I'm a retired nurse and felt the same when we stopped using caps. It was a big deal, that capping ceremony - it was hard work and it was something to achieve after the first year. The second year we got our stripe and when we graduated we got our pin in another ceremony. It's true about knowing what school or college you went to by what cap they wore. When i first graduated, you couldn't wear pantsuits and were sent home to change into a 'proper' uniform.