Nurses caps!

LMK · Oct 23, 2003

I graduated from nursing school in 1972 and wore my cap daily at work. When I changed jobs and began working at a university hospital the first resident who saw me wearing my cap asked me if I was a "real nurse". I suppose that was my first clue that most of the nursing staff at that institution did not wear caps. When I changed jobs, I wore my cap while doing private duty, but then as they say the times they are achangin and they did. I have not worn my cap since the late 70's and currently hold a position I do not even have to wear a uniform for much less a cap! I do miss it though. I agree we worked hard for it and we deserved the distinction of wearing our cap with pride! We still deserve the distinction, but now our professionalism provides us with that! I recently found my cap, looked at longingly for the old memories it brought back-then threw it in the trash bag! So much for old memories! Do what YOU feel is right and comfortable for you. Unless your employer has a rule against wearing caps, wear it when you feel you need a boost! Enjoy...

rnpuppy · Oct 23, 2003

Don't know about Kaycaps, but I got mine from the local uniform shop for about 10 bucks!!!

tinabraun · Sep 17, 2004

does anyone else out there have the desire to wear the old fashion nurses caps and would you dare do it??? i have always wanted to wear one...first because i earned one....2nd, because i think they look great and distinguish us from the rest of the workers.
i was told in nursing school that the reason we do not wear them anymore is because of the infection control issue, but i would really love to get one and just wear it to work once!! lol
better yet, do you know of anybody that still wears one???? i have found a place that you can buy one and am thinking of doing it just for the fun of it! anyhoo, was just a wondering about this!!!
paulette

i was wondering where you found them? i am graduating in december with my rn and would love to wear one.

tina:rolleyes:

lilpoo_1 · Sep 17, 2004

I was wondering where you found them? I am graduating in December with my RN and would love to wear one.
Tina:rolleyes:

You should be able to find some at http://www.kayscaps.com. That's where our school directed us when we were graduating. Don't know if the link still works but is worth a shot.

Otherwise check with uniform shops in your area. Generally they can order them for you.

Good luck!

RNBSN1 · Sep 17, 2004

No way! I haven't worn one since the 80's, and didn't like it then.

LadyMadonna · Sep 17, 2004

There is one lady at our local hospital that still wears her cap and a nursing dress. She is in her 70's and comes in to help out when they are short handed.

At the LTC facility where I work the DON is a lady who won't give her age (but we estimate late 60's or early 70's) and we wore nursing caps until last year, when the nurses revolted (all they did was complain about them). I think it hurt the DON's feelings but she said if we didn't want to wear them we didn't have to. She STILL wears her's though.

I always felt kind of silly and out of place wearing mine. But I like the way they look. It's kind of a shame nurses don't really wear them anymore.

C'wing · Sep 17, 2004

Most nurses (if not all) in Asia still wear caps with white, pink or light blue dresses. Personally, I think caps and dresses are *CuTe*, but they're prob' not for me. I'm way too clumsy...

RN4NICU, LPN, LVN · Sep 18, 2004

At the LTC facility where I work the DON is a lady who won't give her age (but we estimate late 60's or early 70's) and we wore nursing caps until last year, when the nurses revolted (all they did was complain about them). I think it hurt the DON's feelings but she said if we didn't want to wear them we didn't have to. She STILL wears her's though.
I always felt kind of silly and out of place wearing mine. But I like the way they look. It's kind of a shame nurses don't really wear them anymore.

Outside of LTC, they really are not appropriate/practical to the work setting. For example, if I wore a cap in the NICU, I would probably ignite it under the radiant warmer (there have been times when I was certain my hair would be singed because I was doing a procedure and the sensor couldn't pick up the temp probe on the baby.) Besides, it would defeat the purpose when doing sterile procedures. When nurses wore caps, they were not responsible for nearly as much, procedure-wise.

Some of the caps do/did not look too bad, but I have seen some that looked nothing short of totally ridiculous. Some of them are pointy and look like dunce caps. Could you imagine having to wear one of those things in public?? Not this nurse!

Personally, I like the big white badges worn behind the regular badge that have about 2 inches hanging below the regular badge with RN printed in 1.5" bold black letters. Easy to identify. Patients like it. They may not know who a staff member is that does not have one, but they know who their RN is.

live4today, RN · Sep 18, 2004

Anyone want to buy my nursing cap, I'll sell it to you for twenty bucks! It is starchy white and in tip top shape. I bought it last year sometime, and wore it a few times because I missed wearing it. But, now that I'm "hanging up the cap" for a different career choice, I don't need it anymore. :nurse:

are-in · Sep 18, 2004

And they wonder why there are so few males in nursing...

:uhoh3:

We just found out we'll be wearing the nursing cap for graduation. The cost? 85 bucks. I'm going to make mine out of paper before i shell out THAT much for something i'll wear ONCE.

NannaNurse · Sep 18, 2004

There is a chain of 'up scale' nursing homes in Illinois that require you to wear these ice age hats........won't stay on unless you wear a bazillion pins......major HEADACHE.......literally.........looks dorky........need I say more??? Even some of the residents there think they look stupid!

The nurses there also have to wear all white........so the old folks can tell who the nurses are............funny thing is.....agency nurses don't have to wear them, only the nurses on the floor, so all of the other 'nurses' can walk around without them..........

They want to look good so they can keep charging those high prices to the elders that live there.

henrysmom · Sep 18, 2004

My first job out of nursing school was at a large Catholic hospital with a strict all white dress code for the nurses. Several of the nurses wore caps with their whites and the patients loved it. I for one loved the all white, I liked looking at the nurses station and knowing who the nurses were. Today I wear colored scrubs or white pants with a print top, but actually wouldn't mind going back to all white (pant suits, not dresses!). I also wouldn't mind a stricter dress code regarding shoes. Nurses, while not rich, make enough money to invest in a pair of shoes once in awhile. I notice a lot of colleagues wearing shoes I wouldn't walk the dog in, filthy, frayed, etc. Several patients have commented to me in the past about fellow nurses' dirty shoes, stained scrubs, etc. Even Walmart has nurses shoes for under $25....