How Tattoos Help Me Bond With My Patients

In a healthcare setting no less!

I am a young nurse working in a residential psychiatric facility. I also have 16 tattoos, some of which are easily visible when I wear scrubs. I cannot tell you how many times my tattoos have helped me create positive rapport with patients.

Older nurses- and many professionals regardless of field- often give unsolicited advice against getting tattoos that are visible to clients or patients. My mom, a former audiologist, and my aunt, a former med-surg nurse, warned against me getting tattoos on my lower arms for the longest time. I broached the subject of getting a hand tattoo not too long ago and I think I heard sirens going off with the way my mother looked at me. Whatever, it was just a thought.

The entire time I’ve been a nurse, however, I have only had positive interactions with patients regarding my tattoos. In fact, in my entire time in healthcare, I’ve only had one interaction with someone about my tattoos that wasn’t decidedly positive. It was in a long-term care facility, where there would definitely be some negative attitudes regarding tattoos.

In a psychiatric facility, however, tattoos are everywhere and often a source of bonding. It helps that at least half of the patients at my facility at any given time are 29 or younger. A lot of the patients older than that still have a couple of tattoos here and there, especially the veterans.

To be clear, the tattoos I have would never be considered gross, inappropriate, or distracting. On my inner right forearm, I have a galaxy-watercolor neuron. On my left wrist I have a purple rose with a vine wrapped around my wrist with different-colored petals, and a little above that on my forearm I have a cute strawberry. Those are the ones that patients see most often, although some notice the little rat face that sticks out from the bottom of my scrub sleeve.

Many of my patients excitedly point out my tattoos when they notice them, and gush over their quality. (I do go to a good tattoo shop, after all.) I thank them, I tell them where I got the tattoos done and by who, and then the questions start. How long ago did you get them? Did they hurt? How long were you in the chair? How much did they cost? Tattoo veterans know all the questions to ask. One time, a patient asked for me to write down the shop’s number and the artists’ names because they were that impressed.

Here’s why these tattoo conversations are a good thing. As a nurse, building rapport with each patient is important. Once you cultivate a positive relationship with them, they are much more likely to be forthcoming and open with you. They tell you their concerns and ask questions that they’ve been holding back. On multiple occasions, I’ve given report to a nurse and told them something about a patient, and the nurse receiving report was surprised to learn what I knew. Sometimes that information is important in the care and attention the patients receive.

I’m not having these conversations about tattoos to make friends or to prove a point. I’m having them because I know they will positively impact my care. I obviously did not get these tattoos to improve my experience as a nurse, but I do know I can utilize their presence on my arms in a good way.

Tattoos represent something else about my nursing practice. They aren’t the only reason patients open up to me. I smile and have a good attitude. I inquire about their day and nice things I notice about them, I tell them that I’m there if they need me and I am always happy to help or listen. I encourage questions and if I don’t know the answer to one we look it up together. I may be rushed to pass meds sometimes but they don’t know that. I treat them like they’re humans, and like they’re worthy of respect. I validate their concerns and their worries.

When some of my patients see me walk in, they are visibly relieved or excited. Sometimes they even say this out loud. I’ve even had some patients come to me for help even though I wasn’t their assigned nurse for the night. It makes me feel like I’m worth something as a new nurse.

This is all to say that my tattoos are not an outward indicator of my worth as a nurse. At most, someone who doesn’t know me can infer what things I might find nice to look at, but nothing about what kind of person I am. This is why I find older tattoo policies ridiculous, and not up-to-date with the current population.

The healthcare field must grow, and every year we send twenty-somethings into the field after graduation. Of those aged 18–29, 36% of people have at least one tattoo, and 35% of people aged 30–39 are tattooed as well. That’s more than 1 in 3 people. Additionally, 69% of people don’t view tattooed people as more “deviant” than those who aren’t tattooed.

Most workplaces are aware that a few tattoos on someone’s arm are not a way to indicate what kind of worker that person is. In fact, one article claims that 73% of people would have no issue with hiring someone with visible tattoos. However, things are a little more strict in healthcare, and there are a number of facilities that enforce a no visibility rule. This would make sense in a place like a long-term care facility where older clients with older values are present, but not so much in a psychiatric facility.

Personally, I love seeing a nurse or doctor with a visible tattoo. To me, it means they’re a little more personable, and that means everything to a patient. I’m aware this thought might not be felt by a majority of people, but it’s how I feel. Maybe it’s just because I think tattoos, in general, are cool and something that helps me talk to people.

Maybe some of my patients feel the same way.