EMS Tattoos

[Sasha]

Applicant B. You can train new people to behave how you want them to as a paramedic. Experienced people you often have to break out of their bad habits. But if applicant A got hired he'd wear long sleeves, and in the Florida summer that is hell. I am miserable in my short sleeved uniform.

 

[VentMedic]

who would you hire?

applicant "A"

1. has an AS in para-medicine
2. served in the military as a health care provider for 5 years
3. has worked as an EMT-B for 2 years while obtaining an AS in para-medicine
4. is well groomed (wore long sleeve button up shirt w/tie and slacks to interview)
5. is active and healthy
6. has a half sleeve that you can barley see with a polo shirt on. (which by the way you wouldnt realize he had a tattoo until after you hired him)

applicant "B"

1. has a paramedic cert
2. after he got his EMT-B he went straight to paramedic school
3. is somewhat well groomed (wore polo/jeans to interview)
4. is a bit chubby
5. has no real medical experience what so ever.

If 2 MBA grads show up for a job and one has worked for 6 years as a file clerk but has visible tattoos, which applicant do you think a Fortune 500 company will hire?

A company should not have to bend its standards or break its own policies/rules it has in place to maintain some professsionalism that is expected by the clients it provides a service to. If you can not conform to a few dress codes, what is to say you will conform to the standards set by the medical director when it comes to medical care? You may believe those don't apply to you also.

 

[mycrofft]

Posting about tattoos is like posting about light bars.

You want to memorialize something or someone, write a poem or a blog. You want to have ink (or, in jail, pencil pigments and spit) stuck into your skin with a sharp thingee permanently, quit crying or trying to act like a conniseur. Except for warriors and inmates it's a juvenile affectation; you get 'em, deal with 'em.

 

[HNcorpsman]

what's the big deal with long sleeves? i am from AZ and live in okinawa japan... which is about 90 degrees with 100% humidity and from what i have heard from people who live in florida is that okinawa is worse. i wear long sleeves all day... Im outside all day long... its not bad at all...

a juvenile affection, huh? wow...

OK... OK i have to clear something up.... when people say "visible tattoos" what do you mean? when i say visible i mean on the hands and on the neck and face.... to someone else it might mean on the arm (which can easily be covered by sleeves)... what's the deal?

by the way i have contacted most of the major EMS companies and all have said that the tattoo must be covered with long sleeves so unless you have you have a tat on your hand, neck, or face your good...

 

[mycrofft]

HN Corpsman, I excluded "warriors".

That includes wingwiper/zoomies, jarheads, squids, and groundpounders.
I discovered our unit's fliers' tattoo when we were giving them gamma globulin shots.
Oh, yeah, I forgot. Holocaust/death camp survivors too.

 

[bunkie]

You want to memorialize something or someone, write a poem or a blog. You want to have ink (or, in jail, pencil pigments and spit) stuck into your skin with a sharp thingee permanently, quit crying or trying to act like a conniseur. Except for warriors and inmates it's a juvenile affectation; you get 'em, deal with 'em.

There are some "memorials" That go deeper then a poem or a blog.

what's the big deal with long sleeves? i am from AZ and live in okinawa japan... which is about 90 degrees with 100% humidity and from what i have heard from people who live in florida is that okinawa is worse. i wear long sleeves all day... Im outside all day long... its not bad at all...

a juvenile affection, huh? wow...

OK... OK i have to clear something up.... when people say "visible tattoos" what do you mean? when i say visible i mean on the hands and on the neck and face.... to someone else it might mean on the arm (which can easily be covered by sleeves)... what's the deal?

by the way i have contacted most of the major EMS companies and all have said that the tattoo must be covered with long sleeves so unless you have you have a tat on your hand, neck, or face your good...

I am so thankful I live in the PNW. I can get away with the long sleeves easier.

 

[VentMedic]

what's the big deal with long sleeves? i am from AZ and live in okinawa japan... which is about 90 degrees with 100% humidity and from what i have heard from people who live in florida is that okinawa is worse. i wear long sleeves all day... Im outside all day long... its not bad at all...

a juvenile affection, huh? wow...

OK... OK i have to clear something up.... when people say "visible tattoos" what do you mean? when i say visible i mean on the hands and on the neck and face.... to someone else it might mean on the arm (which can easily be covered by sleeves)... what's the deal?

by the way i have contacted most of the major EMS companies and all have said that the tattoo must be covered with long sleeves so unless you have you have a tat on your hand, neck, or face your good...

Arizona? I barely broke a sweat there because the heat is "dry". In Florida it is hot and humid. It all depends on the type of work you do and how long you are in the heat.

If the company is using short sleeved polos, why should you be so special for them to order the more expensive long sleeve? If you wanted to pay the extra cost, great.

Long sleeves are great if you work in an area of healthcare such as EMS which might allow them. However, if you ever work in a hospital, especially units such as NICU, PICU, surgical units etc, long sleeves will not be tolerated due to infection control.

 

[HNcorpsman]

what month were you in arizona... because i simply DONT believe you... sure its dry but you will still sweat while working outside... no ifs and or buts.. and like i said i live in okinawa japan which is said to be WORSE than florida... and it aint to bad to wear long sleeves.

you can always wear long sleeves under the polo...

mycroft... it doesn't matter if one is a "warrior" or not... getting a tattoo is NOT a juvenile affection, sure some get them because of it.. but MOST do not... what if i was in the peace corps which according to you is not a warrior... and got a tattoo that signified me being in the peace corps? according to you that automatically makes it a juvenile affection... give me a break!

 

[Sasha]

Florida is HORRID in the middle of the summer, it's hot, humid, and you're getting eaten alive by mosquitos. It's very wet, you always feel like you're in a dryer.

Who cares if arizona or japan is worse??? I don't. Long sleeves are uncomfortable to work outside in during a floridian summer, any type of patient outside has you soaked with sweat.

 

[HNcorpsman]

well i do...

 

[EMSLaw]

You can always wear these to cover up your ink.

Instead, you will look like a burn victim. h34r:

 

[HNcorpsman]

that stuff looks worse than the an actual tattoo sleeve

 

[bunkie]

I talked to my instructor last night about my tattoos and he didn't feel I'd have any trouble with them. That at worse I'd be able to skate by with long sleeves. So I'd just check with your area. This thread had me unnecessarily freaked out and worried over my tattoos. I feel a lot less worried now. :blush:

 

[HNcorpsman]

exactly there really shouldn't be an issue if the tat can be covered by long sleeves...

 

[MIkePrekopa]

I'm waiting till I pass my EMT test to start thinking of a EMT tattoo.

Just gives me time to make the PERFECT design. ^_^

 

[kittaypie]

I'm waiting till I pass my EMT test to start thinking of a EMT tattoo.

Just gives me time to make the PERFECT design. ^_^

make sure you spend some time working in the EMS field to see if you actually like it before you get it permanently inked on your body.

 

[Sapphyre]

make sure you spend some time working in the EMS field to see if you actually like it before you get it permanently inked on your body.

I second that! Seen too many people all gung ho, work a couple months and get totally burnt out, slogging along cause they need the money, and can't get anything else.

 

[bunkie]

exactly there really shouldn't be an issue if the tat can be covered by long sleeves...

Yep, my instructors only issue with sleeves was that I might get hot.

 

[HNcorpsman]

nah... i have to wear long sleeves here in japan... with 90 degrees of heat and 100% humidity all day every day... its aint that bad... and depending on how lax the uniform regs you can always roll the sleeves up a bit...

 

[bunkie]

This isn't mine. But I stumbled over it while I was on deviant art. I was so impressed I had to share.

http://fav.me/d243tgl