Does appearance really matter?

[RTP424]

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I hear all of the huge warnings by many people to take on the most conservative look possible during med school interviews and after acceptance, in terms of patient interaction, etc. Here's my scenario:

I'm a huge heavy metal head banger at heart, and I do show it physically.

Very long hair, (probably halfway down my back), and one tattoo on my forearm, but planning to get more. Looking to go into surgery as a career. I have very impressive academics and extreme motivation to become a physician.

I know there is very little i can do about the tattoo, but I have been debating wether or not to chop off the long hair. Many people say short hair is must for med school interviews and so on, but I can't see myself without having my long hair.

Also, since I am interested in surgery, i know i will have my tattoo visible almost all the time i am involved in that field ( rotations, residency, etc).
Have the views on tattoos in the OR changed at all from what they were a few years ago?

So all in all, how big of a deal is long hair and tattoos on a guy with respect to getting into medical school and during rotations?

 

[RogueUnicorn]

you just gotta remember a lot of med school faculty are our grandparents' age.

 

[cicatrez879]

+1 on cutting the hair

 

[teenmachinery1]

Cut your hair. I did.

Looks DO matter.

 

[BlueElmo]

Yeah, keep your hair short and clean. It's important. You don't want to go to interviews with that hair.

 

[jvesco22]

Cmon man,

Haven't you heard? You need the low-cut Ceasar with the deep waves, so quick to snatch up yo Beyonce!!

 

[angst019]

Cut your hair now, get in, and then work on changing the stereotype.

 

[TheMightySmiter]

I don't think the long hair has to go off, but then I don't do interviews so I can't say for sure. If you're going to keep the long hair, though, you have to be dressed impeccably. Absolutely no sloppiness at all (iron everything too). You also have to be perfectly well-spoken. It's an unfortunate fact of life that people will judge you on how you look. I don't think someone will look at your long hair and think, "Well we can't let THAT person into medical school!" but it could give an interviewer a reason to look for anything else in you that they might perceive as "wrong" or "abnormal". So you just have to be sure that you don't give them any of that.

 

[sassilysweet]

I worked in surgery for 3.5 years. I just have to say that we only had one surgeon with "longer" hair and believe me, we gave him crap about it.

You have to have your hair covered in the OR. Unless you are willing to have it up in a bouffant or a big scrub cap, get it cut. The ortho doc had some of the worst curly hockey hair ever and it was really really inappropriate. He wore a disposable cap and it didn't make a difference because all of his hair hung out the bottom.

As for tattoos, I have never seen a surgeon with a full sleeve, but a lot of docs (again, many in ortho) have one or two peeking out. I myself have 5 but they are all easily covered (and I planned it that way). If you are planning to get more I would wait until you are accepted or even until you have your residency match. Some hospitals are going to be stricter than others. One hospital I worked at had an actual policy about no visible piercings or tattoos (you had to have them covered by clothing or BANDAGES) while the other did not having anything on paper.

 

[swamprat]

tattoos IMO are not-professional-looking. so is long hair, and if i was on the adcom i'd have a hard time admitting someone like that.

 

[J ROD]

Simply, if you want to be a doctor, then look like one.

Cut your hair and get tats you can cover.....

professionals look professional.....

 

[sassilysweet]

Simply, if you want to be a doctor, then look like one.

Cut your hair and get tats you can cover.....

professionals look professional.....

+1👍

 

[jvesco22]

Simply, if you want to be a doctor, then look like one.

Cut your hair and get tats you can cover.....

professionals look professional.....

This^

You don't want to end up like the fat white guy from the NOVA diaries on PBS

 

[GrantN]

I heard there is a Japanese gang that only get tattoos where their suits can cover them up, I would follow these guys.

 

[Zona Pellucida]

Yes.

(Doxy - Love Curb.)

 

[H2O2]

tattoos IMO are not-professional-looking. so is long hair, and if i was on the adcom i'd have a hard time admitting someone like that.

As much as Id like to say I'm open minded, looks do matter and I do judge what people look like. I'm sure this goes for most people too, whether they say so or not. Cut your hair. You can always grow it back later.

 

[schrizto]

You don't want to end up like the fat white guy from the NOVA diaries on PBS

wow... true.

 

[vickpick]

looks matter. they show if you care or not.

 

[ILikeDrugs]

Leave your hair the way it is and just tie it back. You can always wear long sleeves during school/rotations/surgery/etc. LOL @ long hair not being "professional." Stupidest thing I've heard today. Same thing for "looking like a doctor."

 

[Khanitez]

I worked in surgery for 3.5 years. I just have to say that we only had one surgeon with "longer" hair and believe me, we gave him crap about it.

