| Nurses play such an important part in our lives | | | | became known about health and disease, medicine |
| that it is hard to believe that nursing as a | | | | became more specialized. Some nurses worked |
| profession has been around for less than two | | | | with private physicians. Some worked for services |
| hundred years. Medical care was once the domain | | | | that provided in-home care. More hospitals were |
| of religious orders that felt a responsibility to look | | | | built, and nurses became the primary caregivers |
| after the poor and injured as part of their | | | | for the ill and took care of a lot of hospital |
| devotions. There were women called nurses, but | | | | administration. Sick people could take confidence |
| they were mostly involved in the care of young | | | | from the professional women in their crisp white |
| children and mothers. It was only in the 1800s | | | | outfits and sensible shoes. How envious those |
| that nursing as we know it today was created. | | | | women would be of today's comfortable nursing |
| War is a horrible thing from which wonderful | | | | clog shoes which do not require daily polishing. |
| things can come. The Crimean War gave us | | | | There are a lot of specialized nurses today who |
| professional nursing in the form of Florence | | | | work in only one or two fields, but most nurses |
| Nightingale. Nightingale gave up a comfortable | | | | still work in general practice. They have the same |
| upper-class life to care for the sick and poor. The | | | | passion for people and desire to provide the best |
| condition of soldiers shipped home from Crimea | | | | care for their patients that earlier nurses had, but |
| inspired her to travel there with a small group of | | | | they look a lot different. While most nurses |
| nurses she had trained. Her experiences there | | | | around the world still wear a variation of the old |
| taught her a lot about the importance of diet and | | | | style uniform, nurses in the United States have |
| sanitation in the care of the sick. She returned to | | | | realized how impractical that outfit is. White |
| England, and in 1860 founded the first school | | | | clothing is hard to keep clean and creates eye |
| dedicated to nursing. It was one of her students | | | | strain under the bright lights of an operating room. |
| that developed the distinctive nursing uniform. | | | | Scrubs were developed as a cheap, easy to clean |
| Since nursing had once been done mostly by | | | | option for operating rooms. These qualities made |
| nuns, the uniform was a variation of the nun's | | | | scrubs the perfect clothing for every day wear. |
| habit and consisted of a white dress, pinafore | | | | Today's nurses will probably be dressed in colorful |
| apron, and a white cap. | | | | scrub jackets that allow them to express |
| In the 20th century, nursing became a popular | | | | themselves while still being professional. Nurses |
| profession and regulation began. Laws were | | | | can focus solely on their patients and not have to |
| passed requiring nurses to be certified. As more | | | | worry so much about the state of their clothing. |