Scrubs Have Come A Long Way
Although many people give credit to Florence Nightingale as the founder of the field of nursing and nursing uniforms, that is not completely true. The nursing field actually started before the 19th century. The nursing uniform has progressed a lot since its beginning all those years ago.
Back in the 19th century nurses’ uniforms were similar to a servant’s uniform. They were long print dresses and had a white apron. Then in 1880 Florence Nightingale came up with a hat and band system. The purpose was to help identify nurses by their rank. This system created a sort of hierarchy among nursing students. This system also served as a disciplinary function for nurses in training. By the time of World War I, the nursing uniform began changing to a more practical role. At that time, the large and bulky aprons as well as the long solid dresses were replaced by shorter skirts and short sleeves. This was necessary due to the number of wounded the nurses needed to care for. Mobility was desired. By the time the 50s rolled around, the hat lost its popularity and was making its exit since there were more male nurses and the hat was not very masculine.
During the 1970s, the popular “scrubs” started to become more fashionable in the nursing world. Although they were originally used just for operating room personnel, now, almost all employees in hospitals as well as doctor’s offices wear scrubs. The prevention of infectious disease is not the only reason for the nursing scrubs. Medical scrubs are now very fashionable and the bright colors make them much more appealing.
