When did nursing caps go extinct in the wild?

DoGoodThenGo · May 15, 2013

What the what. I thought I couldn't be grossed out by this site anymore after all the horror stories I've read. This is absolutely terrifying!

Sorry my girl but it is true.

See:http://www.premierinc.com/safety/topics/guidelines/downloads/21_scrubs-soar-97.pdf

DoGoodThenGo · May 15, 2013

What the what. I thought I couldn't be grossed out by this site anymore after all the horror stories I've read. This is absolutely terrifying!

In operating theatres the air is mainly contaminated with bacteria shed from the human skin. The emission of bacteria can be prevented by wearing clothing of impervious material, while normal cotton clothing does not decrease the shedding of bacteria. In this study shedding of viable bacteria from 20 test-persons wearing an operating theatre suit, composed of 65% polyester and 35% cotton (Diolen), was investigated in a test-chamber and compared with that when normal clothing was worn. The use of this operating-theatre suit resulted in a significant reduction (50--75%) in the number of bacteria-carrying particles in the air of the test-chamber and in an operating room when everyone present wore this suit. A combination of the suit with knee-high boots showed a further reduction in the dispersal of colony forming units. The dispersion from female subjects wearing an operating-theatre frock was significantly higher than when wearing an operating-theatre suit.

A garment for use in the operating theatre: the effect upon bacterial shedding.

DoGoodThenGo · May 15, 2013

I graduated in 1978 & we still wore our caps then. I went straight into Peds after I graduated. The hospital required nurses to wear caps so I did. I quickly realized caps are very impractical in Peds. When you have to take care of kids in "cage cribs", the cap keeps getting knocked off. By the time I left that hospital a year later, TPTB were pondering whether to allow Peds nurses to not wear caps.
Going through boxes of pictures since my dad passed away in March, I came across my graduation picture. In spite of the fact that caps are not practical & get in the way, I still am proud when I look at that picture. I well remember my capping ceremony. The cap was the outward sign of all the hard work we put in.

Your last comment sums things up in a nutshell.

For better or worse the privilege of wearing a cap whilst on duty is restricted to those who have earned that right. With all the complaints about UAPs and others creeping upon nurse's territory and or blurred job descriptions (often intentional) , what separates a nurse from anyone else is a cap.

Back in the day it didn't matter whether it was a clinic, doctor's office, floor, etc.. you *knew* who was a nurse by that cap. It is also why in every state the wearing of a cap whilst performing and or holding one's self out to be a nurse is restricted.

Nursing programs have never been easy, and students who moved through school and then graduated saw their caps (along with any acquired stripes), as something that says "hey, I made it".

Suppose in a perfect world none of this would matter, however even in 2013 it is not wise to under estimate the power of the cap and what it represents. Nurses often report when wearing one when they otherwise wouldn't (such as during Nurses Week) causes people to stand up straighter and or behave themselves.

allnurses Guide · May 15, 2013

I graduated in 1978 & we still wore our caps then. I went straight into Peds after I graduated. The hospital required nurses to wear caps so I did. I quickly realized caps are very impractical in Peds. When you have to take care of kids in "cage cribs", the cap keeps getting knocked off. By the time I left that hospital a year later, TPTB were pondering whether to allow Peds nurses to not wear caps.

I think we're of similar "vintage" :-) - I also started in peds but the hospital had already done away with them. I can just imagine how those things could easily get knocked askew (always a professional look, lol), grabbed, etcetera. The only nurse who wore a cap was the night nursing house officer who also wore a wool cape as I've shared with Do Good Then Go before. We were allowed to wear colored tops but out pants and shoes had to be standard nurse issue.

I do have graduation pictures in the whites which I'm also proud of. An altered version of a pic is my avatar.

Miss Lizzie · May 16, 2013

There is one nurse in CCU in my hospital who still wears a cap.

avaloncar, BSN, RN · May 18, 2013

A long time ago, lol. And I just stared at her. I think it is really cute and nice. To tell you the truth I wish that was still a requirement a long with wearing a dress. I just think it makes us nurses stand out. But that is just me, I love tradition. :inlove:

Fiona59 · May 19, 2013

You can still wear a dress. Many companies provide traditional whites, most provide scrub dresses and you can even do a skirt and a scrub top.

avaloncar, BSN, RN · May 19, 2013

You can still wear a dress. Many companies provide traditional whites most provide scrub dresses and you can even do a skirt and a scrub top.[/quote']
Yeah but I am weird. Lol If no one else is doing it I will feel like the odd one out lol.

anon456, BSN, RN · May 19, 2013

Believe it or not there is a heart hospital that my dad went to, and about half the nurses still wear caps!! He was getting some vein work done outpatient. All of the RNs wore white, and about half of them wore dresses/hose and caps. I could not believe it. I commented to one of them and she said it was optional, and a lot of the older patients enjoyed it and felt more comfortable with the vintage style uniforms.

anon456, BSN, RN · May 19, 2013

You can still wear a dress. Many companies provide traditional whites, most provide scrub dresses and you can even do a skirt and a scrub top.

there is a nurse's aid at my hospital who wears a long skirt for religious reasons. She wears a regular scrub top and a head covering.

I was thinking about trying to find a white dress to wear for Halloween or something. I work peds, I think the patients and families would get a kick out of it since many of the children's books still show a vintage style of outfit for the nurses.

anon456, BSN, RN · May 19, 2013

Just to add to how informal the uniforms are now, our hospital allows the RNs to wear t-shirts as long as they have the hospital logo on them (which are sold in the gift shop), or the ones that are specially made for each unit (example: CVICU- we mend broken hearts), or we can also wear plain colored t-shirts with no brand logos on them. Most RN's though, still choose to wear scrub tops. I personally feel it's an honor to dress like an RN and I kinda wish we had a distinct RN uniform that showed our status. Everyone is allowed to wear print scrubs of their choice, from nurse aids to the unit secretary. I like how most of the MDs wear white coats or suit sets or other professional type clothing.

OCNRN63, RN · May 19, 2013

A long time ago, lol. And I just stared at her. I think it is really cute and nice. To tell you the truth I wish that was still a requirement a long with wearing a dress. I just think it makes us nurses stand out. But that is just me, I love tradition.

Part of me thinks it wouldn't be a bad idea to require it, what with all of the wanna-be's/pretenders. It would definitely let the patients know they were being taken care of by a nurse, not a UAP, dietary, radiology, etc.

My cap is on my book case, dusty and yellowed. My graduation picture makes me feel proud and nostalgic. I worked hard to obtain that graduate cap, and every time I look at that picture it reminds me of all that I went through to achieve it.

Some people here sniff at caps and think they're antiquated or a sign of a time when nurses were considered inferior. I'm proud of what they mean for many of us.