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Med Students Turned Beauticians

For patients spending extended periods of time in a hospital, grooming care like haircuts and shaving can be difficult to access. Students at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School are changing that norm by offering haircuts, hair brushing, shaving, and more. The group of students, who call themselves the Bergen Barbers, originally taught themselves beauty skills from YouTube videos but now have implemented a more formal training process. The Bergen Barbers offer their services free of charge and have drastically improved the morale of patients at the University Hospital. The grooming sessions give students and patients an opportunity to bond by conversing about topics other than the medical issue they are facing. In the process, the young doctors learn to see them not only as patients, but as people. The Bergen Barbers recently welcomed 60 new students to their cohort, who are transforming the physical and mental well-being of those confined to the hospital one haircut at a time. 

Image via Rutgers New Jersey Medical School


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