need ideas for nursing cap retirement ceremony

[jsl]

My mother in law is planning a retirement ceremony for her nursing school. After 150 years the school has decided to stop issueing caps to students. Does anyone have any ideas about how the cap can be recognized as an important symbol of nursing and respectfully retired? Thank you.

[KatieBell]

I don't know exactly how you would do a ceremony, but seems to me that a display case somewhere with the history of the cap would be in order.

May I also suggest some humor...people seem to be taking things so seeriously these days. There might be a spoof on the era where nurses initially rebelled against the caps- saying things like, "We carry our brains in our heads not our caps"

Although we did not use caps in our program, we were still offerred the option to purchase one at the beginning of school, as a sentimental object...

[sjrn85]

Kind of sad, in a way. I never wore mine, but still, getting that graduate cap (which was vastly different from the student cap which we had to wear) was very symbolic, at least for me.

I agree, a display case would be nice, with pictures of some of the first students wearing them, and students through the years. I hope the emphasis would not be on how the cap is "demeaning/a sign of servility/etc." No one would really want to hear a bunch of negatives at that type of ceremony, anyway.

Honestly, I don't even know if a ceremony is needed. I'm not sure how it could be pulled off without suggesting in one way or another that nurses who wore caps were quaint/old-fashioned. (I hope there's not a "cap burning" ceremony...didn't we already burn bras?)

[prmenrs, RN]

I agree w/a display case/historical pictures idea. And maybe getting one or two bronzed?? I've often thought of doing that to my own cap. Better than being in a ziplock in my closet.

[P_RN, ADN, RN]

One local hospital has a display window in its main hallway with uniforms and caps from the opening of their nursing school in the early 1900s through the present time. There are mannequins wearing long dresses, aprons, black hose and shoes all the way up to ones with scrubs, Nikes and Littmans. Each cap change is represented with one that has been bronzed.

Probably the current uniform will have a scrunchie bronzed-ya think?

Each one is sponsored by a decade or two of the nursing alumnae. I guess the oldest ones are paid for by the whole group. It makes an awesome display.