Forced wearing of nursing cap.

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  1. Is this sexist or gender bias?

    • 95
      yes
    • 101
      no

196 members have participated

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.

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.[/quote']

I agree with you. I don't think it should matter either way. But I wouldn't be feeling victimized if I lost a majority vote. It would be dumb and I wouldn't want to wear one, but I'm not going to miss my pinning over a little white hat. Even for principle. It isn't an important issue to be riled up over either way. Woosah is the name of the game. :)

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I agree with you. I don't think it should matter either way. But I wouldn't be feeling victimized if I lost a majority vote. It would be dumb and I wouldn't want to wear one, but I'm not going to miss my pinning over a little white hat. Even for principle. It isn't an important issue to be riled up over either way. Woosah is the name of the game. :)
I'll agree with this to some extent. It occurs to me that if the OP is the type of person who would make a stand over her principles regarding the hat, then she's also probably not the type of person who places a lot of sentimentality in some pinning ceremony. Why not just skip the ceremony all together? It just doesn't seem like a battle worth fighting, even though I think she's in the right.
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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

Sometimes is about wearing the cap......sometimes it's making you take the flu vaccine. There will be things in nursing that you won't want to do but you must because "they" said so....np perfume, no ink, no rings, no fake nails.....the list goes on. In nursing you will be asked to conform.

Personally....I was very proud of my cap. It DROVE me crazy and I took every opportunity to take it off.....but I was very proud of it.

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Specializes in Emergency, Telemetry, Transplant.
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.

I tend to agree with you.

However, I was leading a class meeting about our pinning ceremony. The topic of how to dress came up. Someone said jeans with a nice shirt (polo, button down, etc.) was appropriate. Someone else said "no, you are ruining the decorum of my (yes, their words) ceremony and ruining my accomplishment by not being dressed your best." The person who wanted to wear jeans was a male and the student who objected to it was a female. A fairly civil debate ensued. The prevailing attitude was that men will look professional in ties and dress pants/a suit (with no jeans), but it would be professional for women to wear jeans with a nice top (dress sweater, jacket, etc). The vote on the pinning ceremony dress code was just that--men in dress pants, women could wear jeans. (Class was majority female.) The college still has financial support from the federal government.

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Sometimes is about wearing the cap......sometimes it's making you take the flu vaccine. There will be things in nursing that you won't want to do but you must because "they" said so....np perfume, no ink, no rings, no fake nails.....the list goes on. In nursing you will be asked to conform.

Personally....I was very proud of my cap. It DROVE me crazy and I took every opportunity to take it off.....but I was very proud of it.

You make a good point,

but

the other restrictions actually have some rational basis, and are applied to both genders equally. It's not quite the same thing. The no perfume, is for asthmatics or others who might find the scent overwhelming.

The no rings, no nails, are to reduce surfaces which may harbor germs. The flu shots are thought to reduce our chance of infecting our patients or coworkers.

The pointy hat has no rational basis, is not viewed in the same way by all people,

and is NOT applied evenly to both genders. THAT is the objection being put forth.

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I'll agree with this to some extent. It occurs to me that if the OP is the type of person who would make a stand over her principles regarding the hat, then she's also probably not the type of person who places a lot of sentimentality in some pinning ceremony. Why not just skip the ceremony all together? It just doesn't seem like a battle worth fighting, even though I think she's in the right.

You make a good point,

but, who knows? maybe the OP does want to attend her pinning ceremony,

but,

is just embarrassed to wear what looks like a frenchmaid's costume. One can be VERY sentimental, very eager to have her moment to mark this big event,

and still not want to look like a frenchmaid, or participate in what might feel like an insulting or sexist headgear.

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Gotta love it when the "discrimination" card is pulled out over something this mundane. It's a hat. Wear it or don't. But out of all the trials and tribulations of nursing school, and a HAT is what puts a kink in your gears? I'd just be happy I'm graduating, happy I made it through. I'd probably do a backflip across the stage while wearing a chicken suit if they asked me to, just to know that my journey was finally complete and I was graduating. Something as absurd as wearing a hat or not would not even begin to put a damper on my happiness to be graduating. I'd wear it with a smile.

It's a hat. It's just not that serious.

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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.

I don't view the OP posting some thread on nursing forum is "playing the victim card." The OP has a valid point, this is a nonsensical rule. It literally,

Makes No Sense.

and yes,

it is discrimination, since only those without memberes are being forced to wear to the pointy hat to attend this big event. for most nurses,

the pinning ceremony is a big event,

and to this day,

most of us can remember it well, and can remember how it felt to have that moment.

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I agree with you. I don't think it should matter either way. But I wouldn't be feeling victimized if I lost a majority vote. It would be dumb and I wouldn't want to wear one, but I'm not going to miss my pinning over a little white hat. Even for principle. It isn't an important issue to be riled up over either way. Woosah is the name of the game. :)

it is possible, (we don't know, but, it is possible) that the students saying THEY want to wear a cap, did not realize by saying that,

equated to forcing everyone to wear the lil pointy hat or not be allowed to go.

The OP had a valid point, a worthy question, and posting on a forum is not "being victimized". History should prove,

majority votes

can be compatible with discrimination. MmmmHm.

It might not be an important issue to you, but, maybe attending the pinning ceremony IS important to the OP, who knows. Attending mine was to me, anyway.

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Gotta love it when the "discrimination" card is pulled out over something this mundane. It's a hat. Wear it or don't. But out of all the trials and tribulations of nursing school, and a HAT is what puts a kink in your gears? I'd just be happy I'm graduating, happy I made it through. I'd probably do a backflip across the stage while wearing a chicken suit if they asked me to, just to know that my journey was finally complete and I was graduating. Something as absurd as wearing a hat or not would not even begin to put a damper on my happiness to be graduating. I'd wear it with a smile.

It's a hat. It's just not that serious.

This is your right.

But this is, by definition, discrimination,

to force one gender to wear something they may feel is ridiculous,

something completely outside the norm for today's clothing,

but, not the other gender.

I'd have zero complaint, if both genders were being forced to wear a pointy hat to attend. Well, i'd think it was silly, but, it's not discrminatory, it'd be just part of the deal.

The OP never said she was livid, btw, just seems to think it was unfair for people without memberes to be forbidden to attend their own pinning ceremony unless they wore a hat from a previous century.

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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!

Your post is the first one i've noticed that uses the word "victim". The OP never used that word. And yes, she is being "forced" to wear a hat which has various meanings to various humans,

to attend a pretty big event in her life. If she doesn't don the pointy lil hat, (cuz she has no member) then she can not attend the graduation. Missing this event is a big deal for some graduates.

so is participating in what might feel like sexist costuming for some professional women. Many of today's modern women do balk at irrational rules which apply only to women.

(slightly off topic, but, i wish my friends in the middle east were as free to complain about irrational rules, too, rules "from the majority", "in the name of tradition", applied only to women, with no rational basis, etc)

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I think nursing schools should leave it up to each student, to decide to wear a cap,

or not wear a cap.

I think nursing schools should allow even those modern women who don't care to wear garb from the past, to still attend this very big event in a nurse's life. (it's a big event for most graduates, anyway).

but,

that's just me.

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