Tattoos in ems

AHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!! your right, and i agree with you completely... for the record i dont have any of that....
 
daedalus said:
It is absurd to judge people by tattoos and piercing. It is typical conservative fear mongering at its worst and has absolutely zero to do with patient care ability or professionalism. To say that it is not professional to display body art is unfounded (show me a science that says so). A pierced and tatted paramedic can wear a uniform and have a college degree as anyone else can.

Welcome to the 21st century. There will be a day soon where it will be illegal to base hiring decisions or to discipline employees based on this, and I am a member of various organizations working to write the laws.
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Welcome to the 21'st Century, where the job market is able to pick and choose. Look unprofessional and you won't be hired. Alike I described the fad of tatt's is on the way out and removal is on the way in. Selling of a business in the human nature is not a science but an art and no you won't find data, no need to.

As long as employers can have professional image and moral clauses that laws will appealed. Alike described, prove it.

R/r 911
 
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I think tattoos are like dress style... some are better than others. Some fat, sloppy looking Medic with his/her shirt hanging out and not buttoned properly, and faded uniform pants would look much worse than someone with nicely done tattoos and in good physical shape with a neatly pressed uniform and clean look.
 
i do agree with that ^^^^
 
ResTech said:
I think tattoos are like dress style... some are better than others. Some fat, sloppy looking Medic with his/her shirt hanging out and not buttoned properly, and faded uniform pants would look much worse than someone with nicely done tattoos and in good physical shape with a neatly pressed uniform and clean look.
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And like dress styles, the company you are seeking employment with will have their opinion of "style". As Rid, especially, now, employers can pick the candidate for hire who has a "style" they like. As well, you "style" may change over then next couple of years.

If an overweight candidate shows up, they would also expect to be well groomed for the interview. It is usually after one is hired that they get sloppy. However, to fix that, the employer just needs to give some personal advice to that employee. The tattoos are not that easily "fixed". As well, those tattoos may look great now on young healthy skin but if you plan on working for a few years, they can start to look very bad as the skin ages. In fact, some look just awful and people just in their 30s or 40s are very embarrassed about them but are unsure about the procedure and expense of getting them removed.
 
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Some fat, sloppy looking Medic with his/her shirt hanging out and not buttoned properly, and faded uniform pants would look much worse than someone with nicely done tattoos and in good physical shape with a neatly pressed uniform and clean look.
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It is easier to get new pants, rebutton a shirt and tuck it back in than it is to remove a tattoo. And the sloppy dressed aren't citing personal expression when their uniform is criticized.

What do you consider good physical shape? Thin? You can be thin and be in horrid shape just as you can be overweight and in good health.
 
You like or not the elder folks may look at it as unproffesional or what have you. I have tattoos on my upper arms that can be seen at diff angles etc. Although I have not had a big issue I have seen ppl look at wonder im sure. Some fire/ems places due have rules in place out hear in county and I have heard that some fire places are doing "swim tests" to see what prospective employees may have.
Well this is a long winded response. but just be tasteful with the art work you are going with. when in doubt roll long sleeves to your interview and look ahead of time at the polocies. Cheers
 
I don't think a book should be judged by it's cover, however, it is. We are dealing with the public, and we are subject to their observations. I believe it is our job to provide a neutral setting for our patients.
 
sure its easy to just tuck in the shirt, get a new pair of slacks, and to button the shirt up, BUT depending on the personality of the person, they may just not care, and thats the problem....

also it really is the persons opinion...if i saw a medic who looked john goodman in the movie "bringing out the dead" i would think he is a bad medic, jsut because he is just sooo overweight... now, if i see Nicholas cage, and he had some tattoos, i would think he is better than john goodman... but thats just my opinion. for those of you who have not seen bringing out the dead, i feel sorry for you.
 
HNcorpsman said:
sure its easy to just tuck in the shirt, get a new pair of slacks, and to button the shirt up, BUT depending on the personality of the person, they may just not care, and thats the problem....

also it really is the persons opinion...if i saw a medic who looked john goodman in the movie "bringing out the dead" i would think he is a bad medic, jsut because he is just sooo overweight... now, if i see Nicholas cage, and he had some tattoos, i would think he is better than john goodman... but thats just my opinion. for those of you who have not seen bringing out the dead, i feel sorry for you.
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So you are saying you do the exact same thing you are arguing against? That is judging a book by it's cover, so to speak?
 
i never said that tattoos were acceptable in a professional standpoint...
i never said that companies shouldn't judge the person just because they have tattoos...

personally if i were the owner of a business i wouldn't hire a medic with tattoos that couldn't be covered up, i also wouldn't hire a overweight medic. when it comes down to being professional i believe the person should have no visible tattoos, and should be physically fit, and NOT overweight.

all i am saying is that in my opinion a overweight person looks worse than a FIT person with tattoos... yes i am judging and thats just human nature... you do it too.
 
