The Nurses Uniforms History begins with the Middle Ages when most nursing duties were performed at monasteries by the monks or nuns in their traditional garb. From the 1600s to the 1800s nurses were not viewed as professionals and were often considered as having low morals. That opinion was a result of the unmarried nurses, who were always women, often stayed overnight in the homes of the patient or hospital basements where drinking and parties were going through the night.
It was not until the mid-1800s that partially trained nurses were employed by cities or local health districts to attend to the poor who could not afford the attention of a doctor. Their uniform was ladylike and often matronly in nature.
By 1850 when Florence Nightingale, daughter of a wealthy British landowner, rejected the life planned for her by her parents and set out on a medical journey of nursing, nursing was about to see a change. Through her efforts nursing took on an even more elevated station and uniforms became more professional looking, making the nurses uniform more distinct and separating them from the untrained. The nurses uniforms were almost floor length with aprons like a pinafore with cap sleeves. Hats were worn similar to a nuns headwear, or caps with straps tied under the chin, both of which gave an even more respectable look than previously.
During World War I it became apparent that former styles of nursing uniforms were not practical. To care for the vast numbers of wounded, nurses needed to be fast and efficient. The skirts became somewhat shorter and the sleeves were either short or rolled up, and the aprons often disappeared altogether.
An even bigger change came about when the skirt shortened to mid calf during World War II and bearing a distinct uniform look blue and later drab olive since many nurses were in the military services. Caps were more efficient looking dropping the chin straps altogether or had a military look. They were various colors and bore insignias representing the nurses different area of service, but most always a shirtwaist style.
In the 1950s nurses uniforms took a more crisp, feminine look with short sleeves and a bib apron with shoulder straps. Caps were varied in styles from pill box style to a pointed version.
As the 1960s progressed open collars were seen and scrubs were becoming popular in the United States, although in the UK they were reserved for the operating room. In the 1970s paper caps were disposable, as were the plastic aprons of the 1980s.
As time has marched forward, uniforms have changed often due to necessity or reflecting current style. Today nurses continue to be a vital part of the worldwide medical community and wear a variety of styles of uniforms. Scrubs have become the norm in the United States being colorful, or whimsical, though many countries still have more traditional uniforms. Male nurses also have a variety of styles to choose from via the Internet.
The history of nurses uniforms has changed drastically and often over time, but they always bear the distinction of being worn by noble, caring professionals who tend the ill and dying, no matter where they are or what they wear.
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