Visible tattoo?

[NontradCA]

I have a visible neck tattoo and I’m an incoming resident. The only time anyone has ever said anything about it was to say “how cool it was” or something of that nature. But no doubt there have been dozens of times I’ve been silently judged by people.

I think patients couldn’t care less what I looked or presented like to them as a med student, but as their physician they might read into my appearance some more. When you’re the one making the decisions, things tend to change. That’s something you should ponder.

Physicians are more likely to judge you for it than patients, imo. I’m not sure if it hurt me on interviews, and didn’t really care all that much if it did. That’s the thing with visible tattoos: you have to not care what people think about you, because you know before getting one some people dislike them. You should ponder on that as well.

Funny story, I actually talked to my PD on the phone about medicine as a premed 7 years ago or so. I asked him about my tattoo and he said I should get it removed. Didn’t talk to him again until interview day.

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[NontradCA]

Meh.

 

[MacDonaldTriad]

I have to assume that all the folks in the if-you-have-to-ask-then-you-shouldn’t-do-it camp are still single and renters.

I assume the proportion of single renters with tattoos is greater than that of married home owners. The question is if this is entirely explained by age as home owners and married people or older and tattoos are a recent fad. I suspect that tattoos are under represented in medicine and this remains true even if you correct for Jewish beliefs. This whole thing goes under the category of "it shouldn't matter", but guess what it does. We are only talking about how much it matters. The only way to win is not to play. Alternatively, you can play and complain about how unfair things are or ignore the negative impacts that are real. It isn't a big deal, but you can't tell me it doesn't matter. Some patients will be turned off by tattoos and that will not change.

 

[chajjohnson]

Some patients will be turned off by tattoos and that will not change.

And some patients are turned off by black doctors, or female doctors, or male doctors with long hair, etc. If medicine really wanted to produce physicians that wouldn't offend a single patient there wouldn't be any doctors. It seems like a silly goal.

Besides, I don't think most physicians with tattoos are worried about what patients will think. They worry what their colleagues and superiors will think. On this particular subject physicians are more intolerant than patients.

 

[NontradCA]

Let’s be real. Who cares what patients think? Not physicians. Stop with your drama. “Oh won’t somebody please think about the patients!!??” Please. Billy Bob just rascalled his way into the exam room because he’s too fat to walk. Tell me more about how my appearance offends you.

Physicians (attendings), hospital administration, and medical school administration, use the excuse of patients and “professionalism” to subvert the underlings.

The patient excuse is even more hyperboled in this field considering the level of function our patients have.