tattoos on a physician?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
I'd say don't do it.
 
There has been at least one other thread on this forum regarding tattoos, which you can view if you search for it. But basically, the general gist was that unless you absolutely positively want that tattoo and would be remiss without, don't get it. And if you still decide you really want that tattoo, it's a much better idea to get it on a place that patients wouldn't be able to see vs. something much more prominent such as the forearm.
 
Any physician with a tattoo should clearly be kicked out of medicine.

Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I haven't made a smart ass reply all day.

If you have a tattoo that you can keep to yourself (i.e. out of public view), fine. If it is plainly visible (or visible period), it is going to put off quite a few of your patients and you're best advised to avoid the ink.

Take care,
Jeff

BTW, do you ever wonder if people ask themselves what that sexy tattoo of tweety bird on the breast will look like in 50 years when the bird is pecking at their knees?
 
I have not seen very many physicians with tattoos. I have seen a couple, but that was by accident when trying to hide them it just wasnt covered well enough. My opinion is if you have to hide them, then there is really no need to get them. That is just my 2 cents though.
 
Personally I feel tattoos on a nice body are like bumper stickers on a Maserati. I always wonder why someone would mar their body that way.
JMHO
 
I've always followed my fathers advice:

"Never get a tattoo where the judge can see it"
 
I just did a paper on tats for my doctorate -- not a good idea in general for most professions where the public can see them. Unfortunately there are still many biases against them. Tats diminish the public's confidence in that person (firefighters, EMTs, waitresses, bankers, etc.--pretty much across the board). My SIL is an Army major- I am concerned about life after the Army for him in that respect- despite advanced degrees and great job skills.

The only doc that I personally know who has them--and lots of them in fact- is a forensic pathologist--His patients don't care.
 
Yeah, but it depends on what stage you are at. If you are applying for residencies/fellowships/jobs the older docs who are interviewing you may not be super psyched about tatoos. If you are already all settled somewhere it matters less. Also I'd be concerned that the patients would be thinking about what that thing on my arm means rather than what I'm saying, it's just a distraction.

I think this falls into the category of "if you really have to ask if it's okay, you probably shouldn't do it." Even if 80% of people on here say it's fine, are you willing to deal with how the other 20% feel when they see you in scrubs? Remember, many people an EM are running around without long sleeved shirts on, it'd be a pain to be like "wow, the ACs broken today but I have to wear a long shirt under my scrubs because of my tat.

Make your life easy, if you want it get it on your back/bicep/ankle, shoulder etc somewhere that will always be covered when at work.
 
Well I'll get in on this one because I have a bit of a bias... Before being a physician I had a lot of jobs and one was doing bodypiercing. I worked with tattoo artists and other manner of interesting people. I have a few well hidden tattoos, and despite sporting an eyebrow piercing through my residency I think that it is most wise to look the part. I still wear a tie (whole different debate there) and lost the piercing (despite my love of bodily accessories and modification) and think tattoos in professional fields belong someplace only those who NEED to see them will see them.

Let's not judge tattoos or those who have them as i bet a surprising number of us do. But let's admit the place for them is not the hospital.
 
I have a bias toward this subject as I have a great interest in tattoos and have many friends that are very successful in their career that are covered with tattoos. Still, even though I like tattoos, there are certain places that if have tattoos make the person look less professional and those the people that interact with this person might think less of him/her. To me, any tattoo on the face, neck, fingers and hands will make most people judge that person and question his/her professionalism and how well he/she does their job. It's unfair, but I think this is a reality in today's world. I think people are a bit more accepting of tattoos on upper arms and back.

What about tattoos of loved ones face? Lets say if a doctor lost his children or wife and gets a tattoo on his inner forearm so that he can see it everyday and remember, will people really look down on this? I probably imagine that people would, but I just wanted to see your opinion.

