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?
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.
There are many schools who require strict dress code adherence in clinical rotations that represents their school. Some require only a watch and a wedding band, hair up and off of neck and face, one pair of small earrings, and certain color/style of scrub wear.
That also is true of certain facilities. It is often not safe to have multiple piercings, dependent on where you end up working. Peds LOVE earrings, older people, psych, people with altered mental status will grab onto anything shiny.....lots of reasons.
And again, should you decide when you are older that all of said piercings are not something you want anymore, gaping holes, scarring, that type of thing may be more than what you bargain for, and may require some sort of plastic surgery to fix.
Is there a reason you don't add a bunch of ear cuffs and a non-pierced cartilage jewelry? It all looks the same in the end.
Back in the 80's, I had it in my head that I wanted to be unique, so got multiple piercings in my ears. (well one ear, the left one....I know, but it was the 80's and I was sooooo "punk rock"!!) Story for another thread, I know!! In any event, I had to take all but one out for clinicals, and for my eventual job. Not only because it was against the dress code of the facility, but patients were fascinated and very touchy with wanting to look at and touch my earrings. And even one pair can get tender with putting on and taking off your stethoscope, and "catch".
Now at almost 50, for me, multiple piercings would look a little nutty. However, I have a bunch of tiny bumps where my earrings used to be. Looks like I have ear acne. And a few hard nodules of scarring, that can present themselves as a little sore if I lay on that side to sleep.
But again, as I said in my pp, I am all for self expression. Even more so the "rush" of being a very conservative person that presents with alternate forms of body modification. I loved to be a study in opposites. I get it. But sometimes as tastes change, some things remain a more permanent "reminder" than others.
I saw that you decided that tattoo was out and that you were still going to go with the piercings (with the idea that you could have them healed enough to not wear earrings, if necessary, and have the holes stay open). The only thing I will tell you is that even once the holes seem healed, you will need to be sure you are wearing earrings when not at work for quite a while to get them truly established. I had my first hole done when I was a baby. It is fully established now and does not close with months of not wearing an earring. I had my second hole done when I was 12 (over 20 years ago) and it took quite a while to get to the same point. There were times even in my early 20's that if I went more than a week or so without wearing earrings it would start to close and I would have a little resistance when I went to wear earrings again. I personally don't like wearing studs at work as I always seem to end up hitting them or pulling on them throughout the day, so I usually don't wear any earrings at work.
As for that tattoo, I know you said it was out, but if you ever think about it again, just think about locations that are covered while wearing scrubs as most employers I've seen require them to be covered. That way you won't have to go through any extra measures to cover them at work.
i don't wear earrings to work anymore because i had a patient grab me when she thought she was falling and almost rip my earring out of my ear. i do have a nose ring and it doesn't bother my manager. but these things depend on where you work and how easygoing your manager is. i have a small tattoo on my left ac, too, that my manager has never mentioned, but i can cover it up if i needed to. i personally wouldnt get the finger tattoo because they're harder to hide.
Tbh I m already accepted into Drexel Univeristy and its nursing program. I still will get my ear piercings, but no hoops, danglings, or stretching. They are going to be small studs. The tattoo, I m going to hold off of. There are posts on here I felt that it was pretty harsh. I mean reality is harsh, but there is no need to be harsh on here. Thank you for your responses. Btw I m actually pretty consercative (actually very). Piercings are like a way for me to express myself and that's why I m getting the ear piercings.
i don't live far from drexel. since you're in philly and it's a pretty liberal city, you'll probably be ok with the piercings. i had one clinical instructor who told me i couldn't wear my nose ring to clinical, so i stuck one of those wart band aids over my nose every time i saw her because i refused to take it out. oh well.
I've got both tattoos (hidden, never visible) and four studs in one year, three in the other. Yep, I was a teen in the 80's. No one has ever said anything. I think back in the stone age when I went to nursing school I did have to take some of the earrings out for clinical and I had to put makeup over anything that showed through my ugly white uniform, but I no longer wear white uniforms and no one cares about the earrings. :)
Earrings should be fine, as long as they are not dangly and you look professional. Tattoo can come of as unprofessional, but some places would be fine with it. My hospital would not tolerate visible tattoos, and mine are on my back so are hidden. But some places would.
Specializes in Critical Care, Med-Surg, Psych, Geri, LTC, Tele,.
In my area, which happens to be quite liberal, nursing schools are very strict about tattoos and piercings.
I am an Lvn and was recently admitted to the rn program.
I'd advise not getting multiple piercings or any visible tattoos while in school and then to wait until you have a job and can observe the "culture" of the unit.
In my Lvn school, all tattoos had to be covered! That meant long sleeves for many students, even in summer. Plus the sleeves had to match uniform guidelines! Aughh! That's too much!!
I had 2 piercings per ear but still had to remove my (discreet, conservative) Tragus stud while in school, resulting in me having to re-pierce after graduation. Oh, the blood and pain!!
At my rn program info session, the instructor let me know that my single diamond studs were too large!! I promise they aren't super large, they are quite conservative, or so I thought!!
Working as a nurse in a non hospital setting was not nearly as strict as school. Tattoos and piercings were a-ok! But if you still have to get through school, I'd err on the side of non visible piercings/ tattoos!'
That being said, I really want to get a few dernals and my first tattoo!!
From my experience in nursing school tattoos and piercings rules are a lot less strict. As far as tattoos we were allowed to have them showing as long as they weren't offensive. Piercings we were allowed 3 on each ear. I would still go ahead and get the piercings because you can take them out for your 12 hr shift.
