them.

Looking at the description of professional clogs online, you notice that the makers do have comfort in mind as much as practability. According to several websites which sell them, a few of the highlighted features of the professional clogs includes: absorbent insoles, protective heel caps, reinforced padded insteps, a roomy toe box for increased comfort, a stabilizing PVC insert, a shock-absorbing flexible PU sole, and, very importantly for a doctor, a skid-resistant outsole. Other clogs may feature additional features and because professional clogs seem to run around $110-$120 it is a good idea to carefully study them all and take your investment rather seriously.

Style wise, the clogs come in a variety of practical designs and colors. For men such styles include both Professional Oil Clogs which come in red, brown and black and its cousin, the shinier, Professional Cabrio line which comes in black, red and blue. Women can also pick from the Carbria and Oil lines but also have the choice of some designer clogs featuring leopard print designs, snake skin patterns, flower patterns, zebra stripes and, yes, even a “brown cow” design. How could you not pass up the chance to wear a brown cow clog? Sounds like a winner to me.

Author Kimberly Green has worked in the medical field and absolutely feels professional clogs from Medelita.com are the best around!

Thanks to show like Grey’s Anatomy, doctors have become major sex symbol, at least on TV. When did all of this start exactly?

When did wearing a lab coat make someone a sex symbol? I know your mother always wanted you to grow up and marry a doctor, but I never really grew up thinking that doctors were sex symbols. Lab coats are essentially work clothes developed to keep gross stuff off of a doctor. What’s sexy about someone who looks down people throats and has handwriting so terrible that you need some kind of amulet to decipher it.

Apparently, in the past twenty years things have changed. Thanks mostly in part to TV shows the idea of doctors as sex symbols has gained much traction. It probably started with General Hospital. For those of you who have never watched the show, General Hospital is a long running ABC soap opera where a bunch of beautiful people work in a hospital. Typical soap opera stuff occurs in droves: lots of sexy doctors with their shirts off, lots of casual hookups, etc.

The continuing popularity of soaps like General Hospital led to an explosion in prime time hospital dramas in the 1990s. Famously two hospital dramas premiered in the 1994-95 season. Chicago Hope and ER both featured sexy doctors in dramatic situations. It made sex symbols out of people like George Clooney and Noah Wyle and essentially set the stage for what was to come for doctors in prime time for decades to come. Of course, Chicago Hope only lasted a few season while ER lasted for 15 years and become one of the most beloved dramas in television history.

While ER might have kick started the “sexy” doctor genre, it was ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy which came to symbolize just how “sexy” a doctor in a lab coat could be. It was a show that featured just as many in hospital hookups as medical cases. They actors were so sexy, in fact, that they were given sexy nicknames like “McDreamy and “McSteamy”. The female doctors were not hacks either. Katherine Heigl became a big star thanks to the show as she seems to spend as much time in tight clothing as she does in doctor’s gear.

Of course Grey’s Anatomy has led to a slew of copy cats on television. Now each network has their Grey’s knockoff featuring sexy doctors hooking up and working on cool cases in random city hospitals. I don’t really watch any of them but I know the stars thanks to the buzz. Are they sexy? Sure. Is it an accurate portrayal of doctors? Not really. Do real doctors mind being thought at as sex symbols? I’m sure they don’t.

Author Kimberly Green used to work in the medical field. Back then, wearing a lab coat was not at all sexy!

For those of us not in the medical field, we believe that a lab coat is just a lab coat. But for those in the medical field, you know that you ultimately get what you pay for.

Like most people I have always been under the impression that there is no difference between one doctors lab coat and another. Lab coats are just lab coats, right? Just cloth with pockets for prescription pads, correct?

Ask any doctor and they will laugh at this. I actually know this because one of my friends who is a pediatrician did this when I asked her why she would spend $150 on a lab coat. How was I supposed to know? But I guess the old rule applies here: you get what you pay for. You can spend less on a lab coat, but if you spend all day in it, you wouldn’t want to.

She put it to me this way: say you’re a lawyer who has to spend most of his or her day driving from city to city for court appearances. You spend, say, four hours a day on the road driving your car. When it comes time to purchase a new car that you’re going to spend all that time in, are you going to buy the cheap car with uncomfortable seats or a more expensive one that has designer seats which won’t hurt your back day after day? Chances are if you have the money you’re going to spend a little extra of it on the car that you’ll be the most comfortable in.

And like a car, differently priced lab coats have different features and comfort levels. A basic lab coat will essentially give you a coat with one or two pockets, no stain protection and very little breathability. If you can live with it then go ahead, you just won’t be very comfortable with it. Also, they probably aren’t going to last that long so you’ll have to buy a new one fairly soon.

According to my friend good lab coats all have a few things in common. First of all, the fabric needs to be breathable. 100% cotton lab coats seem to be the way to go since they not only breathe but also are more durable, comfortable, and look better longer. While most people might not think about it, the way a lab coat fits is also very important. A properly fitted coat disperses the weight of the garment and its contents (i.e. what’s in the pockets) over the entire shoulders and not just the back of the neck. This obviously makes the lab coat more comfortable.

