Lab coats are those gowns worn by health professionals during their tour of duty. This can be in long sleeves or only short sleeves, and can be with length lower than the knee or above the knee. It really depends on the regulatory requirements that are specified with these respective institutions. However, it is not only the health professionals wearing this, and this can also be worn by scientists or the laboratory technicians doing experimental work in the laboratories. These are worn over their ordinary street clothes, mainly for protection from the hazardous materials they are handling in their course of work. The usual color of these gowns or coats is white, probably for projection of cleanliness, but this is usually the color consensus, and also probably agreed by everyone.

We cannot exactly tell who wore this kind of white gowns first when performing their duties, the medical doctors or the scientists, but what is sure is that this gown can project reputation to the wearer. People seeing the medical doctor wearing his white gown will see that this is the kind of doctor that is not just anybody, and this is projection that is well accepted by people. When persons see scientists and laboratory technicians wearing this white coat or gown, they will see them as persons that need respect because of what they are, being the reputable people in their field.

Chemists and micro-biologists also wear this kind of gowns during the performance of their duties. They wear this to make them identifiable among the rest of the employees in the company, with those in white gowns being seen as handling the sensitive and potential hazardous materials. Medical doctors however, are wearing the non white gowns, more of them, especially those handling surgeries. They wear the medical scrubs, like those worn by the nurses and also other medical and health professionals. Most of the doctors handling patients and consultation visits however, are still wearing the white gowns, and this is the well respected attire that patients look up to.

There are also some countries where even the teachers are wearing these types of gowns while doing their teaching jobs. This can be their uniform choice though, and depends on the school institution that has this regulation. It can be that they want to project reputation, but the kind of learning they extend will be the matrix on efficiency of their learning extended. It can also be that the school institution really wants to enforce this uniform regulation, for whatever purpose and intentions they have.

Lab coats or gowns may be worn by anybody while in the performance of their work, but what is most important is that this will provide protection in the things they are handling. This can also be the kind of uniform that will give them identification and giving projections that can draw out respect from people. They are also wearing these gowns and coats over their ordinary street clothes, thus providing protection from hazardous materials they may be handling.