A Brief History of Nurse Uniform – What Happened to It?
                     A BRIEF HISTORY OF NURSE 
UNIFORM – WHAT HAPPENED WORKWEAR
TO IT?
 Nurses, nowadays, can be spotted by their scrubs. But surprisingly, 
scrubs are not what nurses used to wear in the past. The 
traditional nurse uniform had to undergo a lot of changes to 
become what it is now – scrubs. We have broken down the history 
of nursing uniforms decade by decade to uncover all the changes in 
the dress and the reasons behind them:
THE FIRST RECOGNIZABLE 
NURSE UNIFORM
 Florence Nightingale is known for her dedication and 
efforts during the Crimean War which distinguished 
nursing as a respected occupation. In fact, it was one of 
her first students, Miss Van Rensselaer, who came up 
with the design of the first nurse uniform. 
 Nightingale made a nursing school in the late 1800s to 
spread the knowledge of serving wounded and sick 
human beings. And during the time of schooling, one of 
her students designed a uniform to differentiate between 
trained nurses and non-trained ones. The uniforms 
comprised a long dress paired with an apron and frilly 
cap, and it was the first recognizable uniform for nurses 
in history.
STANDARD NURSE 
UNIFORM DRESS
 Throughout the history of nursing uniforms, the uniforms constituted a 
dress, nurse’s cap, and pinafore apron. Plus, student nurses also 
sported a nursing pin or a pinafore apron, replaced by a cobbler style 
apron, in some hospital and medical colleges. Nurses across the world 
wore this type of uniform.
 The traditional old nurse uniforms are still worn in several parts of the 
world, but some changes have been reported in areas, such as North 
America and Western Europe. In these areas, there has been quite a 
change in nurses uniforms past and present with the scrubs or tunics 
getting more popular. Scrubs are also a type of healthcare uniform
 worn in emergency rooms and operating rooms.
 Nurse uniforms looked quite different at the start and the look 
changed every few years. Let’s take a look at all the changes that 
occurred in the old fashioned nurse uniform from World War I to the 
present day:
NURSE UNIFORM: WORLD 
WAR I
 The nurse uniform changed very little from its 
origination in the 1800s to world war ‘I’. During 
that time, the nurse uniform wasn’t just a 
representation of protection from sickness but 
also an expression of feminine virtue. So, the 
historical nurses realized that they needed to 
upgrade their uniforms because the former styles 
were not practical any more.
 As a result of the ongoing war, the number of 
wounded people kept piling up in hospitals and 
the 1800s nurse had to be quick and efficient. So, 
the bulky aprons started disappearing and skirts 
took their place. The military nurses also started 
wearing their tippets short, cape-like garments, 
over their shoulders, with badges on them, to 
display their professional status.
1940S NURSE UNIFORM
 During 1940, the uniform changed a bit, 
as the World War II brought about more 
improvements and functionality to the 
uniform. The key motive behind the 
alteration was to raise awareness for 
microbiology and infection. 
 This lead to greater awareness in the 
nurses to not contaminate their 
uniforms. This made the apron a key 
element of the uniform because it was 
easy to remove, replace, and launder. 
NURSE UNIFORM IN 1950
 The beginning of 1950, marked major 
changes in the hats and skirts. Nurses 
began to wear simple hats, some of 
which were made from paper, that could 
be folded instead of wearing elaborate 
and large hats. Nurses start wearing 
simple hats that can be folded instead of 
wearing large and elaborate hats.
 The dresses got their upgrade as well in 
terms of their length with the skirts and 
the sleeves becoming shorter. With the 
reduction in length, the uniforms became 
around knee-height.
NURSE UNIFORM IN 1960
 The short dresses of 1950 
underwent another significant 
change in 1960. Nurses preferred 
open neck design over the 
traditional one all over the world. 
 Open neck dresses were easier to 
wear and were also more washing 
friendly.
