Essay On Tattoos And Tattoos

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Body Piercings and Tattoos in Health Care A controversial topic today is whether or not body piercings and tattoos should be accepted by professionals working in health care. Currently, tattoos and piercings are allowed in health care as long as they are not visible. According to one of the studies, “Body piercing is defined as a piercing of the body anywhere other than the earlobes” (Westerfield). Therefore, the only visible piercings allowed are small studs in the lobes of the ears for females. The reason body piercings and tattoos are not suggested in health care is that they keep someone from looking professional as well as making them look intimidating. Not everyone sees them that way. The opposing side is that they do not affect …show more content…

When having a job such as nursing, professionalism is key. Two studies concluded that patients perceived their health care provider to be less professional if they had body piercings and tattoos. Even more so, the older generation definitely considered it to look worst on a female professional rather than a male. It was said by different patients that, “Male practitioners with visible piercings were almost never deemed more professional or approachable, and women with visible piercings other than in the earlobe were viewed even less favorably…” (Pfeifer). Having the patients’ respect is vital and helps reach success in being a nurse. No matter the age of patients, they are going to look up to the person caring for them and will likely judge them on their appearance. Based on the expectations of our society today, professionalism does not include visible piercings or tattoos. To be a health care professional, one carries an image and that image can make or break ones …show more content…

This is not always the case, but depending on what type of environment the individuals are usually around, having their care provider covered in tattoos and piercings can be overwhelming. Surveys that were taken from the patients have shown that patients are more intimidated by their nurse if they have tattoos or body piercings. As a health care provider, it is ideal to not have the patient scared. When someone is intimidated, it is much harder for them to be trusting towards someone else. Working in health care, trust is needed from the patient. If there is no trust, a lot of issues can arise. For example, the patient could try to get a new nurse they feel is more trustworthy. If that were to happen, that would make the nurse that was replaced now have a bad reputation. However, not everyone feels the same way about body piercings and tattoos. Many people live by the saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” It is true that just because someone is covered in tattoos and piercings it does not mean that he or she is a bad person. Often times, some of the most compassionate people have tattoos and piercings, but when a patients’ care provider has the title of “health care professional” they usually imagine them without tattoos and

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