Is a short beard okay on the wards for an M3, or do people actually call you out on it?

[ChordaEpiphany]

I shaved my beard for fit testing, but I look way worse without a beard. My girlfriend's exact words were, "I'll still date you but... please grow it back." I was also met with near universal mockery from anyone I knew who saw me in the week after shaving. I have a very short beard. It's clean. It covers my face pretty evenly and looks very professional. According to the literature this length beard has a minimal effect on N95 filtration efficiency and likely a negligible effect on the actual spread of disease (especially when accounting for perfect lab use vs. actual clinical use). It's basically long stubble (kinda like this beard). I look so much worse that I legitimately worry about people's entire perception of me changing. I legitimately believe people started taking me more seriously when I grew the beard. I look about 5-10 years older and significantly more attractive. It has become part of my self image, and shaving it was legitimately distressing.

I see plenty of attendings and residents in the hospital with beards, but I worry an overzealous attending will bar me from seeing particular patients or make a big deal of it if I have even a short beard as an M3. No one cared at all when I shadowed as an M2. They just threw an N95 in my general direction and told me to follow.

Also, my mustache is the worst part of the beard, so mustache or goatee is not an option.

What's the consensus, can I get away with a short, clean beard, or will this be a big enough deal as a student that I have to keep it shaved?

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[operaman]

Should be fine. Just needs to be well cared for and professional.

 

[deleted771945]

My girlfriend's exact words were, "I'll still date you but... please grow it back."

lmao. I feel that tho

 

[RangerBob]

For whatever reason we get VERY used to people's faces when they're covered with a beard or mask and they look very odd when seen without them.

I agree that as long as it's professional you should be ok. Don't go Duck Dynasty/ZZ Top until you're an attending.

 

[mrbreakfast]

Official answer: if at your school you are allowed to see COVID+/airborne patients, you as a medical student should follow the protocols to the letter, which usually means a short/no beard when seeing those patients. The literature doesn't really matter when a med student gets TB or COVID and it was determined they saw a positive patient while not following safety protocols...not a good look.

Unofficial answer: no one really cares, and we don't let med students see COVID+ patients anyway (though that may have changed recently, idk).

 

[deleted1139416]

Official answer: if at your school you are allowed to see COVID+/airborne patients, you as a medical student should follow the protocols to the letter, which usually means a short/no beard when seeing those patients. The literature doesn't really matter when a med student gets TB or COVID and it was determined they saw a positive patient while not following safety protocols...not a good look.

Unofficial answer: no one really cares, and we don't let med students see COVID+ patients anyway (though that may have changed recently, idk).

The hospital I rotated at allow me to see COVID but not CDIFF patients. Weird lol.

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

Many people would still think it’s unprofessional so why risk it when they will be grading you?

 

[Dr. Basketball]

With residency interviews I would say about 70% of the male students that interviewed with me had facial hair, many of the attendings/department chairs/program directors as well. I myself have a short clean cut beard. I think you'll be fine.

 

[ChordaEpiphany]

Official answer: if at your school you are allowed to see COVID+/airborne patients, you as a medical student should follow the protocols to the letter, which usually means a short/no beard when seeing those patients. The literature doesn't really matter when a med student gets TB or COVID and it was determined they saw a positive patient while not following safety protocols...not a good look.

Unofficial answer: no one really cares, and we don't let med students see COVID+ patients anyway (though that may have changed recently, idk).

Weird. We definitely see the whole gamut of patients. Personally I'm cool with the (tiny, tiny) increase in risk of getting infected from having a 3 mm beard vs. the annoyance of constantly shaving while also looking completely different.

Many people would still think it’s unprofessional so why risk it when they will be grading you?

Subconscious biases exist either way. Personally, I think looking like an adolescent will have just as much an effect on my subjective evaluations. Anecdotally, everyone at my school who gets top grades is fairly attractive, so why risk it?

 

[LunaOri]

It should be absolutely fine. I see medical students with beards in our hospitals all the time!

 

[RunsOnCaffeine]

I have never seen anyone care about a student with beards. Lots of staff, residents, and med students have them. Unless you're AD military, you're fine if it looks professional.

 

[DOVinciRobot]

What? What part of the country are you in, because most residents/med students/male attendings have beards where I’m at…

 

[Octagon]

I have a similar situation to you. I really don’t think anyone will give it a single thought. Short beards are incredibly common. For some people they are basically required due to religious or excessive folliculitis.

But aside from that I decided that if some random attending with a stick up their butt decides they don’t like a well kept and professional beard, that’s just the price I pay to keep whatever’s left of my humanity.

Medical training takes so much away from us, and sometimes as a group we don’t put up enough of a fight. At some point you have to stand up and stop volunteering to sacrifice parts of yourself at the altar of your career.

 

[aldol16]

It's fine as a student on wards for most rotations but for more traditional residency programs, this will be a problem. Just don't shoot for those programs and you'll be fine.

 

[CherryRedDracul]

Beards are currently vogue in the US.

Had a beard all throughout medical school, residency and fellowship. I only shaved for respirator fit testing and for the 2 weeks I was redeployed to the COVID wards from the comforts of radiology.

 

[lanzhou_lamian]

Every male (attending, resident, and med student) on our current team has a beard haha. No one cares.

 

[deleted1065184]

I shaved mine for fit testing, and I hated it. I haven't shaved it since though, and no rotation has required it. In rotations where I have to occasionally wear an N95, I'll just trim it. But I'm never shaving again lol

 

[VincentAdultman]

Beards are fine, just don’t be a scumbag about it.

I’d grow one, but my wife hates it

 

[esob]

If your surgery rotation follows protocols, they will make you wear a beard cover. It's like a diaper for your face

 

[docbsb2015]

The hospital I rotated at allow me to see COVID but not CDIFF patients. Weird lol.

My guy you ever see c diff? I'd rather have COVID.

 

[deleted1139416]

My guy you ever see c diff? I'd rather have COVID.

Oh yeah for sure 100%