differences through the decades

mom and nurse · Jul 11, 2006

I would love to hear how a nurses day went in the 1940s,50s, early 60s. Any major differences between now and then...any good stories to share? I would especially like to know about how surgical patients and ER patients were dealt with.

Here's an allnurses thread you might be interested in which talks about nursing in the 1960s and 1970s it's called "Reminiscing". There may be 40s and 50s stories also in this thread. If not, I'd be interested in hearing about those also.

https://allnurses.com/forums/f8/reminiscing-162481.html

P_RN, ADN, RN · Jul 11, 2006

Here are a couple more threads from the "olden days."

https://allnurses.com/forums/f8/lets-play-i-remember-when-903.html?highlight=glass+syringe

https://allnurses.com/forums/f8/does-anybody-remember-when-603.html?highlight=glass+syringe

(Sorry I drew a blank on how to make URL links.)

roses4mom · Jul 11, 2006

I think we should go back to wearing hats! Yes, hats! I'm thinking about going to CNA school and noticed that a lot of the "old days" pictures show nurses wearing hats as part of their uniform. I wonder if this was a fashion statement (can youtell I like hats?) or if there was an actual sanitary reason for wearing them, as in preventing infection. Does anyone know why the hats have come off during the years?:icon_roll

P_RN, ADN, RN · Jul 12, 2006

A century or so ago Nurses wore cloth caps like shower caps so that they wouldn't get their hair filthy from the environment of hospitals etc. Over the years the places got cleaner and the caps became more of a Nursing school school distinguishing feature of the uniforms. I mislaid mine about 25 years ago.

Then back in the 70s or so they gradually were phased out by Nurses who got tired of them hitting traction frames, falling into bedpans, and snagging hospital room curtains. Also being "liberated women" we pretty much got tired of being told what to wear :)

http://www.son.wisc.edu/alumni/history/historical_collections/caps/caps.html

http://www.uihealthcare.com/depts/medmuseum/galleryexhibits/collectingfrompast/nursing/nursing.html

http://www.civilization.ca/hist/infirm/inint01e.html

roses4mom · Jul 12, 2006

Hey,

Thanks for the nursing hats link. Very interesting...

cat123 · Jul 12, 2006

Actually they did a study many years ago and found the hats to be extremely contaminated with all kinds of bacteria. We usually wash our hair every day but the caps didn't get cleaned there fore a high means of transporting these little bugs to pts.and families.

P_RN, ADN, RN · Jul 12, 2006

Oh that is so true cat123. My first two were plain cotton and if you washed them then you had to starch, let dry, sprinkle and iron them.

Therefore you really didn't want to go there. Of course the student uniforms were also cotton: a dress with stud buttons held on by cotter pins, an apron with 7 gores and a bib that was held to shoulder epaulets and a tab in the back waist with button studs. As students we had to purchase 5 sets. Makes having to keep up a pinafore and/or scrubs seem almost too easy.

My last one was sort of generic made by Kay's caps and you could pull the button stud off and throw it in the washer or even top shelf of the dishwasher. You then folded it back the way it should be, put the stud in and let it air dry. That one got washed about once a week.

MirandaO · Jul 12, 2006

I have heard patients like my grandpa say they have no idea which hospital workers are nurses -- everyone wears scrubs these days, even kids in high school since they can't wear pajamas! When there was a "throwback day" and the nurses wore the white dress uniforms, one nurse said she had a patient who told her he was grateful to FINALLY see a nurse! Do you work at a place that has a special uniform for nurses, maybe a different color of scrubs, or polos instead of that?