Just keep in mind that a beard may cause some difficulties to overcome later on. For instance, in order to treat a patient under airborn precautions/respiratory isolation (such as if they have Tuberculosis) you will need to be able to wear at minimum a tight-fitting N95 respirator. OSHA requires respiratory fit testing for these kinds of respirators and prohibits testing when facial hair is present between the sealing surfaces and the skin. This would include virtually all beards. You can get around this by wearing a hood and PAPR combo, but it is both more expensive and more cumbersome, but would be a good option if you need the beard for religious reasons. A number of hospitals have made this switch to utilize hoods and PAPR's, particularly for their physicians, but it is by no means universally available. In some cases the patient themselves can be masked by another physician or nursing staff prior to you entering the area, which would then permit you to enter without a respirator. But this is not appropriate or practical in all situations.
