Forced wearing of nursing cap.

[onetiredstudent]

I'm a senior registered nursing student and our school has a pinning ceremony to mark the completion of our program.

Our class contains about 20% men, equal split of black and white in both genders. I am approaching 50 and this is not my first career.

The director of the nursing program gave the class the "option to vote" on the wearing of a nurses cap for the pinning ceremony and our class photo. The majority of the class voted to wear the cap, men excluded from wear.

I do not wish to wear the cap and have been told by program director that "the class voted to wear it and you have to or you will not be able to participate". I understand the cap is traditional, but I feel it calls specific attention to my gender and not my success in passing nursing school. I've worked very hard to get where I'm at and I wish to celebrate my success with a pinning ceremony.

I truly feel that being "forced" to wear the cap is discriminatory based on my gender alone. Period. The guys are not made to wear them because they are considered "feminine or female dress", and I don't wish to be "forced" to dress as such either (we are all wearing pant-scrubs by unanimous vote).

I respect the choice of anyone else that wishes to wear the nursing cap. I don't and won't presume to force my opinion on them.

Has anyone else had this experience?

Does anyone know of any precedence against forced wearing of nursing caps to participate in school activities, etc? Any input on how else to proceed in approaching my school administration would be appreciated.

I welcome the input from both genders, seasoned and new nurses, students and educators, and anyone else on here that wants to chime in.

I ask only, that you be nice to me and each other. This is very serious for me.

[wooh, BSN, RN]

Curious if the male students, who were NOT affected, had a vote in the matter?

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

This hasn't been my experience, but I would not want to wear the cap either. As El mentioned, if you are going to don the cap, that involves head to toe whites, not just the cap itself. Otherwise, that's pointless, and scrubs with a cap would look odd. I suppose if you want to participate in the ceremony, you'll have to go with their expectations.

[wooh, BSN, RN]

I think some of you fail to understand the meaning of the word.

Apparently so:

When I earned both my bachelors and then my Masters, in order to participate in the ceremonies, I was forced to wear a mortarboard and a gown that I've never worn since!

Was I discriminated against??? :-)

When there are different rules based on your genitalia, it is discrimination. Making women wear hosiery or a skirt based only on the fact that they have a lady parts rather than a member? Also DISCRIMINATION.

[DoGoodThenGo]

I'm reminded of the old maternal saying, "If your friends jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge, would you do it too?"

What if the majority voted that everyone should wear bikinis? Or go naked? Just because the majority voted for something doesn't mean it's a good/necessary thing to do, or that it is appropriate for everyone.

If there is a Muslim woman in the class, would she be allowed to wear a traditional headcovering? Would she be required to wear a nursing cap over the top, or exempted from the rule?

Actually, if they wear just the cap, they might be a bit chilly....

That is not the same thing and you know it.

There is a world of difference between engaging in dangerous and or criminal behaviour simply to follow a crowd versus the results of a democratic vote regarding a group function.

What then do you say to those who held the ballot in the first place? What is the point of going through the thing if persons aren't going to abide by the results simply because it rubs them the wrong way.

[DoGoodThenGo]

Apparently so:

When there are different rules based on your genitalia, it is discrimination. Making women wear hosiery or a skirt based only on the fact that they have a lady parts rather than a member? Also DISCRIMINATION.

Didn't want to go there but it has nothing to with what is between one's legs, but the perceived and or gender a person chooses to associate with.

Know via friends several non-op MTF transgender *women* who not only attended nursing programs but graduated and have or continue to wear caps.

[DoGoodThenGo]

Au contraire. I've actually seen two nurses who wear them...

Granted, hardly ever... but the absolute is incorrect.

---

OP, the class voted on what they want for the pinning. At this point, you've one of three choices:

1) Lighten up and go along with the group

2) Forego the pinning

3) Ignore the 'requirement' and simply show up and let the chips fall where they may.

No one wears caps anymore?