I understand that if a pt does not like that his/her doctor has a tattoo and thinks less of the doctor, that pt can just go and choose another doctor. What if it's an ED attending doc who has a full-sleeve tattoo? Yes that pt might think less of the attending, but what can the pt do if that is the supervising attending that night? Would people really go home or go to another ED? Just curious.

Last year, I worked with a resident who had a pointy chin piercing and wore it on the medical wards. He was the best resident in the department and was very good with his patients and his pts loved him. I don't think many people judged him too much and based their opinion on whether he's a good doctor on the fact that he has a pointy metal object sticking out of his chin in plain sight.
 
Let me start what will hopefully only be a mild flame fest by saying that I do judge those who have tattoos and piercings. I assume, and I believe justifiably, that people who choose to decorate with such things want to look trendy, rebellious, avant garde and care less about looking professional and conservative. Since getting any of these decorations is a choice the person has chosen to place themselves in the position of having their colleagues and clients (in this case patients) try to figure out what they mean by appearing the way that they do. If professional appearance were more important than fashion they would have chosen differently.
 
docB said:
Let me start what will hopefully only be a mild flame fest by saying that I do judge those who have tattoos and piercings. I assume, and I believe justifiably, that people who choose to decorate with such things want to look trendy, rebellious, avant garde and care less about looking professional and conservative. Since getting any of these decorations is a choice the person has chosen to place themselves in the position of having their colleagues and clients (in this case patients) try to figure out what they mean by appearing the way that they do. If professional appearance were more important than fashion they would have chosen differently.
Click to expand...

👍
 
docB said:
Let me start what will hopefully only be a mild flame fest by saying that I do judge those who have tattoos and piercings. I assume, and I believe justifiably, that people who choose to decorate with such things want to look trendy, rebellious, avant garde and care less about looking professional and conservative. Since getting any of these decorations is a choice the person has chosen to place themselves in the position of having their colleagues and clients (in this case patients) try to figure out what they mean by appearing the way that they do. If professional appearance were more important than fashion they would have chosen differently.
Click to expand...

DocB, I actually think that most people feel the same way as you, unfortunately. Your point makes total sense, but still I think tattoos and other forms of body decoration has gotten to be a lot of accepted as compared to this country 50 years ago and other countries and cultures. How about this scenario... Lets say you and I are fellow EM attendings and you've worked with me for 5 years and think highly of me (as do the entire department which includes residents and administration). Now, lets say I am into the arts and asian cultures is a favorite topic of mine and I come back from my trip to Japan with a full sleeve traditional Japanese tattoo (ends just before the end of a shirt sleeve). Would you think any less of me? Would I be a worse doctor in your eyes? Do you think the administration would think less of me or start judging me? Do you think the residents will care?

Yes, in the above situation and in probably almost any situation when a doc has visible tattoos, I think that pts will on some level judge him/her. But I'm not sure about colleagues... well I guess that's why I presented the situation above.

Does this judgement of a tatted physician apply towards armed services tattoos? Lets say I was deployed to Iraq and a fellow solier who was a dear friend of mine died and I got a memorial tattoo on the inside of my forearm to remember him by. Will I be looked down on and be thought of as being unprofessional as a result of a tribute to my friend? Yes, the argument can be made... well, if you really want to get one, just put it where no one will see it. Well to answer that.... often people place important and sentimental tattoos somewhere where they can often see it (unlike the back area) so that it's a constant reminder. I'm curious about people's thoughts on this.
 
When we decided to go into medicine, we decided to put the needs of others above those of ourselves. This means, for me anyway, that the discomfort I may generate in my patients by having visible tats outweighs any personal pleasure I may get from having said tat.

Back when I actually could do this, my hair was long (turns out it was fashionable in the mid-80s). I started paramedic school with hair at shoulder length. I quickly saw that, at least in Houston, it made my patients uncomfortable.

I cut it. I really liked having long hair but I wanted to be a paramedic to make others feel better. Making them uncomfortable was not the way to start.

