New named theatre hats for women medical students
About the MWF #TheatreCapChallenge project:
The Medical Women’s Federation (MWF) is the largest organisation of women doctors and medical students in the UK. We were successful in a bid for funding from the Royal College of Surgeons of England’s “Grassroots” fund which supports initiatives helping people from underrepresented groups to become surgeons. The Centre for Perioperative Care (CPOC) has also contributed. MWF is coordinating the distribution of individual named cloth theatre hats to medical students who are women or non-binary. There are three options: standard, hijab and Afro or large hair hats. These will help medical students to be more included within the surgical team and to learn and feel they belong. Cloth theatre hats also more sustainable and part of the Green surgery checklist.
How to apply:
You can apply by completing an online form that will take about 15 minutes. You will need a tape measure to measure your head: please measure around your head in centimetres: across the temples, above your eyebrows, including the ears and over the occiput. This is where the lowest edge of an elasticated hat would go. You may not hear back for a while because we will order hats in batches. If we get too many applications, we will allocate hats based on wide geography and likelihood of feedback and use.
You must be an MWF student member in order to apply for this, which costs £5. The link to join is here.
Click here if you are ready to order a hat.
Please click here for more information about the project
FAQs:
Will I get a hat for free, embroidered with my name and sent to the postal address I give on the application form?
Yes. (Unless you are ineligible or if we get too many applicants for the budget.)
What are the hats like?
There are two companies, one makes hats with the name embroidered. The other makes hats with name badges attached with poppers.
If I am not eligible for a free hat, but I want to order some hats, what should I do?
The company Medicus makes individual hats with embroidery. Order at: https://medicuscaps.com/
The company Warwick Medical or Econinjas makes hats with labels on poppers. The label can say the name or have a space for a name to be written. They have a minimum number of hats that can be ordered. Universities or hospitals may wish to purchase a bulk order, for example of hijab and Afro hats, with re-writable labels for students doing surgical placements. See info: https://www.econinjas.co.uk/products-badge-hats
What happens when I have finished with my hat, or when I graduate as a doctor?
Please return your hat to MWF when it is no longer in use or let us know when you qualify as a doctor and want a new label, or a ribbon embroidered with “Doctor” to sew over embroidery instead of “medical student”. We can also try to help with changing the personalisation if you are giving it to someone else. Contact us!
What are the organisations involved? What do MWF, RCS England and CPOC mean, and how can I join them?
The Medical Women’s Federation is the largest organisation of women doctors and medical students in the UK. Medical student subscriptions are £5 per year: www.medicalwomensfederation.org.uk
The Royal College of Surgeons of England provides world-class education, assessment and development to 30,000 surgeons and others at all career stages. Its vision is excellent surgical care for everyone, through setting professional standards, facilitating research and championing the best outcomes for patients.
- Join Women in Surgery (WinS) FREE https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/careers-in-surgery/women-in-surgery/
- See “Learning in operating theatres”, “National Undergraduate Surgical Curriculum” and how to join as an affiliate for £15 per year at: www.rcseng.ac.uk/study
The Centre for Perioperative Care is a cross-organisational, multidisciplinary initiative led by the Royal College of Anaesthetists to improve perioperative care - from the moment surgery is contemplated through to full recovery. See resources and sign up for FREE newsletters at: www.cpoc.org.uk
Can I post pictures on social media?
Yes! Please be proud of yourself and the project! Please talk about it, send us pictures and tag us on social media @medicalwomenuk
I plan to wear a clean hat every day and to change it if it gets soiled. Are there specific instructions?
The leaflet that comes with your hat has specific tips for washing your hat when on placement. Please click here for instructions.
Do you have references about why this project should help? [To read so I can explain the project to others]
Many women medical students report being put off surgery[1]. Intersectionality means that experiences are worse for example for women from a minority ethnic background. They are still passively[2] or actively discouraged, even in 2025. The Kennedy report showed poor behaviours in theatre. The Working Party on Sexual misconduct in surgery showed that some places have a misogynistic culture. In one survey, 51.5% of women who wear a hijab reported feeling awkward, embarrassed or bullied in the operating theatre and avoiding operating theatres and a surgical career[3]. Women medical students with Afro hair report difficulties with surgical caps making surgical placements unpleasant – as this blog from the founder of Melanin Medics shows[4]. Medical schools vary widely in the proportion of women graduates who later apply to surgery ranging from 3% to 13% [5] and we have shown this is related to different cultures[6] and that a pleasant interactive experience makes medical students feel that they belong[7]. Women are more likely to leave surgical training due to negative experiences[8].
The #TheatreCapChallenge has reusable cloth hats. It developed across the world since 2014. It has been endorsed by all UK surgical royal colleges in the ‘Intercollegiate Green Surgery checklist’[9] as ‘item 7: switch to reusable textiles - theatre hats’. Where the hat states the person’s name and role, they are recognised as part of the team[10].
This project should have a lasting impact. It should normalise having women medical students within the surgical team, especially those who wear a hijab or have Afro hair. It demonstrates that the Royal College of Surgeons of England values each medical student. This should improve belonging and inclusion as well as demonstrating Equality and Diversity. It is literally “in your face” advertising of the new normal. This works in practice[11]. Universities or other organisations may wish to continue the project with charity or institutional funds. Companies would identify the need for hijab and Afro hair versions and create more affordable items for others to purchase in future.
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10094657/
2. https://www.magonlinelibrary.com/doi/abs/10.12968/bjhc.2017.23.12.581
3. https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/3/e019954
4. https://gmcuk.wordpress.com/2021/04/27/the-scrub-cap-awareness-is-the-first-step/
5. https://publishing.rcseng.ac.uk/doi/10.1308/rcsbull.2018.90
6. https://publishing.rcseng.ac.uk/doi/full/10.1308/rcsbull.2020.e009
7. https://publishing.rcseng.ac.uk/doi/full/10.1308/rcsbull.2017.320
8. https://asmepublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/medu.12134
10. https://www.bjanaesthesia.org/article/S0007-0912(18)30585-3/fulltext
