tattoo or no tattoo?

[BRing914]

My siblings and I are all getting family tattoos. I currently have two tattoos that are not generally show (my back and hip). When we first decided on this tattoo idea I was thinking of getting mine behind my ear (it'll be a small lighting bolt), however now I am wondering how that will effect getting a job after nursing school.

So should I change the location of my tattoo, or will it not make much of a difference?

[OrganizedChaos, LVN]

I have 1 tattoo on each wrist & 1 tattoo on each hand. I just got a job in psych so it is possible to have tattoos & be employed.

[MMC.RN]

I only have one tattoo in a discrete location, however I plan on getting another one soon. I work in psych and my facility is very lax on their tattoo policy so it won't be a big deal.

My personal opinion is that you should do what you want, if you want it behind your ear then do it. Just be aware that you may have to cover it when on the job. Some facilities are fairly lax when it comes to tattoos, but others are not. I think in the future, it may not be such a big deal, but now it's kind of a hot topic item when it comes to professionalism. I am almost certain that you will have to cover it when you are in school. I don't think you will have issues finding a job, especially if it can be covered by your hair.

[vintagemother, BSN, CNA, LVN, RN]

I would wait until I obtained a job and could ascertain the "culture" of the unit.

I actually see lots of tattoos on nurses in clinicals.

As OC said, I worked in psych and all tattoos were A-OK.

But I, personally am concerned about judgey people that might interview me.... So I wait.

It's easier for me as I have no tattoos. But I want one, or 2!

[OlivetheRN, ADN, BSN, RN]

That will largely depend on where you work, their policies and the workplace culture there. I have a small tattoo (a word) on the back of my neck that I had done before I really knew that I wanted to be a nurse. Somehow I've managed to be fortunate enough to never have had anything said about it, except for people to ask what it says or what it signifies, and I wear my hair up every single day.

With that being said, I have two other tattoos that are not visible while at work and I'd like to maybe get more in the future, but would only get them in places that are easily covered by clothing. My current place of employment requires tattoos to be covered (I think I'm lucky enough that hair falls out of my ponytail enough to cover mine) and I don't want to have to wear long sleeves or be concerned about keeping a tattoo covered.

Long story short, from your description, I don't think you would have a problem getting employed with a tattoo in that location. More than likely your hair would cover it enough that no one would notice it.

[vintagemother, BSN, CNA, LVN, RN]

Indeed to the OPs. Lest I come across as a tattoo hater, I want to add that I obsess over my hairstyle and my shoes as well.[emoji23]