Monday, August 24, 2009

Did nurses look better in their old white uniforms or in the present hospital scrubs?

Nursing is “1 the practice in which a nurse assists "the individual, sick or well, in the performance of those activities contributing to health or its recovery (or to a peaceful death) that he would perform unaided if he had the necessary strength, will or knowledge. And to do this in such a way as to help him gain independence as rapidly as possible" (Virginia Henderson). 2 "the diagnosis and treatment of human responses to actual or potential health problems" (American Nurses Association).”

As a kid in my home country, I admired nurses because of their sparkling white uniforms (Nurses in my country wear white uniforms and white caps) with the blue and red pens inserted smartly into their front breast pockets. It was always easy to identify a nurse because of their uniforms. I also noticed that different nurses wore the uniform in different ways: some wore blue belts, some wore red belts and some wore purple belts. Some wore white gowns while some wore white skirts and blouses. When I inquired about the difference, I was told that red belts were for midwives, blue for registered nurses who did not go to the one year midwifery school, and that purple was for those who were both nurses and midwives. It was purple because red plus blue was purple. I remember that in my fine arts class. What about the gowns and skirts? The gowns were worn by nurses who had not reached a certain rank in nursing. This rank was only attainable through years of experience. Once a nurse reached a rank, she was allowed to wear a white skirt and blouse and attach a white lace to her cap. All these made and still make the nursing profession interesting in my country. This variety and fun also helped to build my interest in nursing.