Tattoo's on Nurses

tatt's aree so common place now, whyat's the big deal? i am doing my pre-req's with a lot of other RN majors that have full sleeves. most places don't care. they may preferr you wear a long sleeve shirt or under shirt to hide them a bit, but most pt's don't care because who under 40 doesn't have them anymore? i'd say, don't show them during an interveiw, and don't make it a point to show them off on the clock!

..I was thinking of getting tattos, and piercings. I also have black finger nail polish. ..I'm guessing it wouldn't be a good idea to show up for work like I'm going to a Ozzy concert....

There are health care facilities that will not allow visible tattoos. We need to remember that nurses are care givers to people of many belief systems. It is our job to be a facilitator for our patient and the family's best possible outcome. Whatever that may be. If our body art affends or makes the patient uncomfortable, that goal may be hindered. I have tattoos, none of htem are visible in my scrubs, I used to have a tongue piercing and had to give it up because of the new policy last year made by te corporation I work for. If an employee cannot or will not remove facial piercings, or cover visible tattoos, that is reason for dismissal. And, also reason to not hire someone.

Shelly in St Louis

Hi all!

Finals are over and I can breathe again! Yipee!

I have a question. I have 4 tattoo's any of which could possibly show in scrubs. None of which would show fully.

1 is on the back of my neck and I have long hair, but even with my hair pulled up my shirt covers most of it.

The other 3 are on my upper arm area where my sleeve would cover it unless my sleeves came all the way up like a tank top almost. Like, if I wear a top with cap sleeves you can see a little of it.

The one on my neck is a sun, moon and stars.

The ones on my arm are 3 Kanji symbols.

So, finally, here's my question, is this something that a hospital will flat out not hire a nurse over?

In all my hospital stays I've never seen a nurse with a visible tattoo, or at least never noticed it.

Does anyone have any experience with it?

Thanks!

I have 4 tattoos which are all covered by my scrubs, occasionally one may peek out but it is tasteful...it is 2 baby tigers sitting and laying beside eachother, but the most that gets seen is the green grass they are on. I know alot of people at the facility have tatoos that show, all of which are tasteful and the facility seems to have no problem with it. In fact some of my elderly residents ask about them and find them interesting.

Hi all!

Finals are over and I can breathe again! Yipee!

I have a question. I have 4 tattoo's any of which could possibly show in scrubs. None of which would show fully.

1 is on the back of my neck and I have long hair, but even with my hair pulled up my shirt covers most of it.

The other 3 are on my upper arm area where my sleeve would cover it unless my sleeves came all the way up like a tank top almost. Like, if I wear a top with cap sleeves you can see a little of it.

The one on my neck is a sun, moon and stars.

The ones on my arm are 3 Kanji symbols.

So, finally, here's my question, is this something that a hospital will flat out not hire a nurse over?

In all my hospital stays I've never seen a nurse with a visible tattoo, or at least never noticed it.

Does anyone have any experience with it?

Thanks!

I personally never had that experience but I would say as long as the tatooes are covered than it shouldn't be a problem, but you should be honest and let them know that you have one. A tatoo shouldn't be a determining factor on whether you are qualified to do your job. :)

In the Health Care System that I work in, there is a hospital policy that is actually part of the dress code that says ALL tattoos MUST be completely covered while at work. And NO VISIBLE piercings are allowed. You are only allowed 2 earrings in each ear and neither of those can be cartilage piercings.

So, I guess it depends where you work.

Good Luck!!

Facila peircings, I am not a fan due to the possible infections that one can get, but come on, tats!!![/QUOTE]

How are facial piercings more prone to infection than ear piercings, especially if it's an eyebrow piercing? I guess that just doesn't make sense to me. I mean, your ears are not that far from the front of your face!

I was wondering the same thing EarthAngel, but I am not in the place to question anything yet. I mean, I would think it would be the same as if you had an open wound. The nurse with the piercing shouldn't touch the piercing before/after touching the patient, so if the piercing has an infection the nurse wouldn't be able to transfer it to the patient and vice versa. Now if we are talking about the person with the piercing getting infected, they take the risk of getting infected even out in public. And piercings heal, they aren't always "open."

If it were a new piercing, I suppose, then yes, it could be a source of infection. But, for instance, my eyebrow piercing I can take out for days at a time like an ear piercing because I've had it for years. And that's exactly what I do. I'm just wondering why policy makers can't just come out and say "no piercings just cuz we dont like 'em!!" instead of trying to come up with lame excuses

I agree EarthAngel, but then I remember back when it was only ok for 1 ear piercing in each ear :chuckle

Ok, we've established that basically piercings are a no-no, but what if you wear something in it such as a retainer/no c-um/spacer (something clear or flesh colored to make it "appear" as if there was no piercing)? I've heard some places allow that at least.

One of my mates at uni has quite afew piercings. The visible ones are eyebrows, ears and tongue. He also has 2 tattoos, one on each side of his neck. The piercings he got in high school 2 years ago, the tats were done last year at uni.

We were on clinical together last year, and the nurses, doctors and patient's alike all asked him what did the tats mean. And he was happy to explain, and usually this lead to a conversation and especially with the patients they would tend to open up quite abit to him (communication is a big assessment in our 1st year).

To be honest, my friends and I all thought he was mad to get the tats (we were at uni, about a month before first placement), and we were waiting for either a tutor, facilitator or the NUM to ask him to cover them, or take the piercings out. But noone did. I don't find them offensive and he was not aware of anyone else who did. I think they're cool

I also don't understand how a facial piercing is more of an infection risk than an ear piercing. If you follow correct handwashing and hygiene procedures how can it be deemed an infection risk? Maybe someone has a better idea than me?

Amy

I have never heard the argument that they are more of an infection risk, only that they are simply unprofessional.