Can I get a tattoo as a nurse? Let's take on the biggest question right away. The simple answer is yes. A tattoo is unlikely to disqualify you from working as a nurse, though there are some important considerations to keep in mind.
The resounding answer is yes. Nurses can have tattoos. However, some medical facilities may require you to cover tattoos when interacting with patients. Generally, most hospitals don't allow visible tattoos when the tats are obscene, derogatory, or offensive.
With those perceptions changing, you might ask, “Can nurses and medical professionals have tattoos?” The National Student Nurses Association and the American Nurses Association have no official rule or recommendation about whether or not it's acceptable for nurses to have tattoos.
Healthcare facilities may allow nurses to maintain visible tattoos and piercings under the right circumstances. Some nurses have dozens of tattoos without violating dress code policies. Additionally, many nurses have visible piercings as long as it isn't excessive or disruptive to workplace safety.
Potential Benefits Nurses Displaying Body Art
Builds a bridge: When nurses display body art, it can help their patients relate to them. It shows that they are individuals and might put the patient more at ease with the nurse. Given that many patients have tattoos, it could help to have nurses who look like them.
Infections can harm your unborn or nursing child, so it's important to wait to receive a tattoo. Additionally, your body must have time to heal after a tattoo, and you should put it under the stress of pregnancy or breastfeeding.
Caduceus Symbol
It's often used as a label on different types of nursing equipment and nursing uniforms. Composed of a staff entwined by two serpents, a tattoo of the caduceus will most likely give you immediate recognition as a nurse and a sense of pride in your profession.
The simple answer is yes. A tattoo is unlikely to disqualify you from working as a nurse, though there are some important considerations to keep in mind. Depending on your place of work, there may be rules about the types of tattoos and visibility restrictions, but these can vary greatly from place to place.
Can you have dyed hair as a nurse? Yes, many facilities will let you dye your hair. But many will not. It's best to double check with your human resource department before dyeing your hair an “unnatural” hair color.
3. Can Nurses Have Acrylic or Gel Nails? Both acrylic and gel nails are generally frowned upon by health care facilities as they're often long and are typically quite difficult to clean around, especially with hand sanitizer.
Some Common Body Art Policies For Nurses:
Must cover up any tattoo completely with long sleeves or bandages. No tattoos above the collar or below the elbow allowed. No visible tattoos when wearing scrubs.
Each hospital and health network will have its own policies on the matter. They may accept piercing partially with regulations such as a small stud or skin-colored ones. They may also completely rule out nose piercings for nurses. If they don't allow nurses to have nose piercings, it's only a matter of removing them.
So, your first question may be: can nurses wear makeup? The short answer is “yes,” and we'll go into more detail below. We'll also give you some tips on applying makeup for work, even if your employer recommends subtle looks.
If you are new to the profession and have already gotten a few visible tattoos, no need to panic. There are a few things you can do! For starters, a lot of nurses wear long-sleeved shirts underneath their scrubs to cover tattoos below their elbows.
Absolutely! NOND has contact with nurses who have practiced as a nurse with one hand for over 25 years. Use the resources below and work with your college's or university's Disability Services Officer to request accommodations.
Can nurses have tattoos on their wrist? Yes, nurses can have tattoos on their wrist depending on their employer's policy. As we stated above it will depend on the individual employer's policy and will also depend on what your tattoo is and whether or not it would be offensive to others.
Can nurses wear nail polish? Policies might vary, but most medical institutions will ban nail polish. However, hospitals might not always strictly enforce these rules. Despite recommendations from the CDC and The Joint Commission, it is entirely up to each health facility to allow nail polish for nurses.
You are required to wear gloves so that unsanitary substances don't touch your skin, and keeping your hair up can keep it out of wounds, or, heaven forbid, out of briefs.
Some places require the hair to be short. Other facilities will allow you to pull back your hair and secure it so that a patient won't grab or pull on it.
Australia has no national laws that make it illegal for employers to ban visible body ink in the workplace or to reject applicants because of their tattoos.
Nurses generally wear burgundy or light blue scrubs to distinguish themselves from surgeons and physicians. Nurses used to wear white, but it is extremely hard to keep clean in a hospital atmosphere.
High standard medical scrubs are made of fabric thick enough to stop a patient's bodily fluids from making direct contact with the wearer's skin. Nurse scrubs are designed to help make the job simple for the wearer, with their big pockets and their range of motion.
Nurses usually wear light blue scrubs so that they are distinguishable from doctors and surgeons. Traditionally, nurses wore white but white is too difficult to keep clean in clinical settings.
Many nurses with tattoos are required to cover up their body art while on duty. Ink Armor is design to help nurses keep their jobs when “no visible tattoo” policies are put in place. Thousands of health care professionals wear Ink Armor sleeves every day at work.
Blue is one of the most common scrubs colors, particularly for nurses. This shade is said to promote tranquility and feelings of peace, which can be a visual boon in the hectic hallways of hospitals. Because of this specific color's ubiquity, blue can also convey a sense of trust.