Piercings in the nursing field

[jamieSN]

I am a SN that will be graduating Dec 05. I wanted to get my nose pierced with a tiny, very small, teeny weeny insignificant diamond. Do you think this will affect me being able to get a job?

[RNSuzq1, RN]

We are only allowed to wear a wedding band and post earrings (if your hair is long, it's to be pinned up and out of your face). I understand the reason for the rules and as we were told - it's not just for the patients benefit, they don't want us wearing dangling jewelry that could be picking up germs along the way and harm us.

With that being said - last month in clinicals - a few of us were in a patients room with our (very nice, sweet, patient Instructor) watching a fellow student catheterize a patient. In walks "Atilla the Hun" (aka - the foreign Instructor that everyone is afraid of, even some of the other Instructors). Imagine a prison warden on her worst day - this is her). This poor girl was gloved up trying to catheterize a patient for the first time and instead of giving her some guidance/encouragement, etc. - this Instructor immediately chews her out in front of all of us about her pierced eyebrow. She yelled and said - you know the rules, as soon as you're done here, take that thing out, it's not allowed. She had already been a nervous wreck and to be humiliated in front of us, the patient and our other Instructor (who was just as shocked as the rest of us) was an awful thing to witness.

This particular instructor is always going on about professionalism, but to me (just a lowly student nurse) - the way she handled it was very unprofessional. There is a time and place for everything and I think she should have waited until the student finished the procedure and talk to her about it in private afterwards. Am I right? Any opinions about this?

[Roy Fokker, BSN, RN]

There is a time and place for everything and I think she should have waited until the student finished the procedure and talk to her about it in private afterwards. Am I right? Any opinions about this?

I would tend to agree --- but then again, I am a lowly student nurse myself!

Meself, I have both ears pierced and have two tattoos (shoulders. Not visible). I thinkthe piercing and tattoo laws make sence.

As far as nose rings go -- I doubt most people would even NOTICE a small, nose-stud. It's "traditional" in some places in the world.

Studs/rings at other places would be a different issue though.

[akcarmean, LPN]

We were allowed a watch, our wedding sets, and earrings that were like posts no dangling ones.

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

As for the navel ring (i have one), unless my belly's haning out of my shirt, the navel ring is NOB. Ad since i have to keep my shirt tucked in (unit rule), that's not a problem.