BKSM says ...

I graduated from diploma school in Ohio 1967. We got our caps at ceremony a few wks into program. At end of 1st year, we added 1 thin black velvet stripe,  end of 2nd year replaced with wider black velvet. When we graduated, cap was always wider black velvet band only. Now the school pin is only means of identification.

Even the school pins are disappearing.  Most nurses I know do not wear their school pin.

During LPN school, we wore a plain white cap, and upon graduation - "capping and pinning," received 2 dark blue velvet ribbons which were placed diagonally across the right corner of the cap. Our pins were engraved with our initials and the graduation year on the inside, and we were given the address of the manufacturer in case we lost them. The company keeps records of all graduates and their graduation year to ensure nobody tries to get a pin that did not earn one. I wore my pin the first few years, but almost lost it a number of times. When I graduated from RN school, the cap had a black ribbon, but I never actually got one - my mother went to the same school a few years earlier and had hers, which she gave to me. Neither of us ever wore it, but it's a matter of principle and accomplishment.  I did not purchase my RN pin - but intend to when I complete my MSN. The first number of years I worked we wore only white uniforms, and only nurses were allowed to wear white stockings. Actually - maybe I'm old school in a way, but I find many patients -especially older patients - actually respond better to  white - maybe because so many people come through daily wearing scrubs that are housekeepers, dietary, etc, and it just makes it easier to identify us.  Who knows...I've thought about digging those old uniforms out just to wear those wonderful support stockings without sweating to death!

OK. Time to show my age. Every nursing cap has a design which is specific to a certain school/military service and the stripes, if they are part of the design, have their own meaning to the nurses who earn them.

 When I was a student in a college associate degree program back in the last century we had to pass the first year of school before we were 'capped'.  It was a seriously high achievement and we had a ceremony at the local Methodist Church in which we carried little Nightingale Lamps, walked across the altar area, knelt down at the kneeling bench and had the cap placed on our heads by the Chair of the School of Nursing.  The guys (there were only 2) got a handshake and white fishing cap. 

Our cap had the 3 1/2 inch brim, and a one button 'flap' in back with 11 folds.  The cap was designed by the first 11 students to attend the school back in the 1950s and they added the folds to represent their class-kind of like the Sigma Theta Tau pin has a certain number of purple 'gems' to represent the founding members.

Most schools have dropped the cap from their uniforms.  I considered it a privilege to wear it, as I had made it through the very demanding and difficult first year.  Our dropout/flunk-out rate was about 67 %. We hac 99 students the first quarter, 67 at the end of the first year, and 34 of us graduated. 

I still have one of my caps which I keep in a little clear 'cap case'.  I used to wear it every year during Nurses' Week and I always told the story of what it meant and how one had to earn the right to wear it.  I am sad that today's nurses do not have a tradition like that, a 'passing of the torch' from one generation to the next.

When I wnet to TWU in the early 70's, 1 diagonal stripe on the L corner of your cap signified you were a junior in TWU's BSN program. 1 stripe across the full edge of the cap sign signified you were a senior (& you had a cap pin). Graduates wore the same cap w/ the cap pin, but you also had a pin you wore on your uniform. The stripes were black velvet & had a specific measurement for being attached. We attached them with KY Jelly (yes,, it's true) because you could then easily pull the stripe off when you washed your cap. When I moved to Spokane WA, the major universities up there had formed a collective school of nursing and graduates wore the colors of their school/univeisty of origin (Washington State University wore pearl/gray & maroon, Eastern Washington University wore a cardinal red stripe, Whitworth College's stripes were red and black and Ft. Wright (which is no longer part of the program) wore blue (I think, I could be wrong). Their nursing school pins looked alike-a diamond shape pin, with a diamond in the center of the pin that had "Intercollegiate Center of Nursing Education" around the inside & ..the school was called Ick Knee. I never saw my cap as a sign of oppression-I saw it as an indicaton that I was a real nursing student/nurse & not a certified nrsing assistant. In the late sixties, it wasn't unommon for nurses' assistants, dental hygieneists & even x-ray techs to wear caps which were usually devoid of pins and stripes. I still have 2 of my caps-1 completely rigged out w/ my cap pin, stripes & the comb that held it to my head. I spent my freshman and sophomore years in Denton, then the next 2 1/2 years in the Texas Medical Center. Hope this answerssome questions from an old timer!!!!!!!!!!!!

