Can a Med Student Have Pink Hair?
I mentioned my pink hair in my last post, and some of you very observant folks out there may have noticed that my hair in the picture was in fact light brown. So, I thought I’d give some explanation for that, and also pose a question to the world. If you’ve been reading my posts for a while, you’ll know that I have gone through many different permutations of hair colors in my life. My hair has been every shade of the rainbow, and I’ve also cut it in many interesting ways.
Over a year ago, I wrote a post about whether or not it’s appropriate for a doctor to have a pink mohawk. I received a very big response, and it seems that everyone had varying views. At the time, I had just finished my first semester of basic science courses and wasn’t involved in patient contact, so I could sport my pink mohawk without anyone really caring. Eventually, my third and fourth semesters rolled around, and since I was involved in patient care and was required to dress “professionally,” I dyed my hair brown and had it cut as “professionally” as I could muster.
However, as soon as my break between classes would arrive, I’d either shave my head bald or into a mohawk and dye it a fun color. At the end of my fifth semester, which involved rotating at a hospital, I dyed my hair bright pink, and it’s been like that ever since. Because I have been studying for the USLME Step 1, I haven’t seen any patients or had to participate in any “professional” activities, so I could pretty much do whatever I pleased with my hair.
Now comes the hard part. I’ll be starting a psychiatric rotation in less than two weeks. I pretty much had planned on dyeing my hair brown or some other natural color, until a few days ago. I started thinking about it, and wondered what would happen if I didn’t. I’m not sure of the hospital’s policy, but I have a feeling that they wouldn’t necessarily send me home if I showed up on my first day with pink hair.
Some of you might be thinking that I’m crazy for even considering doing this. I understand. Why start problems if you don’t have to, right? Yes, I get that. But my hair is as much a part of me as anything. Why should I have to change it just to blend in? Anyone who knows me will tell you that my bright hair simply matches my personality. If no one is going to be harmed by my hair, what’s the big deal?
My other option would be to show up with “normal” hair on my first day, and maybe for the first week, until everyone gets to know me. Then, I could think about dyeing it to something more fun. But that just seems kind of fake to me. And maybe I’d get a worse reaction if I did it that way.
The other thing to consider is that this is in fact a psychiatric rotation. I’ve worked in psych before, and I know that anything that draws attention to you can be both good and bad. Sometimes it might help to break the ice with a patient, but other times it might be the focus of some psychotic delusion. You have to be very careful.
So, that’s my hair dilemma. Yes, I know there are more important things to worry about other than the color of my hair. But this just happens to be on my mind today, so I thought I’d pose the question to all of you out there to get your feedback. Can a medical student have pink hair?
Click Here To View the Original Post on Medscape
My name is Kendra and I am a newly minted doctor about to begin my residency in Psychiatry at 
Hey Kendra,
In case you lost track of the hundreds of comments over at the Differential, I thought I’d post mine here, too!
I think your article was a thought-provoking post, and thank you for writing it. It speaks to the unfortunate part of the tradition that medicine is a profession. Professionalism is defined usually by the old guard. With regard to your situation, I’d side with the ‘no pink’ crowd, but reluctantly. I do not think it’s fair that my individual hairstyle (shaved head) is okay because I’m a man… Furthermore, I think there may be more latitude for dyed hair on the west coast. One of my friends (with dark black hair) had elegant purple highlights as a med student at the University of Washington. It’s funny, she just matched at Hopkins! Is that where you’ll do most of your rotations?
By the way, is this a record number of comments for The Differential?
Hi Thomas,
I have slowly managed to read all the comments on my latest post, so I did get to read yours.
Thanks for the feedback, and I do agree. Actually, I just recently dyed my hair two “normal” colors, and the first day of my rotation is tomorrow, so we shall see what happens. The cut is not entirely conventional, so I’m anxious to see how it is received. I plan on posting tomorrow on the Differential with a photo, and the reaction from my first day.
I managed to get away with shaving my head bald at my rotation in Dominica, but I don’t know if it would have been similarly received in the States. I just got back from San Fran, and I agree with what you said about the West Coast.
I knew when I joined this profession that I would have to do things to be “accepted,” so it’s not a big surprise. However, I have a feeling that I’ll never stop pushing the limits, and seeing what I can get away with. It’s not really because I need to rebel, but more so because I just like having pink hair and fun cuts!
And yes, this is indeed by far a record amount of comments for the Differential. I find it absolutely fascinating that the subject of my hair is so thought provoking and controversial to others. I don’t think people would be similarly interested in the color of my socks.
We shall see what happens tomorrow!
-Kendra
As a physician, part of professionalism is respect for your patients and being patient-centered. Your insistence on wearing unusual hair is self-centered. As your appearance is far outside of the norm, it makes the physician-patient interaction uncomfortable and does not serve the patient. You are, in a sense, “in the patient’s face.” This isn’t professional behavior.
While students in your generation may be comfortable with your hair, most of your patients will be from other generations. Your student colleagues may cheer you on, but I would bet that the majority of them have more conventional hair and appearance.
You will turn off many patients, and many will mistrust you because of your appearance. If you want to be a good physician, your treatment of patients, demeanor, and appearance should be respectful, and should not call undue attention to yourself. IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU, IT’S ABOUT THE PATIENT. I would not hire you as I believe you are insensitive to the needs of the majority of your patients,, and your lack of professionalism is concerning.
You might want to think about why being so different and drawing attention to yourself (rather than focusing on the patient) is so important to you.