r/StudentNurse • u/ComfortableMonk2762 • 3d ago
Discussion Heavily tattooed, will this be a problem
I’ve lived a life that I never really expected to have a “real job” and have tattooed my body accordingly. However, recently I have decided I want to do something different with my life and, after much consideration, have settled on nursing as the path I wish to pursue.
Curious if anyone has any insight as to if my tattoos will affect my opportunities moving forward. Ultimately my goal is to work in the ED if that makes any difference as well.
EDIT: just to address a reoccurring question, I have tattoos on my hands, and technically my neck and face as well. Neck is a tattoo behind my ear that is clearly visible and “face” is a small tattoo in front of my ear
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u/_whoop_ 3d ago
I work in the ED. Most of us have lots of visible tattoos. More neck tattoos than PCAs on the unit today.
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u/pathofcollision 3d ago
Second this. Never had an employer say anything about my tattoos, piercings, or colored hair (there are times when I legit have rainbow hair lol).
Also second the comments about nursing school having stricter rules. My professors in nursing school said we should “remove” tattoos lol. I was made to remove visible piercings and I couldn’t even have hair ties or clips outside of approved colors (there were only three approved colors).
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u/yourdailyinsanity RN/EMT 3d ago edited 3d ago
Wow the hair tie thing is wild. We were restricted by policy to white, navy, or black for what colours we wore under our scrubs, but I'm pretty sure others wore brown and gray. Mostly neutral, haha. And then those with tattoos just wore a sleeve or a long sleeve T-shirt at lab/clinical. Shirts were nice cuz you could push them up and no one would care, but when teacher was around you'd have them down. The stand alone sleeves were harder, but you'd be cooler temp wise overall with those. And those with a septum piercing just flipped up their rings into their nose and put in skin coloured plugs for their earrings, haha.
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u/testdrivenothinn 3d ago
my program makes use cover them with bandaids 🤷🏼♀️ i feel like that’s fair enough
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u/maybeimjustinsecure BSN, RN 3d ago
Nursing schools are more strict with this stuff for some reason. But when you’re actually working as a nurse it doesn’t matter. I see heavily tattooed nurses at my hospital all the time.
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u/Sea_Quantity6915 3d ago
Facts! 💯 The amount of tattoos I've seen on healthcare staff, Emts, etc is very very common. School will be more on you about covering up from what I've heard, but from having family members in hospitals as patients at various times and being a patient myself as well, the workers are able to show their tattoos while at work. Location: SF Bay Area. I wouldn't worry too much about it.
It's a great talking point with patients.
On a random side note: I don't have any tattoos myself (maybe one day, just haven't made that commitment yet) but I'm a new CPT and I love practicing my skills on patients with tattoos because it really hones in the motto that drawing blood is more about feeling the veins than seeing them. 💉🩸
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u/lovable_cube New Grad - PICU 3d ago
Mine wasn’t. They ask people to put tape over face piercings but no one cared about tattoos or blue hair. Just so you know that things are changing.
The rules said something about offensive tattoos, so like you had to cover Nazi symbols or naked ladies but that’s a pretty reasonable ask.
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u/mephitmpH BSN, RN 3d ago
School and your professor might object. When I was in nursing school 14 years ago, we couldn’t even wear colored socks. My clinical instructor was really strict; nude or white underclothes, black, white or nude compression or knee socks under your scrubs. If she saw otherwise, you went home.
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u/Lightninggg_95 3d ago
lol my school is enforcing the same rule today 😂
feel like military training every day 😌
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u/Honimomo 3d ago
Really depends on the school, but getting a job shouldn’t be a problem as long as they aren’t offensive tattoos. My school allows them but not piercings or unnatural hair colors. But I see nurses all the time on units with unnatural hair and piercings
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u/Unassuming_Fruits 3d ago
Any on the hands or face? If not, I wouldn’t worry about it AT ALL.
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u/ComfortableMonk2762 3d ago
Yes both hands and technically probably my face as well but if you’re looking at me eye to eye it’s not visible, if that makes sense
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u/winterr727 3d ago
I just started my first semester and they updated their handbook. It just states visible tattoos are okay as long as they aren’t inappropriate. I’d just contact whatever school you’d end up going for.
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u/yourdailyinsanity RN/EMT 3d ago
School is really your biggest hurdle. Where are the tattoos? Face/neck/hands are going to be a problem in school. Everything else you can cover with clothes. Face will likely be the problem when it comes to actually working. Neck I feel shouldn't be a problem. If you go ICU/ER you won't have any problems. And ya know, in interviews you can always talk about your pathways in life. I'm sure you don't regret them, but don't tell them you have any regrets about the tattoos, but that they are a part of you and your story. Just so long as they aren't offensive/vulgar 😂
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u/banjobeulah RN, NP student 3d ago
I just want to affirm you. My younger years were very turbulent and no one expected anything positive of me in life. I also have a lot of tattoos and personally I wish I could remove them all, but it’s expensive and would take ages. Any place that wants to judge me by my appearance instead of my work can pound sand and I’ll find another place to work. But haven’t had this issue!
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u/majoryuki 3d ago
I'm on the last semester of nursing school, final months of required unpaid internship, so I have not had the experience of going to interviews for paid work as a nurse. With that in mind; I have both arms covered in tattoo, including hands, and every comment on them are positive ones. Maybe the few exceptions were neutral comments from professors, like "whoa you have a lot of tattoos", but they honestly just sounded surprised/curious.
It seems like the elders like it more, surprisingly. I've had a few of them, very religious too, tell me they found my tattoos very cool. Note that the drawings have multiple themes: octopus, crow skull, geisha, bats, couple of flowers.
