Question About Stretched Ears - Page 2

i work with several RNs that have stretched lobes, most of them wear clear glass or plastic plugs to work. none of them are stretched larger than 1.5 inch though. nasal piercings are common, many of my coworkers have a discreet nose stud and most of them have more like 3-5 earlobe piercings! policy says no artificial nails but fake fingernails abound. policy doesnt care about polish color only says "unchipped and no nail jewelry like rhinestones" so you see black, orange, flowers, all sorts of cute nail designs.

I think you have to go through school and get a job first, then figure out how to express yourself later.

I am entering a BSN program and have many many tattoos, including a half sleeve and forearm tattoos, but you bet I'll be covering them up not only in clinicals (required) but also in regular classes. I believe the appearance of professionalism extends to your nursing courses and labs too, and I do not want to be unfairly categorized by my teachers or classmates. Just the opposite, I want to be the first person my instructors think of when they are considering recommending someone for a job.

I am who I am, but that doesn't mean I need to flaunt it in any and all situations for some sense of personal satisfaction. I can express myself on my own time, and so can you.

Personally, I think you are fooling yourself by saying that stretched ears are "common" where you live. I'm guessing that I could go to many high schools throughout the country and find a number of people with stretched ears--certainly a higher percentage of people than I would find in that community outside of the high school population.

I don't know much about the procedure for stretching one's ears and I really don't know if it reversible in any way....but if it is, I would work on "unstretching" them soon. I don't have a problem with the look, but their are many school and hospital administrators that do. You will be taking care of many people from many backgrounds. Some will be out and out offended by the look...I'm not defending these people's views, but they do exist. As such some hospitals will find a reason not to hire you based on the look you are presenting.

Just bear in mind that what you like when you are 18 will likely be very different from what you will like when you are 28. Think carefully about the decisions you make now... unless one of the things you anticipate liking in 15 - 20 years is corrective surgery on your lobes. And trust me when i tell you i speak from experience on this matter.

I have 1'' gauges and no on where i work cares (LTC) I even wear those silicone flesh tunnels. But thats my situation, you better believe that in nursing school I wore those flesh colored plugs, in class and clinical.

I spoke with a Paramedic who was my instructor for PALS. He was the coolest and friendliest teacher I knew; he had full sleeves on both arms and he had gauges that were more than 2 in. on both lobes. He was very intelligent and knew a lot which was even more impressive. We got talking and I told him I liked his ink and gauges and asked if he wore the gauges anymore. He replied, "No, I outgrew them and it's easier to not have them."

I then asked him if other people looked at you different for having ink and gauges as a medical professional, and he said, "Yes, and I had to work extra hard and watch myself carefully so no one will doubt that I was competent at what I did; because of the variety of cultures in the US, having ink and gauges is usually not a good thing in the medical field. Also, I didn't want to scare the kids, parents, or the elderly so I have to make sure my skills stand out -continually- or risk being looked down upon or have someone question my professionalism and my abilities to treat people."

I think you should do your best to be aware of your appearance and use flesh colored gauges to hide them. Hospitals want employees who are able to represent them to the public. If you're an independent practitioner/doctor, then the situation changes because your patients will know you better as you build a long-term relationship with them, lets say, if you are their primary MD.

Again, judge well for yourself on what you want to do with the gauges, but just realize the job market is hard right now and you want to get as many positive references as possible.

PS: My favourite band is Wolves At the Gate. lol who says that nurses can't like country (rascal flatts) and post-harcore? haha

Several years prior to going to nursing school, I had to have several surgeries. When I was wheeled into the floor where I was staying I saw a couple of younger guys with tats up the neck. I don't recall if they were doing the ear stretching thing. I was under a great deal of pain and stress, and when I got to my room, I told the person wheeling me there, that I absolutely did not want those guys taking care of me. I wanted ordinary people taking care of me. I don't know why, I just didn't need the extra stress of worrying about who the heck these guys were, if they were good people, etc. when I was so sick.

I'm sorry if you don't like it, or if you think I am bigoted, I am just a pragmatist. Stuff like that is scary to a large part of the population. They will think you are a freak.

Oh, and you might want to learn to spell if you want to be taken seriously as well. It's Psychiatrist.

Jane

As someone who has a) been through childbirth and b) now has children, I would very strongly recommend giving up your stretched lobes. I can hardly wear earrings without my kids grabbing at them, and my OB actually had an earring ripped out (just a regular hoop earring) by someone who was quite, um, grabby during labor.

Professional appearance aside, I think it's a very impractical choice for the fields you're interested in.

Not to mention, stretched earlobes look absolutely hideous IMHO. Then again, I am old, and set in my ways.....I'd rather see someone covered in tattoos than ears that look like the handle on a coffee cup!

The OP does not deserve body snarking.