Stripes on caps and the significance of..

Nurses Uniform/Gear

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I was sharing with a nursing student the other day that even though caps were no longer worn when I graduated in 2000, why I felt it significant to wear one in my nursing graduation photo. That was 20 years ago. The suggestion to the youngers that wearing Whites was a real thing sounds almost like a myth to them now. How archaic, right? No we didn't carry lanterns, and no, I didn't wear a cap to work.

BUT, is the symbolism and recognition of the passage of the calling we believed in so much that we worked our ***÷s off through school for while our children waited patiently for our attention not worth the full ceremony? I cried tears of sentiment and pride and relief when my mentor instructor pinned me. And I wore a nursing cap for a reason on that day. IT HAD TWO STRIPES. Two.

So I was trying to explain to this young blossom why I thought it so important to wear that cap in my grad photo even if it looked silly. What is the difference between one stripe and two anyway? The one with two stripes has been bestowed on me because I have earned and understand that I carry full responsibility for people's safety and care, right down to recognizing and pointing out a mistake to a doctor that has been made, and knowing that if it comes to it, I will be in a courtroom on a witness stand no matter who made a mistake because IT WAS ON MY WATCH when it happened. The responsibility of the calling is enormous. And I meant every word of my oath. That deserves GETTING TO wear a silly hat in a very important photo. Lol.

Someone in a post in 2002 about caps mentioned the show Emergency from the 70's and thought it was really funny that they wore caps. I think the funniest, and also the most offensive thing was that they named the head RN "Dixie McCall" and called her Dix for short. Ya gotta be a tough broad to be taken seriously with a name like that. Ha ha !

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Specializes in School health, Maternal-Newborn.

The style of nursing cap has more to do with the nursing school you attended. In some places, NYC, Boston or Pittsburgh for example, one could tell by looking at the cap, what school the nurse attended. I wore my cap exactly twice. When I was given it at the end of first year, and when I was pinned at the end. It has one stripe, a ribbon of black velvet attached with hot glue! LOL It was an associate degree program, at it used to be a 3 year program run by the hospital until it was moved, lock stock and faculty to the community college.

Poke around on Pinterest and you'll see all manner of caps. you'll also see pins from many different nursing schools.

It's said the cap evolved from the nuns' habit and back in the day British nurses wore some wild caps!

Can't tell I majored in history the first go round! Nah!

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