Nursing Uniforms

zombi · Mar 5, 2011

All right, I've run a couple of searches but I'm not seeing what I'm looking for -- someone please let me know if I'm just inept at using the search function!

I'm wondering if there are any ladies here on the Lounge who are nurses and who wear vintage style (or vintage, whatever) uniforms to work. What kind of shoes are you wearing, if so? Did you make your uniforms? If not, where did you find them?

I would really like to wear the white dress to work and so on, but I'm not a great seamstress. Modern white dress uniforms are similar, but they don't look quite like some of the 1940s patterns or photos I have seen, which I like. I have considered getting a pattern and finding a tailor or seamstress who can make them for me, but I can't seem to find any patterns for nursing uniforms. If I do, they've already been sold!

Now, second part: if any of you are doing this, what kind of reactions do you get? Does it go over okay?

Amy Jeanne · Mar 5, 2011

I am not a nurse, but I am obsessed with "uniform" dresses from the 30s and 40s and prefer them to "regular" dresses. I have a lot of images from catalogs I can post, but no time right now. I did make myself a dress from 1930s nurse's uniform and it's one of my favourites to wear:

Kiri · Mar 6, 2011

I know this isn't exactly what you're asking, but here are some pictures of my Grandma in her nursing uniform, dated to I think 1959? I'll ask her what they wore as shoes later.

And her friend:

Adcurium · Mar 6, 2011

My mother recently retired after nearly 40 years as an RN (and from the same place she started working... How many of us will be able to say that?). Anyway, I remember being being young and my mother going to work in her starched white hat and her uniform that was basically the same uniform the Mercy nurses were wearing since the 40s. LAter in her career it was scrubs in various colors but until that recent uniform code change, the Sisters of Mercy (no, not the band) ran a really tight ship! I was just visiting my mother this weekend and she still has her hat, in the same bag she carried it in to and from work, in the top of her closet as if she is ready and waiting to suit back up and go heal some sick, old skool style!

Land-O-LakesGal · Mar 6, 2011

My husbands grandmother passed away in October. They displayed her WWII nursing cape at the funeral. I would love to have one of those. Hers went to members of the family who are nurses I hope they take good care of it it was in pristine condition.

zombi · Mar 7, 2011

I have a WWII nursing cape. It is my pride and joy. I also have a small (growing!) collection of old nursing pins. I truly love nursing history.

Thanks for the stories, ladies. I'm still hoping there's another nurse on the Lounge who has some insight into NOT wearing scrubs to work these days. I'd like to do this, but I'd not like to be disruptive to the atmosphere, etc. I'd like to know how such a thing would be received in the modern hospital workplace.

While I know that it would not be against policy, I do think that there is potential for it to be disruptive or distracting, and I'd not like that when I'm trying to work. I also don't work in a doctor's office, I work in a cardiac ICU. The one person I have seen in the white uniform in my entire hospital doesn't even do direct patient care, she is a telemetry monitor.

Bingles · Mar 7, 2011

Why not give it a try and see what happens for yourself? After all, as long as your uniform is acceptable to the regulations of the hospital, I say go for it! Be a trend setter!

You could always make the change gradually.... wear the dress and white stockings first.. then introduce the hat.

I applaud your desire to do this. My later Grandmother went to nursing school during WWII and was trained as a Red Cross nurse. She lamented the loss of the uniform, saying nurses didn't look as professional... nor as clean as they used to.

When she first started as a nurse at a local hospital, the head nurse enforced dress code very strictly. Your hair and hat had to be just so. My Grandma liked to be a bit of a rebel so she would wear the hat with it's "wings" fanned out a bit more than was called for. She used to say she was surprised she didn't have a permanent bald spot from where the head nurse ripped her hat off her head.. pins and all... and insisting she put it back on correctly.

jetgirl · Mar 7, 2011

zombi said:
All right, I've run a couple of searches but I'm not seeing what I'm looking for -- someone please let me know if I'm just inept at using the search function!

I'm wondering if there are any ladies here on the Lounge who are nurses and who wear vintage style (or vintage, whatever) uniforms to work. What kind of shoes are you wearing, if so? Did you make your uniforms? If not, where did you find them?

I bought a vintage uniform off ebay. It was listed as a white waitress dress. It looks like the one on the right on the pattern, except with short sleeves. I seemed to find a few listed the same way. Maybe try to look under white uniform, waitress dress, etc... I made a hat from an online template. Sorry, I'm not a real nurse though!

Amy J, that dress is adorable.

sheeplady · Mar 7, 2011

Not a nurse, but when I had a tooth pulled the nurse (I assumed she was a nurse) was in a vintage looking uniform- a white uniform dress with a traditional nurses cap. So someone is still wearing these outfits. Granted, this was a dentist office, but she was NOT in scrubs, and everyone else (assistants, doctor, etc. was in scrubs).

