

Would you trust a doctor in a T-shirt? - schrofer
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23376869

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hownottowrite
Lawyers, bankers, and politicians wear suits. They're certainly trustworthy
people.

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alan_cx
How is a lawyer not trust worthy? I have never seen a case where a lawyer
screws over a client. Never understood this business of saying lawyers cannot
be trusted.

If one means that a lawyer acting against one on behalf of another party
cannot be trusted, well, of course. Such a lawyer is not acting for one. In
that instance, one would instruct one's own lawyer, and that lawyer would be
100% trust-able.

~~~
LeeHunter
In my limited dealings with lawyers I have seen several instances where the
lawyer appeared to be recommending a course of action that seemed geared
towards extending their billings rather than serving their client's interests
with a speedy resolution. This seems to be a common practice with a small but
significant minority of lawyers.

~~~
alan_cx
No builders, doctors, dentists, or car mechanics then? Your point is a
criticism that can apply to any profession. No reason to target lawyers.

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LeeHunter
I don't think anyone was suggesting that there are no crooks in other
professions. I was responding to YOUR comment that you couldn't imagine a
crooked lawyer. As to why lawyers are singled out it may be partly due to
their unique position in society that allows them to harass and bully. For
example [http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/crime/lawyer-
threaten...](http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/crime/lawyer-threatens-
suit-over-coat) or the recent case of Oatmeal vs dickhead lawyer.

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beagle3
In some hospitals, not wearing a coat is a status symbol indicating seniority.
In these places, you SHOULD trust the doctor in the T-shirt (or the button
down, or the dress) more than you trust those with the coat

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lunchladydoris
In a similar vein, here in the UK, surgeons return to being called mister once
they're fully qualified.

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masnick
I'd rather have my doctor wear a tshirt than wear a tie: ties are known to
spread infection.
[http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=99526&page=1](http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=99526&page=1)

I suspect the same could be true with long sleeves.

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bobdvb
Noses and hands also spread infections, I don't want my doctor to have them
either.

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masnick
Poor hand hygiene is a huge cause of preventable, hospital-acquired infection.
See [http://www.who.int/gpsc/5may/tools/who_guidelines-
handhygien...](http://www.who.int/gpsc/5may/tools/who_guidelines-
handhygiene_summary.pdf) (pdf).

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harrytuttle
In a similar vein: would you trust a programmer in a suit?

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cliveowen
Why not, sometimes even programmers want to dress in style.

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levosmetalo
Suit != style.

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rasur
This seems to be a case of "how you dress defines your competencies in your
profession", which for some professions it surely would have some bearing[1],
but in general, how you are dressed should not really make any difference to
the job you perform.

This is, as others here have pointed out, more generally a question of
conformity (with some arbitrarily expected "norm").

[1] An example off the top of my head: I'd question the competence of a fire-
fighter turning up to fight a fire in jeans and a t-shirt instead of proper
protective attire.

~~~
fnordfnordfnord
>I'd question the competence of a fire-fighter turning up to fight a fire in
jeans and a t-shirt instead of proper protective attire.

As you should, a fire-fighter's protective bunker gear is _necessary_ to
perform their job function.

A coat or tie OTOH does nothing to improve the doctor's ability to perform
his/her job function. Deference to such traditional costumes might even lend
credibility where none is deserved.

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mordae
My doctor wears T-shirt and a coat, does that count? I don't think it's
important what they wear as long as it's clean and the person looks confident
and capable.

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bobdvb
Sorry, I might not be old, but I do like my professionals to be professionally
dressed, I consider professional to involve being smart and smart generally
involves wearing a shirt. You might think I am wrong, but in equal measure I
too think you are wrong.

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Crake
I don't care what they wear, so long as I can afford to see one. :(

/American citizen

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tome
Would you marry someone in a T-shirt? Would you go to a funeral wearing a
T-shirt? I don't have a good answer to any of these questions :)

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scoyote
Absolutely!

