Nursing Scrubs: A History of Nurse's Uniforms
A Quick History in Nursing
When you look at the grand theme of things, you will notice that nurses haven't actually been around for very long. Prior to nursing, nuns would care for the ill. Between the 14th and 17th century--the Renaissance--nursing came to fruition, but was considered a poor person's job. In fact, it was such a low job at the time that unpaid convicts were assigned the nursing duties as were 'rough ignorant women.' The hospitals were drab and dreary with little-to-no natural lighting, poor air circulation, poor sanitary conditions, overcrowded, and so forth. Nursing duties were simply helping patients eat and keeping them comfortable. Nurses were always on duty and slept on the wards or in the hallways. It wasn't until 1850 that nurses began to receive a very small pittance for their work.
Around this same time, Florence Nightingale began her nursing career, bring the job into more of a profession and bringing hygiene to the forefront of importance. She also helped bring a standard of professional training, helping turn the wheel of nursing as a profession coming to be what it is today--a respected profession with rigorous education and training behind it.
What Was the First Nursing Uniform?
You might not be surprised to learn that Florence Nightingale was the founder of the first identifiable nursing uniform, a derivative of a nun's habit. It was a full-length dress with long sleeves and an apron. The body-covering attire was designed with hygiene in mind. Of course, at the time, hygiene was a very new concept, so masks and gloves were not yet discovered, nor were their usefulness known. The dresses were thought to protect the nurses from fever--keeping in mind the typhoid fever epidemics. We now know that the dresses were not the best defence against illnesses and in fact serve as a fomite, carrying illness from one patient to another.
The white uniform of North America might can be pinned on the US Navy's first nurse's uniform of the early 1900's, consisting of a pure white dress and a white cap. This helped people identify nurses.
During World War II (ending in 1945), the nursing dress received a makeover, including shorter sleeves and a shorter hemline. As much as we would love to say that this was due to concerns of infection control, it was actually due to the need to ration supplies. Shorter dresses and shorter sleeves meant that more fabric would be saved.
During the 1960's, nursing uniforms started to stray away from the feminine look and adopted a more streamlined appeal with pressed collars and an apron that tied at the waist. Prior to this era, the dresses had high necklines for increased modesty and "infection control." Interestingly enough, there was an influx of male nurses in the 1970's, which caused the pant suit scrub to briefly come into nursing fashion for women.
Modern day scrubs began to appear during the 1980's as the profession gained more male nurses and women were more free to wear pants without being seen as rebellious. The past 30 decades have shown a great diversity in the different styles of scrubs, including different necklines, waist lines, pockets galore, and fun patterns. Although there are many different styles available, not every work environment allows nurses to select their own uniform. Many hospitals still have their nurses wear a certain colour so as to help patients, staff, and family members identify who is a nurse.
Nurse's Cap. Why?
The Nurse's Cap was introduced early on in the history of nursing. It was intended to help nurses keep their hair neatly pinned back while also presenting a modest appearance. Nowadays, you no longer see the cap as it became tedious as well as a potential fomite for diseases.