Shadowing Questions - Hair

[chickpeagoals]

Hi all,

I have been in contact with a pathologist to see if I can shadow them and it looks like Il be able too! However, I recently changed my hair color from brown to blue. Should I just put my hair up in a professional ponytail (with it being blue) or should I dye it back to brown?

Also, I am super nervous about this (thanks to my introverted self) so do y'all have any advice?

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[NotASerialKiller]

A lot of conservative people on SDN will tell you that if you're serious about medicine you'll keep it brown/black/etc.

You just have to ask yourself how important your hair colour is to you. If you absolutely love it blue and it makes you feel better, I'd say go for it. You won't be seeing patients or asking the pathologist for a LOR, at most he/she would be a referee for your shadowing hours, so even if he/she hates it there's not much risk there.
If it's not that important to you and you're worried about making the best impression possible, obviously keeping your hair a standard colour is the safest bet from here on out. You'll likely run in to physicians, especially older ones, who don't approve.

Without getting too specific I have some unconventional and very noticeable aesthetics going on and haven't had any issues, but people tend to be less conservative here in Canada. The frequency with which you'll run into people who aren't keen on blue hair probably depends a lot on where you are, but again if you don't mind the risk of some people disapproving, do your thing. If you find yourself in med school gunning for ortho and desperately need the staff to like you and give you good evals, you might reconsider how important your hair colour is to you.

 

[Go4Doc]

Has the pathologist ever actually met you? If they've seen the blue and haven't mentioned it, I'd say keep it. If they haven't, it could be a bit of an unwelcome surprise and I'd recommend back to brown.

 

[Doctor Strange]

If you're shadowing, it doesn't matter at all. It's not like patients are going to be seeing you on path...

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using SDN mobile

 

[Dagrimsta1]

Go with a professional color... You're a grown up now, time to act like one.
Unless you're hot, hot girls tend to get away with more ****

 

[JPmoleymole]

Who cares lol, it's not like the pathologist you're shadowing is gonna determine whether you get into medical school

 

[Go4Doc]

Well by that logic she should show up in a flip flops and athletic shorts. If this person is going to be kind enough to allow someone to shadow them and interact with patients you should return that courtesy by being as professional as possible. In both demeanor and appearance.

 

[Go4Doc]

OP, you may just want to explicitly ask this doctor and offer to dye your hair if they're uncomfortable with it. Odds are they'll see that as unnecessary but appreciate your consideration.

 

[miniman]

IMO I would keep the color! You are fine! I would dress professionally and make no point about your color, don't hide it or show it off. Be professional no matter what. Where I am there would be no grace for anything else. ( I had some weird hair cuts while in a lab. They made no note of it because I treated it as normal. I know this is different but yeah I would never let yourself be changed this early on. Be yourself, but be professional.) ( I only stopped because I'm in the south... and where I am anything strange will set them off.) :/

 

[Staphylococcus Aureus]

Keep it but dress conservative and professional.

 

[Doctor Strange]

Well by that logic she should show up in a flip flops and athletic shorts. If this person is going to be kind enough to allow someone to shadow them and interact with patients you should return that courtesy by being as professional as possible. In both demeanor and appearance.

Yeah, thanks for twisting our words there, buddy; that's obviously not what was meant. Yes, dress professionally, but there is no need to go out of your way to change the color of your hair for one shadowing experience with a pathologist, where you'll be in the lab, where the patients are either little samples of tissue or dead.

 

[Goro]

Go with a professional color... You're a grown up now, time to act like one.
Unless you're hot, hot girls tend to get away with more ****

Anyone want to start wagering on how long it will take before one of The Sensitive Ones report this???

 

[miniman]

Anyone want to start wagering on how long it will take before one of The Sensitive Ones report this???

I already did. Lol. NOT!

 

[CyrilFiggis]

OP, you may just want to explicitly ask this doctor and offer to dye your hair if they're uncomfortable with it. Odds are they'll see that as unnecessary but appreciate your consideration.

They'll absolutely see it as unnecessary. If OP comes to their first day well dressed and professional, then they won't care about the hair color. Also, it's a ridiculous proposition for an attending, esp in pathology, to ask a non-paid volunteer to do that.

 

[WedgeDawg]

Please keep this thread on topic and professional.

 

[peridotthecat]

They'll absolutely see it as unnecessary. If OP comes to their first day well dressed and professional, then they won't care about the hair color. Also, it's a ridiculous proposition for an attending, esp in pathology, to ask a non-paid volunteer to do that.

...I wouldn't be sure about that. There are a lot of middle-aged and older and/or generally conservative attendings who'll think it's odd or unprofessional. Blue hair isn't exactly a standard part of a professional wardrobe. And if you're shadowing someone, they're the ones doing you a favor, not the other way around.

OP, I agree with the comment above that you should dye it back unless you've met the attending in person and they know you have blue hair

 

[CyrilFiggis]

OP, I agree with the comment above that you should dye it back unless you've met the attending in person and they know you have blue hair

Its better to seek forgiveness than ask permission.