Facial Piercings

[KlareRN]

I am still pretty new to this BB so if I open a can of worms that has already been beat to death- I am sorry. I just need to ask a question of you.

How do you deal with facial piercings in your facilities? Our policy has always been that any piercing (except for ears) must be removed or covered before clocking in.

Some of the facilities I go to have eyebrows, noses, lebraes?(the area just under your bottom lip), tongues, and lips pierced. Staff state that they are "expressing" themselves. I have argued that they have chosen a career in long term care and our residents do not understand the facial piercings and it can be very disturbing to them. If they want to be pierced- they need to find a career that is more accepting of it. Even after all this- one of my management nurses came in with a fresh nose ring (cannot be removed for 13 weeks- then the "ring" can be "cut" off and replaced with jewelry of choice). She said she always had wanted to do it and refused to remove it. Covering a nose ring with a bandaid is next to impossible. The nurses and aides with the piercings state as part of their constitutional rights- as long as they are covered with something...there is nothing mgt. can do about it. Most of them do try to cover them with bandaids- but then it looks like a war zone in the halls.

There are also alot of large tatoos. The large ones on the forearms cannot be covered with bandages due to infection control (it would cost of fortune to continually replace the bandage) and wearing long sleeves in the summer in a long term care facility would be unrealistic. It is mostly younger females getting the large forearm tatoos.

Most of the nurses and aides that have chosen to tatoo and pierce themselves are excellent healthcare workers. Those of us that know them become immune to the piercings-but to the families and visitors into the facility- he or she just looks like a street thug. I do not think it leaves a good impression.

How do other facilitys handle tatoos and piercings? With the nursing shortage - what do you do?

Thank you for any words of wisdom....

[Paprikat]

I have two tattoos, both coverable, but when I wear scrub dresses, they can be seen. My manager has said nothing, but some of the residents have, and one even went to say that I probably wasn't a "nice girl." I replied to her that she knew me before she saw the tattoos and was I a nice girl then? She said yes. So it goes to show that people with piercings and tattoos are still nice people and should be respected whether they have them or not. My tattoos are tasteful and I frankly don't care what people think. As far as noserings, a few girls have them and managment has said nothing about them.

[tex]

In our facility, the facial piercings must be either removed, or if a new one, they must cover with a bandaid or such......it is not professional in appearance, and lets face it the population in our SNF's are not of the generation where it was accepable....it is offensive.............tex

[ClariceS]

Our facility put in the dress code that no facial piercing or tattooing is allowed period. Either take it out or don't bother coming to work. Same with blue, green, pink or purple hair. Also, no more than 2 visible piercings per ear.

Haven't had any problems here.

[Catie]

In the facility I work at we are suppose to remove all piercings other than ears, tattoos must be covored but nobody ever takes them out or covers them up and nobody says anything.