appearance in med school

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evelknieveljaja

evelknieveljaja

Enjoying the year off
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so i got accepted late last cycle and decided to defer for a year. since then i've had a mohawk which started out for fun but i love it lol. i wonder if i could be the first doc to rock it? i know hospitals are against visible piercings, tats..but what about hair? doesn't look too noticeable when its combed down. i guess ill have to go back to regular hair...
 
evelknieveljaja said:
so i got accepted late last cycle and decided to defer for a year. since then i've had a mohawk which started out for fun but i love it lol. i wonder if i could be the first doc to rock it? i know hospitals are against visible piercings, tats..but what about hair? doesn't look too noticeable when its combed down. i guess ill have to go back to regular hair...
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I think it depends on what kind of mohawk are we talking about. There is a difference between this --> http://blog.kingsoutdoorworld.com/wp-content/trapshoot-mohawk1.jpg and this -> http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_30PRmkOl4...id-beckham-hairstyle-mini-mohawk-5-743412.jpg
 
we have to have neatly kept hair and facial hair, which includes a ban on non natural colors and, you guessed it, mohawks.

you could probably get by with the second pic posted above. it's really all about decency. if you deferred over its possible offensiveness, it's probably pushing the limits.
 
I don't think being offensive is the problem if you are able to tone it down, it's just a matter of whether your colleagues and patients will be able to take you seriously or not....
 
Pedie Packs said:
I don't think being offensive is the problem if you are able to tone it down, it's just a matter of whether your colleagues and patients will be able to take you seriously or not....
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to the point where it's no longer offensive?

Being offensive is definitely the problem. Most school will have a dress code, not just for the clinics, in order to maintain a level of professionalism
 
Make sure that you have that mohawk during your third year clinical rotations. And also wear a really funky tie, preferably a tie with an image of a naked girl. The residents and attending with whom you work will think it is really funny and you will nail honors in most of your rotations for sure.
 
Think back to any of the times you've been in a hospital or a clinic. What do most of the doctors look like? They pretty much all have conservative hair styles and clothing. The key word is professionalism.

A mohawk in and of itself is not offensive to me, but I couldn't say the same for the 65 y/o patient that thinks you look like a punk. It's just not a professional image to put forth that engenders trust.
 
ChiDO said:
you probably can wear a mohawk when you are an attending, but during M3-4 and residency, you'll get chewed out.
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really? I'm just saying, I've never seen a doc who wasn't styled conservatively.
 
specter said:
really? I'm just saying, I've never seen a doc who wasn't styled conservatively.
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Some ER docs I've met had tats and dyed faux-hawks. Another one wore his hair in a huge braid down his back. But the vast majority are very conservative. I wouldn't step too much outside the box, looks-wise, when still a student or resident.
 
I agree. I have rarely seen doctors who did not dress or groom conservatively. I mean, as a patient, I would also like to see my doctors dress in conservative fashion
 
I know you have images of being the "cool" doctor. What's more likely though is you'll soon start balding.

So while you can, you should cut a lock and put it in a zip lock baggy. Keep it in a safe location, like the back of your sock drawer.

In 20 years when your kids are making fun of your bald, over-worked, wrinkly shell, you can go whip out the evidence of your former glory.
 
sideways said:
I know you have images of being the "cool" doctor. What's more likely though is you'll soon start balding.

So while you can, you should cut a lock and put it in a zip lock baggy. Keep it in a safe location, like the back of your sock drawer.
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the first version was better (yeah, I saw it)
 
just go conservative in appearance, it won't change the person that you already are.

Imagine if you have an 80 year old patient whose life is on the line - would you want to look like a capable physician, or would you want to look like their punk grandson? Which do you think would make the patient feel most comfortable?
 
before school started i wanted a snakebite piercing on my lower lip. Turns out that'll probably scar.

👎
 
Don't really know where you would stand from a legal standpoint. Interestingly, there is a professor at my undergrad with a rocker mohawk. Definitely not saying this is anything like a med student rocking a hawk but it is interesting none the less.
 
