jerkstore Posted October 20, 2012 Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 Anything from a well-kept light stubble to full on santa beard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1234 Posted October 20, 2012 Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 Anything from a well-kept light stubble to full on santa beard. Staff? Sure. Its your patient. Resident? Stubble at most. If religious, you have to wear a beard cap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorelan Posted October 20, 2012 Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 Primary concern - and it isn't just surgeons of course - is the full protective masks you have to potentially wear in extreme contamination scenarios. They don't like beards as those marks don't fit perfectly and it is a potential health risk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerkstore Posted October 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 Primary concern - and it isn't just surgeons of course - is the full protective masks you have to potentially wear in extreme contamination scenarios. They don't like beards as those marks don't fit perfectly and it is a potential health risk. I was hoping you would respond. But is there an actual rule? Could have sworn my Anesthesiologist had a big bushy beard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebouque Posted October 20, 2012 Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 Medical students, residents and staff physicians are all allowed to have facial hair, no matter what field they're in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorelan Posted October 20, 2012 Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 I was hoping you would respond. But is there an actual rule? Could have sworn my Anesthesiologist had a big bushy beard. As a resident/clerk it was unless you had religious reasons not too and that required you fill out paperwork. Adds an extra wrinkle for Movember actually Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorelan Posted October 20, 2012 Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 Medical students, residents and staff physicians are all allowed to have facial hair, no matter what field they're in. Here is what our N95 rules (that is the mask) are at Western: Can I be fit tested if I have a beard? No. A beard will interfere with the ability to get a good seal. Staff/students must be clean-shaven where the mask seals to the face. If a staff member/student is required to wear the respirator during the course of his duties then he must continue to be clean-shaven after passing the fit test. trouble is in theory a lot of people may be required to where that mask at one time or another at least in theory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebouque Posted October 20, 2012 Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 Here is what our N95 rules (that is the mask) are at Western: Can I be fit tested if I have a beard? No. A beard will interfere with the ability to get a good seal. Staff/students must be clean-shaven where the mask seals to the face. If a staff member/student is required to wear the respirator during the course of his duties then he must continue to be clean-shaven after passing the fit test. trouble is in theory a lot of people may be required to where that mask at one time or another at least in theory. That's why you have disposable razors in every hospital. It is very unlikely that you'll ever need to wear an N95 mask anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorelan Posted October 20, 2012 Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 That's why you have disposable razors in every hospital. It is very unlikely that you'll ever need to wear an N95 mask anyway. Oh I agree on the rarity of it and I am not saying everyone follows - far from it. Just that the training we received had someone quite clearly saying officially there is strict hospital policy on not have facial hair because of those masks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NLengr Posted October 20, 2012 Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 Oh I agree on the rarity of it and I am not saying everyone follows - far from it. Just that the training we received had someone quite clearly saying officially there is strict hospital policy on not have facial hair because of those masks. That's cause Western is well known as being completely insane.... At every other center I have rotated though, you could have an OR beard. Just had to wear a surgeons hood. As for the N95 argument, like someone said, it's very unlikely you would need one on a regular basis. If you do, you'll have time to shave with the million disposable razors that are in the hospital. It's not like we're getting regular poison gas attacks in the hospital or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerkstore Posted October 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 Hmmm...go to medical school or keep rocking my perma-scruff..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheech10 Posted October 20, 2012 Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 Uh, needing an N95 is not that uncommon. Anyone with a suspicion of pulmonary TB warrants wearing one, if you're doing infection control properly, as well as measles, varicella, and disseminated zoster infections. We average 1 patient per month in our ICU on airborne precautions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NLengr Posted October 22, 2012 Report Share Posted October 22, 2012 Uh, needing an N95 is not that uncommon. Anyone with a suspicion of pulmonary TB warrants wearing one, if you're doing infection control properly, as well as measles, varicella, and disseminated zoster infections. We average 1 patient per month in our ICU on airborne precautions. Well, I guess it's more dependent on what specialty you are. ICU/ER/ID probably a lot of N95 use. But none of those are surgical specialties. My surgical subspecialty hardly deals with any of those type of patients you describe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeman101 Posted October 22, 2012 Report Share Posted October 22, 2012 I've had to wear a N95 mask twice so far this (for IM). You're just trying to induce murphy's law by walking around with a full beard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Rock Posted October 23, 2012 Report Share Posted October 23, 2012 N95 issues aside, the biggest thing here is professionalism. It is no big deal if you have a beard/mustache/sideburns/goatee/muttonchops/neck beard/soul patch or whatever else people can think of as long as you look clean and professional. If you look like an Occupy or Clayoquat Sound protestor, then expect people to think you are not fitting their ideal of a doctor and will not be comfortable with you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NLengr Posted October 23, 2012 Report Share Posted October 23, 2012 N95 issues aside, the biggest thing here is professionalism. It is no big deal if you have a beard/mustache/sideburns/goatee/muttonchops/neck beard/soul patch or whatever else people can think of as long as you look clean and professional. If you look like an Occupy or Clayoquat Sound protestor, then expect people to think you are not fitting their ideal of a doctor and will not be comfortable with you. Next time I have a beard, I'm gonna braid it into multiple braids and put flaming matches in the end like Blackbeard. That way, the patients will know I mean business and be too terrified to ask questions. I have included a helpful illustration: jnuts 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorelan Posted October 23, 2012 Report Share Posted October 23, 2012 I've had to wear a N95 mask twice so far this (for IM). You're just trying to induce murphy's law by walking around with a full beard. side note: I would not want to actually shave with one of those disposable razors. Particularly in a hurry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerkstore Posted October 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2012 Does this mean surgeons who have been on their shift for a long time might have to shave at work? :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebouque Posted October 24, 2012 Report Share Posted October 24, 2012 side note: I would not want to actually shave with one of those disposable razors. Particularly in a hurry Hehe I'd rather take the risk than shave my beard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviathan Posted October 24, 2012 Report Share Posted October 24, 2012 Next time I have a beard, I'm gonna braid it into multiple braids and put flaming matches in the end like Blackbeard. That way, the patients will know I mean business and be too terrified to ask questions. I have included a helpful illustration: Don't forget the crazy eyes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JW-UGA Posted April 1, 2020 Report Share Posted April 1, 2020 On 10/20/2012 at 2:22 PM, thebouque said: That's why you have disposable razors in every hospital. It is very unlikely that you'll ever need to wear an N95 mask anyway. April 1, 2020: Covid-19 pandemic. Global shortage of N95 masks, physicians around the world are now clean shaven. Pakoon and Rabeprazole 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edict Posted May 7, 2020 Report Share Posted May 7, 2020 Gettin called out 8 years later damnn... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Ace of Spades Posted May 8, 2020 Report Share Posted May 8, 2020 On 5/7/2020 at 5:02 PM, Edict said: Gettin called out 8 years later damnn... By somebody who made an account just for that purpose... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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