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Doctors require durable, comfortable footwear that holds up through thousands of active and on-call hours in outpatient and inpatient care facilities. For these healthcare professionals, finding a pair of long-lasting, comfortable shoes can be a whole chore on top of an already hectic work-life routine.
We’ve curated a list of our best shoes for doctors to help you reduce the likelihood of developing plantar fasciitis or other conditions caused by ill-fitting or substandard footwear. But first, we should break down what goes into making comfortable dress shoes for doctors.
What Goes Into Making the Best Shoes for Doctors?
In consideration of doctors with varying specializations and job requirements across inpatient and outpatient facilities, we’ve identified which characteristics go into making the best shoes for doctors:
- Comfort
- Support
- Breathability
- Durability
- Flexibility
- Slip & fluid-resistance
With long hours of standing and working on the go, comfort is the utmost priority. All-day comfort comes from all major sections of the shoe: the upper, insole, midsole, outsole, toe box, and heel. For example, a low heel and lower heel-to-drop may provide more stability and comfort for doctors by bringing their feet closer to the ground.
While a cheap pair of running shoes may seem like the right solution—just wear, tear, and repeat—doctors learned well before their residency that a cheap shoe provides cheap amenities. Choosing quality materials means choosing the best care for your feet, joints, and lower back.
Full-grain leather is a great example of a textile with supreme comfort, durability, and flexibility. In fact, the Association of Surgical Technologists (AST) lists only rubber and leather shoes as the best choices for protective footwear worn by surgical personnel (p. 7).
If properly cared for, a pair of leather dress shoes could last a doctor much longer than the ordinary sneaker. However, you’d need to find a leather shoe that has kept up with innovations seen in athletic footwear. You may ask, “Do they even make leather shoes like that ?” Yes, we do.
Let’s step into our list of the best shoes for doctors that meet and exceed these characteristics.
#1. The Original in Chestnut
As the name implies, The Original is our innovative take on the outdated design of men’s dress shoes.
Our vertically sourced A-Grade leather comes from one of the world’s leading tanneries and is then sent to our skilled craftsmen in Portugal for assembly. It’s handcrafted and pre-stretched, which makes these one of the most affordable and most comfortable dress shoes for doctors seeking full-grain leather shoes.
In Chestnut, you can pair these rich dress shoes with nearly any outfit in or out of the office. If you’re more interested in a pair of black or suede dress shoes instead, we make those too!
Alternatives: The Original in Obsidian
And The Original in Honey
#2. The Loafer in Obsidian
These slip-on shoes strike a balance between form and function. They offer a classy, professional appearance while providing support and a slip resistant grip to keep you on your toes.
The luxurious obsidian color is stained into a sturdy body of full-grain, world-class leather from American steer. Below, the dual-density outsole protects your feet from fatigue with strong hiking boot material and remains flexible with athletic technology near the toe.
Inside, the heat-activated arch support forms to your foot’s unique shape. With the addition of smooth, laser-perforated sheepskin lining, these high-tech shoes allow your feet to breathe—unlike most surgical gowns.
An Alternative: The Loafer in Cobalt Blue Suede
If you’re a pediatrician, family medicine, direct primary care, or an otherwise non-hospital physician, your dress code may permit you to have a bit more fun with how you choose to dress. Not only do these suede loafers offer the same benefits as our first recommendation, but they also have water-repellent Italian suede leather.
Pair it with your white coat or your Saturday 9-hole attire. The Cobalt Blue may stand out from the rest of your outfit, but that’s no problem—in all actuality, it’s the point!
#3. The Chelsea in Midnight Suede
Our Chelsea shoes have all the benefits of our previous shoes, but they aren’t like any other Chelsea-style shoes you’ll find elsewhere. We’ve managed to provide luxury for less by cutting costs without compromising on materials or build quality—cutting standard costs by 2-3 times the standard!
The shoe’s insole thermo-molds to your foot to support your every step from dawn to dusk. Whether you dress them up for work or down for an evening out, the stealthy Midnight Suede makes The Chelsea one of the most versatile and best shoes for doctors hoping to get more out of their footwear.
Do No Harm (To Your Feet) With Amberjack
Fatigue, foot and joint pain, and burnout are all real challenges for doctors and healthcare workers. While we may not be able to use our innovative shoes to change the healthcare industry, we can make a difference by supporting the soles of the people who care for us!
We founded Amberjack because we saw an opportunity to change dress shoes for good.
Our ultra-comfortable, world-class shoes are more than just the pinnacle of shoe technology and modern style. With production in ISO-certified sustainable tanneries, fair wage factories, plastic-free packaging, and carbon-neutral shipping, we’re taking steps in the right direction. See more of the best shoes for doctors and see how we’ve done things differently!