tattoos in EMS

[MA-EMT76]

I know alot of EMT's that have tattoos in my area....including myself. Working for the hospital's ambulance service requires me to follow the same dress code policies as other non-EMS hospital staff.....which requires tattoos to be covered. Then I see AMR employees with arms full of tattoos and wearing short sleeves. I am curious about other states and services. Anyone have opinions or comments on this?

[ResTech]

I think as a EMS professional we all need to show some good professional judegement when it comes to our appearance. Now with that said, I must say that I am definitely not one to judge another by their outward appearance and quite honestly I can't stand people who look down on others because of tattoo's, piercings, hair length, etc. That is all superficial to me and does not define the true being.

The unfortunate is that society automatically lables you if you have a tattoo and the stigma carried with having a tattoo can be detrimental to a EMS career. I think if you are an EMS provider considering a tattoo you should get it in a location that can be easily covered. I have been contemplating on getting a tattoo but have'nt made that leap yet. I think when I do it is going on my upper arm. http://www.strikethebox.com/ (http://strikethebox.com) has some awesome looking fire/EMS tattoo's submitted by personnel across the country.

I think EMS managers and administration's need to realize that times have changed and the generation-x of today that is entering the EMS workforce has been brought up in a world unlike older generations and they are going to present differently then the older generation. The media, Internet, music of today, and all other influential media have made tattoo's and piercing's appealing and acceptable so it's only to be expected that young people considering a career in EMS are going to have these accent's.

Just my opinion....

[SafetyPro]

We have several FFs (male and female) with tats, but they're all generally covered when in uniform. I don't believe we have a formal policy on it though.

One of the female FFs (who has several tats on her back) also has a tongue stud, which she wears when on duty. I know a few members of the department aren't too happy about that, but she cleared with with the Chief before she came on and was told it wasn't a problem.

[TKO]

I have a few tats that are covered by my uniform. I used to have a nose and and tounge peircing which I did wear but for the tounge it was a flesh colored ball and you couldnt see it. the nose peircing was also very small.

Some of the companies I worked for allowed me to wear the jewlerly and some did not. I think if they look tasteful no problem but when they get to big or noticable no.

[Jon]

with the recent posts... thought I'd "bump" this

[rescuejew]

I have 8 tattoos total, and 2 are visible while I am in uniform, though I got these tats before I started working in EMS. Our policy is no visible tats below the shirtline IF they are considered offensive, which then changed to ALL visible tats must be covered and now I think its back to the original policy of being offensive. Being that I am the only one who works for my dept full time, they cant just single me out...hell they've done that laready and look where it got 'em... :P

[Ridryder911]

We have several EMT's with tattoos. Our policy is you can have them, if you want them covered. Sorry, I do don't care what you do off duty.. but, representing the company & profession on duty is another thing... facial jewelry & tattoos is still considered to be unprofessional. As long as >80 % of our customers are over the age of 75, it will probably always be.

Be safe,
Ridryder 911

[rescuejew]

Oddly enough, I think facial piercings are bad news, I think it makes people look unprofessional and for lack of a better word, "tainted". BUT, I am not offended by tats, no matter how crazy they are, excluding of course, religiously offensive ones...weird huh?

[Jon]

yeah on facial peircings... I don't like them either. Also, lots of "older folk" (40's+ :lol: ) are VERY offended by tounge studs and nose rings....

As for tattoos... I just realized the other day WHY one of our senior guys wears long sleeves almost ALL the time.... he has a HUGE wizard on his arm, starting just below the elbow..... he usually wears long sleeves when running to look professional.

Jon

[MMiz]

Our company requires tattoos to be covered. They allow studs in the ears, no nose and a clear tongue ring.

Some members fought, at which point the HR brought out several issues of "EMS HR Magazine" or something, made copies, which showed links to companies winning in court. Some didn't believe it so she paid for copies of the cases.

That was the end of that.

[Wingnut]

I'm not suprised. We can't wear our wedding rings if they aren't flat, just so they don't get caught on anything or snag. Being as I have tattoos I also understand companies wanting them covered up. It's just not professional. I'm real picky about them to begin with, but when i got them I made sure they were in places easily covered by clothing.

[Eiremhaith]

I just wanted to say that I am not a EMT or part of an EMS station, but plan on taking classes soon. Working on that as we speak. As for tattoo's I have a lot of them and even in the business I work for it is required to keep them covered. Which I thought was odd because I work for a gas station, but then I started to think that is it professional to keep them covered. So I have had most of my tattoos for over 6 years and I am used to covering them, and don't think it will be a problem keeping them covered as a paramedic. Thought I would say that even in the gas station business they still have to be covered.

[Stevo]

people that are stupid enough to judge a book by it's cover risk passing up the best sellers....

