tattoos

[Dr. McDreamy]

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so the other day i saw one of the new first years in a t-shirt. the guy had tatoos all over his arms. i'm sure he wore a long sleeved dress shirt to cover that up during his interview. but just curious....for those of you with tatoos..have they been a problem in clinic? how have you been received?

the only rotatoin that youwould HAVE to show them in is surgery and maybe that would increase your bad-ass factor there (which could be a a good thing in surgery)?

opinions?

ps, tatoos are hot, but i'd never get one. i would, however, hit on a guy with them 😎

 

[jennben4]

so the other day i saw one of the new first years in a t-shirt. the guy had tatoos all over his arms. i'm sure he wore a long sleeved dress shirt to cover that up during his interview. but just curious....for those of you with tatoos..have they been a problem in clinic? how have you been received?

the only rotatoin that youwould HAVE to show them in is surgery and maybe that would increase your bad-ass factor there (which could be a a good thing in surgery)?

opinions?

ps, tatoos are hot, but i'd never get one. i would, however, hit on a guy with them 😎

I have wondered about people's experiences with visible tattoos as well, especially those that can't be hidden. I have 3, 2 of which are quasi-visible. They are on the insides of both ankles. I put band-aids inside my pantyhose for interviews, but have wondered about future clinic time. They are small, tasteful, and don't draw attention when walking around in a skirt. However, sitting down one-on-one with a patient in an exam room and crossing my leg in front of them is another story. I found myself crossing the unnatural leg in front of an older patient just to avoid the exposure. Nobody has ever said anything, but I'm only starting my second year.... and I typically wear pants. 😕

 

[Chronic Student]

The ER is another place where they might be better tolerated and what and where is really important as well.

A US Navy Seals tatoo on your forearm goes over a lot better that an upside-down cross on your neck.

I must admit I know a med student who has a large rubber ducky on her calf and above and below it is the phrase "I watch you masturbate". I don't think that she ever lets patients see it, she always wears slacks.

-Mike

 

[Thievery Corp.]

I think given the fact that the population as a whole is getting more tattoo work done, I think younger patients may not find it to be an issue. I'm sure there are older patients that may not care for it, but if you have a decent personality and know what the hell you're doing, they might overlook that one.

I have a very large one that covers most of my left calf, but I always have pants or scrubs on so it is not seen inside the clinic or hospital. So it has never been an issue.

As long as you dont advertise it "hey look at my tattoo!" I doubt it will be a problem.

 

[Callogician]

Patients are always impressed when I show them the twelve inch ruler tattoo on my penis.

 

[Northerner]

Patients are always impressed when I show them the twelve inch ruler tattoo on my penis.

...since your penis is twelve inches.

 

[Law2Doc]

I think given the fact that the population as a whole is getting more tattoo work done, I think younger patients may not find it to be an issue.

The average patient age has been steadilly climbing and is anticipated to continue for a while, thanks to the aging baby boomers. Expect to treat predominantly old people unless you go into peds or OB. And I'm not sure how well major ink goes over in those fields. Best to only get ones you can cover.

 

[Thievery Corp.]

The average patient age has been steadilly climbing and is anticipated to continue for a while, thanks to the aging baby boomers. Expect to treat predominantly old people unless you go into peds or OB. And I'm not sure how well major ink goes over in those fields. Best to only get ones you can cover.

Hmm. That is a good point, and I will admit it is nice to be able to cover mine.

Although I would argue being inked as an issue depends on your patient population. For example, I would say many VA patients probably don't care and more likely than not they have more tattoos that you.

 

[njbmd]

Hi there,
A classmate of mine matched in Anesthesiology and ended up having to have the tattoos on his forearms removed. He had a chinese mask (looked like a skull and crossbones) and multiple chinese characters. His program director gave him one year to get these taken care of (before he started his CA-1 year). They are gone but what's left looks worse than the tatoos that were there in the first place.

I toyed with the idea of getting a small cadeusus on my shoulder with MD 2002 under it. I though about what it would look like when I was 95-year-old (wrinkled and stupid) and decided that I could have my sister draw anything that I needed with markers when the tatoo urge hits.

