(Industrial) Piercings and Nursing

meanmaryjean, DNP, RN · Apr 5, 2015

I give up- what constitutes an 'industrial' piercing?

anh06005, MSN, APRN, NP · Apr 5, 2015

I'd check with your program on what their rules are regarding piercings. We were limited to like 2 piercings per ear. I don't think it specified to the ear lobe. Each program is different, though. I had 1 in each lobe, an industrial in one ear, and a cartilage in the other. I also later added daith but that interfered with my stethoscope so I took it out and replaced it with a rook.

Anyway I have since let my industrial site grow up after one end slipped out and I couldn't get it back through. I also had my lip pierced for a while during nursing school but was able to take it out for an entire day at a time so it was no biggie.

CHECK WITH YOUR SCHOOL lol. I think my rant was to show you it can be done without issue

iamdjk · Apr 5, 2015

This is what an industrial piercing looks like:

elkpark · Apr 5, 2015

Nursing schools tend to have much stricter, more restrictive dress codes for clinicals than many healthcare employers. If you haven't already gotten the piercing and can stand to wait, I think it would make sense to wait until you're done with school.

scaredsilly, BSN, RN · Apr 5, 2015

I got an industrial in high school. When I did my clinicals I wore clear plastic plugs to keep the holes open and no one seemed to notice. I did the same thing on my job interview but now that I'm working I wear very understated jewelry and no one ever said anything about it. By understated I mean very tiny balls and a clear rod. It is a little easier for a female to cover an industrial will hair, but as long as you use the clear plugs at clinical sites, I think you should be ok.

caseyuptonurse · Apr 5, 2015

I would see what your program allows. I had my industrial pierced for three years before even going into nursing. Our clinical only allowed for first holes so I would take my industrial out for clinical. I took it out the one day for clinical and I could not get it back in, and that was with 3 year old holes! Maybe my ears just regenerate quickly. Haha. But I would either find out what is in their policy or try to hide it with a clear one if they make them. It was a pain in the butt to take it out every other day.

scaredsilly, BSN, RN · Apr 5, 2015

Clear ones are really easy to find.

iamdjk · Apr 5, 2015

Thank you everyone for your detailed input! I don't have the piercing yet, so it may be the best option to wait and see where life takes me and what I maybe restricted to there. A clear bar is definitely an option I can consider as well.

ajmclean · Apr 5, 2015

Check what your prospective nursing school program allows. Ours allows for earrings (no hoops, one each ear) and tattoos must not show. Don't spend the time or money for something you might have to remove.

melizerd, ASN, RN · Apr 5, 2015

Definitely varies by program. My program didn't care about my industrial and neither does my hospital. I had it before school though. If I didn't I probably would have waited til after school just in case.

MissHavokk · Apr 10, 2015

Nursing schools tend to be a little more stricter. I was always the kid who sort of pushed the rules - where making "two earrings" as an industrial work. It's technically just two holes and it's connected.

I have had two industrials at the same time and have a tattoo on my arm - and everyone knows it and my boss has seen it. It depends on where you work, but, I have noticed that if you don't flaunt it and it's not in an area, like a septum, it tends to be more easily overlooked.

However, I would also look at timeframes. If you have 3-6 months before you are to join this program, I would go ahead and get it if you would like it. It would be mostly healed at that time where you could take it out and replace it with a clear bar or individual piercings, etc, to hold the hole during a 12H shift. after a point in time, you will be able to take it out for a shift and replace it when you're done if it's a necessity to come out. There will be a job that accepts it, might be hard to find, but one will and I'd hate for any nurse to feel like they have to be 100% appropriate every minute of every single day and not express themselves.

but I am also the unpopular opinion nurse, so I would also take that into account. haha.

Good Luck!