Dear Darina,
I am starting out in my first job as an orthopaedic registrar. What shoes should I wear? -Anon
Dear Anon,
They say you should invest in things that keep you off the ground – footwear, tyres and mattresses. While I’ve watched my share of Drive to Survive, I don’t think that stretches to offering advice on vehicular maintenance. And what you do after dark is your own business, but as a person with two (admittedly smaller than average) feet, shoes are something I know plenty about.
When completing your early morning rounds, a pair of fresh white kicks can brighten everyone’s morning and make any outfit look sharp. But be warned – these are not for every occasion. Training weekend dress codes have recently been updated following one surgeon’s foray into street style (1). And we’ve all borne witness to a (formerly) white shoe falling foul of unexpected discharge at the bedside.
No theatre block is complete without the gentle ‘clomp-clomp’ of surgical clogs drifting through the corridors. Whether you choose a brightly coloured Croc or a more understated Birkenstock (2), nothing says ‘I’ve arrived’ louder than your loosely secured footwear. In the same way Achilles was dipped in the River Styx to achieve immortality, you too shall be protected from sharps and blood splatters – aside from your vulnerable exposed heels. A rolled-up scrub pant leg can be added to achieve the ultimate ‘breezy ankle’ look
A wise man once said ‘orthopods prefer a little pain to gain when they train’. Nothing embodies this statement more than sporting a pair of sky-high heels (3) as you patrol the hospital corridors at break-neck speed. Add in the average woman’s 5kg handbag (believe me, I’ve weighed it) and it’s more of a workout than the toughest of leg days
For the more agriculturally minded individual, we have the humble gumboot.
The gumboot is generally obtained from a hidden office near theatre stores, or a trip to your local NZ Safety Blackwoods (personal experience due to the aforementioned small feet). They may require bespoke modifications from the factory model (4, 5). It is customary that gumboots acquire a patina of iodine and dried blood early in your career, never to be washed off and displayed as a badge of honour as you haul with all your might on that dislocated hip
A well-worn pair of RM Williams (6) is a familiar sight in the hallowed halls of fracture clinic. How an outback staple became so synonymous with surgical registrar is unclear, although there are some parallels to be drawn between mustering sheep and clearing a plaster room. Legend has it, an anaesthetist once turned up to a MET call in a pair of RM Williams boots and was turned away... mistaken as the orthopaedic registrar
The world is your oyster as you foray into this new chapter of your career. High or low, dark or bright, the shoes you decide upon are a reflection of the person wearing them. Choose comfort, choose style, choose going with status quo versus shaking it up. Regardless of the footwear you pick, I believe the woman maketh the shoe, not the other way around - Darina
Got a question or topic you'd like advice on? Please email: vanya@nzoa.org.nz