Pipe: Nurse caps a 40-year career at Maryview Hospital | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com

[DoGoodThenGo]

Apparently so:

When there are different rules based on your genitalia, it is discrimination. Making women wear hosiery or a skirt based only on the fact that they have a lady parts rather than a member? Also DISCRIMINATION.

Court cases have been all over the place when it comes to complying with Title VII, however it can be said absent some pretty strong reasons gender specific dress codes are asking for a court case.

In the OP's particular instance the school did not make the decision but the students themselves via majority vote. Since the event has not yet occured nor is it entirely clear she would be stopped from attending graduation if she didn't wear the cap, not sure how the OP has been harmed.

Sex-Stereotyping and Dress Codes Under Title VII: Why Courts Can't Get it Right

[DoGoodThenGo]

I think it's foolish to wear the cap without the dress. Haha, but I think nurses should still dress like that! So I may not be a good judge lol!

By the 1970's when laws and court rulings changed dress codes/uniforms for women mandatory skirt/dress requirements for both female workers and college/university students went out the window.

You can look through many images, television shows and or speak to nurses who worked then to find out quite allot jumped into pantsuit "whites" and or separates long before caps started to be discarded.

Even by the 1980's or so most nursing programs offered female student nurses a choice of a uniform with pants or dress, but by and large caps remained well into the 1990's.

[amygarside]

You could look at it two ways, you can think that it is gender discriminatory or you can look at it in the way that this is a universal symbol of the nursing profession. In this way you can be proud of wearing it without thinking that is shows bias to your gender. I do hope that you would realize it is not only about the gender but the symbol the cap symbolizes for the whole nursing community.

[RN58186]

Okay, I have to chime in..... We women all wore caps for grad, the guys in my class (6 of them) did not. All the ladies paid an extra $5 in fees that year for the cap. The guys decided THEY were being discriminated against becasue we all got caps and they didn't. At least one of them went to the registrar and said he wanted a cap too. He was told that he could have one but he couldn't pick it up until after the grad ceremony because they were sure he would wear it (they were right....). Every one of the guys in my class had at least one grad photo taken with the cap on and holding the bouquet of roses same as us. Just makes me chuckle, we didn't think anything of wearing them, but the guys were not pleased that they weren't allowed to!

[wooh, BSN, RN]

You could look at it two ways, you can think that it is gender discriminatory or you can look at it in the way that this is a universal symbol of the nursing profession. In this way you can be proud of wearing it without thinking that is shows bias to your gender. I do hope that you would realize it is not only about the gender but the symbol the cap symbolizes for the whole nursing community.

Obviously not a "universal" symbol or one for the "whole" nursing community, just those who identify as female. (Because DoGood has a point, my MTF friend also gets to suffer gender discrimination.)

[DoGoodThenGo]

Okay, I have to chime in..... We women all wore caps for grad, the guys in my class (6 of them) did not. All the ladies paid an extra $5 in fees that year for the cap. The guys decided THEY were being discriminated against becasue we all got caps and they didn't. At least one of them went to the registrar and said he wanted a cap too. He was told that he could have one but he couldn't pick it up until after the grad ceremony because they were sure he would wear it (they were right....). Every one of the guys in my class had at least one grad photo taken with the cap on and holding the bouquet of roses same as us. Just makes me chuckle, we didn't think anything of wearing them, but the guys were not pleased that they weren't allowed to!

Ok, will give you that.

Just as there was and still are nurses whom are protective of their school's cap in keeping it out of the *wrong* hands, that policy extends to seeing it somehow degraded by being worn under a variety of cirumstances one of which would be by "male nurses" regardless of their being grads of the program in question or not.

Back in the day there was a uniform shop on East 14th Street in Manhttan (IIRC) where Saint Vinny's students went for their uniforms and school caps. This being the Village every year around Halloween there was an uptick in sales of nurses uniforms including caps. Saint Vincent's had a very distinctive one that was easily spotted by any who either worked or had care at the hospital. Subsequently you would see all manner and sort of persons wearing said cap on their way to and from parties and of course the famous parade up Sixth Avenue. Certain persons were not amused. *LOL*