I think she was wearing gray orthopedic-looking shoes. They had a very slight wedge, but looked comfortable.

Bingles · Mar 7, 2011

Dental hygienists used to wear similar uniforms.

Puzzicato · Mar 7, 2011

Bingles said:
When she first started as a nurse at a local hospital, the head nurse enforced dress code very strictly. Your hair and hat had to be just so. My Grandma liked to be a bit of a rebel so she would wear the hat with it's "wings" fanned out a bit more than was called for. She used to say she was surprised she didn't have a permanent bald spot from where the head nurse ripped her hat off her head.. pins and all... and insisting she put it back on correctly.

My mum started her training in the late 1970s, and I still remember sitting with her while she starched and ironed a week's worth of caps!

Tatum · Mar 7, 2011

Being a research junkie, I found these:

Allheart

Amegamall

Also a few here, they also had a suit version and this that I thought was unusual and pretty..

I would love to walk into a doctor's office and see a nurse still dressed this way!

Lady Jessica · Mar 7, 2011

I'm not a nurse but my mother is. She wears scrubs and so do most people at her hospital but she has told me stories (good ones!) involving a woman who works at her hospital that wears the white dress uniform instead. As far as I know none of the nurses seem to care and the only reason my mother told me about her dress was because we were in a nurse shop and i commented that the white dress on the mannequin was pretty and that my mother should wear that instead of scrubs.

I don't think that you wearing the dress would be disruptive at all.

sheeplady · Mar 7, 2011

Bingles said:
Dental hygienists used to wear similar uniforms.

Ok, so I was probably wrong.

My mom worked as a dental assistant (back in the 60s when they wore white), so I have no idea why I didn't realize that she could have been an assistant, etc.

But anyways, this lady looked good and VERY professional.

Kitty_Sheridan · Mar 8, 2011

I've bought a few nurses dresses from US EBay (I'm in England) made by a company called 'Black swan (or is it white swan? lol) they turn up regularly, unworn and wash well.
Let us know how you get on?

LizzieMaine · Mar 8, 2011

As far as the shoes go, the Clinic Pert is still made and sold -- the traditional "nurse shoe" worn since the 1940s with the white dress uniform. I have a pair of these I wear sometimes when I know I'm going to be on my feet all night, and they're the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn.

Miss Moonlight · Jun 19, 2012

I'm not a nurse, but I'm so in love with this thread.

I'm glad I found it. I found it because I'm trying to find good images of a WW2 London nurse's uniform, from 1940. I want to find a suitable pattern. If anyone knows of a pattern that would work, please do tell.

It's for a Halloween costume... we plan early in my family.

I plan on being one of the Londoners from the Doctor Who episode, The Empty Child. I found a suitable gas mask (thanks to a gas mask afficianado friend) on Amazon for $25 for the costume, but I want to get the uniform as authentic as possible. Some of it looks easy and simple, but I haven't sewn in so long, by the time I get my sewing machines back in a couple months, I'm going to be relearning.

Also, does anyone know how the aprons were attached? Safety pins? Thanks ahead of time!

Gingerella72 · Jun 19, 2012

Just out of curiosity I Googled 'nurses uniform' to check out what is being offered and it's almost exclusively scrubs! I was hard pressed to find one online shop that sells the traditional white dress. I'm not a nurse nor in the medical profession, just was curious.

When did scrubs become the norm? I understand having such a physically demanding job requires comfortable, flexible clothing, but how did what is basically pajamas become professionally acceptable?

Rosie_Beau · Jun 20, 2012

Gingerella72 said:
.... but how did what is basically pajamas become professionally acceptable?

Ha! I agree, although sadly I think the standard has dropped for most professionals now.

I'm hoping to start a nursing course in September and have also given thought to how my style would be regarded while I'm there. I currently work in day opportunities supporting people with physical and learning disabilities, mental health illness and sensory impairment. Currently I don't dress vintage to work because I don't want the way I dress and people's perception of that to form a barrier between myself and the service users. I'd still love to wear the proper white dress though when working on the wards

Shangas · Jun 20, 2012

Pardon the input of a guy here...

One aspect of nursing attire that hasn't changed since Victorian times is the traditional nurse's watch. The little ones that are pinned to her blouse and hang down over her chest, upside-down.

A lot of nurses still wear them. And modern health-and-safety codes actually encourage it. Minimal contact with the watch means that it's harder to spread germs, and germs don't get to hitch a ride on a wristwatch strap instead. So they're actually pretty hygienic.

Before my grandmother died, I used to visit her in the home all the time. The nurses there still wore the old-fashioned nurse-watches. And many still do. It hasn't changed in over 100 years.

If that ain't vintage, I dunno what is!

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