by vertekr

hi i'm a nursing student.
i have tattoos all over my arms (just about down to my wrists). do nurses have to cover up their tats while working?

Re: Tattoos all over!

I'm a female RN with many tats, and I have not been asked to cover them up. If it ever becomes an issue, I'll just wear a long sleeved UnderArmour shirt under my scrubs.
Good luck to you.

Re: Tattoos all over!

where I work they ask that certain larger tats get covered or ones that patients would find offensive.

Re: Tattoos all over!

My employer (a large system and pretty much the only healthcare employer in this area) requires that all tattoos be covered at work. A lot of my coworkers come to work each day festooned with multiple Bandaids, and I'm always curious about how much $$$ that many Bandaids (the big, specialty ones!) adds up to over the course of a year ...

Re: Tattoos all over!

Policies differ from facilitiy to facility. However with the job market the way it is right now, you want to wear a long sleve shirt, suit & tie to the interview for sure. Also, what is the policy of the nursing school??? They may want you covered up when you go to clinicals............

Re: Tattoos all over!

It depends on where you work. At my facility they must be covered.

Re: Tattoos all over!

I too would think it depends on where you work. At my facility its never been an issue...there used to be a male nurse w/ his arms covered....even had profanity on it. The thing about LTC though is that most older people will tell you exactly what they think of tats ...I just had a family member of one of my pts tell me the other day that a young guy came to where she works and had tats on his arm uncovered...and she went up to him and told him how disgusting she thought it was and started quoting bible verses to him about how one shouldnt mark their body....he covered up the tats with his shirt sleeve..but even so..I thought that was a fairly bold move on her part seeing as how she didnt even know him yet passed judgement. When she was telling me this...I kindly told her that sometimes the most inked up people are some of the best people you could ever meet....I myself have tats but they arent visible...no one I work with even knows I have them. My husband hates tattoos...thinks they are trashy and he always makes comments about mine and how he thinks I should get them removed. I refuse. I like them and have no regrets about them. And as for your future nursing career....your tats arent going to determine what kind of nurse you will be. That comes from within.

Re: Tattoos all over!

Most nursing programs will ask you to cover visible tattoos. I use Dermablend and find it works well. I'm not in school and have been in nursing close to 30 years now. I have had only 1 instance in which an employer said anything in relation to my ink and she was my administrator. She never asked me to cover them but did say "It's in the bible its a sin to mark your body, your going to hell" ROFLMAO!! On the other hand 99% of my elderly patients always ask me to show them the rest and ask if I've gotten further on my back piece. I think it's more acceptable now and to be honest if you ever met me you wouldnt have a clue I had ink lol. I'm always told "you dont seem the type". Well what type do you have to be? It will depend on who you are working for and how they view it.

Re: Tattoos all over!

I have often wondered what LTC facilities are going to look like in about 40 years, all these inked senior citizens walking around with sagging tribal bands and tramp stamps riddled with cellulite and and stretch marks ... that's going to be a sight. ... I'm also wondering whether they will make these patients cover up, or if not whether by then the nurse coverup rules will become relaxed? Hmm ...

ANYWAY, to answer your question: I volunteer at a hospital that specifically bans visible tattoos and requires long sleeves or something else to cover up. One nursing school info session I attended recently went as far as to say that not only do tattoos have to be covered but that only one earlobe stud per ear was allowed. I heard some young ladies in the audience with cartilage and eyebrow piercings groan with dissappointment but they made it clear that this was a non-negotiable rule.

Re: Tattoos all over!

I have three tattoos. two are offensive. But there higher up on my arm. So the scrubs more than cover them. I'm a student, and my school I don't remember if they want you to cover them up. I think its just preferrable. But there are some places that don't like. I'm not gonna advertise it when I go for a job when I graduate.