A response to my last blog from Dabbymac reminded me about our introduction to the uniforms we were issued. They were very similar to what she described that her sister wore at her school of nursing in 1953. I started in 1958 and the only difference I noted was that we were not issued capes. We didn't need to go outside in the cold weather because of the underground tunnel that connect our Residence to the hospital.
What do I remember most about our uniforms? I should say how proud I was to wear the uniform, but that would not be at the top of my list. It wouldn’t be the design of the uniform either. The blue and white checkered dress with removable buttons from top to bottom, and the white starched bib and apron, were not exactly high fashion. The pricked fingers from the safety pins that we needed to use to hold our uniforms together are still a vivid memory. The starched bib needed to have a pleat on each side, and then pinned to the starched apron. Getting a safety pin through three layers of starched cotton was a challenge at first until someone suggested that we stick the pin in a bar of soap before attempting to work on the uniform.
Then there was the cap. When delivered with our uniform, it was a flat piece of starched material, accompanied by a sheet of instructions on how to fold it. We also needed to use long hat pins to “construct” our starched nurse’s cap, and a piece of cardboard of a prescribed size to guide the folding of the cap. We soon learned to do it as instructed, or our house mother would give us an on-the-spot instruction lesson before letting us go to class. She would also make sure that the seam on our white stockings was straight up the back of our legs, and that our white lace-up shoes were well polished.
By the time we were ready to go to work in the hospital, we all knew what was expected.
On a positive note, we would shed the bib and apron after work and lounge in our checkered dress in the private areas of the residence. It sure saved on the amount of personal laundry we needed to do. The hospital supplied us with a denim laundry bag for our uniforms, and all we needed to do was remember to send the bag down the laundry chute on our designated day.
Tags: Uniforms Style
