How to Make a Nurse Costume

Co-authored by Hannah Madden

Last Updated: October 21, 2021 References

Halloween is a fun holiday where you get to dress up as whatever you want. A nurse’s costume is a great way to pay homage to a difficult profession while still looking great. To make your own nurse costume, get a white dress with a collar, add crosses to it to signify first aid, and make a nurse’s cap out of paper to look great in your costume.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Making the Dress

1
Use a white dress with a collar as your base. Traditional nurse uniforms used a basic white dress as their base. Find a white dress with a small collar that hits you just above your knees. Ideally your dress or shirt should have capped sleeves, but it can also have basic T-shirt sleeves.^{[1]
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- You can find cheap white dresses at most thrift stores.
- Choose a short, low cut dress to create a sexy nurse costume.
- Splatter your white dress in fake blood to become a zombie nurse.
2
Add red satin ribbon to the bottom hem with hot glue. Purchase some red satin ribbon that is about ¹⁄₂ in (1.3 cm) thick. Cut 1 piece of ribbon for the front of your dress and 1 piece of ribbon for the back. Lay the ribbon onto your skirt and place pea-sized dots of hot glue 1 in (2.5 cm) apart to stick the ribbon to your dress.^{[2]
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- You can find red satin ribbon at most craft supply stores.
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3
Glue red satin ribbon onto the sleeves of your dress. Use the same ribbon that you put on the bottom of your dress. Cut pieces that wrap around the bottoms of the sleeves of your dress. Lay the ribbon on the ends of your sleeves and apply pea-sized dot of glue every 1 in (2.5 cm). Allow the glue to dry before putting on your dress.^{[3]
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Warning: Do not put your dress in the dryer once it has hot glue on it. The dryer could reactivate the hot glue and create a mess.
4
Cut 1 large and 1 small circle out of a scrap of white fabric. Use a permanent marker to draw 1 1 in (2.5 cm) circle and 1 ¹⁄₂ in (1.3 cm) circle. Use the bottom of a cup or glass to trace a perfect circle if you need to. Use sharp scissors to cut out your circles.^{[4]
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- You can find small amounts of fabric in the bargain section of most fabric or craft supply stores.
5
Draw the outline of a cross in the center of each circle. Use a permanent marker to draw a cross inside both of the circles. Make sure the cross is mostly centered. Keep the cross in the center of the circle, and don’t let the cross touch the edges of the circle.^{[5]
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- White crosses signify first aid and nursing. These are the most iconic part of the nurse’s costume.
6
Fill in the outer part of the circles with red acrylic paint. Use a small paint brush to dab acrylic paint into the circle around the cross. Leave the cross white. Put on a thin layer of acrylic paint so that it dries quickly.^{[6]
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- You can find acrylic paint at most craft stores.
7
Glue or safety pin the circles onto the chest and left sleeve of your dress. There are a few different places where you can put your crosses, but the most common areas are on 1 side of your chest and on your left sleeve. Use a safety pin or a hot glue gun to attach the large circle onto your chest and the smaller one onto your sleeve.^{[7]
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- If it’s cold out when you wear your nurse’s costume, throw on some white tights underneath of your dress.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Creating a Nurse’s Cap

1
Make a 1 in (2.5 cm) fold at the bottom of a white piece of paper. Set a standard white sheet of paper onto a flat surface. Fold one of the longer sides up and onto itself so it creates a 1 in (2.5 cm) fold. Press down on the fold so that it holds by itself.^{[8]
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2
Draw 2 blue lines across the fold. Use a blue marker to create 2 thin lines along the length of your fold. Start from the left side of the fold and draw a straight line across the top of the fold. Make another blue line underneath it toward the bottom of your fold.^{[9]
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Tip: Use a ruler to make sure your lines are straight.
3
Use a red pen to draw a cross above the fold. Embellish your nurse’s cap by drawing a small, ¹⁄₂ in (1.3 cm) cross right above the fold that you made. Make sure the cross is centered so that it looks symmetrical on your head.^{[10]
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- The red cross will match the crosses already on your dress.
4
Flip the paper over and fold the straight portions together in the middle. Set the paper down on the table with the folded part facing down. Grab the edges of the paper on the top and fold them in toward each other so that they are touching.^{[11]
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- This will create a cone of paper at the back of your cap.
5
Tape the pieces of paper together in the center. Use 1 or 2 pieces of clear tape to connect the folds of paper at the back of your hat. Keep the cone shape so that the paper creates an area for your head to sit in.^{[12]
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- Place some pieces of tape on the back of the cone of paper for extra hold.
6
Fold the top of the cone down to make a straight edge and tape it down. Grab the pointed part of the paper that is sticking up at the top. Fold it downward to create a straight line at the top of your cap. Use a piece of clear tape to stick down the fold so it stays in place.^{[13]
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- Splatter your nurse’s cap in fake blood if you are going for a scary costume.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Adding Accessories

1
Drape a stethoscope around your neck for added authenticity. Nurses often wear stethoscopes to check a patient’s heartbeat. To make your nurse costume more realistic, add a stethoscope around your neck. You can even use it to listen to people’s heart beats throughout the night.^{[14]
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- You can find used stethoscopes at most thrift stores.
2
Put on white tights or stockings to stay warm. If you are wearing your costume on a cold day, keep your legs warm with some white tights or stockings. Make sure they are plain white without any added embellishments to match your costume.^{[15]
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- If you want to make your costume more sexy, wear some white fishnet stockings.
3
Wear white heels or sneakers for authentic footwear. Most nurses today wear comfortable shoes that they can walk around in. To complete your costume, throw on some white sneakers to stay comfortable. Or, put on a pair of white heels to make your costume more sexy.^{[16]
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4
Add a bold red lip to match your costume. Since the accents on your costume are already red, you can play into that by matching your lipstick with the rest of your outfit. Use a bright red lip color that goes well with your costume. Take your lipstick with you in case you need to reapply throughout the night.^{[17]
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- If you are a scary or zombie nurse, smudge your lipstick so that it doesn’t look perfect.
Tip: Keep the rest of your makeup subtle so that the red lip stands out.