Nurses with ear piercings

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Apr 19, 2015

Adding to the discussion:

Although tattoos are becoming more commonplace on women, body art + full sleeves can be seen bring up unwanted memories to those who lived during WWII and survived concentration camps and confused elderly who thinks snakes are on nurses arms.

Similar reason why hoops/dangling earings not permitted: just takes one confused/combative patient to pull on them while you are leaning over the client performing care to have workplace injury --or have rhinestone fall off into open wound. Infection control can be another concern with facial piercings.

I was chastised by another department manager for hiring staff with tattoos as against company policy --even though we were in separate business office with no patient interaction except for phone calls. I hired staff in winter so wearing long sleeves, not noted and hire based on qualifications. Manager even went to HR on issue. Fast forward 1 year, when this Manager needed additional staff and her dept paid more, who did she hire: my excellent tattooed clerical staff!

jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B · Apr 19, 2015

Hello,
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?
thanks

I think that body modification/decoration is a highly personal thing. It is expressive, artistic, and all those things that have a meaning and significance to a person.

With that being said, it is not always something that a "professional" organization who wants to project a "certain image" approves of.

When you begin to get all sorts of piercings in your ears and cartilage, it affects the integrity of the skin in your ear. So, when you decide to perhaps not have the piercings anymore, there can be some holes. And call me crazy, but with all of the ear cuffs and non pierced options available, do it up now, with no permanent scarring, gaping holes and the like to have to deal with later.

Tattoos again are highly personal. I am not sure a finger is the greatest place to begin, (as in feet, highly, highly painful) but should you want body art, perhaps someplace else to see how it feels and if it fits your life. I actually had a friend who LOVED tattoos, when she turned 18 ran to the next state where they were legal....and jumped up after a few minutes because the pain was not anywhere near what she thought she could handle----it was the rubbing thing......so now she has a teeny heart on her calf, that started out to be a crescent moon.....!!

There's lots of ways to make a statement, and I am 100% for self expression. However, I am a little wary of self expression that you can not change. As to me, there are 153 billion ways to express one's self, just not in a permanent sense. What do your parent's have to say? I get that you are probably 18, but I would seek their advice as well.

Best wishes, and the light is at the end of the tunnel in your senior year!! WOO HOO!! All the best in your future endevours!

hshuang · Apr 19, 2015

Excuse me? If you thought we were harsh on here, you need to toughen your skin a bit because it's much harsher out there!

No need to be rude. Did I offended you? Did I say you were harsh? No.

hshuang · Apr 19, 2015

"Judging a book by its cover" is not only reasonable, but it is smart.
The way someone dresses, the way they cut/style/color their hair, whether and what tats they have, whether and what piercings they have are all ways the person tells others who they are.
When someone walks in for an interview wearing a dark suit, light colored shirt, and conservatively styled hair they are making a statement. When another person walks into an interview with a nose piercing and full sleeve tats, they are also making a statement.
If these 2 individuals were equally qualified, I'd hire the person dressed conservatively. I wouldn't even have to think about it. The conservatively dressed individual will not offend any of my customers guaranteed. The person with tats and piercings will offend some of my customers. The conservatively dressed individual knows the importance of a professional appearance. The other values self expression. In my employees I want professionalism not self expression.
I've never known of a person losing a job opportunity because they did NOT have tats or piercings. I have heard of people losing a job opportunity because they DID have tats or piercings.
You will never go wrong going to an interview dressed MORE professionally than is required or expected. You will lose out if you go dressed LESS professionally than expected.
If there are more jobs than people to fill them, then you have more room for self expression. If there are more people than jobs, then employers can be very picky.

In case you missed my previous posts. I m very conservative. I currently do NOT have tattoos. And I bought about getting ONE, not a full sleeve. If I did get my piercings and took them out and dressed conservative as you said, would you have known that I have several piercings? Are you going to take a magnifying glass and zoom in on my ears? If you did, that would kinda of weird and intrusive. I mentioned in my last post, that if I got my piercings early, the would healed. And I would be able to take them out for interviews and clinical.

bugya90, ASN, BSN, LVN, RN · Apr 19, 2015

So what is the point of getting them right now if as you say you are going to take them out and let them heal for clinical. I'm assuming you are planning on getting into nursing school within the next 1-2 years so clinicals are really not that far off. Why not just wait until after school is done and you've landed a regular job and know your employers rules about tats and piercings (and how far you can push the limit)? What's the big rush to get them done now?

