Changing your last name after marraige

[DryEye]

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I'm not too sure if any of you are/were in this dilemma.

Can you graduate from OD school and get your degree in your maiden name and then practise with your married name?

 

[WoodyJI]

I'm not too sure if any of you are/were in this dilemma.

Can you graduate from OD school and get your degree in your maiden name and then practise[sic] with your married name?

My wife (med student) decided to keep her maiden name for professional use, and take my name socially. There's too much red tape involved in legal name changes, I think. Wedding planning is complicated enough without it! It should be useful when someone calls the house asking to speak with Dr. XY, you know it means your husband (otherwise they'd have asked for Dr. XX—get it? 😉 I crack myself up sometimes...).

I think it's easier to tell people you're Mrs. XY when you're out with your husband than Dr. XY at the office when the degree on the wall says Dr. XX. That said, nobody really looks at the degree on the wall anyways.

 

[DryEye]

Thats the situation I will be in as well. My husband is a med student. I wanted to change my name eventually but leave my maiden name on the degree. Ah well, I guess we will see once I make it through OD school.

Thanks for the response!

 

[4Eyes]

I thought if you changed your name legally, showed the appropriate paperwork to the appropriate people, and paid for them, you could just get your diplomas and licenses printed with the new names...without it being a big deal. I know it's not all as simple as that, but if you're worried about introducing yourself as one name and patients seeing another name on the wall...I didn't think that was so hard to change?

 

[JMU07]

I didn't either. Are we talking about a situation where you're getting married after graduation but before getting your license? 😕

 

[DryEye]

I didn't either. Are we talking about a situation where you're getting married after graduation but before getting your license? 😕

Sorry for the confusion. I am married now. But I havent gotten around to changing my name. I want to practise under my husband's name. Can you do that without changing it on the OD degree??

 

[JMU07]

Sorry for the confusion. I am married now. But I havent gotten around to changing my name. I want to practise under my husband's name. Can you do that without changing it on the OD degree??

Oh I see. So, you want to leave your maiden name on your degree, correct? If you have different names on your degree and your license it probably depends on the state you're in as to what the process is. It's pretty easy to have your name changed, though! Is the paperwork and such one of the reasons you want to wait to have it changed?