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

[P_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

[Templedoll]

Here in New Zealand for Registered Nurse we all have the same badge. It is blue and red consisting of a five pointed star with a red cross in the centre on a white background. This is surrounded in gold. The ouside is also gold. The design has not changed since the inception of nursing in New Zealand. It has the letter NZRN and Comprehensive on it which is on a bar above the star. This is in Blue with gold lettering. It has comprehensive written on it if you have completed mental health during your training. Within mental health nursing the badge is never worn as nurses wear civilian clothing. We do a three year course in New Zealand for a Bachelors Degree. We spend so many hours in clinical and the same on theory. It is an excellent course however I would like to have seen the last year spent in a hospital to gain more practical knowledge. Many new graduate nurses take up preceptorship programmes over here.

[LMoonRN]

At my school, we wear a cap and receive our pins at the "pinning Mass" which is a ceremony from the graduation ceremony with all the other majors. The cap is a basic old fashioned nurses cap and I do not know what the pin looks like yet. The cap is a relatively new comeback. In the past few years, students have voted that they would like to wear the traditional cap at their pinning Mass. I hope my class votes this way as well . I think the cap in combination with the traditional white nurses' dresses we have to wear look extremely professional. I personally wish that all institutions would institute some kind of dress code so that both staff and pts could distinguish the house keeper from the CNA from the RN etc. I'm not suggesting the full-on old fashioned nurse's cape, dress, and cap, as this would interfere in the more advance duties nurses have today and are not very practical, although they look great! I just want to know whos who without trying to find their name and title in tiny letters on their name badge.

[nursejenni08BSN]

Our nursing school pins were quite expensive so some of us opted to purchace pins at nursing supply stores... for me, the pin is important as a memory, not because of where I purchased it, but because of the ceramony where I was pinned by my nurse preceptor. It was really special for me and my preceptor felt honored as well having the opportunity to pin me and welcome me into the wonderful field of nursing.

[NurseExec]

We were required to wear a cap at our pinning ceremony, and that was the one and only time I wore won. A group of us "rebelled" and wore them so far down on the back of our heads they couldn't be seen in the pictures, LOL!

I wore my pin, however, every single day I worked for the first 10 years of my career. All those years of hospital scrubs, and I never forgot to take it off, until I did. The laundry lost it, and I never replaced it.

[MorganO]

I had to buy my cap because there was no capping ceremony at my college but it was mandatory for work. I graduated in 1986 and it was the beginning of the end for caps...thankfully. I cannot count the number of times I had to peek into areas that would lend for the back of my cap to lift off my head and plop into body fluids. Are you kidding me??? Worried about the Dr's tie???

[ohioln, RN]

I had a 14K gold pin that had the school insignia on it and a white cap. We haven't worn our caps and pins for years, but I still have them from RN,AD and BSN, also have the 2 school rings, one pearl with the cadusis on it, the other blue with BSN on one side and the school name on the other. I treasure them both. I worked hard for them.

[lamazeteacher]

We got our {round mortar board with a point in front} caps in a ceremony at a Tea, after the 3 month probationary at the beginning of our first year in a 3 year diploma program, in a hospital School of Nursing. Cost of all 6 uniforms: $250. No charge for private room with sink, meals, books or tuition.

We had to perform in an original skit at the end of the 3 months, for all the students, clinical educators and interested staff at the hospital. Our class used "The Nursing (Pajama) Game", a musical in the '50s and changed the lyrics accordingly. I loved it!

At the beginning of our senior year, black ribbons were added to the heavily starched ring of material attached underneath the mortar board, and proudly wore them to the wards that day, while staff and patients clapped for us. Our uniforms were long scooped neck starched aprons over white collared grey dresses, white stockings, and laced cuban heeled oxfords that were never to be worn outside the hospital.

After graduation, the women's auxilliary of the hospital presented us with our silver pins that had our name inscribed on the wrong side, and matching cuff links. I still have 2 caps and the pin and cuff links, the design of which includes a laurel leaf (for peace) and star of David with Hebrew writing around it (it was a Jewish Hospital).

The Nurses' residence had a 10 PM curfew week nights, and midnight on weekends. Of course we let each other in after curfew....... Until a group of Jewish interns came from Mexico, we never dreamed of drinking alcohol..... tequila bottles were commonly found at the bottom of the outdoor pool after that.

Marriage wasn't allowed for student nurses except in the case of a lawyer who took nurse's training after practicing law.

Since the Nurses' Residence had a tunnel connecting it to the hospital, capes weren't necessary. Uniforms were never to be worn outside. Since this was Montreal, Quebec, Canada, winters were severe, and I was grateful that when it was below 20 Fahrenheit degrees below zero, that I didn't need to go out for the duration.

[MrsMissyLPN]

I graduated in 2003 and we had to wear a cap for the graduation cermony only. I was proud of the cap for a few months and had it proudly displayed in a case....however over the years it some how made it way into storage in the attic. lol We also had a pin. A diamond shaped gold pin the had the school logo and LPN on it. ALso just wore that once and it has joined my cap.

[Tait, MSN, RN]

No cap, but I do have a pin that I wear on my badge. Sterling silver with my school/graduation and RN on it.

[Straydandelion]

I have a cap (required) and have always hated wearing it. It never would stay on and I felt silly with it even though I thought it looked fine for a cap. It is folded back in front the edges out each side and has two black velvet strips laying on the fold, I never could remember if we were to take one off after graduation or not LOL.

[LifeIsGood!]

Do you also remember (or was it just in my area) that only RNs wore 3/4 sleeve uniforms?

[jvrpurple]

Yes I had a nurses cap.It was white about 5" wide with winged ends .Always got caught in the curtains. Haven't a clue where it is today. But I still have my school pin. I worked hard for my Pin . I never wore it for fair of loosing it .