We have a female resident at my school who wears a nose ring. Besides just flat-out not looking good, it does seem a bit unprofessional to me.
 
thesauce said:
We have a female resident at my school who wears a nose ring. Besides just flat-out not looking good, it does seem a bit unprofessional to me.
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Is she Indian? I know that many women in India wear nose-rings - I don't think it's considered unprofessional over there, even though it might be here.
 
strummin said:
Is she Indian? I know that many women in India wear nose-rings - I don't think it's considered unprofessional over there, even though it might be here.
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Good point. I saw a doctor with a lip disc.
 
thesauce said:
We have a female resident at my school who wears a nose ring. Besides just flat-out not looking good, it does seem a bit unprofessional to me.
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I've always thought a little studish thing was cute on a girl.
 
thesauce said:
We have a female resident at my school who wears a nose ring. Besides just flat-out not looking good, it does seem a bit unprofessional to me.
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Nostril piercings never look good IMO. I kinda want a septum piercing though. If you wear the wrong jewelry it looks like a booger, but it's definitely the easiest facial piercing to hide.
 
i think once you're a doc you can do whatever you want, but as a student you want to present the appearance of at least trying to be professional. when i was a TA for a med class i heard the professors commenting on students appearances' from time to time. i know one time the kids wearing like, track pants and backwards hats got mentioned. come to think of it though, it seems like it has more to do with your attitude than anything else. if you are respectful, professional, and do good work then you can get away with more. if you act like a slacker or a brat AND dress like a punk, that is bad. its not like they will judge you based on your appearance alone (hopefully) but . . . if you end up having other issues, its not good to have one more thing for people to judge about you on top of that.

i've definitely toned down my appearance in preparation for med school. i traded my eyebrow ring for a nose stud and my purple hair for my natural color. i want tats but i am going to wait for a while. and i am going to resist the urge to wear sweatpants to class . . .
 
specter said:
hah, I think a little designer stubble is socially acceptable.
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what's the deal on this? i don't shave every day, and the other day while i was shadowing the doc talked about a pt who was unkempt/unshaven (don't rmr which word) but when i saw the pt i was pretty sure their stubble was about the same as mine...lol
 
I've got a full beard - not bushy mountain man style but neatly maintained. Is this acceptable in med school? My face friend has been with me for 3 years and I couldn't part with him...
 
wow a lot of replies to the thread lol. if i knew how to post pics i would.

i mean i'm going to get it cut 'normally' again i just thought i'd see what people thought. but i wonder if in the future some of the preconceptions about appearance will fade or not. to some people in this thread it makes sense that if u look different u aren't 'professional' but i don't think this is necessarily true. but nonetheless i will conform simply so i can actually get a job lol.

but if ur in a year off u should definitely try something different
 
sideways said:
I know you have images of being the "cool" doctor. What's more likely though is you'll soon start balding.

So while you can, you should cut a lock and put it in a zip lock baggy. Keep it in a safe location, like the back of your sock drawer.

In 20 years when your kids are making fun of your bald, over-worked, wrinkly shell, you can go whip out the evidence of your former glory.
Click to expand...

Hey now...dont underestimate the coolness of the fro-less.
 
surfer11 said:
is it ok to be clean shaven, no tatoos or piercings, but to have long curly wavy hair (not the type of hair that is shoulder length and falls flat but more like frizzy hair that puffs up and is wavy and curly....)


also i like to dress up for class... colorful bow-tie, blue button down shirt, khaki pants, and sperry shoes...

i go to an undergrad where this is the norm... what about dressing up for med school?
Click to expand...

bow-tie?

i can honestly say that ive never seen one of these worn casually.
 
i wear an industrial piercing and have a small tattoo on my wrist, i hope i don't have to cover them but it wouldn't be the end of the world i guess.

when i was volunteering one time i saw a female doctor wearing open-toed shoes and i was like 😱 soo unprofessional
 
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