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. Source: https://garmentprinting.com.au/blog/nurse-uniform-past-and-present

1. A BRIEF HISTORY OF
NURSE UNIFORM – WHAT
HAPPENED TO IT?
WORKWEAR

2. 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:

3. 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.

4. STANDARD NURSE UNIFORM
DRESS
Throughout the history of nursing uniforms, the uniforms
constituted a dress, nurse’s 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. Let’s take a look at all the
changes that occurred in the old fashioned nurse uniform
from World War I to the present day:

5. 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 wasn’t 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

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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 paediatrician’s or
veterinarian’s office.

15. Yellow
Yellow is another eye-catching, bold colour that can
raise the heart rate, which may explain why it isn’t 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 someone’s mood. Yellow
scrubs are mostly chosen by someone, with
an extroverted personality.

16. 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.

17. 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.

18. 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.