I feel the same way about physicians and tats. If I ever get one, it won't be visible while I'm at work.

It is clearly a personal decision. Just understand that your personal decision will have implications, most likely negative ones that you think are terribly unfair but are still very real.

Take care,
Jeff
 
dmitrinyr said:
DocB, I actually think that most people feel the same way as you, unfortunately. Your point makes total sense, but still I think tattoos and other forms of body decoration has gotten to be a lot of accepted as compared to this country 50 years ago and other countries and cultures. How about this scenario... Lets say you and I are fellow EM attendings and you've worked with me for 5 years and think highly of me (as do the entire department which includes residents and administration). Now, lets say I am into the arts and asian cultures is a favorite topic of mine and I come back from my trip to Japan with a full sleeve traditional Japanese tattoo (ends just before the end of a shirt sleeve). Would you think any less of me?
Click to expand...
Probably not.
dmitrinyr said:
Would I be a worse doctor in your eyes?
Click to expand...
No.
dmitrinyr said:
Do you think the administration would think less of me or start judging me?
Click to expand...
Yes.
dmitrinyr said:
Do you think the residents will care?
Click to expand...
Care? No. But they will probably treat you more like their hip buddy than their attending.

dmitrinyr said:
Does this judgement of a tatted physician apply towards armed services tattoos?
Click to expand...
Not as much.
dmitrinyr said:
Lets say I was deployed to Iraq and a fellow soldier who was a dear friend of mine died and I got a memorial tattoo on the inside of my forearm to remember him by. Will I be looked down on and be thought of as being unprofessional as a result of a tribute to my friend?
Click to expand...
I have a personal dislike of "memorials" like tattoos and stickers on cars. If it's tasteful I don't guess it would bother me but the old ladies who can't read so well would probably still be annoyed.

I'm sure I sound like the old curmudgeon about this. I also think that it's up to the individual what they want to look like within reason. But my attitude is pretty widespread.

As an example of how I look at these sort of things when I was in med school in Philly all the private ambulance EMTs wore their uniforms like thugs. Shirttails out, sagging pants, boots unlaced with tongues flipped foreword, I thought it was really awful.

As for the point about Japanese tattooing a big segment of the tattoo culture was originated by the yakuza and their soldiers tattooed heavily but they were always certain to keep their tattoos out of sight under their business suits. So they accepted the requirement to keep their appearances professional.
 
--
 
Last edited:
Augustus said:
Thanks for all of the replies. I am glad this thread is getting a lot of attention now.

I think the attitude towards tattoos has a lot to do with the age of the critic.

In my experience people under-30 are more approving of people with tattoos than older generations. I'd say 50% of women under 30 (and over 18) have the "tramp stamp" or some variant thereof so I think that has a lot to do with the widespread acceptance.

However, older people (relatives, co-workers over ~40, etc.) seem to be genuinely repulsed by the idea of a tattoos.

Plus I think the subject matter of the tat plays a role as well. If you've got a spiderweb on your neck then I think that just looks immature and borderline stupid.

Tattoos have a negative connotation in America because they are often associated with thugs.
Click to expand...

I agree with your statements and there lies the issue. I know that if a young resident chooses to get an arm tattoo, majority of his fellow residents will not have a big problem with it because they would be of the same age or relatively close. Maybe even the younger attendings (early-mid 30's) might not have a problems with it. The fact is that many of your patients and pt's family members are >50 y/o and the majority of these people associate tattoos, piercings and other forms of body decoration with being immature, unprofessional, a criminal and so might very well think less of you once they see it. The same goes for hospital administration and maybe even some older attendings.

I am a big proponent of tattoos and I don't judge the person who has one but it's the reality in the world that we live in that most people DO judge. Therefore (If I had a visible tattoo), as much as I would want the pts and their families to judge me based on the care and the attention that I provide them, I understand that many will in fact judge me prior upon initiation of the pt-doctor relationship and might hold it against me in their opinion of my skills as a doctor.

