Ways Nursing Uniforms Have Changed with the Times

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Nursing uniforms have changed looks over the years, but the purpose has always been the same: a mixture of hygiene and uniqueness, both attributes aimed at the comfort of the patient and that of the nurse and his or her surrounding doctors.

The evolution of the nurse uniform has certainly been a statement in fashion and culture.

Older Uniforms

In the 1940s, nursing uniforms were merely aprons and every nurse had to wear a distinctive triangular cap. The truly first nurse clothing was meant to resemble that of a nun more or less. Nuns were the very first nurses during the 18th and 19th century-the wounded took refuge in the monasteries where the spiritual and scientific guidance was provided by the priest or nun. The hospitals chose their own individual nurse uniform style, but the characteristics of each and every one of them were similar: a cap, white robe-like uniform and easily recognizable even by the most tired of patients.

Gradual Development

Following the 1960’s, the neck part of nursing uniforms began to appear, making them more official, moving away from the ‘nun’ model. After the 1970’s, the personal caps are replaced with white disposable ones; greater efficiency and comfort was added to the working process. After the 1980’s, the aprons became plastic and the uniform of the nurse started to gradually diminish in size and layers. The main aim was a faster, more efficient working outfit, one that is comfortable in more situations and for more people. As the 1990s arrived, scrubs made their way into the essential nursing clothing, appearing first in the U.S.

Standard Uniform and Ongoing Conflicts

Essentially, there are three main components that stayed the same throughout the history of nurse uniform clothing: the dress, apron and cap. The truly same model is widely followed nowadays. Changes on nursing uniforms are still quite possible to be made in the future because there is no certified agreement on its final and rightful composition. Many US hospitals agree that the scrub-type of uniform is easier to clean. However, there are still a lot of individuals and facilities that prefer the old non-scrub version of the uniform.

Scrub uniforms are sometimes mistaken with surgeon uniforms or even cleaners, whereas the older uniforms are less technically advanced, more capable of transmitting diseases and slightly more difficult to clean.

Stylistic Features

As far as stylistic features go in present days, the uniform begins with a tunic that is reminiscent to a dentist’s outfit. At the neck, it is in possession of the typical high collar. The colors always vary depending on the medical facility or sometimes the gender and sometimes the qualifications of the nurse. Usually, men wear darker shades. The most popular dark cloud amongst nurse uniforms is the dark green; it is universally acknowledged by patients to be the color by which doctors are being recognized. In addition, dark green has been acknowledged by psychiatrist as the color that inspires the most authority with patients. The uniform has to be a mixture of respect and hopefulness.