Body modifications and elderly people.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Oct 13, 2012

Some workplaces have a culture where tattoos are no big deal. Other places will seriously frown upon exposed tattoos and give you a hard time, so it all depends.

Jobs are not always easy to find in this sluggish economic climate, so I would play it safe and cover the tattoos during the interview process and during your orientation period. Take some time to figure out the culture of the place where you will be working to see if they condone tattoos (or hate them). Good luck to you.

By the way, my current workplace makes employees cover up any large tattoos because the patient population here is older and conservative.

Kitsey · Oct 13, 2012

Most of the CNAs at my LTCF have tattoos and many have helix or nose piercings, gauges, etc. I've never heard anyone mention them, and they don't need to be covered. I did need to cover my helix piercing with a bandaid for clinicals, but that was the school policy.

WYOTACO · Oct 13, 2012

I think in most occupations tattoos are permissible, so long as they can be covered up by long sleeves, band-aids, etc. Similarly with piercings, as long as they can be removed during work hours you should be good to go. I'd just follow the advice mentioned above and have them covered during the interview. I'm sure they get plenty of applicants with tattoos. I'd go so far as to discuss this during the interview in part to show you can make a conscious effort to follow guidelines and also to show that you are well aware of individuals/clients/patients sensitivity to things such as body modifications. But ultimately, the guidelines will depend on the facility.

I think this meme is appropriate to this topic

http://weknowmemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/thank-you-for-your-application-but-we-are-not-hiring-right-now.jpg

nguyency77, CNA · Oct 13, 2012

I would cover them, just in case. Most of my coworkers have tattoos or piercings of some sort. Most of them can get away with it because they are BFFs with management.

If however I decided to show up with snakebites and a tattoo, my supervisor would probably flay me.

esand · Oct 13, 2012

Thanks so much for the answers, guys! I have a few friends who are CNAs and I didn't even think about the fact that they have more tattoos than me! Lol :) Guess I'll cover up and bring it up in future interviews!

funtimes · Oct 14, 2012

I would be annoyed if I was hiring people and they went out of the way to hide tattoos, then the minute they get off orientation or a probationary period out they come, but that probably happens all the time these days. I say just be honest about them and let them know you would have no problem keeping them covered.

Your overall appearance is probably what makes the difference, especially if your a male CNA. If you show up to an interview with long hair in a pony tail, earrings and a goatee it probably works against you more than some tattoos will, assuming you dont have something like a grim reaper on your forearm or arms completely covered in ink.

cannolis · Oct 14, 2012

Student here... I have a tattoo sleeve so it's good to know it's okay to cover up. :-)

allnurses Guide · Oct 14, 2012

I love that shoulder tattoo - both of those should be pretty easy to cover up. It's really commendable that you are worried about how the elderly might respond. As time goes on people will be getting more used to seeing them and all the unsavory associations people still have should start to fade out. As with most things, common sense will take you a long way. ie small piercings are fine, but don't repeatedly clack your tongue barbell against your teeth or twirl it during an interview! (yes somebody really did that).

esand · Oct 14, 2012

Oh man, such good advice from all of you! I'm not sure yet how I'll approach it, but I guess I'll come up with a way to incorporate an explanation for my tats in future interviews. I'd never be the sort to hide it all through the interview and then just show up the first day of work waving my tats around, that'd be very rude. lmao :) Do people actually do things like that?