I'm overweight and have visible tatts.

DGAF.

My company is cool with it, and I'm losing weight because I want to get on a fire dept EMS service. All of which are cool with visible tatts.

Gotta love the Chicagoland area.

Many FFs, EMT-B/Ps, and LEOs have visible arm sleeves, random tatts, etc.

We are a fairly liberal city however.
 
HNcorpsman said:
i never said that tattoos were acceptable in a professional standpoint...
i never said that companies shouldn't judge the person just because they have tattoos...

personally if i were the owner of a business i wouldn't hire a medic with tattoos that couldn't be covered up, i also wouldn't hire a overweight medic. when it comes down to being professional i believe the person should have no visible tattoos, and should be physically fit, and NOT overweight.

all i am saying is that in my opinion a overweight person looks worse than a FIT person with tattoos... yes i am judging and thats just human nature... you do it too.
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Speak for yourself. I don't judge people by their outter appearance, and I really hope you are joking.

The pressure to be thin in today's society is really taking a toll on people. In an effort to meet those standards they use dangerous and unhealthy dieting techniques and making for some really sick people.

Also, obesity can be caused by some underlying medical conditions, mental and physical.

A well groomed obese person can still straighten out easier then a tatted medic.
 
gonna have to agree to disagree i guess...Because our eyes are the first sense that begins to collect information while we make our judgements. It is impossible not to make judgement. The shallow and misguided part comes in when we make our final judgements too early, without collecting all of the important infomation. Someone who is well dressed and good looking may be the biggest crook out there, but you may initially see him/her and think (or hope) that he/she is someone you would like to trust or get to know. Conversely, we may be initially be driven away by the sight of a homeless person, but he/she may be the nicest, most honest person on earth... its biology, its human nature... you might not choose to judge, but you do.

when speaking of a overweight medic it also has to do with the question, can he physically do his job well? can he go up those 12 flight of stairs, without stopping? can he continue to do CPR without pausing? im talking OVERWEIGHT not just a little chubbily bubbly.

once again... its our job to maintain professional appearance, and i believe that a very overweight person, who cant effectively do their job shouldn't be hired... i also believe that a person with VISIBLE tattoos (hands, neck, face, scalp) should not be hired as well.

also, how can a obese person clean up better than a tatted medic? if the tatted medic dosnt have any tattoos in those crazy areas, like the hands, head, and neck. then all he has to do is wear a long sleeved shirt, right? he will look as normal as anyone else.... now an obese person, you cant tuck away a belly that hangs 4 inches below your belt....
 
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I don't have any tats or piercings, but I like them. As in, I seriously considered becoming a tattoo artist when I was younger.

However, I think they should be covered on duty. Plenty of older people firmly believe that all tattoos are either tramp stamps or gang symbols, and no uniform will ever convince them otherwise. Not the best image to project. Besides, we wear uniforms for a reason. Individual expression kinda defeats the point.
 
Why does everyone keep referring to the "older people".. are they the only age population that matters? Granted, they are a large part of the population we serve but they are not the only ones. Younger ppl can identify more so with ppl who they perceive to be more like them.
 
ResTech said:
Why does everyone keep referring to the "older people".. are they the only age population that matters? Granted, they are a large part of the population we serve but they are not the only ones. Younger ppl can identify more so with ppl who they perceive to be more like them.
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I see many gang members with knife and gun injuries. Should I modify my dress to accomondate them? I also see people from many different countries and religions? Should I dress just like them? No, one should keep neutral dress/appearance that is considered professional in this country and appropriate for the job they are performing.

Has anyone ever noticed what other professions consider "causal" when they are allowed to dress "down"? I seriously doubt if any law or accounting firms would still allow for tattoos to be visible.
 
Should I modify my dress to accomondate them?
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No, but why is such an emphasize placed on accomondating the older population and making them comfortable? I am of this generation and gonna live as such.
 
i have a tongue ring (its clear and you cant see it) in during my medic and er shifts and its aloud. but its only cuz its not noticeable. a reg bar bell it not aloud
 
The service I work for offered me a position based on my resume. They then requested an in-person interview. It was summer, and I was wearing short sleeves showing 2 of my tattoos (both forearms). The interview was conducted and I was offered a position based on my interview and my resume. As well as a short BLS based exam. I'm so glad I work for a company that based whether or not they would hire me based on my ability to do the job as opposed to decisions I made almost 20 years previously. Even though I have tattoos, I am fully capable of presenting myself proffessionally.

I would consider someone that would offer me an interview based solely on tattoos/peircings over my resume, job experience and references to be pretty unprofessional themselves. And, fairly narrow-minded.
 
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