One of the Emergency Department nurses had both arms tattooed and was required to wear long sleeves by his department head. He had Harley Davidson tatoos which did not look bad at all. He is a great nurse and I thought they were being a bit "stiff" by their "coverage" rule.

One of my classmate's tats looked pretty menacing and might have been upsetting to patients just going under anesthesia. The chinese letters looked pretty cool but his program director was very conservative.

njbmd 🙂

 

[caffeinefree08]

Our med school had a policy about tattoos - i.e. 'don't let us see them.' They also have a policy abour body piercings and crazy colored hair. It seems very big brother of them sometimes.

And then I wonder if I'd want my grandma being treated by a blue haired, lip pierced doc with the words 'hate' and 'kill' tattooed on his/her knuckles.

I know that is a really extreme example, but if you have a tattoo or piercing that doesn't make you look unprofessional, go wild. (And if your med school/program makes you submit to full body tattoo/piercing searches, that's a completely different problem)

 

[trustwomen]

so the other day i saw one of the new first years in a t-shirt. the guy had tatoos all over his arms. i'm sure he wore a long sleeved dress shirt to cover that up during his interview. but just curious....for those of you with tatoos..have they been a problem in clinic? how have you been received?

the only rotatoin that youwould HAVE to show them in is surgery and maybe that would increase your bad-ass factor there (which could be a a good thing in surgery)?

opinions?

ps, tatoos are hot, but i'd never get one. i would, however, hit on a guy with them 😎

I have a small tattoo behind my right ear, and I am starting to dream of another one. I guess I'll have to keep it coverable too (my current one only shows when my hair is up and you are looking at me from the back).

Tattoos are indeed hot, when they're well done. I could see how they might not be well-received in certain circumstances, but I can't imagine that (say) a reasonably small, non-scary-looking tattoo on your ankle or shoulder should compromise your career.

 

[Happy613]

My school doesnt have a locker room for anatomy lab, as a result we would all just change in the hall...wierd I know, at first people would change in the bathroom, but by end of the first block people would just be stripping down to their underwear in the hall.....(when we gave tours as 2nd years we would try to bring them by the anatomy lab b4 class.....)


In any case, my point is that I was really suprised to see how many people had tatoos. Most people had the foresight to get them in places that could be covered by scrubs....Sure it might be a problem, but I think its absurd to have a PD mandate that you remove them...just my two cents.

 

[Beau Geste]

I have 2 tattoos on my lower back (yes, the tramp-stamp place). One is an angel from one of my favorite paintings and the other a dove with an olive branch. I like my tattoos - they have meaning to me, and i plan to get a few more someday. My personal perspective is, though, to put them in places that are typically covered by a one-piece bathing suit to look as professional as possible.

My husband, on the other hand, has 12 of them scattered on his arms, legs, and chest. But he's a mechanic, and the rules where he's employed are not as strict, for obvious reasons 😉

 

[medicomel]

i have 2 visible tattoos, one on my forearm and the other on my upper arm. i love them, but i have yet to flash them in med school. i've been wearing longsleeves for two weeks now...thank goodness the place is well air-conditioned. anyway, my tats (and nose piercing) are like an alter-ego kinda thing i like to keep separate from the school/work environment.

 

[Vox Animo]

Stay away from some of these:

http://www.capohedz.com/typebrighter/2005/10/really-bad-tattoos.html

 

[Sean2tall]

I have been thinking about getting one, so one day, my wife (who wants me to do it and has one herself) asked the cashier in Target, "Would you go to a doctor who had tattoos?" His first reaction was to say no. I was surprised, being he was a young guy with tattoos himself. He said, "Well I probably would, but I can't picture my mom doing it."

One of the critical care docs here has some tattoos on his arms and long hair. I think he's a motorcycle fan. Anyhow, I actually respect him more for making the statement that his personal life has really nothing to do with his job. He's a smart dude.

I am leaning more towards doing it, but the story about the Anesthesia resident is disturbing. I think I would probably refuse, but if I couldn't get into another program, it would be a major blow.

