The first nurse uniforms were derived from the nun's habit. Before the 19th century, nuns took care of ill people and the link with the uniform is made. One of Florence Nightingale's first students (Miss VanRensselaer) designed the original uniform for the students at Miss Nightingale's school of nursing. Before the 1940s minor changes occurred in the uniform. The clothing consisted of a blue outfit. Hospitals were free to determine the style of the nurse uniform, including the nurse's cap which exists in many variants.

In Britain, the national uniform (or simply national) is designed with the advent of National Health Care, and the Newcastle dress. From the 1960s open necks begin to appear. In the 1970s, white disposable paper caps replace cotton ones; in the 1980s, plastic aprons displace the traditional ones and outerwear begins to disappear. From the 1990s, scrubs become popular in Britain, having first appeared in the USA; however, a majority of nurses in Britain continue to wear dresses, as in many other countries