My son already recently had both ears pierced to our dismay. Now he wants to get small guages put in his ears!
He is currently attending community college and works at Wendy's. He plans on getting into the nursing program in Fall 2010. What will the guages do to his public/professional image??? My wife and I are a bit on the old fashioned side and are trying to talk him out of it, but he is 18. I know people now have tatoos, piercings, etc. But would it hurt him in nursing school and his future as a CRNA in a hospital with those things in his ears?
So we are looking for advice from the professionals; CRNA's, Instructors, Administrators, etc.
peer pressure is a mighty thing, the same way he decided to get them he will decide to get rid of them once he gets to college and sees how seriously they take your image not to mention when he goes for job interviews. anyways he is young and must make mistakes to learn from them .
When you are going under anesthesia, the last image in your mind should be of confidence.
I can tell you right now. When people see weird things on their anesthesia provider...THEY ARE SCARED TO DEATH.
DON'T DO ANYTHING CRAZY TO YOUR BODY--you will pay for it later.
I believe this is the most salient issue with guaged ears and being a CRNA. Don't terrorize the frightened patients.
I remember looking at an anesthesiologist once, who was about to put me out. I thought his eyes looked a little shifty...gave me tachycardia just due to the look in his eyes, LOL! Let alone older folks and conservative people who might be unfamiliar with this sort of thing with the big holes in the earlobes.
I really don't care about the "I have the right to express myself" argument. This optional, modifiable appearance issue will frighten patients, and that is what matters.
I think it depends on the area of the country you are in and the culture of the hospital. I know a student that graduated a year before me has all kinds of tats and piercings and works in E.R. and no one bats and eye. I am sure other areas are more strict.
I have to agree with this! I went to school in the south. Two girls in my class had tiny tattoos on the insides of their wrists and had to cover them, we could only wear one pair of tiny studs if anything, wedding bands had to be plain, no nail polish, and hair had to be pulled off the face and neck. With the exception of the hair, the rules were the same for the employees in all six of our clinical locations.
Four months post graduation, I now live in the southwest, big tattoos, piercing, nail polish it all goes here. I get really strange looks because I still iron my scrubs and follow all the "rules' (I do have tattoos but you can't see them unless I show them to you)! LOL Seriously, I can't stand wrinkles!
In general, things like visible non-earlobe piercings and visible tattoos on hands/face/neck are not looked upon highly in nursing and healthcare in general.
I agree with everyone that, unfortunately, he may be judged on his outer appearance and nonconformist (or perhaps for his peer group conformist) choices... But I think you shouldn't harp on the issue... Express your concern, but he is an adult and if he is going to be successful as a CRNA, or at life in general, then he will have to make his own adult decisions..Besides expressing your concern and pointing out the negatives, there is not much you can/should do...He will make his decision despite what you say, and CRNA school is a LONG way down the line, that is if this goal comes to fruitition and I can say from experience that goals can change from teens in to mid/late twenties..But either way, good luck!
Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, Emergency, SAFE.
Hi!
RN with tattoos and piercing and gauged ears here! Oh my! My tattoos are easily covered, howver the gauges...not so much.
Most of my nursing instructors in school were curious about my ears and made fun of me, good naturedly, once we got to know each other. Besides that, they didnt care.
Im one of those people that think appearances shouldnt be the basis of judgement. But im silly like that.
I doubt it would be an issue. If he's a CRNA a) he'll be wearing OR gear that will distract from his ears b) no one will ever remember seeing him anyways (if he does his job right), ahaha
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
he's 18, but is he still living under your roof and are you still contributing to his support? we told the 17 year old "no permanent body art until you're self supporting." or she will be self-supporting. hopefully by the time she's self supporting, the fad will have passed or she will have re-thought her desire for self-mutilation.
How are a person having dread locks and gauged ears different? Both can be viewed by future employers as being inappropriate and unprofessional? Plus dread locks have the stigma of being smelly and dirty.
MissLadieTee, thanks for addressing this comment.
MrNurseOR; Foremost, there is nothing dreadful about locs. I'd appreciate it if the adjective was dropped permanently because the correct terminology is locs. Secondly, I can tell you as an African-American woman that there is nothing unprofessional about locs, its merely an ethnic hairstyle. Furthermore, its what our textured & sometimes coorifice hair naturally wants to do. I have met several business people, lawyers, doctors, nurses, & other professionals with well kept clean locs, most at the top of their game in their respective fields. Gauged ears are akin to tatoos & are viewed as unprofessional. I dare any institution to as that a persons locs be removed or verbalize that they are unprofessional. It would not be a smart move, as they'd probably get sued & lose...& rightfully so!
he's 18, but is he still living under your roof and are you still contributing to his support? we told the 17 year old "no permanent body art until you're self supporting." or she will be self-supporting. hopefully by the time she's self supporting, the fad will have passed or she will have re-thought her desire for self-mutilation.
he does not live under our roof. he left the nest a couple of months ago, but does live very close by in the same town. as many has stated hopefully it will just be a phase or fad in his life that will pass.
Gauged ears are akin to tatoos & are viewed as unprofessional. I dare any institution to as that a persons locs be removed or verbalize that they are unprofessional. It would not be a smart move, as they'd probably get sued & lose...& rightfully so!
Viewed as unprofessional = discrimination
Should a person with tattoos or gauged ears also sue an establishment for asking that they be covered or removed? Both originated from tribal peoples and some people have them for spiritual reasons. Or are just some forms of discrimination OK while others are not? Just food for thought...
LoveYourLifeToday, BSN
27 Posts
peer pressure is a mighty thing, the same way he decided to get them he will decide to get rid of them once he gets to college and sees how seriously they take your image not to mention when he goes for job interviews. anyways he is young and must make mistakes to learn from them .
God bless.