Another question I have.... So lets say you're an attending with a visible tattoo and you're the only attending in the ED on nights at a small ED. Even if the pts judge you and maybe doubt your abilities as a doctor based on you having a tattoo, would you care? What are these patients going to do, leave your ED and go somewhere else? If they do, would you really know it was your tattoo and not the 3 hour wait? And if they leave, what can you do... you can only treat the pts that want to stay? (I've had pt's leave because I didn't bring them a turkey sandwich) Would you get sued more? Sorry, more theoretical questions....
 
"I'd say 50% of women under 30 (and over 18) have the "tramp stamp" or some variant thereof"

yeah, if your survey group is hookers and las vegas showgirls....50% ?...dude....there is a reason it's called a tramp stamp....
 
Last edited by a moderator:
dmitrinyr said:
I've had pt's leave because I didn't bring them a turkey sandwich..
Click to expand...

we have had pts say they didn't think they had to pay for their mega workup because they didn't like their sandwich....seriously.....
 
If you're saying it is because you think the older patients will think less of you, then think about the fact that many older patients feel if you're just in scrubs, with no white coat, or even worse, no shirt and tie, they don't think of you as professional.
What about no shirt under the scrub top? I'm sure plenty of people think that isn't professional.
I don't think anyone has any question that racial, gang, slur, misogynist, or other tattoos are distasteful, if not worse.
But if you live your life caring what other people think about you all the time, then you've got bigger problems to deal with.
 
emedpa said:
"I'd say 50% of women under 30 (and over 18) have the "tramp stamp" or some variant thereof"

yeah, if your survey group is hookers and las vegas showgirls....50% ?...dude....there is a reason it's called a tramp stamp....
Click to expand...

Wow, what a horrible attitude. You must be an old geezer. You know, over 40.

Like me. 🙂

Take care,
Jeff
 
Wait, wait, wait - we don't have enough information to answer this question.

How many teeth do you have?
 
Dr.McNinja said:
What about no shirt under the scrub top? I'm sure plenty of people think that isn't professional.
.
Click to expand...

I don't know what to do about that one. I've tried to wear the undershirt but the ED is about 80 degrees. Add the white coat on top and I just can't handle the third layer.
 
Jeff698 said:
Wow, what a horrible attitude. You must be an old geezer. You know, over 40.

Like me. 🙂

Take care,
Jeff
Click to expand...

yup...it's worse than that....I'm going to see herb alpert play soon, I know who he is, and I'm excited about it....
 
jbar said:
I don't know what to do about that one. I've tried to wear the undershirt but the ED is about 80 degrees. Add the white coat on top and I just can't handle the third layer.
Click to expand...

I use dry fit shirts (the ones they give out at running events)as a first layer under scrubs and white coat. they are lightweight and breathe well. wearing one right now in fact
(working a night shift...)
 
emedpa said:
yup...it's worse than that....I'm going to see herb alpert play soon, I know who he is, and I'm excited about it....
Click to expand...

I must be young then, since I've never heard of him. 🙂

I'll just use the ol' bifocals to google him.

Take care,
Jeff
 
Jeff698 said:
Back when I actually could do this, my hair was long (turns out it was fashionable in the mid-80s). I started paramedic school with hair at shoulder length. I quickly saw that, at least in Houston, it made my patients uncomfortable.

I cut it. I really liked having long hair but I wanted to be a paramedic to make others feel better. Making them uncomfortable was not the way to start.
Click to expand...

I don't think there's anything wrong with making people uncomfortable because they have sexist standards of grooming.
 
Getting a tatoo is fine, just make sure that your scrubs cover it. Oh, and please don't get the barbed wire around the bicep.
 
If a physician has a tattoo that nobody can see...

