Love those Nursing Caps..

PrincessAnnie · Aug 2, 2007

That is soo funny. I haven't seen a nurse wear a cap since I was a kid.

Fiona59 · Aug 3, 2007

Come to my hospital, there are a few still around

bailey88 · Jun 4, 2008

I too am hoping to graduate a LPN . I wish the cap was still in style . I am 62 yrs old and will be very proud , should I graduate . Don't laugh if I can BUY a cap . lol. Thanks for reading .

Diogenes · Dec 1, 2008

My mother graduated from nurses training school in 1928 and nursed for

53 years. She was the evening supervisor for a 400 bed medical center for the last 15 years of career and she was the last to always wear "the cap" which she considered a "halo." Her unifrom was starched white and her hose were white and her shoes polished white, all of which matched her snow white hair.

When it was reported the cap carried bacteria, she asked the rate of hospital infections when all wore caps as compared to when none wore them. She asked for the rate of hopsital infections before carpets were installed throughout the hospital in the hallways and in patient rooms. No answer was ever given.

Those were were the days when you could tell the difference among nurses, doctors, aides, orderlies, cooks and dishwashers. They had distinctive uniforms and none looked slovenly.

Whe she died at age 81 after having worked all night, she was buried with her nursing cap in her hand. In life, it gained her recognition, respect and love. In death, I know it helped her go to the head of the line.

CatherineA · Sep 30, 2010

First, it's a CAP, not a HAT. (Hats are for fashion; caps are for a purpose, such as a professional identification.)

Second, they are NOT dangerous. That is a ridiculous statement. Unless a nurse is working in an OR setting, s/he is not required to be sterile, just clean, and a nurse's cap should not be any less clean than her hair, her eyeglasses, her jewelry, her false eyelashes, her ID badge, her jacket, etc. Caps are not that difficult to clean or to keep clean. I don't know what kind of nursing you were doing that was causing you to constantly be assaulted with your own cap, or have it go flying across the room, or fatally infect people.

Third, caps are not a sign of sexism or subservience, or even a device to restrain hair. They are a sign of professionalism. When Florence Nightingale was in the process of trying to move nursing to the level of a profession, ALL women, and indeed, all PEOPLE wore hats and caps for various activities. It is a myth perpetuated by the so-called "women's movement" that the nurse's cap is something that was forced on women. Why did male nurses not wear the cap? Because the nurses of Nightingale's day were predominantly women, and men would look foolish wearing an article of clothing designed for women. They were not made to wear a dress, and they were not made to wear the cap, either.

Has anyone ever wondered why it is that when women enter a male-dominated profession, such as police work or the fire service, they are expected to wear the same uniform as the men, but when men entered nursing, it was the WOMEN who were expected to change their professional wear to accommodate the men? And yet somehow we allowed ourselves to be convinced that it was the men who had made us wear our professional emblems to begin with! We were BAMBOOZLED, girls, and by our own sisters, not by men.

The real irony is that now that female nurses wear pajamas, I mean scrubs, along with filthy sneakers and no cap, they get less professional respect than ever. Their patients/clients cannot tell the difference between a professional nurse and the custodian/environmental services personnel. Now THAT is dangerous.

RetRN77 · Mar 8, 2011

Most agreed, the cap was never a symbol of subservience.

I always wore my cap proudly, even though it was very difficult to place and keep on my fine hair. Wish I would have known of some of these tricks when I needed them, as nothing worked for me very well. I did stop wearing it when no longer required, as it had been a hassle, but while wearing it, I was always proud to do so, and had certain regrets about no longer having this badge of distinction.

Before I began nursing, my mother had told me how long and hard she'd had to work before "capping." I think it was at least an entire year, the capping ceremony was a huge deal. We had to get beyond our probationary period and weren't allowed to wear any cap at all during clinicals until that was over and we had earned our caps. You'd better believe we looked upon both students and nurses who had earned the privilege of wearing the cap with awe.

The ceremony evening was a special time with parents and family invited to witness the honor bestowed. We recited the Nightingale Pledge and carried Nightingale style candles at the candlelight ceremony.

I am to this day disgusted with myself and the person who borrowed my cap so her daughter could wear it for a costume party (because she wanted to be a nurse) and a few weeks later, offhandedly told me she couldn't find it, as if it were no big deal. It IS a big deal, and she is careless and thoughtless to think otherwise. As well with the person who borrowed my OB text and was equally unconcerned about her own deplorable carelessness. Not another memento will leave my possession.

egglady, LPN · Mar 10, 2011

I lost my cap in a house fire in 2003... I only wore it at graduation for the capping. Always wanted a pic for my parents. oh well...

Rock, LPN, RN · Mar 30, 2011

Bring back the caps, nursing pins and capes. Long sleeve univorms for RNs, and short sleeve uniforms for LPNs. Black band across each cap for RNs and blue band for LPNs.

Blackcat99 · Mar 30, 2011

Bring back the caps, nursing pins and capes. Long sleeve univorms for RNs, and short sleeve uniforms for LPNs. Black band across each cap for RNs and blue band for LPNs.

No thank you. I will never forget those awful headaches I got from being forced to wear a nursing cap. :nurse:

Rock, LPN, RN · Mar 30, 2011

Perhaps a softer material could be used, along with slight modifications.

RetRN77 · Apr 10, 2011

Never could work in long sleeves - but the rest sounds good - without the starch! :nurse:

Fiona59 · Apr 12, 2011

In Canada, the PN's cap has two stripes. The colour depends on the province in which you were educated. Alberta uses dusty pink. BC and Ontario are green and aquamarine.

Oh, and is there a study out there that really states that caps were an infection control issue?? If this were the case, those nurses who wear hijab in Arab countries and the nurses of the far east (China and Japan come to mind) who still wear caps must be doing something to satisfy their ID people.