When did you stop wearing the cap and white unifrom?

[ILNurse1985]

Hi all,

This is my first post here, and I am very excited!

Anyhow, I started thinking about my 21 year nursing career the other day and really started to miss the "old" days.

When I started working in January of 1985 in IL things were so different. Computers were not a major part of the job and AID's precautions were, and I hate to say this, almost non-existent. I used to touch bleeding patients with my bare hands!

But I guess the thing I really miss, and I know I am a minority here, is the white uniforms and caps.

The hospital I worked at required us to wear caps up until late 1986 or early 1987.

I continued wearing the white starched uniforms until sometime in 1990 before wearing scrubs when policy changed.

So my question...

When did you stop wearing the caps and then the white uniforms? Or better yet, when did you start wearing scrubs? (Same question in two different ways I guess)

Also, comment on other changes you have seen since you started. It is all so interesting and I would really like to show this to my daughter who is considering nursing.

Thanks,

Linda

[cassioo]

I never did wear a cap because I worked peds and didn't wear one. Very few nurses wore one. I quit wearing whites when I went to home health in 1997 but I wore white pants with a colored top and colored lab coat on peds and I made my one pediatric print scrub tops and jackets before they were in mass production. I have ugly hospital supplied scrubs for labor and delivery now and a white lab coat for leaving the unit. At my hospital, nurses still have to wear white pants (skirt or dress) and labcoat but can wear a colored top.

[jokie]

I gave up my whites, cap and all, in 1995. I wore white hose (thick and supportive), white dresses, blue sweater...the whole 9 yards.

[medi]

Stopped wearing the cap as quickly as clinicals were finished & I didn't have to any longer & stopped wearing white immediately upon graduation (thank God). Started wearing scrubs at my very first nursing job upon graduation (in NICU), and either wore scrubs or BDU's ever since.

[hsieh]

never wore a cap or scrubs. i wear polo type shirts and either kaki shorts or pants.

[kimmiejs]

I for one have never worn a "white cap" while in nursing school or during my career as a RN. After graduating from nursing school I have always worn scrubs in one way or another. Now recently at my hospital they have implemented new rules regarding uniform color. The reason for this is to allow patients, visitors, MDs to be able to identify a RN/LPN from a CNA or environmental services. The color chosen for RNs/LPNs is ceil blue and white. Now I will admit this will help improve patient safety by preventing miscommunication. I can't tell you how many times someone from environmental services had a patient ask them for pain medication or tell them they were not feeling well. My main problem with this is that it prevents individuality. Quite frankly I miss wearing my pastel colored scrubs- pink, lavender, and green. What is important at then end of the day is patient safety. So for the time being I will have to accessorize my uniform with pastel colored shoes, socks, stethoscopes, bandage scissors and tee-shirts worn under my scrub tops.

[hsieh]

i don't think scrubs look that great. if i ran health care facility i'd have people wear polo shirts and kaki shorts or pants. the cap and cape are outdated i think scrubs should become outdated.

[Travel Nurse]

The last (and only) time I wore whites and the (cruise ship-like) hat was in nursing school. I graduated in 1994 and I have been wearing scrubs ever since. I love my scrubs! Those starchy whites always made me feel like I was wearing a straight jacket!

[cougarnurse]

Last time I wore a cap, it was for my RN graduation pic. There is one LTC facility around here that requires nurses to wear their cap, so people Know who the nurses are.