jbanana

I have a bracelet tattooed around my wrist and have received only positive comments about it from both coworkers and pts, never any complaints. Having worked med-surg at a large teaching hospital and rehab at a small private hospital I found that sometimes it even made a good icebreaker with pts. who would otherwise be less communicative.They were always interested when they saw it and would ask "is it real? what does it mean? etc." That could get a conversational ball rolling more easily then me asking "when was your last bowel movement?" Now I work in NICU where it is impossible to cover but the babies are not offended either. The only time I ever covered it with a watch was in clinical with an EVIL instructor who would single people out and belittle them for any nonconformity. Thank goodness most people appreciate originality! That being said, it's probably a good idea to be conservative about the rest of your appearance. One small tattoo is an interesting detail, several tattoos and pink hair are just looking for attention.Hope this helps and good luck to you!

Try carrying a black magic marker in your pocket. Just mark over pt. identifying info before disposing of the bags.

Amen to that! I loved working med-surg but as the problems that you mentioned increased, my satisfaction decreased. Working in NICU now gives me a better satisfaction:aggravation ratio. I feel tremendous respect for anyone who can stand med-surg for more than 5 years.

I agree completely.