St. David’s staff celebrate history of nursing with vintage uniforms

St. David’s staff celebrate history of nursing with vintage uniforms

By Community Impact Newspaper Staff Thursday, 07 May 2009

On Wednesday, May 6, nurses at St. David’s South Austin Hospital, 901 West Ben White Blvd, recognized National Nurses Week by wearing vintage white nursing caps and uniforms.

National Nurses Week is celebrated each year from May 6 through May 12 — the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of nursing as a modern profession. St. David’s South Austin Hospital also honored its Registered Nurse (RN) and Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) of the year.

“Nursing today is quite different from its early foundations — not so much in mission, but definitely in manner,” Sally Gillam, Chief Nursing Officer at St. David’s South Austin Hospital, said. “Today we work in one of the most highly sophisticated professions available. Patients entrust the coordination of their plan of care as well as receive direct care from highly educated nurses.”

For the second consecutive year, nurses at St. David’s South Austin Hospital will wear white uniforms and nurses’ caps on the first day of National Nurses Week to address historic nursing traditions. For example, black stripes on traditional nurses’ caps were once reserved solely for Registered Nurses.

“Our profession is one with a long history,” Gillam said. “In looking back at the heritage of the nursing profession, we can better understand the demands of modern-day nursing.”