Looks are everything

I hope you did your homework and popped over and read http://insomniacmedic.blogspot.com/2010/12/boots.html

I'm sure my twitter followers will be well aware that both I and @insomniacmedic1 have a thing about polished boots.

I'm a firm believer in "if you look the part you'll act the part" and I try to bring other people round to my thinking.

On a duty recently with a new member he was looking through my kit bag "how much did that cost" pointing to my pulse oximeter "where did you get that" looking at my glucometer.

I explained each one and then told him not to bother buying any of them, he looked at me and said "yea I know I can’t use them now but when I get more training, I'll need them"

"You need to start with something else first" "What?" "An iron and a tin of polish"

You know that look dogs make when they turn their head to the side trying to distinguish where a noise came from, that’s what I was faced with.

I had to explain that to be honest......he looked like he was dragged through a hedge backwards!

The rest of the duty was spent explaining how the first impression is everything and that it’s usually made up of what the person sees.

I hope next time were on duty together his boots will at least be black and not a scuffed grey, his trousers look like they've at least seen a hanger and he isn't doing a rabbit impression.

If you walked into a restaurant and the waiter was covered in stains, he looked scruffy, his shirt was undone. Would you be happy he was serving you food?? I wouldn't. If you see a pilot walking into the cockpit of the plane you're about to travel on, wearing a pair of jeans and scruffy trainers would you be happy he was flying? I wouldn't

You can be the best at what you do, but if you don't make the effort to appear professional I won’t trust you as far as I can throw you.

Why should the people who look after you when you're sick or injured be any different?

I think it's a shame that on a duty recently two people commented on my polished boots, one a Garda (police officer) and the other a paramedic. It should be that comments are only passed on scruffy attire, that everyone is properly turned out and the ones who don't meet the standard stand out not the other way round.

Put the effort in, little and often makes all the difference. I know sometimes situations beyond our control get in the way, like c-spine control on a person who's fallen off a horse into a muddy ditch, but if you start off with the work done sorting it out after will be a lot easier.

First impressions are everything. Get the iron out, and don't forget the kiwi polish.

Remember if you look the part, you'll act the part!