Going Back To Wearing Whites and The Cap!

[live4today]

Yeppers......strongly thinking about it!

There's a nurse on my unit who wears her starched white nursing dress, white stockings, white shoes, and her nursing cap every tiime she works.

Everytime I see her, something in me gets "quickened"...so to speak. I start reflecting back to when I first donned my nursing attire as a nursing student all excited about my first day of clinicals. I never tired of dressing for my clinicals throughout college.

Once I graduated and landed my first job, I got to experience that thrill all over again but of course at that time the only ones NOT in whites worked in ER, L&D, and the various ICUs of the hospitals I worked in.

Then, I started seeing less and less white uniforms and nursing caps over time to the point I hardly see any anymore.......until I saw the nurse where I work. I'm impressed by the way she dresses, the way she carries herself, her assertive manner, her take no crap style, and her dedication to all she went to school for and her pride in earning her cap and uniform to this day long after finishing school. I don't know how old she is, but if I were to guess, I'd say she was mid-thirties or 40 maybe. Hope I'm not wrong......she's a great person. Maybe I'll ask her how old she is, and tell her how much I admire her "style" as a nurse.

I have loooooonnnnggggg lost my nursing cap. I cannot remember what I did with it. Probably got lost in all the moves I have made over the years. Now, I want to return to my Alma Mater's bookstore and buy me a nursing cap with full stripe and wear it again. I don't even own a white uniform anymore. Alllllllll scrubs of various colors and prints.

I'm just wondering how many nurses posting have felt the need or desire to don that cap and uniform again....if only just for a shift or two........ya know....like "dressup Friday"?????

I already can hear the millions of voices saying already "NOOOOOOOOOO WAY........those days are history"........so I respect your point of view on that, too. But, how many of you even think about wearing your cap and uniform on occasion?

Thanks for ALL replies!

[live4today, RN]

Originally posted by justjenn

...........After reading this post - for those that would like to wear white but don't want to wear the dress thingy, what about wearing something that looks like scrubs & a cap. There are uniforms that are not exactly scrubs but not exactly starch whites. Plus, the cap would just add the "distinction" that some of you/me are looking for? justjenn

justjenn........I NEVER like wearing dresses! White ones or any other color....professionally or socially! Ever since I was a little girl, I hated wearing dresses! It was very difficult for me to be a free kid and climb trees and play basketball with dresses on. I stopped buying dresses (for the better part of my life) once I was on my own at 17. NO MORE DRESSES...YEAHHHHHHHH!!! :chuckle

What I WILL be wearing is white pants, white shirt, and white scrub jacket with my white nursing shoes and white nursing cap. That's what I always wore before color scrubs were allowed, and that is what I'll continue to wear when I wear whites to work.

I wore a dress to graduate in because it was REQUIRED! Since that time, I can count on one hand how many times I wore a dress....at home or at work.

My new hat is enroute. Should arrive in two or three days priority mail (so I was told). The hat actually comes from Kays Caps. Travel Trunk buys the hats from that company. How about that!

[AAHZ]

Ok I'll be serious. When I first graduated I would always wear white. In fact I wore my old Air Force Whites, from my enlisted days. There is a lot to be said for "looking" the part. But, on the other hand, I'm alot more comfortable in my scrubs!

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

Gimme my scrubs, you can keep the skirts, dresses, and pantyhose

[bluesky, BSN, RN]

Sorry but heck no! First of all I look like death incarnate in white (or alternately Drew Barrymore at the Charlies Angels premiere.... ) and second of all I would be the laughing stock of the ER. For a while I was thinking of wearing a silk rose on my scrubs so I'd be easily identifiable (" yes, sir your father is being taken care of the one with the flower") but then realized this also would lead to derision.

That said, I admire the thought you have put into the subject and the pride with which you will wear your cap.

[live4today, RN]

Well, I FINALLY received the RIGHT hat in the mail today! I put it on and almost cried. perhaps I'm in premenopause or something OR maybe I'm simply a sentimental kind of gal!

I'm READY to be dressed in white now.

[-jt]

I hate scrubs. Theyre always too big & look sloppy. My cleaning lady wears them and they look no better on her. If you look like youre there to mop the floors, dont be surprised when you get treated like thats what youre there for.

Our students wear light blue uniforms. Only the nurses are allowed to wear white. Techs, PCAs, & others wear colored scrubs. Nurses, including those in our ER & critical care units, wear white uniform pants (not scrubs), and their choice of uniform tops. I prefer solid white. We also have the option of wearing a white lab coat.

[live4today, RN]

jt, what gets me are the really wrinkled and old looking uniforms and/or scrubs I see health professionals wearing. Another pet peeve of mine on the job is seeing doctors come to work in their street clothes such as: sandals, jeans, t-shirts, short skirts, shorts, picnic attire, their golf attire, etc. They NEED to remember they are NOT there to simply "stop by" on their way to whatever social function they are going to, but they should present themselves like that of a health professional. The whole profession...nursing and medical...are just getting stupid with this "non dresscode" that seems to be sweeping through the hospitals. It's bad enough that the docs don't wash their hands between patients, or put on the isolation attire before entering a patient's room when that patient is on isolation (VRE, MRSA, etc.).

Nurses aren't the only ones who need to "check their attire" whether they wear whites or scrubs........DOCTORS should pay attention to their own image as well.

[babylog2012]

As I have to get changed very quickly in case of emergency I couldn't even imagine wearing a cap. That must have been ages ago that there were caps worn in Europe!!!

[nurseybetty]

go to

for nurse chat, message board, ect.!

[shelleybelle]

YOU GO GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!! Send us a pic!!

Originally posted by cheerfuldoer

Well, I FINALLY received the RIGHT hat in the mail today! I put it on and almost cried. perhaps I'm in premenopause or something OR maybe I'm simply a sentimental kind of gal!

I'm READY to be dressed in white now.

[Dr. Scully]

What is that saying..."clothes make the man or woman"?? Well, I remember how professional I felt wearing those whites and my nursing cap after graduation. I also know how nice it is to wear those colorful and comfortable scrubs to work. No matter what we wear; we need to feel "professional" and do the best job that we can for our patients. Today, it so hard for patients to even know who or what we are when we come into their room. They check out our name tags and see that we are RNs. My hospital kept the whites and caps going for a long time. It was almost 9 yrs into my career before we were allowed to wear scrubs. Then it was only certain styles and colors. I still find myself wearing white scrub pants and tops with a colorful lab jacket. No hat tho; remember always "bumping" your hat on the IV pole or some equipment?? ha!

[susafred]

Patients often lament that they cannot tell the 'real nurses' from all of the other employees they encounter. Something to identify the RNs would be nice for them and would point out the number, or lack thereof, of RNs in an area!