Anonymous865 · Apr 19, 2015

In case you missed my previous posts. I m very conservative. I currently do NOT have tattoos. And I bought about getting ONE, not a full sleeve. If I did get my piercings and took them out and dressed conservative as you said, would you have known that I have several piercings? Are you going to take a magnifying glass and zoom in on my ears? If you did, that would kinda of weird and intrusive. I mentioned in my last post, that if I got my piercings early, the would healed. And I would be able to take them out for interviews and clinical.

Obviously I'm not going to get out a magnifying glass and inspect your ears.

When you interview for a professional position, you will be "under the microscope" so to speak. A company spends a lot of money when they on board a new employee. A new employee can cost the company more money than they bring in for anywhere from a few months to a few years. Just the cost of recruiting and hiring a new employee is expensive. Because of that employers look very closely at anyone they are considering hiring into a professional position.

The higher you go in a company, the more concerned they will be about the image you project.

When you express yourself, it is smart to do it in a way that can be undone when you go into work. If you can remove the piercings at work and achieve the business look, then piercings are ok. If you can locate the tatoo where it won't be seen at work, then get a tatoo.

Just don't put yourself at a disadvantage before you even start your career.

Think abut where you want to be in 20 years. Will you still want to be a med/surg nurse or will you be aiming for CNO. Will you want to go to work for Eclipsys, Cerner, or Meditech demo-ing their software to hospitals? Will you want to be a DNP?

lovinglife2015 · Apr 19, 2015

In case you missed my previous posts. I m very conservative. I currently do NOT have tattoos. And I bought about getting ONE, not a full sleeve. If I did get my piercings and took them out and dressed conservative as you said, would you have known that I have several piercings? Are you going to take a magnifying glass and zoom in on my ears? If you did, that would kinda of weird and intrusive. I mentioned in my last post, that if I got my piercings early, the would healed. And I would be able to take them out for interviews and clinical.

Why ask for opinions if you're going to argue or try and defend your position? If you want to get the piercings and tat, do so. You don't have to prove anything by debating with folks that offered helpful advice. Contemplate the advice, use what you need and move on.

hshuang · Apr 19, 2015

So what is the point of getting them right now if as you say you are going to take them out and let them heal for clinical. I'm assuming you are planning on getting into nursing school within the next 1-2 years so clinicals are really not that far off. Why not just wait until after school is done and you've landed a regular job and know your employers rules about tats and piercings (and how far you can push the limit)? What's the big rush to get them done now?

Heal as in the the piercing is healed and won't hurt anymore. And I can changing the piercing as I pleased. I didn't mean heal as "the hole closing". Sorry for the confusion. I feel like it's too late when I am done with school. I got mine first ear lobe piercings three months ago. I m 18, but there are people who got their lobe piercings as babies. I feel like I making a mistake if I don't do it young.

hshuang · Apr 19, 2015

Why ask for opinions if you're going to argue or try and defend your position? If you want to get the piercings and tat, do so. You don't have to prove anything by debating with folks that offered helpful advice. Contemplate the advice, use what you need and move on.

I have already made the decision several posts back. I don't think the people who replied read my previous posts hence I m defending my position. I just am confused why piercings would affect someone's chance of getting a job.

Ruas61, BSN, RN · Apr 19, 2015

I have already made the decision several posts back. I don't think the people who replied read my previous posts hence I m defending my position. I just am confused why piercings would affect someone's chance of getting a job.

May I suggest asking someone in the business, professional world who is 10 or more years older than you.

It may give you an insight into how appearance can influence your employment opportunities or career.

Perceptions change with age and experience.

Who and what you think will change as the years move along and your life evolves.

This may be a topic you pursue with real life people too and not just on a message board.

RNNPICU, BSN, RN · Apr 20, 2015

I have already made the decision several posts back. I don't think the people who replied read my previous posts hence I m defending my position. I just am confused why piercings would affect someone's chance of getting a job.

Piercings like tats are also a form of self expression. I have been to practice interviews were a group of us were critiqued and who gave the best impression. We were all equal with experience and education. The ones who were dressed conservatively, had SINGLE piercings showed the best professional image.

I remember hearing from someone once that it was an underwritten policy for a foot in the door.

Also for most clinicals you will be allowed once set of studs in your ears. You are representing the school and its integrity. These clinical sites may also have summer jobs or even a job post NCLEX

melizerd, ASN, RN · Apr 20, 2015

It must vary by area a lot. I've never removed my two sets of lobe studs, cartilage or industrial for school or interviews. I'm in a major hospital system and as long as they don't dangle all ear piercings are fine, no facial piercings allowed. Tattoos are allowed to be a 2x2 visible technically. No one coves up their tattoos though that I've worked with, and our manager is aware. Our patients haven't ever complained that I've ever heard of or had, personally. Many patients really enjoy my nurse theme owl half sleeve actually lol!

I did a clinical rotation on the floor I was hired on to as well.