You just have to get through nursing school. Once you have a job I've noticed that nurses can pretty much do what they want as far as tattoos and piercings.
From my experience in nursing school tattoos and piercings rules are a lot less strict. As far as tattoos we were allowed to have them showing as long as they weren't offensive. Piercings we were allowed 3 on each ear. I would still go ahead and get the piercings because you can take them out for your 12 hr shift.
You just have to get through nursing school. Once you have a job I've noticed that nurses can pretty much do what they want as far as tattoos and piercings.
Yes, these silly restrictions really are finally loosening up. My school has the same rule about tattoos - basically nudity and curse words are out, but tattoos are generally okay. My employer says, "think about content and placement." Multiple ear piercings are allowed as are nasal piercings (not septum) in both venues. At the facility where I'm doing clinicals, one of the aides has an insanely beautiful mermaid tattoo that I'm actually super jealous of, on her forearm.
The kid who checks me out at the supermarket has gauges at least one inch in diameter. While those aren't my taste, they don't affect his ability to work and he's well-groomed, polite, and professional....which is what actually matters.
If I was an employer of a health care facility, whether it be a hospital, physician's office, nursing home, I would not hire someone with tattoos or piercings. I've seen many ads where employers are refusing to hire smokers. No different to indicate in the ad, no piercings or tattoos.
As a patient in an office where they have had multiple medical assistants that have been hired and are now gone - due to their piercings and multiple tattoos, I refused to have them touch me and my family and I have noticed other older patients have also refused. I'm noticing that eventually, they will leave or be terminated for one reason or another. Unfortunately, the tattoos and piercings come out after the hiring. When I mentioned to the one MD that his assistant has tattoos, his reply was "she hasn't shown them". I told him to put two and two together. 15 piercings in one ear and exanders go hand in hand with tattoos. There is one on the top of her foot and ankle. I've seen one as she looked at her watch.
I do not feel that tattoos and multiple piercings go with the healthcare system.
Standards will continue to change as time goes by but I work with the geriatric population and they just don't accept piercings and tattoos very well. I had an excellent nurse lose his job after 11 years in the same physicians office because he got a neck tattoo on vacation. Patients who had known him for years were suddenly afraid of him and they complained to the physician until he terminated him.
As a patient in an office where they have had multiple medical assistants that have been hired and are now gone - due to their piercings and multiple tattoos, I refused to have them touch me and my family and I have noticed other older patients have also refused.
I had an excellent nurse lose his job after 11 years in the same physicians office because he got a neck tattoo on vacation. Patients who had known him for years were suddenly afraid of him and they complained to the physician until he terminated him.
What disgusting prejudice. Especially the nurse everyone knew for years and was apparently competent, then rejected because of ink added to his skin. I'm no great fan of neck tattoos, but if he had established good rapport and proven competence, and the practice didn't specifically forbid his tattoo, and it wasn't offensive in content (nudity, curse words, racial slurs, gang symbols), I would hope he would sue for wrongful termination. I'm sure he didn't, but wish he could have. He got fired because bigots demanded he lose his job.
As to this older generation.....who would those be? Because I remember my WWII vet grandpa making the birdies on his chest fly at the excited request of grandchildren all my life. I remember my grandma who was perfectly happy to be married to him. Pretty much every man I ever met from the Greatest Generation was tattooed. So who are these older people who supposedly don't accept them?
When we move down into Baby Boomers....please, really? The generation that broke every rule there was....they don't accept tattoos? Sure. Ok.
And then their kids, the Gen Xers? That's my generation, and trust me, we have no problem with tattoos and piercings.
And our kids, the Millennials? Their rebellion will be leaving their skin intact, probably, because they're so used to tattoos and piercings. It's routine for them.
I think some people just feel justified in imposing their dislike on others, to the point of costing them their livelihoods. It has nothing to do with age. Just being a jerk.
jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B
9 Articles; 4,800 Posts
There are many schools who require strict dress code adherence in clinical rotations that represents their school. Some require only a watch and a wedding band, hair up and off of neck and face, one pair of small earrings, and certain color/style of scrub wear.
That also is true of certain facilities. It is often not safe to have multiple piercings, dependent on where you end up working. Peds LOVE earrings, older people, psych, people with altered mental status will grab onto anything shiny.....lots of reasons.
And again, should you decide when you are older that all of said piercings are not something you want anymore, gaping holes, scarring, that type of thing may be more than what you bargain for, and may require some sort of plastic surgery to fix.
Is there a reason you don't add a bunch of ear cuffs and a non-pierced cartilage jewelry? It all looks the same in the end.
Back in the 80's, I had it in my head that I wanted to be unique, so got multiple piercings in my ears. (well one ear, the left one....I know, but it was the 80's and I was sooooo "punk rock"!!) Story for another thread, I know!! In any event, I had to take all but one out for clinicals, and for my eventual job. Not only because it was against the dress code of the facility, but patients were fascinated and very touchy with wanting to look at and touch my earrings. And even one pair can get tender with putting on and taking off your stethoscope, and "catch".
Now at almost 50, for me, multiple piercings would look a little nutty. However, I have a bunch of tiny bumps where my earrings used to be. Looks like I have ear acne. And a few hard nodules of scarring, that can present themselves as a little sore if I lay on that side to sleep.
But again, as I said in my pp, I am all for self expression. Even more so the "rush" of being a very conservative person that presents with alternate forms of body modification. I loved to be a study in opposites. I get it. But sometimes as tastes change, some things remain a more permanent "reminder" than others.