Tattoos in the work place

[1mg.epi]

Many institutions have dress codes regarding tattoos in the work place. I am required to wrap my arm with coban or where a lab coat. Its not like I went out last week and got it, I got it 30 years ago. Its on my forearm. The recent dress code changes included tattoos. Should not tattoos be addressed when hired to a position. If you don't like it don't hire me!

[Anonymous]

I agree with you. What about men wearing earrings. Are we to be judged like the cover of a book. What if you are crossed-eyed. That would make me, as a patient, sick to see you looking at me. OMG.. I just found out that my local hospital has banned artificial nails.. All on ONE erroneous faulty research article. Galls me to no end to see other nurses biting their fingernails.. Don't tell me that those ragged fingernails don't harbor as much,if not more, bacteria than my smooth artifical nails. And can't they scratch worse than mine do.. And mine are not long nor are they sharp. BTW there was a study where nurses hands were put in baggies with medium in them and the nurses were shown what was on their hands and they were told the exact time and date when the researchers would return and guess what there was MORE bacteria on their hands than before..

Also, most dialysis nurses who have been in the field for any length of time harbor the staph bacterium in our noses . We were all cultured years ago along with our patients. So I try to wash my hands after I pick my nose.. Just a precaution..LOLLL....

I totally agree with you .. I bet they don't make the medics, or the PA's or the docs cover them.. Unless it says FU I don't see the need.

JMFHO again... Sounds like a good case for the ACLU...


The name's changed but I will always be WindingRoad

A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and sings it back to you when you have forgotten how it goes.

[cassioo]

our dress code says no visible tatoos also

no artificial nails and only clear/pale polish but if you go in OR (I do) no polish at all

makeup has to be "modest" one persons modest is anothers clown face
Hair pulled back if long enough...no extreme styles...again what's extreme...I just got my colored yesterday with several color highlights hope it's not too extreme but nobody on my unit has it like mine LOL

2 sets of earrings no other visible piercing, not dangling necklaces, no bracelets, 3 rings total so a wedding set and one other if married.

white lab coats for nursing, white pants can wear a colored top peds can wear more colorful coats. I wear beautiful hospital supplied scrubs in machine tool gray/green. The white nurse pants can't be crops, elastic bottoms, thin all kinds of things
they address underware too as to not be visible ...do you have to be told that?

I think that covers the majority of the dress code. I think they want to change us to wearing nice clothing when coming into work too even though we change into scrubs when we get there. I usually wear in shorts and t-shirt or jeans/sweats and sweatshirt in winter. And I might wear the same one a couple of days cause I put them on drive to work, change then after work change back and drive home then change to pajamas when I get home so I only wear the things a couple of hours and I'm not washing them for 2 hours of wear I'll wear them again the next day..I do change underware LOL

[1mg.epi]

I feel as professionals we should dress to impress our customers. Even if we come in for staff meetings we should dress nice. But that has always been the case. This tattoo thing is sprang on us. We have a dress code for facial piercings in place. This one old boy, an orderly decided to come to work on day with multi rings in his ears and nose with chains from his ears to his nose rings. He could not understand the problem. Well DUHHHHHHH!!!!!! I have been thinking of having it removed by laser so I can stop getting in trouble for not wearing something over it. (Long sleeves are too hot to wear and work.)

[cassioo]

I do dress to come in for staff meetings but not going to to come into work. We have a backdoor entrance that we open with a key straight to a dressing room (I do pass nsg station and 4 rooms at 6am but then I'm changed) I do agree to look decent. I don't think one tatoo on a male forearm is bad now if you had them all up and down your arms then yea maybe time to cover up especially if you take care of little old ladies who might be scared you were going to take them out and ride them around on your Harley

[1mg.epi]

Heck cassioo 1/3 of the little old ladies from NSG homes lately have had tattoos. I am talking 70-80 years olds.

[cassioo]

LOL yea I'd get a rose and then when I'm 70-80 it'll be wilted

[nursecurry]

I work in a nursing home. The only dress code is to be clean and wear clean scrubs (we wear whatever prints we want) , no dangling necklaces or dangling earrings, etc. There are several people with tattoos, pierced noses, tongues, etc. No one has a problem with them. Everyone always shows off a new one when they get it. I would rather see the tattoos then to see some of the CNA's thongs when they bend over...if they even wear underwear.

[nursinghumor]

This is an interesting nursing site that discusses Tattoos.

Tattoos Aren't New of Course..., Coolnurse.com:"Tattooing has been around since ancient times and its presence in our mainstream society is not going to fade away anytime soon. In three percent of American households today, at least one of their members has one or more tattoos. At least twelve million Americans have one tattoo. This decorative artform continues to be a growing attraction to teenagers. Teens as young as 13 and 14 are getting their first tattoos. It isn't just guys who are getting them, over the past twenty years the number of women getting tattoos has quadrupled."
http://www.coolnurse.com/tattoo.htm

Amy has some great information on Health, Wellness, Sexuality and other topics also!

Andrew Lopez, RN
http://www.nursinga2z.com

[Kevin V]

This has been a sensitive area for me ever since I got out of the Marines. While in, I picked up 6 tattoos, and half of the ink is on my right arm. It goes from the back of the hand to the shoulder, and wraps around the arm (not a complete sleeve, but lots of ink). Even in a suit, a snake head sticks out from under the cuff, and I have regretted getting it so many times. I am now working toward getting into the nursing program, and again, my doubts and self consciousness arise because of poor judgement calls over a decade ago. I've looked into having at least the most overt one removed, but it is cost prohibitive. I was given an estimate of over $3000 to remove one tattoo that cost a mere 30 bucks in Subic Bay.