The Evolution of Basic Nursing Uniforms to Fashion Scrubs

Ever question why nurses are wearing basic scrubs and not workwear apparels or corporate uniforms? And why do many people is always looking for nurses who put on white scrubs than the printed and colorful one such as fashion scrubs?  Certainly, nursing uniform has its own story to tell.

The account of the nursing basic scrubs can be traced back to the beginning of nursing history when the nuns and the military started to dress accordingly so they can easily be seen and identified as personnel who took the duties of a nurse during wars all over the world. The basic style that remains to be recognizable consists of a dress, apron and cap. It was derived from the nun's habit before the 19th century as they took care of ill people thus, linking the nursing uniform to them.

During the 19th century the "fever-proof" gowns were made. They consist of long gowns and aprons. Nurses wore hats for mere identification and not for hygienic or protection purposes. Masks and medical gloves were not yet invented.

Through the World War I, the nursing uniforms were again patterned from the old version while white became the central and conventional color. The Red Cross armband was wore by nurses around their left arm. On the other hand, masks and medical gloves for protection were not yet used though Florence Nightingale (the Lady with the Lamp) had already made an intensive and ground breaking study to support the use of these two.

One of Florence Nightingale's first students (Miss VanRensselaer) designed the original uniform for the students at Miss Nightingale's school of nursing. Minor changes occurred in the uniform before the 1940's nonetheless. The garments consisted of a blue outfit. Hospitals were free to determine the style of the nurse uniform, including the nurse's cap which exists in many variants.

In some countries, there had been a move towards alternative designs of basic scrubs and white scrubs since the late 1980's. A dress in the same color as the top tunic and tunic-style top and dark blue trousers that are optimally designed to prevent cross-infection and the color of which depends on the grade/band of the nurse and varies between NHS Trusts are some of the designs. These tunics often feature piping around the edges of the uniform.
Today, traditional uniforms remain common in the Third World. But in Western Europe and North America, the trend is popularly called as fashion scrubs. The said outfit is designed to be simple with minimal places for dirt to hide, easy to launder, and cheap to replace if damaged or stained irreparably.

The widely use of fashion scrubs in comparison to the traditional nursing uniforms these days resulted to division of nurses with regards to their opinions on what is the right working  attire they must have. Most hospitals in Europe argue that the scrub uniform is easier to clean than the old nurse uniforms. However, the nurses who still stand for the old uniforms stressed that nurses who wear scrubs are seen by the patients as cleaners and cannot be identified as nurses.

Nurses may differ with their choices on what style of scrubs to wear.  But there is a certain thing that they will always agree at. That is no matter what they believe and their principle about uniforms and scrubs, white scrubs or fashion scrubs they may seem, still, without the spirit of service and care, a nurse will never be a nurse. And despite the evolution and changing styles and colors of nursing wear, one thing will remain – unfailing love for others. Without this, nursing profession will never exist.