Can You Wear a Hijab in Surgery? Here’s What Doctors Need to Know

Hijab in the OR: Navigating Identity in a Sterile Environment
Introduction: Where Faith Meets Scrubs

• The operating room is one of the most sterile and controlled environments in healthcare—clean, precise, protocol-driven.
  
  
• But for Muslim women in medicine who wear the hijab, it can also be a space of uncertainty, discomfort, or even conflict.
  
  
• How do you maintain religious identity while complying with surgical sterility?
  
  
• This article explores the practical, emotional, ethical, and institutional dimensions of wearing the hijab in the operating theatre.
  

The Hijab: A Personal and Professional Statement

• The hijab is more than fabric—it’s a personal expression of faith, identity, and integrity.
  
  
• For Muslim healthcare workers, it’s also a daily balancing act:
  
  • How do I express who I am without compromising protocol?
    
    
  • Will I be accepted in high-stakes environments like the OR?
    
    
  • Will my choice be respected—or seen as a barrier?
    

Surgical Protocols vs. Personal Faith: Where They Meet

• Operating rooms require:
  
  • Hair coverage for infection control.
    
    
  • Sterility to prevent contamination.
    
    
  • Strict adherence to protocol for safety.
    
• Hijab-wearing physicians or students often already cover their hair and neck—but their personal headscarf may not meet sterility standards.
  
  
• This leads to the need for OR-compliant alternatives—but not all institutions are prepared or inclusive.
  

Challenges Faced by Hijabi Doctors and Students in the OR
Sterility Concerns

• Personal hijabs may not be made of sterile material.
  
  
• Standard surgical hoods or bouffant caps may not provide full neck coverage.
  
  
• Wearing two layers (e.g., own hijab under surgical cap) may cause overheating or discomfort.
  

Institutional Resistance

• Some hospitals have no protocol or training for accommodating religious dress.
  
  
• Hijab-wearing staff may be told to remove it, even when sterile alternatives exist.
  
  
• Others face invasive questions, unspoken bias, or exclusion from surgeries.
  

Microaggressions and Bias

• Comments like:
  
  • “Won’t that get in the way?”
    
    
  • “You’re too conservative for surgery.”
    
    
  • “Are you even allowed to be here like that?”
    
• These interactions chip away at confidence and inclusion.
  

Self-Doubt and Isolation

• Many hijab-wearing medical students avoid surgical specialties altogether due to fear of conflict or discrimination.
  
  
• Others suffer in silence, modifying their religious practices just to “fit in.”
  

Solutions: Making the OR Inclusive Without Compromising Sterility
✅ Use Sterile Hijabs or Surgical Hoods

• Several companies now offer disposable, sterile surgical hijabs made from breathable, fluid-resistant material.
  
  
• Hospitals can stock these the same way they stock sterile gowns or caps.
  

✅ Double Layering (Done Correctly)

• Wearing a tight-fitting, breathable inner hijab (e.g., a surgical underscarf or sports hijab) under a sterile surgical hood or cap ensures:
  
  • Full coverage
    
    
  • Comfort
    
    
  • Sterility
    

✅ Educate Staff and Supervisors

• Infection control teams can work with Muslim staff to create formal policies.
  
  
• Provide cultural competency training that includes religious dress in the OR.
  
  
• Normalize the conversation around religious accommodation.
  

✅ Let Doctors Decide—Not Just Administrators

• Hijabi doctors should have a say in how to meet both faith and function.
  
  
• Empowering them to make informed choices improves compliance, comfort, and morale.
  

What Inclusion Really Means in the OR
Inclusion is not just about tolerating differences—it’s about making space for them in a way that respects everyone’s contribution.

Inclusive OR practices mean:

• Asking: “How can we make this work?” instead of “Why are you different?”
  
  
• Ensuring uniform standards apply fairly—but with flexibility for diverse needs.
  
  
• Recognizing that a surgeon in a hijab can be just as sterile, capable, and exceptional as anyone else.
  

Voices from the Field: Real Stories from Hijab-Wearing Surgeons

• “I scrubbed out of my first surgery because the attending made a joke about my hijab being a ‘biohazard.’ It took me months to go back in.”
  — Final-year medical student, UK
  
  
• “The first time I was offered a sterile hijab in the OR, I felt like I was finally seen.”
  — General surgery resident, USA
  
  
• “I now mentor other hijab-wearing interns. I tell them: Don’t change yourself for surgery—change the culture.”
  — Consultant orthopedic surgeon, Canada
  

What Colleagues Can Do to Support Hijabi Medical Staff

• Don’t make assumptions about their abilities or discomfort.
  
  
• Ask: “Is there anything you need for the OR?” instead of ignoring the issue.
  
  
• Speak up if you hear inappropriate comments or jokes.
  
  
• Understand that identity and professional excellence can—and do—coexist.
  

Why Representation Matters in the OR

• Seeing a surgeon in hijab tells younger students: you belong here too.
  
  
• Patients from Muslim backgrounds may feel more at ease when cared for by someone who visibly shares their values.
  
  
• A diverse OR team reflects the real world—and makes for safer, more empathetic care.
  

The Legal and Ethical Framework: Know Your Rights

• In many countries, freedom of religious expression is protected under employment law—including in healthcare settings.
  
  
• Hospitals have a legal and ethical duty to provide reasonable accommodations, unless doing so would compromise safety.
  
  
• If you're denied OR access solely because of your hijab, you have the right to:
  
  • Request clarification in writing.
    
    
  • Propose a sterile alternative.
    
    
  • Escalate through HR or institutional diversity officers.
    

Redefining Professionalism in Medicine

• For decades, “professionalism” meant conformity—but that’s changing.
  
  
• True professionalism is not about sameness, but about shared excellence across different identities.
  
  
• The future OR is not just sterile—it’s safe, respectful, and inclusive.
  

Conclusion: Hijab and Scalpel Can Go Together
A hijab doesn’t make a doctor less sterile. It doesn’t make a surgeon less sharp. It doesn’t make a medical student less dedicated.

It makes them human. It makes them authentic.
And when that authenticity is met with respect—not resistance—medicine becomes better for everyone.
It’s time to make space in the OR for every mind, every skill, and every scarf.