An article in the on-line edition of the Manila Standard caught my eye. The headline said “Puno restricts use of nurse’s uniform.” I laud his directive to restrict the use of the white nursing uniform to professional health care workers only.
I’ve seen how the white uniform has been debased by being worn by waitresses and club attendants in skimpier reincarnations as an obvious ploy of the business owners to lure customers. I have nothing against women engage in those professions or businesses trying to turn a hefty profit but I have doggedly suffered and toiled through three (3) years of nursing school to earn the privilege of wearing white. I did not went through hell just to see our identity corrupted for the sake of money.
The white uniform is more than a piece of clothing. It symbolizes pride, dignity, authority, and professionalism. It separates nurses from the rest of humanity as those willing and able to care of the sick and dying. I believe that it should only be donned with honor and respect in service for others.
