Upon completing her training probation
period lasting approximately three months, the student nurse, or
"probie" participated in a "capping" ceremony, where she received
her first cap. At the Hamilton and District Regional School of Nursing,
for example, probies were given a cap with a white band
(1999.267.35). The
ceremony promoted school loyalty and pride and inspired students to
persevere through the rigours of training ahead. Part of the ritual
was a vow to behave ethically and honour her profession. An
indication of the solemnity of the capping ceremony can be gleaned
from a speech given at the 1945 capping
ceremony at the Memorial Hospital, St. Thomas, Ontario. A copy of the
speech was given to each "probie" along with her cap.
Wearing the cap was a privilege, and a nurse in training could have
her cap revoked if she trangressed school rules. For example, when
one Vancouver General Hospital student was caught smoking in her
room, she lost her cap for six months.
By the 1950s, nursing educators began to believe that using the cap
to discipline or differentiate nurses was bad for morale, and the
capping ceremony of the probationer was eliminated.
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