You have to have your hair covered in the OR. Unless you are willing to have it up in a bouffant or a big scrub cap, get it cut. The ortho doc had some of the worst curly hockey hair ever and it was really really inappropriate. He wore a disposable cap and it didn't make a difference because all of his hair hung out the bottom.

As for tattoos, I have never seen a surgeon with a full sleeve, but a lot of docs (again, many in ortho) have one or two peeking out. I myself have 5 but they are all easily covered (and I planned it that way). If you are planning to get more I would wait until you are accepted or even until you have your residency match. Some hospitals are going to be stricter than others. One hospital I worked at had an actual policy about no visible piercings or tattoos (you had to have them covered by clothing or BANDAGES) while the other did not having anything on paper.

The hospital I work at, which is a private "christian" hospital, also requires that ALL tattoos be covered up.

I have a tattoo on my wrist and forearm, which means I constantly have to wear full sleeves, or cover them up with coban (bandage).

 

[ThaliaNox]

One thing I noticed right at the beginning of pre-matriculation orientation for medical school is that my class is largely physically attractive and there were no unusual hair colors or styles. There are only a few people I would call overweight, and nobody I would call ugly. No long hair on the guys. This is in stark contrast to undergrad, where probably one out of four or even more people were overweight and there were unattractive people walking around, as well as people with hair of every color and length. I also go to school in a "fat" state, so one would expect a higher ratio of overweight students, just statistically. So, on some level, looks must matter. It is subconscious... I doubt that the adcoms say to themselves, "this kid is fat, lets not pick him," but there is a lot of research which says that if someone doesn't like the way someone looks, they judge them more harshly than someone who looks more acceptable or attractive to them.

 

[InanelyHighNut]

You don't want to end up like the fat white guy from the NOVA diaries on PBS

I felt bad for Tom Tarter, but he didn't look like a doctor so not many of the hospital staff treated him like one.

Looks do matter.

Haircut. 👍

 

[ProtonatedAlchy]

Malcolm Gladwell says YES

first impressions count big, even if no one admits it

 

[metallica81788]

I hear all of the huge warnings by many people to take on the most conservative look possible during med school interviews and after acceptance, in terms of patient interaction, etc. Here's my scenario:

I'm a huge heavy metal head banger at heart, and I do show it physically.

Very long hair, (probably halfway down my back), and one tattoo on my forearm, but planning to get more. Looking to go into surgery as a career. I have very impressive academics and extreme motivation to become a physician.

I know there is very little i can do about the tattoo, but I have been debating wether or not to chop off the long hair. Many people say short hair is must for med school interviews and so on, but I can't see myself without having my long hair.

Also, since I am interested in surgery, i know i will have my tattoo visible almost all the time i am involved in that field ( rotations, residency, etc).
Have the views on tattoos in the OR changed at all from what they were a few years ago?

So all in all, how big of a deal is long hair and tattoos on a guy with respect to getting into medical school and during rotations?

Welcome, fellow heavy metal brethren!!!

I had shoulder length, really curly long hair and had to cut it for the first time in almost 3 years for interviews and pics.

Do it. It pained me to see my hair on the floor, but it's necessary. You can always grow it back after you get in.

 

[TheMightySmiter]

The hospital I work at, which is a private "christian" hospital, also requires that ALL tattoos be covered up.

I have a tattoo on my wrist and forearm, which means I constantly have to wear full sleeves, or cover them up with coban (bandage).

Slightly OT, but do you regret getting a wrist/forearm tat? I ask because I've wanted to get a second one for a while now (my first is on my shoulder blade, so easily hidden) and I really want it on my inner wrist. But I don't want it to be, like, the reason I don't get into med school. Is it easy to hide just by wearing long sleeves? I just want lettering which would be pretty small, and could probably hide it with a watch, but any thoughts on whether it would be a bad idea would be awesome. 🙂

 

[Tin Man]

There aren't many surgeons who can get away with having long hair. We're not even talking about looks. Practically, it'd be a pain in the ass to have to tie that hair up into a cap every day, especially if it's as long as you say it is.

Even most of the female surgeons I've met (few as there seem to be) have shorter hair. Long hair just does not go well with the prospect of hanging over a guy's open chest cavity for six hours straight.

 

[BlueElmo]

There aren't many surgeons who can get away with having long hair. We're not even talking about looks. Practically, it'd be a pain in the ass to have to tie that hair up into a cap every day, especially if it's as long as you say it is.

Even most of the female surgeons I've met (few as there seem to be) have shorter hair. Long hair just does not go well with the prospect of hanging over a guy's open chest cavity for six hours straight.

👍. There this sums it for you, OP.