The Significance of a Nursing Cap
In the United States nurses are no longer required to wear a cap. The days of white skirts or scrubs have given way to a more flamboyant genre of colorful uniforms and uncapped hair.
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Early History
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Nursing caps were originally a symbol not only of where a nurse went to school but also of the level of nursing training that she had obtained. This tradition stemmed from Florence Nightingale, the mother of all modern nurses. In the mid-1800s the general medical consensus was that it was more hygenic to have your hair covered. Furthermore, it was considered to be more appropriate for a woman in the company of men to wear a cap.
Evolving Concepts
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The nursing cap became a symbol of where a nurse; caps from different schools had slightly different styles. They would also have a colored band that that reflected the school. In England in the 1960s some of the caps were very different. For example, Guys Hospital in London presented its nurses with a large, gray, almost Easter-bonnet type of hat.
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Why the Hat?
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Your hat would go with you wherever you worked. Even though the uniform in each hospital would be slightly different, the nurse's hat would proudly display where she had studied. In some places a badge or stripe would be added to the hat to show the level of the nurse: for example, a blue stripe for a new nurse and a black strip for a supervisor.
Where are the Caps Today?
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In the 1970s and 80s, as women became more liberated and viewed more equally in the workplace, the cap was eliminated. White uniforms are no longer considered more hygienic than more colorful ones. So as traditions and values changed, the cap has virtually disappeared.
The Tradition Today
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When a nurse now completes training, she receives a pin. The pinning ceremony is a rite of passage that delineates the difference between a student and a nurse. The pin shows where you studied nursing and is more subtle than the cap.
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