...is that like a physician that smokes, but only at home?
...or a doctor that drinks, but only at social events and in moderation?
...or a physician who has well-maintained dreadlocks?
...or the surgeon who goes to strip clubs in his free time?

Where are the lines of professionalism? Unfortunately they are extremely subjective, and, from what I've seen, very location dependent. Something tells me a resident with an eyebrow ring might be fine in some parts of the country (SF), and the same resident would have major problems with their program in other parts (the South).

My medical school class is over 10% inked, FWIW.


... also, when are you ever going to be in the position to see the "tramp stamp" region on your doc? If you are, there are worse "professionalism" issues to worry about. Like sexual harassment.
 
And just please for the love of Osler do NOT get a cadeuceus tattoo. THEN I will judge you.
 
-
 
Last edited:
pagemmapants said:
If a physician has a tattoo that nobody can see...

...is that like a physician that smokes, but only at home?
...or a doctor that drinks, but only at social events and in moderation?
...or a physician who has well-maintained dreadlocks?
...or the surgeon who goes to strip clubs in his free time?

Where are the lines of professionalism? Unfortunately they are extremely subjective, and, from what I've seen, very location dependent. Something tells me a resident with an eyebrow ring might be fine in some parts of the country (SF), and the same resident would have major problems with their program in other parts (the South).
Click to expand...
The less edges you have, the less you are bound to piss off the conservative sharks, who want you to play dress up, so they have another excuse to wear a tie besides being vain and stuck-up in general. If you choose a tattoo, you choose a head to head confrontation with said ppl, often your superiors, and decrease the likelihood of getting a job in the first place, if the tattoo is visible. Now I hate the conservative geezers anyway, as I hate dishonesty, and playing dress-up equals catering to the really primitive and despicable parts of human mind, that draws equal signs between appearance and competence. If you are good, you are good. Period.
 
Augustus said:
Little known fact: the Caduceus doesn't really have any medical significance. In Greek mythology the staff with two serpents entwined in a double helix with wings at to the top is a symbol Iris and Hermes, both messengers.
Click to expand...

THIS is why I would judge it. Thank you, Augustus, for elucidating and thereby justifying my prior comment. 🙂
 
Augustus said:
So if you see any doctors with a Caduceus tattoo, and they got it because it "symbolizes medicine", let them know they are a douche bag and should pursue a career at the post office if they want their ink to have any relevance to their job.
Click to expand...

You are my new favourite SDN member. Job well done!
 
GeneralVeers said:
You are my new favourite SDN member. Job well done!
Click to expand...

I swear to god you are an attending I know David Sasser in disguise? If this is you sassy pants, fess up.
 
dmitrinyr said:
Another question I have.... So lets say you're an attending with a visible tattoo and you're the only attending in the ED on nights at a small ED. Even if the pts judge you and maybe doubt your abilities as a doctor based on you having a tattoo, would you care? What are these patients going to do, leave your ED and go somewhere else? If they do, would you really know it was your tattoo and not the 3 hour wait? And if they leave, what can you do... you can only treat the pts that want to stay? (I've had pt's leave because I didn't bring them a turkey sandwich) Would you get sued more? Sorry, more theoretical questions....
Click to expand...

Sorry to hijack, but if you replace "tattoo" with "looks like he's 18" in the quote above, you would describe my work enviroment.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

M
Los Alamos National Lab in New Mexico is hiring a physician
Replies
5
Views
2K
HemeOncHopeful19
H
E
EM Physician stabbed in the chest while on shift
Replies
20
Views
3K
xaelia
xaelia
D
Canadian Family Physician Interested in US EM Residency PGY-2 Spot
Replies
9
Views
3K
gamerEMdoc
gamerEMdoc
K
WaPO: Physician salaries
Replies
48
Views
7K
Kryptocoin
K
cyanide12345678
Physician reviewer for hospital
Replies
42
Views
8K
end stage fibro
end stage fibro
Top Bottom