{"id":6357,"date":"2021-02-03T08:19:42","date_gmt":"2023-01-09T16:47:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saved-tattoo.com\/?p=6357"},"modified":"2024-02-04T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-02-04T00:00:00","slug":"can-doctors-have-tattoos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saved-tattoo.com\/can-doctors-have-tattoos\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Doctors Have Tattoos?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Establishing a good doctor-patient relationship is one of the most crucial elements of proper treatment and health care. However, what happens when a doctor doesn’t really conform to the standard ‘doctor image’ and shakes the patient’s trust by having a visible, or any tattoo?<\/p>\n

Well, this is a tricky topic. In the past decade, the medical school and medical staff, in general, have become more progressive, so much so that doctors having tattoos is a completely normal occurrence. However, there are still some dilemmas whether the tattoos should be visible or not and whether they shake the patient’s trust towards the doctor.<\/p>\n

In the following paragraphs, we’ll take a look at some misconceptions in regards to doctors with tattoos and what we as patients can expect from these untraditional medical professionals.<\/p>\n

Can Doctors Have Tattoos?<\/h2>\n
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Image Credit: Saved Tattoo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Traditional Appearance and Trust<\/h3>\n

Some studies<\/a> have found that patients prefer and trust more doctors who appear like traditional doctors. Such doctors are very well put together, wear traditional attire like a white coat or blue scrubs, and are generally the embodiment of a healthy, proper doctor whom we should look up to.<\/p>\n

Patients are believed to be more satisfied with a traditional looking doctor since they associate it with professionalism and proper behavior, not only in the hospital but also in their private life.<\/p>\n

Even when it comes to doctors talking about tattoos, it is surprising to see that more than 40% of doctors do NOT approve of tattoos in medical professionals and staff. Sure, a lot of doctors are in favor of tattoos, but even then, they believe the tattoos should be completely covered during work. So, where do we draw the line between personal and professional life and one affecting the other?<\/p>\n

In an ideal world, doctors would be able to wear their tattoos openly and proudly, and still earn their patient’s trust based on their good work, not their appearance. But, people have been exposed to the ‘traditional image of a doctor’ for so long that any departure from such an image shakes the patient’s trust.<\/p>\n

There have been cases where patients would ask for another doctor because their doctor had a visible tattoo. Even though the doctor was doing their job perfectly, they still had to fall victim of generalization and negative misconceptions about tattoos.<\/p>\n

Departure From Tradition<\/h3>\n

At least 38% of adults in the U.S. and UK have tattoos<\/a>. The numbers are even higher for the younger people. So, why does it seem that every other professional allows acts of self-expression, but the rules seem strict for medics?<\/p>\n

The truth is, many doctors, especially the younger ones, have started to depart from the traditional appearance and started regarding self-expression as their right. Even though some colleagues and patients would react to the tattoos negatively, some doctors simply want to prove that just because they have a tattoo doesn’t mean they’re less professional or that they’re bad at what they do.<\/p>\n

It is believed that some patients even find doctors with tattoos more approachable and friendly than the ones without a tattoo. Sure, being presentable is always a must, but some patients simply are more open about their issues if a doctor seems ‘human’ as well.<\/p>\n

Doctor-Patient Relationship Studies<\/h3>\n

To test the general idea that patients do not trust doctors with tattoos, there have been many studies observing the doctor-patient relationship where the doctor has a visible, real or fake, tattoo.<\/p>\n

One such\u00a0study<\/a>, published by the Emergency Medicine Journal showcased the relationship between tattooed doctors and their patients. In the study, 7 emergency room doctors took part and had to wear either fake piercings, stick-on tattoos, or neither of those, for 9 months during work with their patients. One doctor had a full sleeve tattoo on both arms, but during the study, he covered the sleeve tattoos with a white coat.<\/p>\n

After 9 months, all of the patients (924 in total) were surveyed about satisfaction with these doctors. The patients were over the age of 18 and were not aware of the purpose of the study. They were all asked about the professionalism, competence, and reliability of the doctors. The doctors were also evaluated according to their approachability, empathy, and trustworthiness.<\/p>\n

Out of 7 doctors, 5 doctors made it to the final study. One doctor felt uncomfortable wearing fake tattoos, while the other one didn’t have enough patients.<\/p>\n

The results of the study were as follows;<\/p>\n