~S~

[ReebTop]

I know many EMTs who have ink, myself included (getting more tomorrow, actually) and the consensus so far has been that it's no big deal, so long as all of them can be covered when wearing uniform pants and a short-sleeve shirt. Hence why all of my work is gonna be back/shoulders.

[Airwaygoddess]

I think that tattoos should be covered while on duty and as far as face piercings, I feel that should be off while on duty, for safety reasons and when we are on the clock we need to dress and present ourselves in a professional manner. I am not being disrespectful to any one, :blush: just old fashioned. :)

[fm_emt]

We don't have any employees with visible tattoos so this hasn't been a problem.

But I'm the only long haired white guy in the company. And it's actually not even that long anymore. I just keep it tied back all the time and it's never been a problem.

[Ridryder911]

We have a policy of covered tatts as well. In my area, you want a job better not have exposed tatt'a. It appears unprofessional in appearance. Sorry, grandma and grandpa don't care to see your choice of dermagraphic of "flaming eyeballs"" or "barbed wire" of personal expressions.

R/r 911

[medic5740]

I'm sure I will not endear myself to some people on this forum, but I'm from the old school and a much older generation. It seems to me that what you do in your personal life and how you decorate your appearance should be your business. However, how you reflect on the profession is everyone's business. It may be possible in another 15 years that everyone, including our patients, will have piercings and tatoos. At that point, it probably won't matter so much. In today's world, our patients are mostly from the baby-boomer generation, and they feel uncomfortable with these types of decorations. Since this is a patient caring type business, we need to care what makes our patients comfortable besides providing the clinical care they need.

EMS professionals (or volunteers) should not purposely make their patients uncomfortable, so cover up the tatoos.

My opinion given,
old timer, but new to the forum,
Medic 5740

[Recycled Words]

I myself don't have any tattoos but a few of the medics do and I don't know that they've had to cover them up because they're usually exposed. I don't think I've ever seen a pt complain about on either and IMHO if they're well enough to complain about who's treating them, they're well enough to get there on their own.

A pt can and will be offended by anything. I had a guy once that wouldn't let me treat him because he didn't like women. Pfft.

[Stevo]

so, let's ask the 64 dollar Q then...

do the anti-tat people's moral high ground extend itself into [i]their own['i] lifestyle?

do you refuse service from other profesionals because they have body ink?

and better yet, do you have the balls to tell them so?

~S~

[BossyCow]

Okay, first off... I'm old. That said.... I've seen a lot of fashions come and go. What was considered to be quite beautiful and artistic in the 60's now often looks dated and silly. Tattoos are permanent and how are they going to look in 20 years when the fashions have changed? Instead of looking cool, it will look pretty much like an 80's haircut does today!

I don't care what people do or do not do to their bodies with their own money. I know some pretty varied personality types sporting body art, including a few nurses in our ER, so I'm not going to assume anything about someone based on their method of personal expression. Like the old hair length thing on guys, or women in dresses, societal tolerance shifts all the time.

As far as facial piercings go, it's a different issue. The heat generated from a fire heats up that stud something fierce. Not an issue in most EMS only systems but in fire its definitely a concern. I used to wear silver chain bracelets on one wrist and after a stint on a wildfire, those suckers went into the jewelry box. Gal in our department ditched her chin stud for the same reason. Metal conducts heat.

On a medical call, MVA, I keep my hair tied back, my earrings in my pocket and jewelry to an absolute minimum. Scene Safety also means that we make sure we are safely attired.


On a similar and related note (at least in my dysfunctional, pachinko ball brain..... my husband says that he chose the wrong time to become a medic.... the medics of the future will be treating 80 y/o females with perfect silicone breasts!

[Ridryder911]

We are a customer service business. The patient should not have to be placed in that position. Sure, what you do is your business, and part of the business is part image. Sorry, poorly kept nails, males with long hair, unkept hair and body piercings is considered unprofessional. Do you see news anchors with such? ....No and there is a reason.

We do not allow students or employees display tatts and piercings that are considered poor or extreme, such as nasal, big hoop and large piercings.
Yes, many of the medics have tatts but again are in a place that is covered.

Before you think I am attacking, I personally had piercings and yes, very long hair (mid way to my back). I almost got a tatt as well, but just was accepted to medical school and knew that it might not be the best idea. Again, professional standards.

Sorry, tattoos look great when you are young and the skin is taught. Now, show me a tatto that looks great when they are 80. As we do, pull the skin to see what it reads or is.... :D

[medic5740]

I guess we have completely different ideas about patient care. I CARE about what my patient thinks and feels, and I think you do too. I don't have any problem with tatoos or piercings, let's be clear on that. I have had tattoos on my arms for more than forty years, which pretty much tells you which generation I belong to, but I don't need to "show off" my tattoos to prove anything to anyone, and I don't think you do either.

