Do you/ did you have a Nurses Cap? Pin?

[P_RN, ADN, RN]

how about it?

my first cap was white cotton with a drawstring in the back. it sort of favored an old pioneer sunbonnet only without the large front part. the front was only about 1" wide. my second was made of organdy and pretty much required starching every time we wore it. my third was a standard sears-roebuck generic one.....i lost it sometime in the early 80's.

my pin was 10 kt gold. kind of a round oval.....with the university seal in the center. it was stolen from my lab coat at work one day. i later found one in a pawn shop. it isn't gold but gold plated, but since it was all i could find i bought it for $5. i think the first one was like $50. (gold)

i found some caps on the web

univ.of wisconsin: cap collection

[tiger]

yes, i had one of those cardboard hats during school. i threw it away the day i graduated. those were the most ridiculous things to have to wear. any male nurses ever have to wear some type of nurses hat or was that priveledge reserved for us ladies?????

[dazedandconfused]

My mom still has her cap. Not in mint condition, but still there. I never had to have one. We had our ceremony in black cap and gown. Kind of wish we did. I do have a pin. Has the seal of the university on it. I don't wear it, just have it.

[WashYaHands]

We received our nursing pin at our pinning ceremony. My school was established in 1904. The pin has a center red cross with four undergraduate rings, symbolizing the components of Mankind, Health, Environment, and Nursing. The school name and BSN are also inscribed around the edge of the pin.

[BrandyBSN]

We just ordered our pins!!!! 150 bucks! YOUCH!

Its 14 karat gold, with the university seal in the middle, a lamp (flo type), Truman State University-Bachelor of Science in Nursing engraved around the seal, and the year the school was founded.

Its kinda pretty, and I am sure when i get it at the pinning ceremony, i will cry :)

[nurs4kids]

Had both. Was mandatory for us to wear the caps in nursing school..this was only 6 yrs ago. I literally burned it the day I finished my last clinical. I hated every second I had to wear that hat. Pin is in a drawer somewhere. Don't wear it in fear of losing it.

[debbyed]

Bought a cap for graduation, haven't seen it since. Had a pin too, don't know where that is either.

Sorry the "Part-zimers" got me, can't remember what either looked like:cool:

[MollyJ]

Why the malevolence toward the cap?

I had and have one and only wore it about the first 5 or so years. The pins I quit wearing when I went to scrubs--too easy to lose.

The cap is a symbol of our past. It is in the past and I can be sentimental about it. Here's an old question. Does anyone have a cape? I don't but I used to know nurses that had them. I occasionally cruise ebay for capes and pin and would, if I had time, start a collection of old caps, capes and pins from my state.

You know, the cap, cape and pin WERE great symbols that let the public know who we were. I would never seriously propose their return, but nurses do realize that you made yourself faceless when you chose the same clothes that housekeeping wears?

We wore a white rounded corner Kay cap. As students we started with a plain cap. After six weeks we got one vertical stripe on the side of the cap, about 1/2 inch off the right or left edge (can't remember which) [which you stuck on with KY jelly]. as second year students we got a second vertical stripe. At Graduation you worse the horizontal nurse stripe.

On the floor, no one had any doubt about your level of "green". No stripe and the obnoxious blue pinstrip uni? No brains. One vertical stripe. Growing some brains. Two vertical stripes? More brains.

Truthfully, folks, your cap was a little fun. Of course the cap I wore and the old Grace cap (much like ours but with squared corners and a thicker black stripe) or the old Sister's of Mercy school of nursing cap (witch like pointed cap with wide brim and broad black stripe) were most common because that was most of our origins. KU's cap looked like a stunted organza dunce cap with a wide black stripe. It was part of who you were.

It's in the past.

[jschut, BSN, RN]

I don't have either of mine yet, but when I ordered my clinical uniforms, I ordered a cap also. I know it's a thing of the past, but I liked it when nurses "looked" like nurses. Not to demean anyone in any way, shape, or form...

I guess I'm just old fashioned, is all. I don't know that I'll ever wear it (probably only for my graduation pictures, cause my 72 y/o Mom wants me to.), but I like the thought of having it. I know we also get a ribbon, but I don't know how it's applied, or any of that other stuff!

You know, come to think of it, I believe the man I ordered from said that I was the only one of a class of 180 who ordered a cap!

Oh well...:)

Julie

[kaycee]

My cap looked like the flying nun. Got rid of it as soon as I didn't have to wear it anymore. My pin is gold with a picture of an Indian in a canoe(Nursing School was named after the town and it's an Indian name) Never wear that either but I still have it somewhere. Been out of school 26yrs and am lucky to be able to find my ID to wear to work:rolleyes:

[CarolineRn]

Molly and Julie, I'm in agreement with you both. I like the fact that the nursing uniforms of old distinquished nurses from others. I always wondered whose idea it was to have nurses dress so much like housekeeping. You'd think it would be important for a patient to recognize that the person in thier room is or isn't a nurse, and nursing uniforms used to be easily recognizable, though not neccesarily flattering.

In spite of this, I'm not so sure I would be too happy about donning a cap every morning, either. Just one more thing needing washed and pressed. fuhgetaboutit.

[fiestynurse]

Graduated in 1978. Had a pinning ceremony.

My pin is a dark red cross and I still wear it. Never owned a nursing cap. The school stopped issuing them in the 70's.