 

[Law2Doc]

I have been thinking about getting one, so one day, my wife (who wants me to do it and has one herself) asked the cashier in Target, "Would you go to a doctor who had tattoos?" His first reaction was to say no. I was surprised, being he was a young guy with tattoos himself. He said, "Well I probably would, but I can't picture my mom doing it."

One of the critical care docs here has some tattoos on his arms and long hair. I think he's a motorcycle fan. Anyhow, I actually respect him more for making the statement that his personal life has really nothing to do with his job. He's a smart dude.

I am leaning more towards doing it, but the story about the Anesthesia resident is disturbing. I think I would probably refuse, but if I couldn't get into another program, it would be a major blow.

Just get the tat in an out of sight area. You still have like 80% of your body you can work with, with no repercussions, so I'm not sure why it's worth putting it in a visible place. You have to pick your battles, and I promise you that in 20 years you will look back and think that this one was a pretty silly one.

 

[deleted109597]

I've got DNR tattooed in 27 languages across my chest. Well, not really, but I am tempted.
I am getting a staff soon. Anybody like this one?

 

[Law2Doc]

I am getting a staff soon. Anybody like this one?

Honestly, it's a bit lame for your identity to be defined by your career. People are already going to know you are a doctor by the white coat, scrubs, and stethoscope. Better to get a flaming skull or something. Just keep it under the shirt line.

 

[fpr85]

I will be joining the military within the next 5 years, when I get a tattoo it will definitely be something to show my patriotism and love for the military. Probably somewhere on the biceps.

 

[Acherona]

I might be uncomfortable going to a doc with tattoos all over his arms. He might have a skewed view of pain thresholds. Plus, what kind of needle hygiene does he practice.

I don't quite understand the tattoo phenomenon. If you like a picture or symbol, why don't you hang it on your wall or something. After you've had the tattoo for a while it gets dull and blurry and in most cases is indistinguishable from an unsightly skin blemish. Usuallly people want to get rid of their blemishes which is why we have a huge market of skin products. From up close it may be identifiable as a tattoo, but usually its ugly, especially if its a picture. Then people are always staring at it and related body part. I suppose some people enjoy that.

 

[medicomel]

I might be uncomfortable going to a doc with tattoos all over his arms. He might have a skewed view of pain thresholds. Plus, what kind of needle hygiene does he practice.

I don't quite understand the tattoo phenomenon. If you like a picture or symbol, why don't you hang it on your wall or something. After you've had the tattoo for a while it gets dull and blurry and in most cases is indistinguishable from an unsightly skin blemish. Usuallly people want to get rid of their blemishes which is why we have a huge market of skin products. From up close it may be identifiable as a tattoo, but usually its ugly, especially if its a picture. Then people are always staring at it and related body part. I suppose some people enjoy that.

some of us want reminders of certain parts of our past. i love my tattoos and i got each one for a reason. i intend to get touch-ups when they start to fade (probably in about ten years), but i take good care of them in the mean time by putting on high SPF sunblock. to each his own, i suppose.
with that said, i think doctors should always wear the white coat when interacting with patients. if i happened to see tats on the arms of my always-professionally-dressed-when-i-visit physician out in public, i would think it was really cool. cool in the sense that while at work he's competent and professional, and in his own time he wears what he wants and expresses himself in whichever way he sees fit. doctors are people too, and have the right to do whatever they want to their body. it doesn't mean they're beer-swilling hells angels.

 

[Law2Doc]

if i happened to see tats on the arms of my always-professionally-dressed-when-i-visit physician out in public, i would think it was really cool. cool in the sense that while at work he's competent and professional, and in his own time he wears what he wants and expresses himself in whichever way he sees fit. doctors are people too, and have the right to do whatever they want to their body. it doesn't mean they're beer-swilling hells angels.

Bear in mind that your own sensibilities are probably not going to be the same as your future patients and many of your professional superiors, most of whom will be older, based on the aging baby boomer generation (unless you do peds).
So while you and probably everyone within a decade of your age realizes that tattoos are a pretty common thing for this generation, a good percentage of patients may quite well think their tattooed doctor is a "beer willing hells angel", and not share your belief that it is cool. They will not see the competent and professional part because they will be blinded by the ink.

