The History of White Nursing Scrubs

Why We Wear White:
The History of White Medical Scrubs

The color white implies cleanliness, purity, truth and dedication. To better understand why white is so associated with nursing, please take a brief look into the history of nursing.

The History of Nursing

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a nurse as "a person who cares for the sick or infirm." Here at Scrubs-Max.com, we feel that a nurse is much more than just a caregiver. We agree with Florence Nightingale that:

"Nursing is an art: and if it is to be made an art, it requires an exclusive devotion as hard a preparation, as any painter's or sculptor's work; for what is the having to do with dead canvas or dead marble, compared with having to do with the living body, the temple of God's spirit? It is one of the Fine Arts: I had almost said, the finest of Fine Arts."

The Great Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale is considered to be the founder of modern nursing. During the Crimean War, Nightingale and about forty volunteer nurses valiantly cared for the sick and wounded in the face of adversity and war all around them. She worked to educate people on the importance of sanitation. Nightingale also founded what is now known as the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery, where she trained tough nurses who could care for the sick in any situation. This strong-willed woman wrote a book titled "Notes on Nursing" to educate all people on cleanliness and health. Throughout her life, Nightingale worked to make great advancements in the nursing profession and without her, nurses would not be held in the high regard they are today.

White Nursing Scrubs

The image of a nurse in white nursing scrubs wearing a white short sleeve top, long skirt, and white hat has become the iconic image of a nurse. Today, it is usually acceptable for a nurse to wear a multi-colored scrub top and pants, but many nurses still enjoy honoring their past nurses from generations ago by donning white nursing scrubs. Just like nursing, the white nursing uniform also has a long history. Here are some of the reasons why we wear white.

• - The color white implies sterilization and cleanliness, two must haves in any medical facility. White also symbolizes truth and is known to have a calming quality.
• - The first nurses were nuns, and you'll notice that early nursing uniforms look similar to a nun's habit.
• - Florence Nightingale felt that nurses should wear uniforms to represent their dedication and also to identify which nursing school they went to. Although the uniforms were white, the style was different for each school.
• - During WWI, the American Red Cross nurses and U.S. Army and Navy nurses wore the same uniform. The uniforms had to stand out, hence their white color, but also be functional.

Honor past nurses by wearing white! Browse our stylish and comfortable white nursing scrubs here! Feel free to contact us with any comments or questions you may have!