Does it matter if maiden name is on med school diploma?

[GeorgianaDarcy]

Hey everyone - I'm getting married RIGHT before graduation and was wondering if it's a problem that the name on my med school diploma will be my maiden name. I heard a rumor that this could create a problem down the line with licensing but I didn't really understand why.

My school told me that whenever I get married I can show them my marriage license and they can update my records/transcripts. But not sure if they'd go as far as reprinting my diploma with a new name.

I'd rather not change my last name if this ends up being a huge licensing fiasco. But from a personal perspective, it's something I'VE always wanted to do so it'd be nice if I could.

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[Toutie]

Why don't you just keep your professional name your maiden name? Its really quite common.

 

[mcl]

Hey everyone - I'm getting married RIGHT before graduation and was wondering if it's a problem that the name on my med school diploma will be my maiden name. I heard a rumor that this could create a problem down the line with licensing but I didn't really understand why.

My school told me that whenever I get married I can show them my marriage license and they can update my records/transcripts. But not sure if they'd go as far as reprinting my diploma with a new name.

I'd rather not change my last name if this ends up being a huge licensing fiasco. But from a personal perspective, it's something I'VE always wanted to do so it'd be nice if I could.

If you are getting married right before graduation, the most likely scenario is that you will have to apply for your license before your wedding using your maiden name, and then complete the name change process. For my program, whatever is on your social security card on April 1st is the name you'll use for both licensure and personnel. The name-change process isn't really that bad, and the name on your diploma won't be a big deal since you'll be submitting your marriage license as proof that you are the same person.

 

[GeorgianaDarcy]

Why don't you just keep your professional name your maiden name? Its really quite common.

Because...

from a personal perspective, it's something I'VE always wanted to do so it'd be nice if I could.

 

[Raryn]

Realistically, it doesn't matter. When you get married, just make sure to get a dozen or two copies of your marriage certificate to have. Then, after you formally change your name (and get a new SS card), you'll just need to update all the relevant authorities (licensing board and such). It's such a common situation that the worst case is that the extra paperwork you supply may delay things like your license by an actual day or two. The actual process will be state dependent. CA for example doesn't really have an individual training license for US grads, so you'll just need to send in the real form as a PGY2 when you get your full license. Your hospital may take some time to update your badges, but even that can usually be done in a week or two.

The only caveat is if you're heavy in academics with multiple publications, PhD, etc. In that case, a name change is a break in continuity that may hurt your career somewhat when people search for you. I have no idea how significant this is, but I know many women worry about it.

 

[AdmiralChz]

Many of my coresidents changed their name after graduation, no problem. Happens all the time, just work with your GME office to make sure all the forms are filled out so your training license gets changed.