 

[Beau Geste]

Bear in mind that your own sensibilities are probably not going to be the same as your future patients and many of your professional superiors, most of whom will be older, based on the aging baby boomer generation (unless you do peds).
So while you and probably everyone within a decade of your age realizes that tattoos are a pretty common thing for this generation, a good percentage of patients may quite well think their tattooed doctor is a "beer willing hells angel", and not share your belief that it is cool. They will not see the competent and professional part because they will be blinded by the ink.

Which is why mine are out of sight from the patients both casually and professionally and we'll be talking about medical stuff instead of my tattoos.

 

[Beau Geste]

Stay away from some of these:

http://www.capohedz.com/typebrighter/2005/10/really-bad-tattoos.html

Wow. Just, wow.

The one on the forhead takes the cake in my book. And for only $10K.

 

[HoodyHoo]

i'm gettin one on my forearm removed.......but for personal reasons. many of the doctors i've worked with in clinical lab have seen all my tattoos(all six on one arm) and they have never said anything, made any gestures, or treated me any different. I actually got along very well with them. So essentially if you are a good person and personable and all that good stuff, they look past things like tattoos.

 

[fpr85]

Wow, for a minute there I read "forearm" as "forehead" -- guess it has to do with me just looking at that tattoo site, lol.

i'm gettin one on my forearm removed.......but for personal reasons. many of the doctors i've worked with in clinical lab have seen all my tattoos(all six on one arm) and they have never said anything, made any gestures, or treated me any different. I actually got along very well with them. So essentially if you are a good person and personable and all that good stuff, they look past things like tattoos.

 

[supersash]

I might be uncomfortable going to a doc with tattoos all over his arms. He might have a skewed view of pain thresholds. Plus, what kind of needle hygiene does he practice.

what does having multiple tatoos have to do with needle hygiene? i know many people with multiple tattoos who have only gone to extremely reputable places which only use disposable needles. i dont think multiple tattoos = no needle hygiene. i think that was a bit ignorant.

i can agree, however, about the pain tolerance! ouch!

 

[medicomel]

i actually think memorizing biochemical pathways is more painful than a little scratching sensation. 😉

if you take your fingernail and rake it across the skin of the inside of your forearm, that's basically what it feels like; now do that for FOUR hours and it'll be hurting a lot by that point.

 

[45408]

...since your penis is twelve inches.

whoa, can I bestow an honorary doctorate on you? that was really perceptive.

 

[45408]

My school doesnt have a locker room for anatomy lab, as a result we would all just change in the hall...wierd I know, at first people would change in the bathroom, but by end of the first block people would just be stripping down to their underwear in the hall.....(when we gave tours as 2nd years we would try to bring them by the anatomy lab b4 class.....)


In any case, my point is that I was really suprised to see how many people had tatoos. Most people had the foresight to get them in places that could be covered by scrubs....Sure it might be a problem, but I think its absurd to have a PD mandate that you remove them...just my two cents.

hehe, a lot of the guys (myself included) started changing in the hallway after the first week. The bathroom just got to be a madhouse. The girls don't seem to be quite as inclined though....not sure why?

 

[Northerner]

whoa, can I bestow an honorary doctorate on you? that was really perceptive.

Sure.

In return, I'm willing to bestow upon you an honorary doctorate in physics - to recognize your discovery of a new magnitude of density.

 

[deleted109597]

Honestly, it's a bit lame for your identity to be defined by your career. People are already going to know you are a doctor by the white coat, scrubs, and stethoscope. Better to get a flaming skull or something. Just keep it under the shirt line.

So, why go into a career if it doesn't fit into your identity?
If you don't like what you do, you will eventually quit it. People who want do nothing but ride motorcycles sit at their jobs thinking about riding motorcycles, instead of doing their jobs. That isn't to say you can't have outside interests.

I just don't see myself getting a wakeboard tattoo, or a snowboard tattoo, or a sports team, or the fact that I work on cars in my spare time either. Tattoos are a symbol for some people, and if you want to knock other people's tats, you have to show yours.

And for the record, I don't wear scrubs, whitecoats, or stethoscopes outside of the hospital (except on the way to my car), because if you do, then you are a tool.

