Nursing and body piercings

iliel · Feb 16, 2004

Funny you should mention this because I was telling my wife the other day that actually by not havning any tatoos we are unique because now days the majority of people do have tatoos, wife wanted to get a tatoo of a toe ring on her little toe just to say she did it I guess but I also reminded her that if she gets a tatoo that would be like condoning tatoos for our two teeneage daughters.

Yeah, if you don't want your kids to get them, then I would wait as well.

iliel · Feb 16, 2004

I stick by my beliefs...it's low class trash...perhaps you need some cross cultural training, 'cause in my world, the only people who mark their bodies with such garbage are sociopathic thugs...so from my socio-eco-cultural-ethnic class, no one would consider defiling one's body as a matter of "expression"; I may appreciate the right to trash one's body...in fact, I would defend that right...but I don't have to like it, and I don't; it says a lot about a person, and none of what I see or hear is good. :stone

Oh, and BTW, I come from Jewish blood if that's the beliefs you are refering to.

Ted · Feb 16, 2004

personal attacks are against this bulletin board's terms of service and will not be tolerated.

also, as per the terms of service, if you see an "attacking" post, don't respond to it. rather, just report it to the moderators or administrators and let them deal with it.

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ted fiebke

moderator of allnurses.com

bluesky, BSN, RN · Feb 16, 2004

I stick by my beliefs...it's low class trash...perhaps you need some cross cultural training, 'cause in my world, the only people who mark their bodies with such garbage are sociopathic thugs...so from my socio-eco-cultural-ethnic class, no one would consider defiling one's body as a matter of "expression"; I may appreciate the right to trash one's body...in fact, I would defend that right...but I don't have to like it, and I don't; it says a lot about a person, and none of what I see or hear is good. :stone

Yeesh. This statement sounds downright prejudiced. I hope that the patients you see who don't meet your "socio-eco-cultural-ethnic class" (?!)standards receive the same quality of care as the ones that do. :rolleyes:

Nurse Ratched, RN · Feb 16, 2004

Well. my nipples are pierced. I guess I'm trash .

I find it vastly amusing that in the middle of a nursing shortage, anyone would not hire a nurse based on something like this. Certainly someplace that short-staffs while waiting for the perfect pollyanna nurse to show up on their doorstep, while turning away otherwise qualified nurses, is not a place I want to work.

I respect the right of employers to dictate the appearance of their staff. And potential employees have the right to decide whether or not they feel those dictates are too strict.

gwenith, BSN, RN · Feb 16, 2004

can i make a plea??? if someone posts a nasty post can everyone just report it and ignore it. when everyone quotes the post it makes it impossible to edit/fix. even if the person renegs and takes back what they said with a sincere apology it cannot be retracted. sometimes it is just a bad day and later they feel contrite please let them retract what might have been said in haste.

Trauma Columnist · Feb 16, 2004

I do have to say that the large gauge piercings (at least in the ears) do close up. Our son who is now 18, had them at 16 (a 0-0 gauge) and now he doesn't even wear earrings and looks great. Our son grew up and told us that he didn't want people staring at him all the time. I'm with the poster who says keep the social statements or whatever you want to call them - at home. At work - you are there to work - not play with your piercings or brag about your tattoos. However, to each his own - off duty!

Alnamvet · Feb 16, 2004

can i make a plea??? if someone posts a nasty post can everyone just report it and ignore it. when everyone quotes the post it makes it impossible to edit/fix. even if the person renegs and takes back what they said with a sincere apology it cannot be retracted. sometimes it is just a bad day and later they feel contrite please let them retract what might have been said in haste.

please note that my post has been edited, since it was perceived by some as a personal attack; it wasn't, but the fact that it was perceived as such is enough for me to re-phrase my thoughts. with that said, let me clear up some confusion about my feelings...i do not like tattoos or body piercings...they go against my beliefs and upbringing; that is not to say i don't have staff who are tattoo and piercing free...to the contrary, many of my staff have them, but not one, (atleast not any more) have these tats and tongue rings visible to patients or other staff. what you do in your private life is your business, but at work, it's everyone's business, and display of such is not tolerated. someone alluded to a suggestion that perhaps i may discriminate in the care of patients who have tats and piercings...you are free to personally attack me with such drivel, 'cause the care of patients is not dictated by my personal beliefs, but what the standard of care should be...for me that means every patient is cared for as if they were a member of my family. :)

nurseygrrl, LPN · Feb 16, 2004

I have dealt with this sort of thing all my life since I never quite 'fit in'. All I have to say is who cares? If you act professionally, who in the heck cares what you have pierced? Yes, poking a tongue ring out of your mouth all day is gross, but that person is unprofessional, it's not the piercing that makes her that way. And about upsetting the patient...I think a patient is more concerned with the care they recieve than what their nurse looks like. I have my nose pierced. I've had it for 11 years and I have NEVER had ONE patient say anything about it other than the occasional compliment, or 'did it hurt'? I would rather someone competent with piercings took care of me than an incompetent who looks the part, or at least what everyone thinks 'the part' is supposed to look like.

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Feb 16, 2004

I still stand by my belief that if you have some piercing hanging off your face at work, you're just asking for a pt. to grab it.

And it's not a pretty thing to look at when that happens either. A nurse from another floor wound up getting stiched in the ER when her eyebrow barbell was ripped out by a documented "calm and cooperative" pt. (BTW our facility has a policy of no visible piercings on the job)

Sadie04 · Feb 16, 2004

Thanks for the post about respecting other's opinions, it was definitely called for here. Our differences are what make us unique and what makes this board interesting. Lets be nice to eachother :)

jstanrs · Feb 17, 2004

that judgemental, intolerant remarks that make mention of 'professionalism' are made by people with the likes of a cartoon princess or a fluttering angel as a personal icon. I think that anyone referring to another human being as 'trashy' based on their appearance needs to find another line of work; I somehow doubt that an attitude like that doesn't come across to a patient they happen to not approve of.