My original school had a cap that was different from the student cap.  We had a ceremony where we 'fluted' the trim on our caps with starch.  Klutz that I am, I hated that little exercise.

In my School of Nursing, a Student Nurse received their stripe after completing their first year of Nursing Education.  So, the stripe denoted a Senior Nursing student.  

Females wore the stripe on their caps; as a male, I wore my stripe on the pocket of my smock.  From the responses to this question, the location of the stripe placment probably differed from school to school; but the girls at my school wore a single black stripe across the length of crown of the cap.

When we graduated, we received our School RN pin in a Pinning ceremony, where the light of knowledge was passed from our Educators lamps to our candle lamps.

Therefore, it all varies based on the traditions and beliefs of your school.

When I attended LVN school, in Houston, TX, we wore plaid dresses with a white apron over the dress. At the 6th month, we received our student nursing caps in a candle lighted ceremony. Our caps had the same plaid as our student uniforms, but the plaid band was an "in and out" pattern on our caps. By in and out, I mean that one would see plaid on the front, then white, and the same over and over again across the cap. Upon graduation, our caps were then changed to a navy blue, using the same in and out pattern.

The unit I worked on after graduation, was a unit where all of us wore our nurses caps. White dresses only, white hose, and clunky nursing shoes. To work with patients while wearing a dress was the PITS. I was so glad when the more appealing and comfortable uniforms began to be accepted along with pants.

I never wore my cap again after leaving hospital nursing. When working in LTC, the administrator wanted all of us to begin wearing white uniforms and our caps. None of us had caps any longer. The caps always got in the way, would soil easily, come off, just a pain to keep the cap looking nice. Also, in nursing school boot camp, our hair could not touch our shoulders, only stud earrings allowed. When going in to isolation or reverse isolation, the cap had to come off. We were not allowed to have a caps on outside of the hospital. The caps were removed before leaving the hospital, and placed on our heads when we arrived on the unit.

Having worn white uniforms, scrubs, and more colorfull uniforms, I love to wear scrubs and continue to do so. The colors are very pretty and can be used according to the likes and dislikes of my patients. I never liked the idea of wearing white uniforms in LTC, because this was the residents' home, and should have that type of atmosphere in the dressing of the staff as well. LTC is quite different from my 10 years nursing in LTC. LTC is very skilled and very little communication between staff and resident. There are very few residents who can take part in activities or any other type of social activities. The staff continues to wear scrubs and they all look very professional. But, again, the caps are now a thing of the past.

I Just received my Graduration Cap, Today from Kays Caps ( Boooklyn Jewish School Of Nursing ,Inerfaith) I was so thrilled ,I love my Cap was proud to wear it.When I wore my Cap the patient love it ,I got so much attention,I told My Husband  This Cap is like the The Heisman Trophy for Nurses, did He get upset with the comparsion" Only one Great Player get that Trophy many Nurses recevied Their Cap" Ok I change that Statement  it's Our SUPER BOWL RING now. I stopped wearing it around 1989,  on the floor, think  I think was the Last Nurse in Hospital . I only wear it now if doing Private Duty. But now I feel a need to rediscover my Nursing Roots after 34 years an RN. For  Nurses Week ,This May I will be wearing my Cap an Navy Blue Cape, Yes you Know the one with the Red lining. For the question ,I read earlier  concerning strips on cap ONLY the RN can wear the Black Stripe on her Cap.This symbol indicate mourning for Florence, Completeion of highest standards in Nursing RN,

Hello  My Sister Nurses I'm searching for ,White Oxford Nurse Shoes the ones you would Call Liddy. Granny, laceup cutout on top of shoe. 2 inch heel round toe .You see them in the 1940 , 1950 movies I check Ebay , Esty and every now an then you may see them Dead Stock ,But they are to narrow I"m 8.5 med .If  any one ,of you know where ,I can find even custom made please contact me at grandma_711@hotmail.com

I have a question, I am an LVN student and my class (of all women) would like to wear a nursing cap for graduation. Our D.O.N. says that is just for RN's. I don't think that is correct, but I need historical proof in writing to debate it with her. Can anyone help me out? We will be graduating in September 2012