My friend also stated that a quality doctors lab coat should have at least four pockets, have soil and stain treatment and should give its wearer a full range of motion without compromising protection. Finally, lab coats have to have a certain style. Since it will be one of the first impressions you make to your patients, you want them to look good and give them off a certain professional feel. All of these make a good lab coat, and it’s a lot more important than you might think.

Author Kimberly Green has many friends in the medical field and got this information about doctors lab coats from those who are actively wearing them in the field.

If you are in the medical profession you understand how important a lab coat is throughout the day. Chances are, you also know that there is a difference between a men’s and a women’s lab coat.

There are many things in the clothing universe that you just don’t think about. Like for example: is there a difference between men’s lab coats and women’s lab coats? I guess it really doesn’t matter unless you wear a lab coat all day, but if you do wear one then you probably know the answer: yes, there is. It might be subtle, but for doctors subtle is important.

In recent years a big industry has sprung up for both male and female specific lab coats. Maybe it’s all these doctor show’s starring beautiful people which are fueling this industry, but women have specific needs when it comes to fit and comfort just like men do. It’s not just the medical industry either, many companies have ditched unisex uniforms for male and female uniforms which are tailored to each sexes individual needs.

In the medical field, uniforms are very common. From receptionists to nurses to doctors to surgeons, everyone you see seems to be wearing a specific uniform tailored for their tasks. For nurses, scrubs are usually the norm. While there is not a huge difference in the tailored pattern for each sex, there are definitely design differences. For example, there is a huge market for themed scrubs. For women you can get anything from a pattern of cats to Big Bird from Sesame Street. For men, well, they usually go plain but the sky is the limit for them to. Scrubs can also run the gambit in cost from cheap pairs which you can change daily to something designer and expensive that can last the long haul.

For doctors, uniforms are a bit difference. For his time in his office a doctor will usually wear either slacks and a dress shirt, or a dress and pant suit, depending on the sex. When it’s time to visit the patients, though, it’s usually time to don a lab coat over your outfit. Most hospitals or clinics will usually allow doctors to pick their own lab coats and though most look the same (some variation of the color white and a few pockets), not all lab coats are created equal. Besides having different styles for both men and women, lab coats can feature different designs, strain protectors, fabrics and even pockets. Cost wise, they can go from a basic lab coat that will need to be tossed after a few months for around $30 to a designer lab coat that can repel stains and stay white for a couple hundred dollars. Since they spend so much time in them a doctor will usually invest in a more expensive coat so they don’t need to keep replacing them.

So there you go. There is a difference in men’s lab coats and women’s lab coats. See, you learn something new every day.

Author Kimberly Green is truly impressed with the men’s lab coats she has seen on medelita.com

Author: Kimberly Green

When shopping for a lab coat, one has to consider the merits of a true designer lab coats versus the mass-produced, poorly constructed lab coats that some companies recklessly label as “designer”. True designer lab coats are hand-sewn, made of premium quality fabrics and have interesting, sophisticated designs. Couture tailoring details such as inside seams, rounded collar, darting and treatment with high quality fabric protector are the hallmarks of true designer lab coats.

As “designer lab coats” go – buyer beware. There is more to a designer lab coat than mere appearance. Before making a purchase, one must ask, “does this ‘designer lab coat’ have the same attributes as any other piece of designer clothing?” If not, consider buying from uniform companies that don’t assign designer labels to mediocre products. Also consider original designer lab coat manufacturers based in the U.S.

If one is looking for a designer lab coat, look beyond price and focus on the details. You can easily identify a hand sewn garment by the type of stitching and complexity of the details. Hand sewn garments often have rounded collars, pockets and finished French inside seams, as opposed to sloppy, outer stitching that is visible and exposed to fraying. These details give a true “designer lab coat”, the feel of a finely tailored ladies sport coat rather that a boxy, square cut, smock.

Look for premium quality, 100 percent cotton fabric, as the gold standard in “designer lab coats”. This is what gives the garment its structural stability and permits a sophisticated designer form. Some “designer lab coat” companies use soil and stain treatment to help prevent soil and staining in harsh medical environments. When one evaluates the design of a lab coat one must give soil and stain treatment a high priority, considering the environment and the intended use of these garments.

Designer clothing flatters and compliments its wearer. From elegant evening gowns to “upscale jeans”, designer garments are synonymous with quality, durability, and timeless style. A “designer lab coat” should also live up to these standards and make the person wearing it feel good about themselves, as if they were wearing a favorite outfit.

“Genuine designer lab coats” are “designer” and tested by people who wear them, just as performance athletic clothing and any other specialty item. Some companies create, manufacture and test their designs while others simply act as resellers. To ensure you are buying a designer lab coat, purchase it directly from the manufacturer. Many can be found online and more are found in uniforms stores across the United States.