Why do nurses wear nursing badge?

Nurses wear badges so as to be identified by individuals such as the patients, other health officials or workers as well as the normal public

Nurses wear badges awarded by their training school at the end of their training when qualified in the UK. They were also awarded the statuatary badge by the awarding body of the relevant country. These would be SRN (State Registered Nurse fror general nursing), RMN ( Registered Mental Nurse for psychiatric nursing), RSCN ( Registered Sick Childrens nurse), RNMH/ RNMS ( Registered Nurse in mental handicap/ subnormality - this was changed over the years), RFN ( Registered Fever Nurse). There were also 2 year courses where the students were known as pupil nurses and they undertook a more practical course, they were awarded SEAN (State Enrolled Assistant Nurse) this then became the SEN (State Enrolled Nurse)This was the General Nursing Council. Individual specialist organisations also set the training ,exams and awarded badges to successful students - eg OND ( Opthalmic Nursing Diploma for eye training), ONC (orthopaedic nursing certificate for orthopaedic training ) BTA (British Tuberculosis Award) In the 1990's SEN's were offered the chance to become fully Registered Nurses by undertaking a 1 year Conversion Course. SRN traing became RGN ( registered General Nurse) then Level 1 nurse. And SEN's became Enrolled Nurses then Level 2 nurses This was superseded by the Nursing and Midwifery Council several years ago and nurse training moved from Schools of Nursing within hospitals to Universities and badges were no longer given and nursing students were no longer part of hospital staff but received practical training placements within a variety of settings. Some hospitals also used to award silver belt buckles to indicate that the nurses had trained in that hospital.