A Social History of the Nurse's Uniform 1892-1990
The Victoria General School of Nursing
"Achievements of this institution over the past century derived from the human agency of men and women who both served or were served by the Hospital itself"
-C. Howell, A Century of Care: A History of the Victoria General Hospital in Halifax 1887-1987, p.7
As Hospitals changed from charitable institutions to publicly run hospitals, they wished to present a crisp clean image to their patients with the help of the uniform.
The period from 1910 from 1939 was one of significant growth and maturation for the V.G. Medical specialization, departmentalization, expansion of the hospital, growing emphasis on medical education created more modern institution.
Professional Development
Nurse's professional development was partly dependent on it's growing and changing identity. Pioneered by women in nursing, professional standardization began in 1909 with the Graduate Nurses Association which became the Registered Nurses Association of Nova Scotia. With increased leadership came more uniform changes based on the needs and requests of nurses.
- The Chronicle Herald, 1942
"The nurse uniform was neither a romantic idea or functional attire, but a powerful catalyst for gaining acceptance of modern nursing as a reputable occupation for quietly revolutionizing women's status"
-Irene Poplin, "Nursing Uniforms: Romantic Idea, Functional Attire, or Instrument of Social Change?"
Trousers replaced skirts, as the norm for nursing uniforms in the 1970s, in part due to the growing women's liberation movement.