Appearance in Healthcare

This last week, I was reading through my company newsletter and it happened to have a reminder of the "Professional Image Standards." Most focused on clothing and hygiene policies with a few lines devoted to tattoos and piercings. It states as follows:

"Employees may be asked to cover tattoos at work if they are deemed to be unprofessional or distracting... Employees should select and wear jewelry that does not create a safety hazard or interfere with one’s work. Visible body piercing is not permitted except for piercing of the ears. Ear jewelry should not be excessive (maximum of two conservative earrings per ear)."

I work for Intermountain Healthcare at their flagship facility. As one of the largest private employers in the state, many Utahns fall under the restrictions of these "Image Standards." Most of the standards seem to limit the amount of self expression an employee can portray at work. They tell you what to wear, the limits on hairstyle (although I did get away with a mohawk one day), what you can smell like, or even down to stickers that you can't put on your nametag. To Intermountain, self expression is way down the list of important concerns. What you must consider is the environment. A hospital's primary concern is patient comfort and safety. From a comfort standpoint, they don't want your hair falling into a patient's wounds, or your overpowering cologne causing an allergic reaction. For safety concerns, they want your name badge easily readable and identifiable. All their policies have valid reasons and concerns, even those concerning tattoos and piercings. I think in a professional hospital environment, it comes down to image. Medical professionals need to be trusted and respected from the moment of their first impression. There is little time to build a trusting relationship in life-and-death situations. They must "look" professional from the beginning.

I have begun to take notice of tattoos and piercings at work. Rarely do you ever see a nurse or caregivers with visible tattoos, and never have I notice doctor's tattoos. Excessive piercings are even less common, only those with little public contact seem to have a few more than allowed by the "Image Standards." I have a coworker who has a full arm tattoo. It's done well and has nothing offensive about it, but I have been promoted to a position with more patient interaction while he has not. I'm not saying that his tattoo has limited his opportunities in our department, but I think it could have an impact if he decided to pursue a medical career.

In some fields of employment, image is extremely important. I personally want to be a professional someday (whether medical or elsewhere) and that has impacted my decisions on tattoos and piercings. I don't want to permanently limit myself with something as silly as self expression. I change my mind so often that I want to be able to leave my past behind and not have to explain what's inked into my skin.