If my 50, 60, or 70 year old chest pain patient is going to become frightened by what (s)he sees as an unusual personal practice or activity, then, yes, I believe the personal choice ends, and patient care begins. The patient has a right to not be offended or frightened by your choices of personal behavior. I would not and could not tell a Islamic (Catholic) (Jewish) patient that I feel his religion is stupid and neither do you, his/her thought process is a private choice, so I don't think you have a right to flaunt your personal choice or a tattoo or piercing in his/her face either. Do you know what effect your tattoo might have on the patient when you first meet up with him/her? Do you know what the cultural effect of your tattoo might have on the patient's family? More importantly, do you care what effect or affect your personal choice of tattoos or piercings might make on your patient or his/her family?

If you don't care, then patient CARE will suffer. The first letter in CARE is the first letter of Compassion. The second letter in CARE is the first letter Accountability. The third letter in CARE is the first letter in Respect. The last letter in CARE is the first letter of Empathy. I believe that we need all four of these: compassion, accountability, respect, and empathy; to be a caring healthcare professional.

If your agency does not have a policy about tattoos or piercings, then I guess you can do what your conscience tells you is ethical. I choose to cover up my tattoos with my uniform shirt. That's what I believe is ethical and what I believe constitutes good patient CARE.

Medic5740;)

[Stevo]

well i've worked with plenty of people who have tat's and i don't think they've scared anyone that i can remember

and there's some sort of social engineering with people who associate tat's , or long hair with bad hygene, they are two seperate issues

i'll not stereotype, sorry....

~S~

[Stevo]

If you don't care, then patient CARE will suffer. The first letter in CARE is the first letter of Compassion. The second letter in CARE is the first letter Accountability. The third letter in CARE is the first letter in Respect. The last letter in CARE is the first letter of Empathy. I believe that we need all four of these: compassion, accountability, respect, and empathy; to be a caring healthcare professional.

very true medic5740

so tell me, just how many stuffed shirts caught up in the 'ems image' honestly do that?

myself, if i were in trouble, i'd like somebody more interested in looking at me, than in the mirror...

~S~

[medic5740]

I'm not really sure what you have in mind by your comment. I'm not looking in the mirror, nor praising myself, I'm trying to have an honest discussion about what constitutes good patient care.

So, let's get down to a specific instance. Let's say you are paged to an 78 year old male who has a history of diabetes. He fell over a chair on Sunday night, has been on the floor since then, and you are paged on Tuesday afternoon about 2 p.m. He was found by the cleaning lady. When you enter the residence, the obvious odor of urine is strong. Your patient is A+O x4, but very apprehensive and ashamed of his incontinence. He just wants you to help him up. It is 50 degrees in this downstairs room. He lives upstairs. He does not want to be transported. He just wants some help getting back upstairs. He only came in here to use the restroom, but, obviously, by the odor, did not make it to the bathroom. There is no major life threat, except, possibly, mild hypothermia.

What do you do? What do you say? :unsure:

[Stevo]

What do you do? What do you say?

easy medic5740 i present myself as being to that patients servitude, i may even get right on down on the floor with him (and even in his own incontinence, which btw i've done..)

you want a hand up, i'm here, you want to get checked out (highly advised) i'm your ride

now here's the kicker medic5740, you may not see a single star of life, or other identifying insignia on me (see that pix, yeah that's the ugly mug you get)

further, the patient in question may get me out of a cellarhole, or ditch, and i may look like a mudwrestler

i may even be closest to the patient, and merely serve as point man , and communicate the patients needs/status/desires back to the incomming rig

so i might have nothing but a jump kit on me...

that's how rural is. I noticed that there's one poster gathering info for our faction (and we are quite the area challenged faction, aren't we?) in this forum

to add, what does my level of professionalism in your scenario have to do with my appearance?

imho, it's how i come across, NOT how i look

'splain it...your serve...

~S~

[Ridryder911]

Let's change the tune a little; how about grossly obese medics ?

R/r 911

[medic5740]

I was wondering there for a little while if we were talking about the same thing, whether we were on the same wavelength or not. It appears that we are. I did exactly what you said you have done including tucking the man into his bed in his upstairs apartment, handing him his cellphone, and giving him my home phone number to call if he needed help getting out of bed.

I'm in a pretty rural place myself, and I can understand not looking like a million bucks when I respond either. I agree that sometimes we cannot look our best when we respond from a worksite wherever that worksite may be and whatever we are doing when the tones go off. No matter what we look like, we are responding to this patient's emergency to help them. So, I surrender.

Now on the next topic of obesity, I wonder if a 290-300 lb. paramedic meets the morbidly obese definition or were you just joking?

