During the current global health care crisis, it's becoming more obvious how much this world needs everyone who works in the medical field. From doctors to nurses to respiratory therapists to EMTs and everyone in between, these health care workers put themselves and their own health on the line every day to treat the sick, and it's high time we start appreciating them more. For some, that means getting a new tattoo to mark the impact that these everyday heroes have had on their lives, and for those who are health care workers themselves, it can be important to symbolize the careers they're devoted to with a little new ink, too.
There are so many cool designs out there that reference popular medical symbols, like the caduceus symbol that's been used throughout history to represent medicine, as well as the stethoscope — and people who are into tattoo trends like minimalist tattoos and watercolor tattoos are definitely going to find something they love.
Read on for tattoo inspiration for health care workers out there. No matter where they fall on the medical career spectrum — or even for those who are just looking to honor the health care workers they love in their own lives — there's something out there for everyone's taste in tattoos.
Appreciating health care workers is always important, but seems to be extra necessary recently. We're forever grateful to those working on the front lines to keep the rest of us safe and healthy, and even a tattoo (no matter how cool it looks) could ever communicate our gratitude.
A Sweet Heartbeat
This tattoo combines two popular health care-themed icons into one tattoo — and the finished product actually looks beautiful. This measurement of a heartbeat begins and ends with two ends of a stethoscope, making this a meaningful idea for anyone who works in any medical capacity.
Stethoscope of Love
For many people who work in health care, they get into that line of work because helping people is their passion, and this tattoo is such a great expression of that. Here, a tiny heart is included with a stethoscope line drawing, which is not only adorable, but also a great choice for anyone who's looking for a small, more minimalist tattoo.
Matching Sets
Looking for a cute, simple tattoo that would coordinate well with friends who are looking for the same kind of design? This one might be a cute option! Once again, it mixes love with stethoscopes — two things that are essential to any health care worker, of course — and even though it's small, it still makes a big impact.
A Tiny Pill
As far as tiny tattoos go, it would be hard to find one smaller than this! OK, so the one in question is technically a sticker, but it could definitely be made with permanent ink — and it's perfect for anyone in health care, but especially those who work in pharmacies. This tiny pill bottle and matching pill couldn't be cuter.
A Nurse's Hat
Want to represent a nursing career (or a special nurse)? Totally into a more vintage style of tattoos? This nurse's cap might be the perfect choice. There's no questioning what it symbolizes, even though modern day nurses don't wear this as part of their uniform anymore, and it's just too cute.
Keeping It Simple
It's amazing how many different takes on a stethoscope there are out there (especially ones that incorporate a red heart into their design), and still, they all look so different. In this version, the popular medical icon overlaps with the outline of a heart, keeping it simple while still catching people's eyes.
For All the RNs
Anyone who wants a big, colorful tattoo that represents their career in health care, this one might be a great jumping off point — especially for all the RNs out there. This one uses the very popular (and pretty) watercolor technique and several different health care symbols, like a heartbeat, heart, and the caduceus spiral all in one.
A Watercolor Stethoscope
While we're on the subject of watercolor tattoos, here's another option that uses that pretty technique, combined with a stethoscope done in black ink. This one is particularly striking given the line work — like we said before, we've seen a lot of stethoscope tattoos out there, but each of them is just so different.
In the Words of Derek Shepherd
Any Grey's Anatomy fans out there looking for a health care-themed tattoo? This one might be a good choice, featuring the popular quote from the show: "It's a beautiful day to save lives." For a brain surgeon like Derek, a nurse, a doctor, or someone who just wants to show appreciation, this text tattoo is a great choice.
Floral Lungs
This might be good for anyone who works with the cardiovascular system or any pulmonologists or respiratory therapists out there (especially the ones working especially hard in the battle against our current health crisis worldwide). This representation of lungs with flowers blooming is so beautiful, and would look great in color or in black and white.
A Love of Nursing
Anyone who wants a bigger tattoo piece might be inspired by this one, which includes all kinds of items that all represent working in health care, like a vintage nurse's hat, a syringe, and the caduceus spiral.The colors used in this tattoo really make it jump out at us. This one is impossible to ignore!
The Tiniest Doctor
Looking for a simple, minimalist tattoo that's also just really, really cute? This doodle of a doctor holding a syringe is pretty much the most adorable health care tattoo out there — and it could easily be customized to look like the owner or the health care worker in one's life. This cute stick figure style will never get old.
More Watercolor
Looking to combine watercolor and a stethoscope in a much larger way? This piece will definitely get a lot of attention, and not only does it look good placed on a leg, but we could also see it looking super cute on someone's arm, too — even with different colors used, depending on preference.
A Combination of Symbols
This tattoo combines the caduceus symbol with a stethoscope in such an impressive way — we can't handle just how intricate this design is! It's really cool to see the way the two items come together, coiled around a syringe in the center. This one is a big piece that would be suitable for anyone who works in health care.
Minimalist Stethoscope
Looking for a stethoscope design but not into the ones that include watercolors, hearts, or other elaborate additions? This one keeps it simple while still being super impressive. The line work here is striking, and it's the kind of tattoo that will still look as beautiful as it did the day it was inked for years to come.
Face, Meet Stethoscope
There are so many ways to make a stethoscope tattoo different, as we've seen, and here's another one. We would never have put the design of a person's face along with this particular piece of medical equipment, but seeing it here, it turned out beautifully.
Stethoscope With Flowers
Looking for a more feminine take on the stethoscope? This design is pretty inspirational! It's also pretty big, taking up what looks like most of someone's inner arm, but we have a feeling it'd be totally possible to make this one a bit smaller, too, or even personalize the type and colors of the flowers that are being used.