 

[samenewme]

hehe, a lot of the guys (myself included) started changing in the hallway after the first week. The bathroom just got to be a madhouse. The girls don't seem to be quite as inclined though....not sure why?

I try to remember that there are people in that end of the building who actually have offices there and who might want to go get a drink of water without being confronted with an array of half-naked med students (although when I put it that way it doesn't sound half-bad to me).

I change in the hallway if I've got a skirt on so I can keep covered and a tank top that doesn't look too much like underwear--again, it's not because I care if my fellow med students see my parts, but an attempt to respect the people who really don't want to see any of my parts.

As to why most of the girls aren't changing in the hallway, I suspect the answer in many cases may have to do with what we're wearing under our anatomy clothes. Thongs come to mind. I can tell you from what I saw in the hallways last week that if you change in the hallway in a thong, you can't hide it by sticking your butt in your locker.

 

[Law2Doc]

So, why go into a career if it doesn't fit into your identity?
If you don't like what you do, you will eventually quit it.

Um no - you are missing my point. You are you. Being a doctor is just what you do as your career. If these two things are the same, and you have no identity other than what you do for a living that is really a little sad and misguided. The reverse of a rennaissance man. Most of us will wear many hats in our lives -- of doctor, spouse, parent, weekend athlete, hobbyist, etc. As I said before you will already have the degree and all the garb and gear -- you are already amply advertising your career. so no real point in putting a medically oriented tattoo on to boot. That's less of a self expression and more of an echo.

 

[Sean2tall]

Just get the tat in an out of sight area. You still have like 80% of your body you can work with, with no repercussions, so I'm not sure why it's worth putting it in a visible place. You have to pick your battles, and I promise you that in 20 years you will look back and think that this one was a pretty silly one.

I think in 20 years the thing I would regret the most is letting some shmuck residency PD determine what is OK to go on my person. But hey, I want to be a radiologist, so it doesn't matter that much if the patients are comfortable with it 😉

 

[medicomel]

I think in 20 years the thing I would regret the most is letting some shmuck residency PD determine what is OK to go on my person. But hey, I want to be a radiologist, so it doesn't matter that much if the patients are comfortable with it 😉

good post! these negative posts just make me want to get more ink. i plan on getting a half-sleeve eventually. take that, naysayers!

👍

 

[SuitsYou]

i actually think memorizing biochemical pathways is more painful than a little scratching sensation. 😉

Could always do the prison break route and get the pathways tattooed on your body in a code so the examiners would never know!

 

[pagemmapants]

good post! these negative posts just make me want to get more ink. i plan on getting a half-sleeve eventually. take that, naysayers!

👍

Ink = ftw, kids.

 

[Acherona]

what does having multiple tatoos have to do with needle hygiene? i know many people with multiple tattoos who have only gone to extremely reputable places which only use disposable needles. i dont think multiple tattoos = no needle hygiene. i think that was a bit ignorant.

I was sort of kidding 🙄

Damn those tattoos are insane. You guys should check out the second page to see the penis dragon.

 

[Acherona]

nytimes column today about tattoos:
Nonconformity Is Skin Deep
By DAVID BROOKS
Published: August 27, 2006
We now have to work under the assumption that every American has a tattoo. Whether we are at a formal dinner, at a professional luncheon, at a sales conference or arguing before the Supreme Court, we have to assume that everyone in the room is fully tatted up — that under each suit, dress or blouse, there is at least a set of angel wings, a barbed wire armband, a Chinese character or maybe even a fully inked body suit. We have to assume that any casual antitattoo remark will cause offense, even to those we least suspect of self-marking.

Everybody who has been to the beach this summer has observed that tattoos are now everywhere. There are so many spider webs, dolphins, Celtic motifs and yin-yang images spread across the sands, it looks like a New Age symbology conference with love handles.

A study in The Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology showed that about 24 percent of Americans between the ages of 18 and 50 have at least one tattoo, up from about 15 percent in 2003. Thirty-six percent of those between 18 and 29 have a tattoo. Pretty soon you’ll go to the beach and find that only the most hardened nonconformists will be unmarked. Everybody else will be decorated with gothic-lettered AARP logos and Katie Couric 4-EVER tributes, and Democrats will have their Kerry-Edwards bumper stickers scratched across their backs so even their morticians will know which way they voted.

