Tattoos in healthcare

Nurses Professionalism

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Just curious about others' thoughts on tattoos or other modifications in healthcare. I work in long term care, which tends to be more conservative in dress codes. Facial piercing and ear gauges are not permitted, visible tattoos are becoming acceptable as long as they are not offensive. The last facility I worked at had a rule about hair color, and your scrubs had to match. No joke. How restrictive is your work place? And have you ever seen a senior member of administration with any body modifications? I am going for m MSN in administration and I have several large tattoos. (Most covered by pants and a lab coat-one wrist, but I am planning on full sleeves when I have the money).

My former DON has plenty of ink. She's gotta be close to 60 years old, and gravity has not been kind to the ones by her boobs. For that reason alone, they should be covered, but that's just IMO.

Yeah, I have one on one breast of a big wave. I told somebody once that at my age the tide was going out and he about peed his pants. :)

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Thanks everyone for the varied replies. I have a large rose on my upper right arm. It is for my grandmother who passed a year ago.i bought her home and inherited twenty rose bushes that I used to help her with. The butterfly on my shoulder is for a childhood friend I lost, my leg has my favorite song lyric that reminds me there is a reason to strive and struggle for the things I want. ( It says "suffer my desire"- smashing pumpkins). I have an Irish trinity knot bracelet that reminds me of my family, and a goddess symbol on my ankle that to remind me of my strength as a woman and a mom. All designed in part through artistic collaboration between the tattoo artists and myself. They are deeply meaningful and personal. My residents and current and past bosses, and my staff have never questioned or stated anything negative. ( But i doubt they would to my face-and if they do behind me i really don't care). I also have a tragus piercing (ear cartilage). I think that as more young professionals come into their own (I'm thirty four) it will be inevitable that we will be tattooed. I would love to think that people will judge me for my professional dress, and polite speech, but I'm not that naive. If I get turned down for a job I'm qualified for (all things being equal) just because of my tattoos, I don't want that job anyway. I ride my own motorcycle, I love loud music, I draw all over everything. I just also happen to be a nurse, who loves her job, and wants to run the world. :) peace and love:)

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Specializes in Emergency Room, Trauma ICU.

It has nothing to do with judging you which frustrates me. People with lots of tats always think people are judging them. With work it has to do with policy and that's it. If the place has the policy of no visible tattoos or piercings then of course they wouldn't hire you. Just like if you didn't have some other qualification they wouldn't hire you.

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Specializes in FNP, ONP.

Dress code requires all tattoos be completely covered. Nothing on hands, neck or face would be permitted. One pair earrings (in ear LOBE only), no hoops, no gauges. No facial piercings, no tongue piercings.

We have a MA that got a tattoo on the back of her neck after she was hired and she has to wear a turtleneck under her scrubs to keep it covered, no matter the temperature. She has been sent home twice for "forgetting." She will be fired the next time she "forgets."

I think tattoos are silly and unattractive. I would never get one. I don't care if other people do, but I wouldn't hire someone to represent me unless they look polished and professional. Tattooed with piercings is not a look I want representing me.

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I used to be against tattoos. Now I think they look attractive on some women.

A big male nurse I know has a big X-men tattoo on his shoulder, going all the way down to his hand. It's great, I like it. It's a work of art although I don't care for the X-men.

Wolverine is prominent with his big sharp claws. A perfect image for somebody about to recieve an injection :)

Australia doesnt seem to have a code regarding tattoos being visible. If it does, its not enforced. I know patients don't care.

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I'm sorry. I don't mean to hurt anyone's feelings, but it does make a difference to me. I have friends with tattoos and family with tattoos, but that doesn't change the way I feel when I see someone with one. If you are asking for 100% honesty... I may not SAY anything and I won't TREAT them differently or SAY anything to anyone else, but i do THINK it. I do get to know people and learn to ignore it, but my FIRST impression is that this person is not professional. (I don't care if it's a doctor, a nurse, the guy/girl working at McDonald's) I can never HONESTLY say it looks professional. I do get to know people and overlook them, but I don't like seeing the tattoos and piercings on the person working the drive thru handing me my food, so I'm sure not pleased to see it on someone that i'm putting my life in their hands... I may not be there long enough to actually get to KNOW that person, and they would never know how I feel by how I treat them. (I don't want to hear, "Well then let me stand over you and NOT do CPR if you were to need it... don't want "tattoos coming near you"... That would be just be being silly... I'm not saying that you AREN'T professional, but it does APPEAR unprofessional... I am NOT saying this to knock anyone) Please don't start a flame war for my honest comment. I'm not TRYING to judge anyone... but I know that i'm not alone in my feelings, so please don't be hateful for getting an answer that you didn't want to hear. You'll notice that nearly everyone that has ANSWERED this post has tattoos. I have 2 daughters-in-law that have tattoos that I asked how they felt about tattoos or piercings on healthcare workers (after seeing this, while i was trying to decide whether or not I should be honest or take the easy road and say nothing...) taking care of them or their babies while they were in the hospital... (they themselves have tattoos and at times have had nose or cartilage piercings, as i mentioned before...) They said that they would rather NOT have that person take care of them... They said they can't explain it, but it just doesn't seem professional and they don't feel as confident in the person's abilities... AGAIN.... I AM SORRY, IF I HAVE OFFENDED ANYONE OR HURT THEIR FEELINGS.... THAT IS NOT MY INTENTION! Today's world has it so that everyone has to be so politically correct that we have to worry so much about offending people that we don't give them an honest to goodness answer... All I am doing is giving you an HONEST opinion that too many are AFRAID to give because it is easier to say it behind someone's back than risk offending.

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Australia doesnt seem to have a code regarding tattoos being visible. If it does, its not enforced. I know patients don't care.

No Australia doesn't have a policy or code regarding tattoos or piercings, I've been looked after by nurses and doctors with visible ink as well as gauges

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I think the younger generation doesn't care and it is a very old school train of though to think people with tattoos are unprofessional. My art work cost thousands of dollars and is beautiful. The west coast seems to always be more liberal. I learned this from travel nursing. Almost everyone I work with has something permanent on their body.

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DixieBelle7- no offense taken. I asked for opinions and expected to hear negatives ones as well. I've heard from someone in my family that said my tattoos make me look "uneducated and low class". I think that's rubbish. And BlueDevil- if it's a policy matter, then I would expect to comply with it just like everyone else -100%. I don't think I'm special, nor would I want to go head to head with management over something so trivial as my ink. One place I worked actually suggested I wear a lot of bracelets to mask my wrist tattoo, even after I raised a question about infection control. I'll stick to my lab coat.

I've already given my stance. I worry more about competence, attitude, customer service, performance, and teamwork with my staff.

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Specializes in Pedi.

When I worked in the hospital, I worked with several people who had visible tattoos... on their wrists and/or the backs of their necks. Plenty of others who had them on their lower backs that were visible when they bent over or reached up for something. As far as I know, there was no policy about keeping them covered and, if there was, it was never enforced.

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Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.

I have 2 and you can't see them unless we're at the pool =) That said, when we were pre-registering for the birth of my last baby, the RN handling it all had 2 words tattooed onto her knuckles. Very badly done I might add. I can't recall what the words are (might have been her kids names for all I know) and she seemed like a super-fun gal, but I could not get past the knuckle tattoos. Turns out by the time we presented to deliver, she no longer worked there, so I don't know what kind of nurse she would have been for us, all I know about her is my first impression with those knuckle tats...

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Coleen that is a bit much! I have to agree with nothing in the hand.

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