A Brief History of Nurse Uniform

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A Brief History of Nurse Uniform What Happened
to It?

• workwear

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• Nurses, nowadays, can be spotted by their scrubs.
  But surprisingly, scrubs are not what nurses used
  to wear in the past. The traditional nurse
  uniform had to undergo a lot of changes to become
  what it is now scrubs. We have broken down the
  history of nursing uniforms decade by decade to
  uncover all the changes in the dress and the
  reasons behind them

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The First Recognizable Nurse Uniform

• Florence Nightingale is known for her dedication
  and efforts during the Crimean War which
  distinguished nursing as a respected occupation.
  In fact, it was one of her first students, Miss
  Van Rensselaer, who came up with the design of
  the first nurse uniform. 
• Nightingale made a nursing school in the late
  1800s to spread the knowledge of serving wounded
  and sick human beings. And during the time of
  schooling, one of her students designed a uniform
  to differentiate between trained nurses and
  non-trained ones. The uniforms comprised a long
  dress paired with an apron and frilly cap, and it
  was the first recognizable uniform for nurses in
  history.

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Standard Nurse Uniform Dress

• Throughout the history of nursing uniforms, the
  uniforms constituted a dress, nurses cap, and
  pinafore apron. Plus, student nurses also sported
  a nursing pin or a pinafore apron, replaced by a
  cobbler style apron, in some hospital and medical
  colleges. Nurses across the world wore this type
  of uniform.
• The traditional old nurse uniforms are still worn
  in several parts of the world, but some changes
  have been reported in areas, such as North
  America and Western Europe. In these areas, there
  has been quite a change in nurses uniforms past
  and present with the scrubs or tunics getting
  more popular. Scrubs are also a type of
  healthcare uniform worn in emergency rooms and
  operating rooms.
• Nurse uniforms looked quite different at the
  start and the look changed every few years. Lets
  take a look at all the changes that occurred in
  the old fashioned nurse uniform from World War I
  to the present day

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Nurse Uniform World War I

• The nurse uniform changed very little from its
  origination in the 1800s to world war I. During
  that time, the nurse uniform wasnt just a
  representation of protection from sickness but
  also an expression of feminine virtue. So, the
  historical nurses realized that they needed to
  upgrade their uniforms because the former styles
  were not practical any more.
• As a result of the ongoing war, the number of
  wounded people kept piling up in hospitals and
  the 1800s nurse had to be quick and efficient.
  So, the bulky aprons started disappearing and
  skirts took their place. The military nurses also
  started wearing their tippets short, cape-like
  garments, over their shoulders, with badges on
  them, to display their professional status.

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1940s Nurse Uniform

• During 1940, the uniform changed a bit, as the
  World War II brought about more improvements and
  functionality to the uniform. The key motive
  behind the alteration was to raise awareness for
  microbiology and infection.
• This lead to greater awareness in the nurses to
  not contaminate their uniforms. This made the
  apron a key element of the uniform because it was
  easy to remove, replace, and launder. 

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Nurse Uniform in 1950

• The beginning of 1950, marked major changes in
  the hats and skirts. Nurses began to wear simple
  hats, some of which were made from paper, that
  could be folded instead of wearing elaborate and
  large hats. Nurses start wearing simple hats that
  can be folded instead of wearing large and
  elaborate hats.
• The dresses got their upgrade as well in terms of
  their length with the skirts and the sleeves
  becoming shorter. With the reduction in length,
  the uniforms became around knee-height.

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Nurse Uniform in 1960

• The short dresses of 1950 underwent another
  significant change in 1960. Nurses preferred open
  neck design over the traditional one all over the
  world.
• Open neck dresses were easier to wear and were
  also more washing friendly.

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1970S Nurse Uniform 

• 1970 was the year for the cap to undergo a
  dramatic change. Some nurses stopped wearing the
  cap, altogether, after it was turned into a
  simple piece of paper, that was folded, in 1970.
• Moreover, the uniform kept evolving and changing
  ever so slighting and all the changes resulted in
  the uniform going from an official dress to an
  article of regular clothing focused purely on the
  comfort of the wearer. 

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Nurse Uniform in 1980

• 1980 marked the 100th anniversary of the origin
  of the nurse uniform. By this time, men had also
  entered the profession of nursing, and the entire
  scenario related to the design and look of the
  uniform was rethought and redefined.
• So, in the 1980 the traditional dress was
  replaced by plastic aprons and the outerwear also
  disappeared at the same time. And with those
  changes, open-neck shirts and pants started their
  journey as the face of nurse uniforms.

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Nurse Uniform in 1990

• During 1990, nurses felt that their uniforms were
  hard to sterilise, and clean, so they upgraded
  their uniforms to scrubs, which made their life
  and profession easier.
• So, when did nurses start wearing scrubs? It was
  the 1990s. The upgrade to scrubs proved to be an
  amazing decision because scrubs were less
  expensive, more comfortable, and more practical
  than any other uniforms the nurses had before.

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Present Day Nurse Uniform

• After the creation of scrubs in 1990, all the
  nurses started wearing them regardless of which
  hospital or medical-related facility they worked
  in.
• Now, those scrubs are seen in every medical
  facility in a versatile array of fabrics,
  colours, shapes, and prints, which give the
  nurses the choice to choose whatever they want.

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Segregation of Scrubs Based on Their Colour 

• White
• White uniform dresses were one of the earlier
  colours worn by nurses, surgeons, and doctors.
  The colour was chosen because of its cleanliness
  but that later on proved to be a headache.
• White uniforms caused eye strain and visual
  fatigue, which lead to headaches and removing any
  blood stains from them was also impossible. Even
  though bleach was utilised to sanitise the
  bloodstains, they still looked green or brown
  after getting washed.

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• Red
• Red is associated with uplifting the heart rate,
  but it is not a common colour for scrubs.
  But this colour can influence how a patient
  reacts to a nurse or a doctor based on the
  intensity of the shade. Red scrubs can help in
  boosting the mood of a paediatricians or
  veterinarians office.

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• Yellow
• Yellow is another eye-catching, bold colour that
  can raise the heart rate, which may explain why
  it isnt a common colour in hospitals. But it is
  considered a lively and upbeat colour linked to
  sunshine, positive vibes, and happiness.
• Yellow can be good for hospice care, or a
  paediatric office where it can lift someones
  mood. Yellow scrubs are mostly chosen by someone,
  with an extroverted personality.

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• Green
• Green is the most commonly spotted colour in
  hospitals because it is linked to tranquillity,
  healing and peace. Green not only offers the eyes
  some rest but also reduces blood pressure.
• In the history of nursing uniform, this colour
  has been used to stabilise headaches caused by
  the white uniforms. Plus, green aids in easing
  surgeons eye strain and help them refocus their
  attention during a critical surgery.

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• Blue
• Blue is another common colour worn by nurses.
  Similar to green, it also boasts some amazing
  medical benefits. It lowers blood pressure and
  helps with anxiety. Besides, it is a symbol of
  calm, relaxation, and soothing.
• According to colour psychology, medical staffs
  who wear light blue dresses, like blue-sky
  scrubs, are more trustworthy.

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Conclusion

• Nurse uniform has seen a lot of changes in
  design, colour, and length over the years, just
  to make sure, that nurses are able to provide an
  interrupted healthy service to those in need of
  care. The history of the nurse uniform is nothing
  but the proud history of human evolution, the
  changes in health wear, our prosperity, and our
  aim, as a society, to maximize human welfare.