1970S NURSE UNIFORM 
 1970 was the year for the cap to 
undergo a dramatic change. Some 
nurses stopped wearing the cap, 
altogether, after it was turned into a 
simple piece of paper, that was folded, 
in 1970.
  Moreover, the uniform kept evolving 
and changing ever so slighting and all 
the changes resulted in the uniform 
going from an official dress to an article 
of regular clothing focused purely on 
the comfort of the wearer. 
NURSE UNIFORM IN 1980
 1980 marked the 100th 
anniversary of the origin of the 
nurse uniform. By this time, men 
had also entered the profession of 
nursing, and the entire scenario 
related to the design and look of 
the uniform was rethought and 
redefined.
 So, in the 1980 the traditional 
dress was replaced by plastic 
aprons and the outerwear also 
disappeared at the same time. And 
with those changes, open-neck 
shirts and pants started their 
journey as the face of nurse 
uniforms.
NURSE UNIFORM IN 1990
 During 1990, nurses felt that their 
uniforms were hard to sterilise, and 
clean, so they upgraded their uniforms 
to scrubs, which made their life and 
profession easier.
 So, when did nurses start wearing 
scrubs? It was the 1990s. The upgrade 
to scrubs proved to be an amazing 
decision because scrubs were less 
expensive, more comfortable, and more 
practical than any other uniforms the 
nurses had before.
PRESENT DAY NURSE 
UNIFORM
 After the creation of scrubs in 
1990, all the nurses started 
wearing them regardless of which 
hospital or medical-related facility 
they worked in.
 Now, those scrubs are seen in 
every medical facility in a versatile 
array of fabrics, colours, shapes, 
and prints, which give the nurses 
the choice to choose whatever 
they want.
SEGREGATION OF SCRUBS 
BASED ON THEIR COLOUR 
 White
 White uniform dresses were one of the 
earlier colours worn by nurses, 
surgeons, and doctors. The colour was 
chosen because of its cleanliness but 
that later on proved to be a headache.
 White uniforms caused eye strain and 
visual fatigue, which lead to headaches 
and removing any blood stains from 
them was also impossible. Even though 
bleach was utilised to sanitise the 
bloodstains, they still looked green or 
brown after getting washed.
 Red
 Red is associated with uplifting the heart 
rate, but it is not a common colour for 
scrubs. But this colour can influence how a 
patient reacts to a nurse or a doctor based 
on the intensity of the shade. Red scrubs can 
help in boosting the mood of a 
paediatrician’s or veterinarian’s office.
 Yellow
 Yellow is another eye-catching, bold colour that 
can raise the heart rate, which may explain why it 
isn’t a common colour in hospitals. But it is 
considered a lively and upbeat colour linked to 
sunshine, positive vibes, and happiness.
 Yellow can be good for hospice care, or a 
paediatric office where it can lift someone’s mood. 
Yellow scrubs are mostly chosen by someone, with 
an extroverted personality.
 Green
 Green is the most commonly spotted 
colour in hospitals because it is linked to 
tranquillity, healing and peace. Green 
not only offers the eyes some rest but 
also reduces blood pressure.
 In the history of nursing uniform, this 
colour has been used to stabilise 
headaches caused by the white 
uniforms. Plus, green aids in easing 
surgeons’ eye strain and help them 
refocus their attention during a critical 
surgery.
 Blue
 Blue is another common colour worn by 
nurses. Similar to green, it also boasts 
some amazing medical benefits. It 
lowers blood pressure and helps with 
anxiety. Besides, it is a symbol of calm, 
relaxation, and soothing.
 According to colour psychology, medical 
staffs who wear light blue dresses, like 
blue-sky scrubs, are more trustworthy.
CONCLUSION
 Nurse uniform has seen a lot of changes in design, colour, and 
length over the years, just to make sure, that nurses are able to 
provide an interrupted healthy service to those in need of care. The 
history of the nurse uniform is nothing but the proud history of 
human evolution, the changes in health wear, our prosperity, and 
our aim, as a society, to maximize human welfare.