The only person without one of those Pacific Northwest Indian tribal graphics scrawled across his shoulder will be a lone 13-year-old skater scoffing at all the bourgeois tattoo fogies.

Traditional religions have generally prohibited tattoos on the grounds they encourage superficial thinking (what’s on the surface is not what matters). But it turns out that tattoos are the perfect consumer items. They make people feel better about themselves. Just as Hummers make some people feel powerful, tattoo-wearers will talk (and talk and talk and talk) about how their tattoos make them feel strong, free, wild and unique.

In a forthcoming essay in The American Interest, David Kirby observes that there are essentially two types of tattoo narratives, the Record Book and the Canvas. Record Book tattoos commemorate the rites of passage in a life. Canvas tattoos are means of artistic expression.

So some people will have their kids’ faces tattooed across their backs, or the motorcycle that belonged to a now-dead friend, or a fraternity, brigade or company logo. In a world of pixelated flux, these tattoos are expressions of commitment — a way to say that as long as I live, this thing will matter to me. They don’t always work out — on the reality show “Miami Ink” a woman tried to have her “I will succeed thru Him” tattoo altered after she grew sick of religion — but the longing for permanence is admirable.

Other people are trying to unveil their wild side. They’re taking advantage of the fact that tattoos are associated with felons, bikers and gangstas. They’re trying to show that far from being the dull communications majors they appear to be, they are actually free spirits — sensual, independent, a little dangerous.

The problem is that middle-class types have been appropriating the symbols of marginalized outcasts since at least the 1830’s. This is no longer a way to express individuality; it’s a way to be part of the mob. Today, fashion trends may originate on Death Row, but it takes about a week and a half for baggy jeans, slut styles and tattoos to migrate from Death Row to Wal-Mart.

What you get is a culture of trompe l’oeil degeneracy. People adopt socially acceptable transgressions — like tattoos — to show they are edgy, but inside they are still middle class. You run into these candy-cane grunge types: people with piercings and inkings all over their bodies who look like Sid Vicious but talk like Barry Manilow. They’ve got the alienated look — just not the anger.

And that’s the most delightful thing about the whole tattoo fad. A cadre of fashion-forward types thought they were doing something to separate themselves from the vanilla middle classes but are now discovering that the signs etched into their skins are absolutely mainstream. They are at the beach looking across the acres of similar markings and learning there is nothing more conformist than displays of individuality, nothing more risk-free than rebellion, nothing more conservative than youth culture.

Another generation of hipsters, laid low by the ironies of consumerism.

 

[Thievery Corp.]

I would like to reinterate my point here. Having tattoos does not make you any less professional. However, as we seem to enjoy threads about how we are precieved, 🙄 (where is sometime07 anyway?) I will say I am willing to cover mine up so my patients, collegues and superiors do no form opinions about my intelect, personality, and professional attidue before they have met me. (Nothing I can do about afterwards! )


IbnSina, what is the translation of the text on that? Is it greek?

 

[Law2Doc]

But hey, I want to be a radiologist, so it doesn't matter that much if the patients are comfortable with it 😉

radiologists are becoming more interventional -- the days of sitting alone in the dark are almost over, and patient interaction is increasing significantly. Look into pathology, perhaps.

 

[Beau Geste]

nytimes column today about tattoos:
Nonconformity Is Skin Deep
By DAVID BROOKS
Published: August 27, 2006

I feel for those who get tattos just to get them. I got mine for very personal reasons, not to be part of the "in-crowd". I realize not everyone thinks they're cool, which is why I don't have one on my boob, shoulder, or ankle for everyone to see.

I feel the same way about piercings as some do about tattoos, in a professional sense. I probably wouldn't hire someone with facial piercings (except typical earrings and maybe a nose ring) and probably wouldn't hire someone with outrageous tats either. Personally, tats don't bother me (but piercings do). I'm not out to make a statement or to scare my patients, and there is a line somewhere between professionalism. Unfortunately that line doesn't exist in the same place for everyone and it's not clearly defined so it's up to us future doctors to make wise decisions.

