Hospitals

Cleveland’s MetroHealth OKs open-toed shoes (sometimes), small tattoos

The old policy barred all tattoos and wasn’t specific enough on managing multiple piercings. The new policy, changed as part of a regular review, still requires employees to cover up most tattoos. But body art that covers no more than two square inches – like ankle flowers and ring tattoos – is exempt from that ban.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Tiny tattoos are OK at MetroHealth Medical Center.

The Cleveland hospital updated its personal appearance policy this week to catch up with “modern times,” said Kate Lawrence, who co-chairs MetroHealth’s human resources policy review committee.

The old rules barred all tattoos and weren’t specific enough on managing multiple piercings, Lawrence said.

The new policy, changed as part of a regular review, still requires employees to cover up most tattoos. But body art no more than two square inches – like ankle flowers and ring tattoos – is exempt from that ban.

Employees now can’t display more than two piercings in an ear. Piercings on the face or other visible body parts are prohibited.

The revised policy also allows women to go without nylons or knee-high socks and lets employees wear open-toed shoes in areas that don’t deal with patient care.

“It’s a little bit more lenient,” Lawrence said. “But it’s based on modern times. We looked at what other organizations were doing and went with that.”

Hospital dress codes remain a mixed bag. Some follow the MetroHealth prohibition on more than two piercings. But many still ban tattoos and open-toed shoes. Some policies – particularly those dealing with interns – don’t mention tattoos at all.

Other institutions are loosening up. In mid-2008, the president of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston extended his personal dress code to the staff: no one had to wear a necktie when the temperature reached 80 degrees.

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