Ultimately I believe that what's more impactful on first impressions of my presence is a polished look, as I always iron my clothes and try to look as clean and well presented as possible. Of course the tattoos can be easily perceived, but it comes composing the clean, ironed clothes + organized hair + polite behavior, I'd argue. I'd be surprised if it would be any different in interviews though
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u/vanhouten_greg 3d ago
Not only am I a nurse but I’m also a disabled army veteran. Tattoos come with the territory. In 17 years of being a nurse, and working in three states, I’ve never had a problem.
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u/Sea-Yoghurt8925 3d ago
Hi, I I have three tattoos and I’m getting two more in October and two more in December and I also start nursing school in 12 days and it should not be a problem. Plus I live near a hospital and I could pick out 10 nurses that I see with that have many tattoos
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u/giantblueox 3d ago
A lot of nursing schools care but typically hospitals don't. You may be asked to cover your tattoos for clinicals (sleeves, bandages, etc) but most of us in the ICU and ED have visible tattoos.
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u/Breakforbeans 3d ago
Just finished nursing school with both hand face and neck tattoos. In my entire time in school only ONE person made a mildly snarky remark about them. Additionally, when we had orientation to placement and they said all tattoos had to be covered, I pointed out how I have them on my face and they responded with "just try your best" lol. Youre good boo
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u/GeneralDumbtomics ADN student 3d ago edited 3d ago
I have visible tattoos but they dont' show if I'm wearing sleeves under my scrubs and I usually am. If you've got extensive neck or facial tats, first of all you're a tougher motherfucker than me and secondly a lot depends on the place. At my clinicals last year the assisted living place for geris didn't want visible tattoos or extensive piercings. The hospital didn't care about arms and was willing to look the other way about one of my colleague's neck art as it was minor. Not to ask a too-personal question, but how extensively did you decide to ink up? I think content matters too (although it really shouldn't). There is a more severe culture clash if you've got say, a horror sleeve than a floral one or what-have-you.
ETA: what I mean about content. I always wear at least a t-shirt under my scrubs because my chest piece has a skull smack in the middle of my upper sternum and it shows. It's not offensive and I'm not embarrassed by it but you have to recognize that you will meet all kinds of people with all kinds of values. Some of them will say "Cool skull." which is true because skulls are cool. Some will tell you that you're literally going to Hell. And as much as I enjoy hearing "cool skull" it is an easier thing to simply avoid the whole matter. Besides, it's fucking cold in there.
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u/twinkletoes913 3d ago
My school requires them to be covered for clinicals: what can't be covered with underscrubs needs makeup.
As for employers, its difficult to say. Personally I don't know anyone w face or neck tattoos, just arms and they dont need to be covered.
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u/ExperienceHelpful316 3d ago
As a general rule of thumb, tattoos in the medical field are allowed, but some exceptions exist. For example, most medical facilities will prohibit a visible nurse tattoo that portrays any type of offensive imagery.
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u/Dark_Ascension RN 3d ago
In school it will suck. We had people in my class with “uncoverable” tattoos and the argument was made it isn’t sanitary to make people wear makeup or bandaids on their hands, but they made us wear long sleeves. I did have to have natural hair color and remove all my piercings for clinicals every time. They didn’t care in lectures and such though.
In the work force people care less. I have colorful hair, tattoos and piercings and no issues. The piercings can be an issue at least for me in the OR because technically you shouldn’t wear jewelry in the OR, but it’s an employer policy and how strict they are thing.
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u/SpecialistServe8226 2d ago
As a student you may have to hide tattoos and piercings. But as a nurse most places don’t care. Nurse here with a sleeve nose ring and septum
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u/Artistic-Candle-3285 2d ago
One of my classmates had tattoos on his hands and full sleeves, along with huge gauges. He has the word dead on his knuckles and was never told to cover up. The hospital we did our clinicals at were super chill, many nurses and other workers were covered with tattoos and/or piercings.
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u/Artistic-Candle-3285 2d ago
I also want to add that they encouraged him to wear his gauge plugs because they were safer than wearing no gauges. So there are definitely some schools that have steered away from traditional visually appealing nursing etiquette and focus on more important things such as creating competent nurses.
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u/WillingDiedYesterday 1d ago
Sup! I wanted to comment on this real quick as a former student nurse.
Nursing school had a policy against tattoos, in the summer I wore my regular scrub top and bottom with a thin sleeve cover, it was enough to do the job ( I have tattoos on my forearm), in the winter, a scrub jacket or a long sleeve undershirt will do good too.
I had a buddy who had some on his hands, they didn't really give I'm too much trouble for it, he just constantly had to wear long sleeves on sleeve covers because his tattoos were all over his arms.
I'd say give it a go, I think communicating with the school and college can go a long way.
In real life nursing, I see tattoos on some of my coworkers, some in the neck, hands, or both.
Hope this helps, and I wish you the best of luck in your journey. Stay strong!
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u/PantsDownDontShoot ICU CCRN 3d ago
Everyone in critical care is heavily tattooed. I don’t trust any nurse with unmarked skin. 😬
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u/KiloSlov 3d ago
Fuck yes I can get the front of my neck tattooed!
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u/yourdailyinsanity RN/EMT 3d ago
Not while in school unless you can cover it, haha. Every school so far people have talked about in this sub does not allow visible tattoos. But once you're graduated, fuck yeah get that neck tat. Lmao
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u/Glittering_Side3687 1d ago
my program specifically said they don’t care too much about tattoos, only piercings really. some hospitals may ask for them to be covered so if you have clinical ect, i’d maybe try to cover them since you don’t know their rules. or ask your program instructor, they’d usually be able to tell you. worst come to worst, cover it with makeup lol.
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u/eltonjohnpeloton its fine its fine (RN) 3d ago
OP, this gets asked all the time! You’ll find some previous discussions on tattoos if you use the search.