Hi everyone! Meet Arrianna, second year medical student who is rocking the wraps while doing training in an environment where professionalism is strict. This is Part 1 of our blog series on Wrapping in the Professional world. Enjoy!
I’m a second year medical student. We had our first clinical exercise of the year at the VA hospital today. I almost didn’t wrap, concerned as we always need to be about strict professionalism while in our white coats. But in the end I did with a simple 2-in-1, and gold rose headband. My classmates loved it, and one patient’s wife even asked me how I did that, as her hair was thinning and she’d been thinking about starting to wear scarves. I didn’t have time to show her how to do the wrap right then, but I wrote down some information for her, and I hope that now Wrapunzel’s youtube channel has a new fan.
My advice? Keep it simple, especially in the beginning until you really know your work audience and they’re used to you. In my situation, medicine is a fairly conservative profession and I deal with people of a huge range of ages, backgrounds, beliefs, socioeconomic status, hopes, and needs. I want the image I present to be professional, but not austere. When people see me, I want them to see a competent medical provider first and not to be distracted by my scarf, much like I wouldn’t want people distracted by my jewelry or my clothing.
Being in healthcare and being around patients who may be losing hair for many reasons, I’m very uplifted by the fact that wrapping in this environment is going so well. Much of healthcare has an underlying theme of the effect of health problems on self-image, as hair (or the lack thereof) figures so prominently into our society’s idea of what makes both men and women attractive. Personally, I hope that wearing a wrap in the workplace will encourage those who may be too shy or embarrassed to talk to their doctor about hair loss to ask me questions. I would like them to see me and think: “there is someone who will help me without judgment”.
The Wrapunzel Blog 
Karima,
You look gorgeous!
I’m an RN, now retired, but I come from the days when we had to put our hair up & wear nurses caps.
Wrapping is great way to also keep hair out of the way in a clean environment as well as being professional. Next, come up with a great wrap for your surgical rotation. It’s nicer than those surgical caps.
Glad you are ready for when you see those who are losing their hair. I’m always ready with information on Wrapunzel (carry cards with me) when I visit my rheumatologist who happens to be in the cancer center. I expect one day someone might ask me about wraps.
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I just realized that you have coordinated your wraps color wise with your clothes under your lab coat. I think that really adds to the sense of professionism, and it might be something that women in an office enviornment might consider. It make you look very put together as a professional.
Another plus for wrapping is when you have your internships and have long shifts. This way, you don’t have to worry about a bad hair day. You always will look great!
Good luck with your medical career!
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Well said and explained. I liked the analogy of wearing jewelry. Thanks for this! 🙂
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Karima, I echo the previous commentors – you indeed look fabulous and very professional. If I would see you coming down the hallway, I would have no question whatsoever that you are a professional person who can help me. In fact, I may even prefer you above somebody who is just wearing a nurses cap, as you look so “put together”. Well done!
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Diane, I remember the time when nurses had to wear caps. When nurses’ caps disappeared, headscarves were forbidden in hospitals. Thanks to the initiative of a Muslim student nurse, at least in my home town most hospitals let female health care professionals wear scarves, but I am not sure about other places.
Karima, I really enjoyed reading your thoughts on this matter.
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Tripmadam,
I’ve been retired from hospital nursing for a while due to disabilities. So, thank you for the update.
Personally, I feel many nurses I have seen lately when my father-in-law & then my husband were in a hospital, have been wearing scrubs & look sloppy with hair hanging down & so unprofessional. I’ve been appalled.
I had heard or read that in the operating room in one place, nurses have been allowed to wear tichels, and even some of the male nurses & surgeons started wearing them saying they were more comfortable & covered all hair better than the usual surgical caps. I agree as I have a surgical cap which doesn’t really do the job as well as wrapping.
By the way, my husband is retired from the US Marines (Vietnam era), and when I went to get my dependent ID renewed, I was wearing my Wrapunzel Israeli tichel with no shaper thinking I would need to remove it. When I asked if I needed to remove it for my official photo, she let me have my official photo taken with my tichel on.
Perhaps it has also been their contact with Moslem women that set the precident. Even in official dining on the US military bases, where everyone must remove hats except MPs on duty, no one has ever told me I had to remove my tichel or scarf. Once again, it might be due to Moslem women.
Actually for purposes of facial recognition software, having all ones hair nearly under a tichel shows much more facial features:)
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I think, I never saw a nurse with hair hanging down. Here, those who do not have short hair, wear ponytails or buns.
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Karima, I not only think you look beautiful, but also highly professional. Surgical nurses and many surgeons wear very colorful cotton head coverings. Your wrap looks much more put together. Good luck in the school year.
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I live in France. For more then 10 years ago now they voted a law that forbids any kind of headwrap in public places, at work… I am sad. I am not allowed to wear any thing on my head… So I wrap when I am not at work. Otherwise I would get fired straight away…
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I LOVE THIS !!! I to work in the medical field, and physical therapy and I to keep my head wrapped. And I have been privileged to actually help some ladies (coworkers and patients) who have lost their hair for various reasons see that there is life beyond hair….And a beautiful life at that. I always have extra scarves in my collection to give away along with the wrapunzel business cards I keep so they know where to go for more inspiration and a sense of community.
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Just to clarify for myself.Isn’t it llegal to protest?You really look great.Not overdone.you exude a sense of authority.Put togeter but not loud.Good color choices..
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You look beautiful x I wish I had that confidence
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I am a biller in a doctors office and the office manager, who is a black woman, told me my wrap isn’t professional. At first I agreed but I would wear my wrap with a suit. But I don’t wear suits and we wear scrubs. ANDDDDDDD it doesn’t say I can’t wear a head scarf in the employee handbook. She said it’s to be assumed. And I’m thinking, NOOOO it’s not. If they didnt want anyone to wear anything on the head they would state that. They just make stuff up as they go.
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I worked in automotive. Lost my hair to chemo. I don’t like hats so I started wrapping using Wrapunzel tutorials. I received nothing but compliments from both men and women coworkers. I even started to get very elaborate, using 2 or 3 scarves, with or without tails. Of course I did not work in a factory setting as tails would be dangerous. Now retired, I still wrap as my hair did not really come back well. I love my scarves and they have become part of my image.
Ps. I do not wrap for religious or cultural reasons or for modesty. Just to cover my bald spots!! 🙂
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