One accessory that distinguishes nurses from other medical professionals is the Nurses' Cap. It is a representation of their identity as service-oriented professionals and it is a trademark of their image. However, the introduction of "scrubs" as a general uniform in hospitals and health care institutions has dramatically wiped out the practice of wearing honorable nurses' caps. This is evident in many private and public hospitals in the Philippines where even nurses in white uniforms neglect their caps as part of their uniforms. Thus, this current trend imposes a deterioration in the concept and image attached to this symbol of service and charity. To evenly understand the most basic principles behind the cap, let us look deeper into it's meaning.
Practically, a nurses' cap is supposed to keep female nurses' hair neat and make them look presentable in front of doctors and patients, But its history suggests a more significant meaning. In the early Christian era, there was a group of women called "deaconesses" which is now known as a religious order of nuns, To signify them as women who worked for the service of the sick and the poor, they wore white coverings atop their heads. The covers where initially white veils and later on evolved into white caps during the Victorian era, where proper women were expected to wear head coverings. Long hair was fashionable during the Victorian era, so the cap kept the nurse's hair up and out of her face, as well as keeping it from becoming soiled.
Florence Nightingale, the lady with the lamp and the mother of modern nursing, pioneered the use of the nurses' cap as part of her uniform to signify her service to the wounded soldiers during the Crimean war. Later on, her predecessors followed this practice to continue the legacy of the nurses' image as charitable individuals.
Now, just plainly looking at the history of the nurses' cap will give us insights of how remarkable and honorable this accessory is. It does not only give nurses the recognition as 'nurses' in the universal setting, but also credits them with a reputation of being service- centered professionals as it has been before. The history of the nurses' cap itself should be an enough reminder to every nurses to wear their caps with pride and consistency as it dignifies them uniquely from other health care professionals.
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