Will having visible tattoos hurt your:
1. Odds of becoming a physician?
2. Opportunities after you become a physician?
First, I think it is important that we dispel the childish notion that it's always wrong to judge people by their appearance.
I call it a “childish notion” because it's the kind of thinking that a child is capable of. We teach children that things are "good" or "bad" because dichotomy is all they're able to understand. As we grow, our ability to see the gray area between black and white absolutes should grow along with us.
Here is an extreme example of when the "It's always wrong to judge someone by their appearance!" maxim does not apply.
(Incidentally, you should be able to think these up on your own by this stage of your life.):
A black woman in the deep South is walking alone when she sees a group of 30-40 year old men with shaved heads and swastika tattoos. Should she judge them "based on a decision they made when they were 18-20" and avoid the group?
Some people might say that she's not "judging" the men - in an effort to hang on to the black and white absolute of "judgement = bad". But that's exactly what's she's doing. She's judging them to determine if they’re a threat. (Also, how would she know when they got the tattoo?)
Another less extreme example of judgment is the interview. If a man shows up to an interview with a tie, well-polished shoes, a well-fitted suit, and treats everyone with good manners, he is showing:
1. He is sensitive cultural norms and customs.
2. Respect for his interviewers by making the effort required to maintain a “good” appearance and manners.
Your appearance is a method of communication. Business people wear suits to signal that they are in business. Police officers wear uniforms to signal authority. People get visible tattoos of swastikas, the Star of David, or a crucifix to inform others of their beliefs.
“But wait Isley! YOU DON’T KNOW THAT! They might be getting it for their own PERSONAL REASONS!!!!111.” Yes, I’m sure that they are. However, if you choose to get a visible tattoo (or wear flip-flops to an interview, or wear a bow tie instead of a long tie), you are also communicating something to your tribe, and this is important: whether you mean to or not.
“BUT IT’S WRONG TO MAKE JUDGEMENTS BASED ON THAT!!!11” See: Childish dichotomies above. Evolutionarily, we make have to make judgements – sometimes quickly, sometimes lazily, but it’s how we do. Education and conditioning can help us prevent that lazy snap judgement about people based on their appearance. However, willful ignorance of reality can get us shanked by neo-nazis because we don’t want “appear judgmental”. (Yes, I know that this is an extreme example. I’m illustrating a point. “Isley says that if we don’t scorn people with tattoos, we’ll all get shanked by neo-nazis!!!111” Ah, no. Please keep your brains turned on for the duration of the post.)
“I got a tattoo of my dad who died as a first responder on 9-11. I got it for my own personal reasons and not to communicate anything to anyone you pretentious pr1ck!! I don’t care what you or anyone thinks about it!!! Etc.” If you got it on your shoulder, sure. If you got it on your forehead, no. In either case, if you got a visible tattoo you’re communicating something to the people you see – in this case that you cared about your father. That’s great - and a tattoo like that might be an exception to the rule. But is visibly expressing your love for Harley Davidson or My Little Pony in permanent ink… professional?
The clear answer is no – it is not professional. “But I know Dr. Anecdote who has tattoo sleeves on both of his arms and he’s the bestest, most professional physician that… blah, blah, blah.” I’m not saying that having tattoos means you can’t act in professional manner. What I’m saying is that it looks unprofessional. Humans don’t have the time or energy to get to know the heart-of-hearts of every person that they meet. We judge people by appearance – sometimes out of necessity, sometimes out of habit. Regardless, we do it.
So, will having a visible tattoo affect your:
1. Odds of becoming a physician? I’m inclined to say “possibly”. If it’s your 9-11 dead dad, probably not (depending on how large and visible). If it’s My Little Pony or a swastika, I’m going to say yes.
2. Opportunities after you become a physician? I’m going to say “definitely”. People make unconscious judgments about others constantly. Those factor into larger decisions about who gets what opportunities. Should it? Doesn’t matter – it happens. Indeed, that’s why race is given protected status – to fight institutional racism that results from these types of micro-decisions. (And gender, and age.) Tattoos can never and will never be given that type of protected status – partly because they are elective and partly because they are so variable (My Little Pony vs. skulls vs. tattoos of pigs having sex).
In conclusion: Visible tattoos will most likely have a negative impact on your career as a physician.
p.s. Isley is a jerk for pointing out uncomfortable truths. Let’s:
- Dismiss him as a person, thereby voiding his argument.
- Twist his argument in a way that we can refute something that sounds similar to but is in fact different than what he is arguing.
- Call him a My Little Pony hating neo-nazi. (<- My favorite if you’re not sure which to choose.)
