When I put myself in the patient’s position, and my nurse walks in with a big tattoo on her arm, I have to wonder what kind of judgment she exercised in putting a permanent mark on her body that might be viewed as offensive or improper in a professional setting. It would definitely make me question her ability to make other judgments, such as those regarding my care. I think if a nurse came in ‘looking like they just got out of prison’, I would call for the charge nurse and demand a different nurse for my care. To me, that kind of appearance, just as much as wearing rumpled scrubs and having filthy hair, shows that the person doesn’t care about maintaining their appearance. Fine for a game programmer or an artist. Not so fine for a health care PROFESSIONAL.

I think that the nursing schools need to do what the students pay them to do. If a student pays their tuition fees, the school is obligated to educate them, regardless of what they look like. It is not the school’s responsibility to get the students a job after graduation.

For me the bigger problem is the many nurses that I have worked with that don’t have tattoos, but are just plain terrible nurses.
Just because someone has no tattoos, doesn’t mean they are good at their job.
Regardless of the patients’ initial perception of their nurse, it doesn’t usually take long for them to figure out whether they’ve got a good one or not.

Preconceived notions are what keep us alive. That wide black spot with the yellow line running down it is not a safe place to nap. That growling dog does not want you to pet it. The tattooed guys in the alley are not the guys to ask for directions!

I will fight to the death for your right to “express” yourself. But dont expect me to trust you with my wallet, much less my family.

I thought this might be a bit of a contentious topic but I decided it was one that needed to be aired out anyway. Seems I was right. I don’t think there’s a perfectly right answer to this question. The lesson for students is to do some research into their prospective schools before applying and make sure that they will be able to enter the program if they have any body art going on.

Well for one I say that having ink has proved positively beneficial to my contact with some patients, with some social-economic types the feeling of alienation and Clinical attitude does put up barriers.

I have been to several agitated people who are fearful of the ‘clinical’ environment, or can not connect with the typical nurse/ physician role model; with some visible ink on my skin I can form degree of trust with them….Similarly I have had many occasions that patients have treated me as a porter due to the ink, as people say ‘preconceived idea’s’ indeed.

In most of these occasions once they have witnessed my level of care, they have seen past the ink! It is how you behave and not what you look like that makes a difference to the patient….your clinical skill and patient care has no relevance on if you have ink on your skin, in fact in some cultures it is a sign on spiritual wisdom……either way, try not to judge a book by it’s cover, try reading a page or two!