Tattooed nurses

[CaptainCabinets]

Would you be put off by a tattooed nurse? At the moment I’ve only got them in places a patient would never see but I do plan to add some to my upper arm in the near future.

Just want to hear your thoughts and reasons!

I'm a nurse, the vast majority of my patients are elderly. I got a tattoo on my wrist during my training - a bit of decoration to make up for the lack of jewellery! I make sure it's uncovered for interviews so people know what they're getting. I've had one patient ask whether I was drunk when I got it! But apart from that, the only comments I've had have been positive, "how pretty", etc.

I don't really care if they "go out of fashion", I didn't get them to lead the ton

Whiteroseredrose - I don't really understand equating skin visibility with personal hygiene, especially as most poor hygiene is not visible. Unless you have cause to get messy - blood/dirt/food for example - you'd have to be extremely dirty for your skin to appear unclean, tattoos or not.

A clear-skinned server or nurse could have picked their nose, scratched their arse and not bathed for a week and you'd be none the wiser.

It doesn't really matter if we all think it's fine, if a distressed person, particularly an elderly person, who you are more likely to meet in hospital doesn't like it, why are they in the wrong?

why are they in the wrong?

If they don’t like tattoos? They’re not.

I do think people are seriously projecting as to what “elderly” people actually think of tattoos though.

Nobody is saying someone who doesnt like tatoos is 'wrong'. Just that they have no right to dictate what someone else does on thier own body.

Maybe its time people stopped saying "thats the way it is." And changed things so that ability, experience and personality were more important than looks?

Projecting? So I don't know my elderly mother and all her friends. Some of whom , unlike Mum, weren't immigrant nurses in the 50s and who don't know what real discrimination and prejudicial comments feel like.

I worked in elderly care for 20 years. What a lot of projecting onto older people here. Surprise surprise many of the men had tatoos and i found my patients were on the whole a lot more accepting of other peoples differences and more tolerant than some people on this thread.
Not all elderly people are closed minded and terrified of something different to them give them some credit for years of experience ffs.

Not all are . Ffs. To quote you. But some are. Ffs.

Projecting? So I don't know my elderly mother and all her friends

If you’re extrapolating what your elderly mum thinks to apply to all elderly people then yes, you’re projecting.

But some are

So help them be less close-minded

That doesnt even make sense lost
What has your mums experience v her friends experience about racism got to do with tatoos?
A nurse with a tat isnt discriminating against anyone.

I speak to them. But their opinions don't count on MN. Only mine. And I'm projecting.
I don't give a shit as long as the nurse is good. But some people do. And some of them are older than me.

I wouldn't personally object, however if I was in hospital with my son and the nurse had visible tattoos I would have to see if their was another nurse free, DS has autism and has a completely irrational dislike of tattoos, he is adamant he can smell the ink! I'm pretty sure he is in the minority though

Some people equate dislike of tattoos with racial discrimination. Which it isn't. My mum, as a nurse, experienced racisl discrimination.That is why I referred to it.

My mum, as a nurse, experienced racisl discrimination.That is why I referred to it

So your mum understands why it’s foolish to judge someone by their appearance then? If they’re clean, and friendly what more should a medical professional be?

Seriously who cares, in the past upper class women also had tattoos, see Lady Virginia Courtauld and Winston Churchill's mother. My grandmother was friends with Lady Courtauld and no-one batted an eyelid.

I don’t think it would phase younger people, I could imagine much older people having different views as it wasn’t really something they may have done particularly many years ago and people get stuck in one train of thought

I’d also check policies where you work / want to work in future

Dh is covered in tattoos from the neck down and works in a health type role. Funny enough he’s found it’s the older people who are nicest about them! They’re always interested in what they are and what they mean. He finds it’s the middle / upper class 30-40 something’s who seem to think they’re somehow better than him because he has chosen to have tattoos!

I have 85% tattoo coverage and was accepted to train as aa nurse (serious illness prevented this). I have never experienced negative reactions to my ink but have loads of compliments and chats with random people from various walks of life.
Tattoos are no big deal anymore and if anyone wants to refuse your care then that's their problem.

The NHS is an organisation in crisis. It is therefore unsurprising that dysfunctions, such as a widespread belief that service users’ feelings are less important than those of care providers, are prevalent.

Tattoos are no big deal anymore and if anyone wants to refuse your care then that's their problem

Nice attitude. Your comfort level is more important than patients.

If someone thinks years of training and experience is negated by a tatoo then they are perfectly at liberty to let thier opinion make them refuse care. Patients can refuse care if they want to.

If a nurse is willing to put that experience and obvious care for thier patients to use caring for you. Dealing with your body fluids, managing your pain, washing you, and doing dressings etc etc and remember many of these things are not exactly pleasant to do for the nurse, and you refuse it because they have a picture on thier skin thats your choice to put your blinkered opinion before your health.
Unless we challenge all these blinkered syereotypes nothing will change. (and again not all elderly people are so ignorant that they think someone with tatoos is a bad person)

The blinkered stereotype is the belief that your appearance is no-one’s business but your own in a professional setting. A certain blandness in appearance is an act of care.

The blinkered stereotype is the belief that your appearance is no-one’s business but your own in a professional setting. A certain blandness in appearance is an act of care

Pmsl at this. The mental gymnastics some people will go through to support their little-englander prejudices hahahahaha. Sad really.

My DP is in care and he delivers personal and other care to elderly patients and has tattoos down his arms , he has never heard a bad word or had an issue (helped him bond with a couple of somewhat gruff ex military older men as it goes)

He is also a trainer and assessor and covers up with a long sleeved shirt for that but purely to fit in with the business like image expected ...so wears a suit rather than specifically covers his tattoos

Having employed him as a trainer and carer before we were together I can confidently say it did not impede his work :-)

Can't say I've ever heard a patient have an issue with it (with the fact he's male err yes but that's a different story)

I'm in care bit granted on the business side and my boss has pink hair and I have tattoos lol