Nurses’ badges have changed dramatically over the years—evolving from ornate gold-and-enamel pins to the simple plastic identification cards used today.
It was common place to see nurses in hospitals wearing brass and enamel badges, not something you see much in modern hospitals today. Badges were used to fasten stiffly starched detachable collars to their uniforms, or pinned on the soft collars of uniforms that they wore in other hospitals, thus identifying themselves as a nurse from the Royal Adelaide Hospital, TQEH, Hampstead. Take a look at nurses badges through the years at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
The Gold Medal badge would be awarded to the nursing students who displayed best academic achievement during their studies. Named the “GE Tanner Gold Medal” after former Matron, Gladys Evelyn Tanner (Matron from 1958 – 1982).
As well as the general TQH badge there were also badges for the majority of departments. Each was worn by staff to identify the department in which they worked. The badges were made by Olson’s of Adelaide.
Nurses often wore multiple badges at a given time as they could work in a variety of departments. Generally a nurse would wear their general badge or their graduate badge along with their departmental badge.
Over time these were phased out and nurses were no longer seen wearing ornamental badges. In the modern hospital setting the only way to distinguish between nursing departments are the nurses personal identification card.
If you want to know more about nursing at TQEH take a look at https://healthmuseumsa.org.au/2022/03/photographs-of-tqeh-trainee-nurses
Written by Kellie Branson
