Nurses with nose piercings?

nikkicoliCCRN · May 30, 2011

You'll have to leave the nose piercing at home. Not professional image for a nurse.

Wow! I find this opinion very finite. What exactly is a professional image of a nurse? Would it be an old fashion starched white uniform and cap? Would you be surprised to know that I am a BSN/grad student. I also hold both the CCRN and PCCN from the AACN. I am very active in my state NA and present professionally. I also work full time in a military hospital and teach in an ADN program. I also have a nose ring that I am allowed to wear to my hospital job. I also have leopard print shoes and very bright scrubs. I let my skills speak for themselves.

nikkicoliCCRN · May 30, 2011

So you're wondering if you should wear them or not to wear them?
I would just never hire someone with face jewelry or visible tattoos.
My staff will project a positive appearance at all times or you're not even considered. It happens after you're hired you're gone. Plain and simple.
Harsh? Not from my angle. Whatever your reasons for doing it the choice is ultimately yours to make.
You just have to live with the consequences of your decisions.
... there are places that might tolerate it but not in my ER.
Good luck with your choices in life.

What is you rational for this? I'm not sure how a facial piercing would affect the quality of someone's work? You seem to be making a pretty blanket statement about a large number of people. People who you have obviously have never employed or worked with. I'm curious how you are forming your opinion? Are there journal articles about facial piercings and quality of work?

nikkicoliCCRN · May 30, 2011

Wow! What where did you find the stats that only the lower class have tatoos and piercings? I would love to read the data on that!

Chameleonchick · May 30, 2011

So basically the rules are just like in the Army. I didn't get my nose pierced until I got out, so I will just have to get one of those clear retainers, because I do not want my hole to close up.

JSlovex2 · May 30, 2011

i had my eyebrow pierced when i was younger. it got ripped out accidentally and i let it grow up because it was too nasty to try to put a ring or anything in there. it needed to heal. i have a little scar there which isn't noticeable to anyone but myself. i also have a tattoo which i can cover by wearing jewelry and i always do when i'm at work. truth be told - i keep it covered most of the time. i may get it removed in the future. that's something i never thought i'd say when i was younger.

anyhow, i said that to say this: i don't think there's anything wrong with piercings/tattoos. my facility has a strict policy on covering tattoos and no facial piercings and even the earrings are limited to two pairs. so, it annoys me to no end when i see nurses walking around with a stud in their nose. it's as if they think the rules don't apply to them. maybe they think that theirs looks good and the rules only apply to people whose don't look good. i don't know what the thought process is, but i don't get it. when you're a grown up you have to follow rules in the workplace. i cover my tattoo and i expect everyone else to cover theirs, take out their face rings, etc. it's simple.

lemidora · May 30, 2011

Hi I am not a nurse yet, but are there any nurses out there with nose piercings? Do they make you take it out at work?

So I will steer clear of the whole "professionalism" debate that this thread got turned into and answer the OP's original question. I'm only a nursing student myself but we do clinicals at a few different hospitals and the general rule around here (for students as well as nurses) is that you're allowed one small stud if your nose is pierced. Plain and simple.

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · May 30, 2011

Our school policy was only 1 set of earrings and they had to be small studs. No facial piercings or visible tattoos. If you had a nose piercing you had to take it out or get a nude color spacer I think it was calls. You could only wear one ring as well on your ring finger.

Gold_SJ · May 30, 2011

I guess I personally don't see any real issue with nose piercings or tattoos (minus offensive language/images) as I fail to really see how it impacts nursing care myself.

I'm from Australia and it's perfectly acceptable in my facility, many nurses have them.

In the end of course it all depends on a facilities dresscode which I feel should at all times be followed (if you disagree with it then it should be taken up by the proper routes). But I don't think anything less of anyone just because they have a hole in their skin or not, in a work compacity.

^.^ You know I don't have anything but a pair of sleepers myself but I'm seeing in the community these days 'more' people with piercings and tattoos then those without, generational maybe? Or just a greater tolerance to cultural or personal preference?

Respect of course for those who don't like piercings, everyones allowed to have their own preferences.

For the OP just check with your facility and you'll find out if you can have one or not. The bone/or clear spacer is probably a good idea if it's not in the dresscode.

nikkicoliCCRN · May 30, 2011

There are a lot of "what ifs" that can happen any day in nursing. I work in ICU and there is all types of things that can happen. I can honestly say that an earings and nose studs are the least of my worries.

Editorial Team / Moderator · May 30, 2011

I've had a nostril piercing the entire time I've worked in my ER, and it has never been a problem. Granted, I wear tiny jewelry in it at work, and whenever I'm out on my ambulance doing the medic thing, but I've never had an issue. The hospital system where I've worked since 2005 does not have a set policy about visible tattoos, but I choose to cover my tattoos while I'm at work because I don't need my life choices complicating patient care, end of story. I have sleeves in progress on both arms, shoulder to wrist, as well as tattoos on my chest, back, and both legs, but you'd never know it when you see me at work. I'm married to a tattoo artist ... go figure. LOL.

Now that I'm in the Army, no nose jewelry at work. Ever! Not even a retainer. But I've had the piercing for so long that it doesn't close, even if I go a few days without jewelry in it.

hiddencatRN, BSN, RN · May 30, 2011

It will depend on the facility as well as how enforced and policies are. We have a no visible tattoo policy and some units are more lax than others in enforcing it. I imagine we have a facial piercing policy too because I see coworkers with clear retainers.

It was the same in school: there was the dress code policy and then there was the enforced policy. We technically couldn't have visible tattoos or wear long sleeved undershirts, but after speaking with the dean I was told to wear a longsleeved T-shirt to cover my tattoo. I mentioned that the dress code says no longsleeved T-shirt and the dean said "oh....it does?"

I would be prepared to take it out during work.

SpEdtacular, MSN, RN, EMT-P · May 30, 2011

I agree with most people that it depends where you work whether piercing are ok and many facilities that allow them restrict you having a small stud.

I have two large tattoos on my back. One of the main reasons I got them there is because some people have an aversion to them. I think facilities feel that tattoos are a slippery slope because they are pictures and can be of anything so it's easier to just say cover them rather than debate whose are ok and whose aren't

Ad an aside tattoos have come a long way. They are works if art and are EXPENSIVE mine cost 650 dollars to give you an idea. There are people out there with what I like to call magic marker tattoos but many are actually very nice