Piercings/Tattoos in Vet School

[KendraD_Future_DVM]

Hey all,
So I know this has been asked before, but all of the threads are 10+ years old and I was wondering about your experiences with vet schools/interviews having multiple ear piercings or tattoos. I currently have triple lobes, a double helix on one side and a single helix and a conch on the other. I don't have any Tatts but I figured might as well throw them into the thread as well.

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[WildZoo]

Hey all,
So I know this has been asked before, but all of the threads are 10+ years old and I was wondering about your experiences with vet schools/interviews having multiple ear piercings or tattoos. I currently have triple lobes, a double helix on one side and a single helix and a conch on the other. I don't have any Tatts but I figured might as well throw them into the thread as well.

Ear piercings won't be a problem at all. I don't know of any vet school that has anything in their dress code about those, even the most conservative ones.

 

[battie]

Literally no one will care except maybe on clinics. School and rotation dependent.

 

[VIN-Foundation]

In veterinary school, as long as nothing is real dangly (which can be a safety issue) it's usually not a problem. Check dress code just in case. The biggest problem these days are the artificial fingernails, which can cause a problem with hand hygiene and rectal palpations.

For interviews, if it's a close call always go with the more conservative option

 

[bdominello]

Hey all,
So I know this has been asked before, but all of the threads are 10+ years old and I was wondering about your experiences with vet schools/interviews having multiple ear piercings or tattoos. I currently have triple lobes, a double helix on one side and a single helix and a conch on the other. I don't have any Tatts but I figured might as well throw them into the thread as well.

I have a facial piercing that I took out for my interviews last year. I took out all of my ear piercings and did small studs in 1 hole. Be conservative for the interview.

 

[Lupin21]

As with anything, if you feel it worthy to lose out on for personal beliefs, do you. If you have to count on others for your livliehoid, go conservative. It boils down to you and what you think is worth throwing down for in the end.

 

[pcough2011]

I'm pretty sure just about anything goes at the island schools. I have two nose piercings and arm, hand, and finger tattoos and no one has really batted an eyelash at them besides a compliment here or there. I imagine they may not have gone down as smoothly at some of the rural midwest schools. But like previous commenter said, ear piercings should never be an issue.

 

[aalexisvet26]

Hey all,
So I know this has been asked before, but all of the threads are 10+ years old and I was wondering about your experiences with vet schools/interviews having multiple ear piercings or tattoos. I currently have triple lobes, a double helix on one side and a single helix and a conch on the other. I don't have any Tatts but I figured might as well throw them into the thread as well.

Current first year vet student here at a US school in the Midwest. My interviews were during Covid and were all over Zoom, so my tattoos/piercings weren’t super visible during those. However I’ve gone through the first semester of my first year (which includes both classroom time and in-person clinical rotations) and no one has ever mentioned my tattoos or piercings at all. I have 2 nose piercings, a very large forearm tattoo, and 2 small/medium-sized tattoos on my wrist & arm. I have other classmates with plenty of tattoos & piercings & fun hair colors as well - no issues to note so far!

 

[turnandburn]

When it comes to professional life, probably best to have tattoos that are easily concealable.

 

[segeorge]

I'm a 4th year at a school in the Midwest. We are in a very liberal college town and have several students and interns/residents who have fun hair colors, arm tattoos, and piercings. Like someone said above, as long as it's not a safety issue, you should be fine. And several rotations will tell you no nail polish or fake nails due to surgery and palpations.

 

[battie]

Illinois in the rural midwest did not care about piercings/tattoos except for safety

 

[FrostySparrow]

I've gotten at least one new tattoo at the end of every academic year with no issues from faculty! I think like usual recommendations... keep them appropriate (and if they're not then def easily concealable). One of mine is on my forearm/wrist, which makes it so many clients see it when I interact with them without my student white coat with no complaints or issues!
I interviewed with a very minor piercing (nose) and had taken it out and put a clear one in for the interview itself, that's since closed since I didn't heal well. But I have several classmates with different piercings along their ears and noses with no problems either.