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**prowsnobswend** · 02-15-2010, 06:08 AM

Assalamu `alaykum,

I am a medical doctor, although I do not wear niqab.

My first advice to you would be... DO NOT GIVE UP. You need to show the head of the hospital that you WILL be able to communicate, that you WILL be a competent doctor. You CANNOT stay silent and mum and then go home and cry.

What the doctor is saying is true, you will need to communicate. And from my own experience patients will need to see your face to trust you. Being at a doctor's office is a scary and challenging thing, so really being with someone you can't see it's even more frightening. This however, does not mean that you cannot accomplish your dreams!
You should look into specialties like:

a. Obstetrics and gynecology (this is my specialty): then you only see women and so you can remove your niqab... problem solved!
b. Pediatrics: 99.999999999% of the times is the mother the brings the children... so no problem
c. Radiology/Imagenology: here you basically just read X-rays, ultrasounds, MRIs, etc. and do the report. So here you really are not in contact with patients so you should be OK too

Etc, etc, etc.

But you need to have an answer to this person. You need to sound confident and strong and say things like... "I love medicine and I take care of each patient individually and thus they feel that and thus I can communicate very efficiently even if I do not show my face", "Whatever disadvantage my covering my face might do to communications, I make up with my competence and personality", etc, etc. You need to demonstrate that you will be able to face up to the challenges.

I would also consider volunteering for a while. Can you go to the hospital as a volunteer or as a "student observer"? Then you will be able to demonstrate your skills and get a recommendation from someone and thus it might be easier.

Sister also in the end it is your life and if you really do not like medicine then you can choose something else or not do anything. But remember that we are in dire need of more Muslim women doctors so our sisters can feel more comfortable being treated by females!

02-15-2010, 06:08 AM	#28
prowsnobswend Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 412 Senior Member	Assalamu `alaykum, I am a medical doctor, although I do not wear niqab. My first advice to you would be... DO NOT GIVE UP. You need to show the head of the hospital that you WILL be able to communicate, that you WILL be a competent doctor. You CANNOT stay silent and mum and then go home and cry. What the doctor is saying is true, you will need to communicate. And from my own experience patients will need to see your face to trust you. Being at a doctor's office is a scary and challenging thing, so really being with someone you can't see it's even more frightening. This however, does not mean that you cannot accomplish your dreams! You should look into specialties like: a. Obstetrics and gynecology (this is my specialty): then you only see women and so you can remove your niqab... problem solved! b. Pediatrics: 99.999999999% of the times is the mother the brings the children... so no problem c. Radiology/Imagenology: here you basically just read X-rays, ultrasounds, MRIs, etc. and do the report. So here you really are not in contact with patients so you should be OK too Etc, etc, etc. But you need to have an answer to this person. You need to sound confident and strong and say things like... "I love medicine and I take care of each patient individually and thus they feel that and thus I can communicate very efficiently even if I do not show my face", "Whatever disadvantage my covering my face might do to communications, I make up with my competence and personality", etc, etc. You need to demonstrate that you will be able to face up to the challenges. I would also consider volunteering for a while. Can you go to the hospital as a volunteer or as a "student observer"? Then you will be able to demonstrate your skills and get a recommendation from someone and thus it might be easier. Sister also in the end it is your life and if you really do not like medicine then you can choose something else or not do anything. But remember that we are in dire need of more Muslim women doctors so our sisters can feel more comfortable being treated by females!
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