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.

[somenurse]

I can guarantee you I wouldn't look very professional in a dress, stockings and a cap....

if i was ever half awake/medicated and woke up in the middle of the night in some hospital,

to find a nurse dressed like that by my bed,

i'd probably have to work to stifle a scream! ha ha!!

I'd probably hear that scarey music that movies use so often.

(and yes, that used to be me in that exact get-up)

[somenurse]

Or devolved.

above remark follows this: //"It shows where nursing has been and how far the profession has progressed."//

How has not wearing what is now often used as a halloween costume, from an era gone by,

indicate our profession has "devolved"??

Today's nurses do extremely complex, intellectually challenging tasks,

that when we were students,

didn't even exist yet, or fell under "only Drs do THAT",

YET,

you put that much store by what a nurse LOOKS LIKE? You are unable to accept, that clothing does change over the decades, and that what EVERY profession wore in the 1950s,

does not match to the clothing worn by that profession today? For real, if some Doctor making rounds, showed up in a 1950s suit or a 1950s dress, s/he'd be stared at.....

the way we all stare at a nurse who IS actually wearing an all white dress, white stockings, and lil frenchmaid cap on her head!! It's like something out of a movie, and from another time, almost like a costume.

but, unless i am misunderstanding your remark,

you seem to be overlooking alllllllll the advances nursing has made,

cuz they don't dress like they did in 1950s? It's all about the outfit for you?

really??

oh my.

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

If someone *wants* to wear a cap, whatever, do what floats your boat. But for a nursing school to demand that it's female students wear one to graduation is silly and archaic. Why have such a policy? Can someone give me one reason? Tradition? Even traditions don't last forever, thank God, and this is one that time has long since passed by....

[somenurse]

Yes, judges don't have to keep wearing white curly wigs, either. Yet, it was tradition for eons.

guess today's judges "do not respect their history", eh? since they apparently refuse to imitate their style of clothing of an era gone by.

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

Yes, judges don't have to keep wearing white curly wigs, either. Yet, it was tradition for eons. guess today's judges "do not respect their history", eh? sincethey apparently refuse to imitate their style of clothing of an era gone by.

Actually I think judges in the UK or Australia or something still wear those wigs. Of course they look like eccentric weirdos, but they still wear them...

[pixiestudent2]

if i was ever half awake/medicated and woke up in the middle of the night in some hospital,

to find a nurse dressed like that by my bed,

i'd probably have to work to stifle a scream! ha ha!!

I'd probably hear that scarey music that movies use so often.

(and yes, that used to be me in that exact get-up)

This is the truest thing written on this thread.

[wooh, BSN, RN]

Before we get too carried away with tradition ...a reminder that the caps were worn originally to keep the nurses lice from dropping on the patients!!

How dare women not have lice at the pinning ceremony!!! All the women must have lice. Or scabies. At minimum, a good case of ringworm...

[psu_213, BSN, RN]

From another perspective: should a school that receives money from the federal government in the forms of financial aid be permitted to discriminate against a student based on sex?

I'm sorry, but wearing a cap for a ceremony is NOT discrimination when taken in the light of federal funding. Why are you trying to turn it into that??

If they said "men wears suits, women wear bikinis"...yes that is discrimination. I know the example seems silly, but not more silly than that saying being "forced" to wear a cap is discrimination.

Sorry, to get worked up about you comment, but this sort of "victim" talk is really going to far!

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

I DEMAND nurses wear caps! And judges powdered wigs. And all doctors need to wear those white tunics with the funny collars. And those headbands with the little mirror thingies. And farmers really should only wear overalls. Basicly, everyone should look like they just stepped out of some five year old's book about "what I want to be when I grow up". It's TRADITION!!!

[FDW630]

Honestly, who cares?? It is not discrimination, and it is two hours of your life. Nobody is saying you can't become a nurse if you refuse to go along with a tradition that you think is stupid. It is important to the majority of your classmates, so get over it. Really. There are so many more important things in life and nursing than whether or not the cap is stupid. Wear it or don't, and move on.

It is shameful how quick some people are to play the victim card when they disagree with something these days.

[psu_213, BSN, RN]

OP, contact someone at EEOC or some other federal agency or your Senators' offices for direction and guidance. Someone federal should teach your school about the LAW. Civil rights or something like that. Go for it, OP. you might never have to work again if you can sue the school for violating your civil rights.

I would think about my future in this profession (and how future employers look upon such an action) before I went to such an extreme over such a trivial issue.

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

My attitude is also "who cares?". As in "who cares if she comes to graduation without a cap on?" If her classmates get all spazed out about her not wearing a cap it's on *them*. What, is one female student showing up uncapped going to ruin their special "look at me, I'm a princess" day? Graduating from nursing school is it's own honor. One (or more) student refusing to wear a silly cap isn't going to ruin anything.