In a perfect world, no one would care about tattoos, but as we all know, this is no perfect world. I would love to get more tattoos that are visible, but knowing how I feel about hiring people with tattoos, then someone else would probably feel the same.

It's a permanent reminder of a temporary feeling

 

[deleted109597]

Um no - you are missing my point. You are you. Being a doctor is just what you do as your career. If these two things are the same, and you have no identity other than what you do for a living that is really a little sad and misguided. The reverse of a rennaissance man. Most of us will wear many hats in our lives -- of doctor, spouse, parent, weekend athlete, hobbyist, etc. As I said before you will already have the degree and all the garb and gear -- you are already amply advertising your career. so no real point in putting a medically oriented tattoo on to boot. That's less of a self expression and more of an echo.

So, if you're married. Do you wear a wedding band? Because it is only an advertisement for something that you already do. And for people that know it already, it doesn't mean anything.

You're missing my point. Being a physician is what I am. Not just when I am at work. You have to do things outside of work too.

My expression doesn't involve flaming skulls. I already have a large celtic cross, but OH GOD, I'M A CHRISTIAN AND WELSH IN ORIGIN. Excuse me while I run crying because I can't express anything else. And those guys who get their names on themselves (note, not something I do), I guess they are just stretching. I mean really, they already have their name. Why would they want to put it on them. And their family crest? Seriously.

You're saying that military people who get tattoos of their regiments or branches are just as wrong, because that is their job. The tattoo itself is the self expression. You can design it however you want. See?

(both quite tacky, but work)

So I put it to you, what is worthy of permanent ink? Just some design that you think is cool, that has no relevance to anything you actually do? Because you've said that if you do anything, that is an outward expression, so no need to get that in ink. Should I pay neighborhood kids to draw up something, and get a back piece? Something tribal because it was in style 5 years ago?

 

[Beau Geste]

no tribal, no tribal! Unless, of course, you're part of a tribe. If you pay the neighborhood kids it should be something Lord of the Flies - ish 😉

 

[Mr. McDuck]

I just like how people that write those articles always assume that everyone with a tattoo got it to "feel wild and crazy" or "be a non-conformist". You'd think these people never heard of someone getting a tattoo to symbolize something meaningful to them or simply because they like it.

Anyway, I have four tattoos, but two of them are in places a scrub shirt covers up. The other two are on my forearm, but I always have a coat on when I'm seeing patients. When I'm in the OR, the patients don't notice, as they're asleep most of the time (save for SDS or holding, but I usually have my coat on until I actually go back to the room).

 

[Dr. McDreamy]

So, if you're married. Do you wear a wedding band? Because it is only an advertisement for something that you already do. And for people that know it already, it doesn't mean anything.

You're missing my point. Being a physician is what I am. Not just when I am at work. You have to do things outside of work too.

My expression doesn't involve flaming skulls. I already have a large celtic cross, but OH GOD, I'M A CHRISTIAN AND WELSH IN ORIGIN. Excuse me while I run crying because I can't express anything else. And those guys who get their names on themselves (note, not something I do), I guess they are just stretching. I mean really, they already have their name. Why would they want to put it on them. And their family crest? Seriously.

You're saying that military people who get tattoos of their regiments or branches are just as wrong, because that is their job. The tattoo itself is the self expression. You can design it however you want. See?

(both quite tacky, but work)

So I put it to you, what is worthy of permanent ink? Just some design that you think is cool, that has no relevance to anything you actually do? Because you've said that if you do anything, that is an outward expression, so no need to get that in ink. Should I pay neighborhood kids to draw up something, and get a back piece? Something tribal because it was in style 5 years ago?

wow those are ridiculously tacky. i hope no medical person got those.

 

[45408]

I feel for those who get tattos just to get them. I got mine for very personal reasons, not to be part of the "in-crowd". I realize not everyone thinks they're cool, which is why I don't have one on my boob, shoulder, or ankle for everyone to see.

other than the face, this is the worst place a woman can get a tattoo. 👎

 

[Beau Geste]

other than the face, this is the worst place a woman can get a tattoo. 👎

yeah - it's the ultimate tramp stamp