I want to be a nurse when I finish college. I'm currently a senior in high school. I have 5 more years until I graduate college/ become a nurse. I already have 4 piercings on my ears. I want 3 more (second lobes and 1 more cartilage (helix)). Is it frown upon that I will have 7 piercings or should I stop? I also want a tattoo on my finger (not sure about it, but the size will be smaller than a quarter). But is it acceptable tho?
During my last clinical rotation, I asked my professor what she thought of tattoos because I was planning on a very visible one. She advised against it. So I would really consider that in the long run would I be willing to lose job opportunities due to ink. As others were saying, some facilities are fine with it and others are totally against it.
Depends on your school and where you do your clinicals. I have one kid in a nursing program and I told her to hold off on all the above mentioned. She puts a
clear plug in her nose. I have another in ROTC so she can have nothing, not even clear plugs, so she let her nose and cartilage close.
i don't have face piercings and i m not in rotc. i mean it only takes a year for the piercings to heal... they would be healed when i am in my sophomore year... so i can probably take them during clinical... do you agree?
I have seven piercings in my ears (three in each lobe and cartilage on the left) and I have never taken my earrings out nor have I been asked to. I wore my earrings all through school, on every job interview I've ever been on and at every job I've ever held. I've also worked with many nurses with visible wrist/neck tattoos over the years.
I have a whole sleeve of tattoos and no one ever knew in clinicals you just wear a arm sleeve if you really want tattoes I love art so it wasn't gonna stop me just don't show it in your interview it looks unprofessional wear long sleeve shirt then just wear a sleeve band when you work lots of nurses have tattoos just avoid the hand my goes to my wrist were the arm band can still cover, the hand you can't hide unless you wanna put cover up on it everyday would suck
Get the piercings, skip the tat. You can remove the piercings when you feel like it but the tat will be poorly placed and permanent. No need to limit your job options. We can tell you 7 different theories of what we think potential employers will think but none of us is really capable of ACTUALLY knowing what they'll think.
I say save the tattoo for after you land that first job.
Obviously it depends on location and hospital, but in general I think school nursing programs/clinicals will be a bit stricter on appearance than the hospital that you end up working at. Clinicals in nursing school require you to be pristine, in order to best represent your nursing program and in an effort to teach you professionalism. And then as a new grad, you want to stack the deck in your favor as much as possible to land that first job. Some managers wont care, but some might frown on the tattoo and discount you. BUT, once you land that first job and know the atmosphere you are working in, you will know if you can "get away" with the tattoo. Plus, for future jobs, having experience vs. being a new grad will help you not have to worry about if the tattoo on your finger is gonna make you not get job offers.
Same with the earrings: You will probably want/need to look as clean cut as possible for school/as a new grad job hunting. But hey, you can take the piercings out when you need to, so if you want it till then, go for it. If you keep that many piercings when you get into nursing school, be ready to likely hear some instructors tell you that its unprofessional and doesnt make a good nurse (silly). Just a heads up!
shenanigans_RN
28 Posts
During my last clinical rotation, I asked my professor what she thought of tattoos because I was planning on a very visible one. She advised against it. So I would really consider that in the long run would I be willing to lose job opportunities due to ink. As others were saying, some facilities are fine with it and others are totally against it.