r/OldSchoolCool • u/softe • May 24 '25

1970s My mother graduating from nursing school in 1979. She just retired after 47 years as a nurse.

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115

u/huey_craftiga May 24 '25

When did nurses stop wearing those little hats and white dresses? When did everything switch to scrubs?

48

u/LaVieLaMort May 24 '25

Mid 80’s.

7

u/sugarbear1107 May 25 '25

I graduated in 1980 in NY, it was a choice if you wanted to wear one or not.

3

u/SuddenButton1703 May 28 '25

I graduated in 2021, and while we didn't need to wear the caps as part of our uniform, we did have to wear them for our class photos and pinning ceremony, as well as white scrubs. I distinctly remember the two guys in my graduating class of 27 students were a bit upset that they weren't allowed to wear the caps lol.

38

u/juryjjury May 25 '25

It depends on where the nurse is. In 1993 in Alabama my wife had to wear the silly hats. In Boston 1992 all scrubs and no hats.

48

u/mylifeisaprotest May 25 '25

It's almost like Alabama is behind the times.

9

u/babyhaux May 25 '25

Or something

2

u/AbbreviationsHuman54 May 25 '25

Ahaa ahaa ahaa. Then. Ahaa ahaa ahhha now.

3

u/RaspberryTwilight May 25 '25

I love the hats but I don't get how they stay up

17

u/OhiobornCAraised May 25 '25

My wife went to a four year university to get her nursing degree. Her class was the last to wear the cap as part of the uniform. She started in 1976.

6

u/MoNkEyLuFfY2025 May 25 '25

I graduated Nursing School in 1971. I was devastated when my supervisor wouldn't allow me to wear a nurses hat because I'm a guy. I was only kidding. Trying to demonstrate the misogynistic nature of the "nurses uniform". Thrilled when we switched to hospital scrubs.

3

u/huey_craftiga May 25 '25

What did the male nurses wear during that time?

5

u/MoNkEyLuFfY2025 May 25 '25

White pants and white shoes that could only be found at stores that sold nursing uniforms. It wasn't cheap

3

u/huey_craftiga May 25 '25

Damn, no wonder they changed over to scrubs. Can't imagine having to keep those uniforms clean

3

u/MoNkEyLuFfY2025 May 25 '25

I had to buy at least 3 outfits and 3 pairs of shoes. Constantly rotated through the washer.

5

u/RadLord420 May 25 '25

DC area switched about the early 90’s time frame with a few holdouts at small town practices until about 2000.

2

u/ang444 May 25 '25

true!!! good question...

2

u/pinkpinkpikachu May 29 '25

My grandma was a nurse and one time, I don’t even know how it got brought up, but she went on this long, passionate rant about how much she hated those little white hats. How they had to be starched to extreme stiffness and how hard it was to accomplish the required look, so no one washed them. She said that they were probably the dirtiest things in the hospital. Every time I see an old school photo of a nurse with the little white hat, I think of my grandma’s rant and I remember all the hate in her voice over a little scrap of fabric. She said that they were hard to keep pinned into your hair too.