nursing & tattoos

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in CCRN.

I am currently in nursing school(RN).. I will graduate in Dec

I plan on getting both arms tattooed - - -nothing inappropriate

I would love to start it now - but I am wondering if this will hinder me from getting a job in the future

I would wear a long sleeve dress shirt to interview, and make sure I'd be allowed to wear long sleeves under my scrubs if they had a no tattoo policy (this is what the employees do at the hospital I go to school at)

What do you guys think - should I just wait?

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There are many threads on this subject that you might find of assistance.

IMO, as long as it is not visible, I can't see it being a problem. There were plenty in my program that got tattoos during school and that had tattoos prior to school. They just kept them covered with bandaids, long-sleeve tops, etc.

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Specializes in ICU.

Yes, it will. I would wait until I found a job and checked their policy. It's hard enough to find a job. Why make it harder?

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Specializes in Critical Care.

I would wait. Some environments do not allow long sleeves under scrubs and require no visible tattoos. Hospitals are becoming more strict with their dress codes. And it will be a giant pain to cover during nursing school.

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Yes wait, the op are right, and believe me in nursing things can get stressful and chaotic, and you will not want to wear long sleeves all the time

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Specializes in Pediatric/Adolescent, Med-Surg.
I am currently in nursing school(RN).. I will graduate in Dec

I plan on getting both arms tattooed - - -nothing inappropriate

I would love to start it now - but I am wondering if this will hinder me from getting a job in the future

I would wear a long sleeve dress shirt to interview, and make sure I'd be allowed to wear long sleeves under my scrubs if they had a no tattoo policy (this is what the employees do at the hospital I go to school at)

What do you guys think - should I just wait?

As others said search the forum. A lot has to do with your specific facility's policy. I would avoid getting anything prior to graduation.

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If you are already planning on how to hide the tattoos, why do you feel the need to acquire them? Hiding ANYTHING in an interview is dishonest.

I have seen nurses with tattooed arms, wearing long johns,etc.. in a lame attempt to hide them. Trust me.. you will be rolling up your sleeves during many shifts.

Many employers will not hire you with strong cologne, inappropriate jewelry, or two inch long nails, let alone tattoos. The employer calls the shots on this. Not the time to make a statement.

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Specializes in Med/surg, Onc.

I found school to be more restrictive than working. I'm a new grad, only been at my first job 8 weeks.

I just got a new collarbone tattoo last week. It's covered in all my scrubs and no one at work will ever know I have it ;)

Lots of nurses wear long sleeves, even in august and no one questions if it's because they like long sleeves, are cold people or tattoo'd.

Just be prepared to cover them forever. I'd also only consider 1/2 or 3/4 sleeve tattoo so that when you need to roll up your shirt some they are still covered. It's my plan for my half sleeve.

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If you are already planning on how to hide the tattoos, why do you feel the need to acquire them? Hiding ANYTHING in an interview is dishonest.

I have seen nurses with tattooed arms, wearing long johns,etc.. in a lame attempt to hide them. Trust me.. you will be rolling up your sleeves during many shifts.

Many employers will not hire you with strong cologne, inappropriate jewelry, or two inch long nails, let alone tattoos. The employer calls the shots on this. Not the time to make a statement.

I find this a little overboard... You "hide" them in a interview for professionalism, not because they are secret. If I had tats on my arms I would hide them in my interview but also simply say, "I have some tattoos that would be visable at work, is it within policy to wear a long sleeve to cover them?"

I don't understand the statement "in a lame attempt to hide them" either. Its just being respectful. My tattoos are not me making a statement. They are just part of me. I'm not going to make decisions about MY body based on work. Work is not my LIFE, just my living. If somewhere wouldn't let me have tattoos I can cover, I'd move on.

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Specializes in Critical Care/Vascular Access.

It would definitely be a facility specific issue, but it is safe to say that it would be harder to get a job that would let you have any of them showing, and wearing long sleeves all the time would get old very quickly.

Now, on a personal note disregarding the professionalism of it, I kind of have a pet peeve with people that want to just get "sleeves" just for the sake of getting sleeves. I mean, do you actually have enough tattoos (or one big enough) in mind that are meaningful and thought out to cover both your arms? or do you just like the way arms covered in tattoos look so you'll just find stuff along the way that kind of "looks neat"? If you're going to get ANY tattoo, think about it for a year or two. Make sure it has meaning and value to you and is not just part of some juvenile fashion statement. Getting sleeves just for the sake of having sleeves just seems like a showy, shallow reasons to get tattoos. I have most of my torso tattooed but it is all easily covered up, and everything I have was thought out thoroughly and I did it for myself, not to make some fashion statement that everyone could see. But hey.......to each his own, just don't sell the art form short.

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The jobs I've had allowed them to be covered up with long sleeves. I feel sorry for the nurses who have to wear long sleeves all the time, though ...it gets HOT in the summer and HOT when you're running around at work in a panic. It can also be unhygienic when you're doing messy things with patients. Tattoos are difficult to undo. Why not give it some time and see how you feel later?

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...and believe me in nursing things can get stressful and chaotic, and you will not want to wear long sleeves all the time

I have zero tattoos, but I always wear long sleeves for modesty. It is totally doable if the reason you are doing it is important to you.

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