[Ridryder911]

Not joking, some hospitals have weight restrictions as defined by body mass/height etc. Describing that they want to project a healthy environment.

I do admit, it does appear foolish for a 400 pound nurse to instruct a patient to "loose weight" and follow the ADA diet.

I do see some problems with morbidity obesity, especially in the confined spaces we work. I am by far not a little guy, but I am not discussing "larger" rather those that could be defined as grossly obese.

It is an interesting dilemma

R/r 911

[Recycled Words]

If a medic plans on weighing that much, I wish them the best of luck trying to work in such confined spaces. In terms of LOOKING professional, if I'm sick enough that I have to call 911, all I want is someone that can do their job, I don't care what they look like. Of course, if someone is going to show up for their duty crew, it's going to be expected of them to show up in uniform, but if I'm going to respond to a pager call, I agree 100% with Stevo.

[Stevo]

thanks RW. I do have all the standard issue dress shirts, duty shirts, jumpsuits, hats, turnout gear etc btw. i think i clean up fairly well too, and might even be able to pull off a shot in galls if they had an aging ems apparel section.....

as to obese responders....i did work around a 400lb medic for a while....nice guy and all, did a fine job, but some things inevitably went slower

but aren't we opening pandora's box with such oddities? what about the 98lb ems'er who has a hard time lifting anything?

how about those silverbacks who have to plapate a vien, because they can no longer see them? (guilty as charged)

aren't these performance issues vs. apperance issues?

~S~

[Recycled Words]

That's one hell of a pandora's box. Hell, I fit both of those. When I'm riding ovetnight, sometimes I forget to put my lenses in when I wake up for a call. When I joined I could barely lift someone over 120 lbs but both of those are things that I get better at. I've learned to make a habit of keeping my lense case in my pocket when I sleep in and I've gotten better at lifting. An obese responder can lose the weight.

Aaaand, I forgot the point I had tried to make....

[Stevo]

An obese responder can lose the weight.

but ugly bedside manner is forever????

~S~

[Jon]

easy medic5740 i present myself as being to that patients servitude, i may even get right on down on the floor with him (and even in his own incontinence, which btw i've done..)

you want a hand up, i'm here, you want to get checked out (highly advised) i'm your ride

now here's the kicker medic5740, you may not see a single star of life, or other identifying insignia on me (see that pix, yeah that's the ugly mug you get)

further, the patient in question may get me out of a cellarhole, or ditch, and i may look like a mudwrestler

i may even be closest to the patient, and merely serve as point man , and communicate the patients needs/status/desires back to the incomming rig

so i might have nothing but a jump kit on me...

that's how rural is. I noticed that there's one poster gathering info for our faction (and we are quite the area challenged faction, aren't we?) in this forum

to add, what does my level of professionalism in your scenario have to do with my appearance?

imho, it's how i come across, NOT how i look

'splain it...your serve...

~S~
+1 to Stevo's attitude.

My concern for the patient who's been on the floor for 48 hours is also hypoglycemia and dehydration. I'd REALLY want him to go to the hospital, but if he doesn't want to go and is CAOx4.. well... all I can do is call Command to CYA and they'll OK the refusal.

[Jon]

Not joking, some hospitals have weight restrictions as defined by body mass/height etc. Describing that they want to project a healthy environment.

I do admit, it does appear foolish for a 400 pound nurse to instruct a patient to "loose weight" and follow the ADA diet.

I do see some problems with morbidity obesity, especially in the confined spaces we work. I am by far not a little guy, but I am not discussing "larger" rather those that could be defined as grossly obese.

It is an interesting dilemma

R/r 911
AMEN.

I'm big... REALLY big. I'm slowly tring to loose weight.. I keep on saying I'm going to exercise, but never seem to find the time.

I can lift what I need to, and I can take care of patients. I don't get out of breath from climbing one or two flights of stairs... and I can and do run if it is warranted.

[fm_emt]

I think that a lot of this really depends on where you are in the country. Like Rid said, many of his local residents are aging boomers.

Out here? Young, urban professionals. Many MANY Asians (Indians & other Asian countries) and a large Hispanic population.

I'm not too far from Berkeley. I look like a Mormon bike kid compared to a lot of the folks we encounter.

But I try to be friendly and treat everyone with respect...even the homeless guy at 4am.

[burntbob]

My biggest concern with body jewelry, be it earings or piercings is that if someone wants to hurt you all they have to do it grab and pull....., and those bars and studs in the eyebrows!-One quick swipe and you're blind in that eye,... too risky when dealing with the drunks, drugged, demented or dangerous. EMS work is dangerous enough without making it easier for someone to hurt you bad.
We always had ex military or navy in our service and no one worried about their tattoos, naked hula girls etc...