Tattoos are a word that was frowned upon by many. And it was not so long ago that people were alienated because they were “Bad influences” and people refused to hire employees that had tattoos even when it’s not showing much. But as the world progressed a little further and tattoos started to get more and more normalized and were seen more as a form of body art that is not offensive to anyone or harmful, The world became a lot easier for everyone and the pessimistic opinions started to change eventually. Let us know ‘Can Nurses Have Tattoos?’
Nurses With Tattoos: A Taboo?
As the world view changed, there was the ultimate question yet to be answered and that was “whether businesses and other professions were ready to hire employees with tattoos”
This question has been asked in the medical profession by doctors and nurses, and they wanted to know that if someone already does have tattoos and chooses the profession later in life would they still be hired and able to work in the health sector?
Until now, there hasn’t been an organization that created a rule against having tattoos in hospitals or medical practices and it is not a criterion for employment.
it’s also very common, around the parts where body art is not frowned upon, to be judged solely on the type of ink a person has on his body, and sometimes even the context doesn’t matter people will whisper and form an opinion by just looking at the tattoos. Some nurses have to be able to deal with this regularly and learn to adapt to the environment and focus on their work.
Workplaces’ Rules and Regulations Regarding Tattoos:
Just because tattoos are normalized in a particular country or community does not mean there are no rules in the workplace. Around the world, health places like hospitals, clinics, and healthcare facilities may have some rules for employees with tattoos such as:-
Tattoos are needed to be covered (only the visible ones) with a piece of clothing or anything that can be used to cover them:
some workplaces do not allow tattoos in the workplaces but don’t take it personally it doesn’t mean they are not respectable of your work or you at the workplace, but maybe it has a negative impact on some patients and that can jeopardize the reputation of the facility.
It also does not mean that you won’t be hired if you have some form of body art or will be fired after getting hired. If the facility have rules, you can comply to them, and you won’t run into any issues
No tattoos allowed on Arms, Hands or Neck:
Since these places are the most visible on a person and having tattoos at a workplace that has a policy of covering up the body art is not a good idea so if you are thinking about getting one at one of these parts on your body clarify with authorities where you work or want to work at, and a trip will be saved.
For the people that already have tattoos on the above-mentioned body parts, you can cover up these tattoos with bandages or clothes that you wear.
No tattoos to be Visible if Wearing Work Attire:
Medical professionals with strict rules against tattoos may not allow nurses to show them around, especially when wearing their work gear like scrubs. And any person having a tattoo need to immediately cover the part, or they may run into issues that can be very frustrating.
Since tattoos are seen as a form of self-expression and not, some gang associations and rules in some places are being changed to make the employees with tattoos feel more comfortable and easy at work. Health facilities nowadays are turning blind to tattoos and being more respectful of people, and there are very slim chances that a nurse will get fired for having them.
There’s also no chance of an issue if the tattoo that a person has is already on a body part where it is covered by clothes and there’s no additional need to cover it up, such as the shoulder or back.
How to manage at the workplace: ways to handle colleagues and patients while working?
If you are someone who is thinking about a tattoo then think about getting a small one that isn’t too flashy and wouldn’t draw much attention to you or the place where you got the tattoo would be barely any inconvenience to others. This can work especially with patients that may have a problem with tattoos and make them feel more comfortable and open with you even though you may have one. For your workplace with your colleagues, it can also be a very friendly tattoo that does not bother anyone, although generally, people in this profession are supportive of their co-workers if someone does have a strong opinion about it, they wouldn’t be worried since it is only a small one.
No offensive tattoos that may hurt the sentiment of other people:
Tattoos can be very symbolic and meaningful for a person and sometimes even inspirational for other people but if the tattoo includes an inappropriate message such as gang association, violence, nudity, approval of drug abuse, etc. Some of these can be quite offensive to co-workers from different cultures, communities, and gender.
Not only the co-workers but even the patients might get offended by seeing such obscene art and might not want to visit the facility out of hatred or disgust which also hurts the reputation of the place you work and other established nurses that are trying to help people.
Decide carefully where you might get a tattoo:
if the facility that you work with does not have any such issues with a nurse having tattoos, it does not mean they cannot change the rules if the situation demands it, or maybe you get hired to some other place due to personal or professional reason and now the place that you work at has the policy to cover them up. So consider very carefully where you are going to get a tattoo so later don’t need to hide it, and it can be covered on its own by what you wear or maybe is very easy to cover if the need arises.
Conclusion:
Lastly, there are more and more places that are becoming more approving but it is always a good idea to be presentable enough or look professional enough that the tattoo does not become the quality that people judge you buy, be more hygienic wear more professional and work appropriate clothes, talk respectably and be genuinely respectable to others, especially to the patients. All the tips, mentioned above might help you to cope and be comfortable at the workplace and let you not get judged because of body art.
Hope the question is answered, and you got what you were looking for through this article.
