The History of Nursing Uniforms
Nursing uniforms have gone through many changes and updates since the early days. The profession has grown in respectability and nurses have moved into making the uniforms more comfortable and durable to deal with the long hours that most nurses work.
Before 1860
The first nurses were actually nuns and monks. There were really no nurses as there were very few permanent hospitals before the 19th century, so the first nursing uniforms were patterned by nun’s habits.
1860 to 1940
It wasn’t until 1860 that nursing started to gain respectability. Florence Nightingale started a training school for nurses and that’s when nurses actually started having uniforms. One of her earlier students designed a uniform for all of the nurses. It had a long sleeved dress with a severely starched collar, a frilly cap that tied under the nurse’s chin and an apron with shoulder straps. Later tippets which were cape-like garments were added to the uniform.
Mid-20th Century
In World War II practicality forced the floor length nursing dresses to mid-calf and a cap without the chin straps was invented. The cap was considered more conservative and seemly for a nurse. The apron and cap didn’t change again until 50s and 60s when a bib-style front was invented and the cap went to what was known as a “pillbox” hat.
1970 to 1980
It was around this time that the caps and aprons were replaced by paper ones that could be thrown away at the end of a shift. Then men started moving into the nursing profession and the dresses gave way to just simple white tunic uniforms with epaulets. This was much more comfortable and sensible for nurses of all kinds.
1990 to the present
Scrubs made their appearance in the 1990s and are what is worn by all nurses today. They can now come in a variety of colors and are much more comfortable and durable.