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Popular Fancy Scrub Blog Posts
Staying Fresh, Fit, and Fierce in the Nursing ProfessionNurses are you required by your employer to get a flu vaccine? Is it mandatory for your job?
What's Your Scrub Hat Style?
A Nursing Scrub Quilt - Could You Make One Yourself?
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Walk For The Huntington Disease Cure!Join Fancy Scrubs on June 2nd for the local 5th annual Rhode Island Affiliate walk-a-thon. This beautiful 3 mile walk is along the Narragansett Bay in Colt State Park. Or contribute to our fundraising page and collect pledges from family, friends, and others and help us get closer to a cure to Huntington's disease. If you are local please enjoy a fun day with refreshments, raffle, music, and children's entertainment with us.
There is no known cure for this disease that in the United States, about 1 in every 30,000 people has Huntington's disease. The disease is a brain disorder that affects a person's ability to think, talk, and move. Some people may lose 25% of their brain cells before they die from this uncurable disease. Huntington's disease is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern. Everyone who inherits the faulty gene will eventually get the disease. A parent with a mutation in the HD gene has a 50/50 chance of passing on the disease to their children.
Symptoms May include:- Behavioral disturbances
- Hallucinations
- Irritability
- Moodiness
- Restlessness or fidgeting
- Paranoia Psychosis
- Facial movements, including grimaces
- Head turning to shift eye position
- Quick, sudden, sometimes wild jerking movements of the arms, legs, face, and other body parts Slow, uncontrolled movements
- Unsteady gait
- Dementia that slowly gets worse, including: Disorientation or confusion
- Loss of judgment
- Loss of memory
- Personality changes
- Speech changes
- Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease: Anxiety, stress, and tension Difficulty swallowing
- Speech impairment Symptoms in children include rigidity slow movements and tremors
So join us June 2nd to help raise money to fight this disease
or donate here to the cause.
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See Why Other Nurses Now Are Getting The Wink!
We got the Wink too at Fancy Scrubs.com. We are so excited to have the WonderWink nursing uniform brand here. We celebrated our 2nd Anniversary on April 29 and launched a line to better serve you. These scrubs come with size charts on every product as well as a sketch of the back view. We have better inventory control too with this new brand of medical uniforms.
They have ladies sizes and unisex sizing. Men's coming soon too. They have the cutest prints and very bright fashionable colors to choose from.
Did we also mention how affordable these adorable nursing scrubs cost? They start at just $12.99 and as always we offer FREE SHIPPING on orders of $59 or more.
We'd love to know if you'll get the Wink too. -
Enter today for your chance to win Free Jockey Scrubs from Jockey
during Nurses Week May 6-12.
"The most comfortable scrubs you'll ever wear"
New summer styles coming soon including new summer prints! Fashionable scrubs in the sun....
Our Jockey fit mirrors today's fashions-closer to your body. Yet the Jockey jersey knit's stretch and the tri-blend twill's spandex allow more movement for absolute comfort for you. The Tri-Blend is wrinkle-resistance which means near-effortless care for today's busy medical professionals like yourself. This fabric's two-way stretch with soft, cling-free drape also means comfort - to the max.
Enter to win your Free Jockey Scrubs
at www.Most-Comfortable-Scrubs.com today!
Visit our Jockey page to see more styles and stock today. -
April - Austism Month
April is Autism Awareness Month. 1 in 88 kids now have an autism-like disorder in the United States alone according to recent government statistics. The reasons for this largely remain a puzzle to public health officials.
What are some of the signs to look for in autism?- If a child does not coo by at the age of 18 months old
- If a child does not gesture or point to things by 12 months old
- If a child has a loss of language or social skills at any age
- If a child does not say a single word by 16 months old
- If a child does not say 2 word phrases on their own by 24 months old
There are many more symptoms possible like a child not responding to their name or explain what they want. They do not point to things or know how to wave goodbye. They do not have eye contact or smile when being smiled at. Doctors should evaluate babies at every well visit for any sign to be present. If a doctor sees any signs he can send the child to a specialist and if confirmed start early intervention as soon as possible.
We at FancyScrubs.com are offering 10% off our Autism Puzzle Clogs and 10% of the sales will go the Doug Flutie Jr Fund that helps families along the way with Autism.
So show your suport today to those families with autism in these puzzle one step at a time clogs today in adult and children sizes. They are made in Sweden with genuine leather uppers and are orthopedic - great for wearing long hours when on your feet.
Why do you think there are many more kids with austism-like disorders now than ever before? Do you think it's the environment, vaccines or other factors? -
Eighty Percent is Service!
Do you ever wonder why you go to a particular restaurant, grocery story or a department store? Let’s talk for a second about your favorite restaurant. Why do you go there? The food is good, the location is convenient but most of all you enjoy the service when you are there. A good waiter/waitress will provide you with outstanding service in order to increase his or her income through what you will tip. You could go to the nicest restaurant in your town and have to wait an hour for a table with no one approaching you or making you feel comfortable. A smart restauranteur is in the front of the house shaking hands, getting to know his customers who are waiting, perhaps even serving appetizers while you are waiting.
Any brick and mortar establishment, whether a department store or grocery store, should have knowledgeable people on their floor to direct you to the product or service that are you are looking for. There is no greater frustration than walking around aimlessly in a store not finding what you are looking for. I have had personal experience actually having to ask a customer in a grocery store if they shop here often and if they knew where a particular product is. There was no one representing the grocery store to be found.
There is actually a local chain here in Rhode Island that sells everything from tires to toys and as part of their advertisements they have a customer walking through the aisles saying “Hello, Hello Can I Get Some Help?” This chain always has representation on the floor to help you find what you are looking for at all times.
As president of FancyScrubs.com I will personally make the calls 7 days per week in order to inform you about out of stocks or to even thank you for your purchase. We are a small company that realizes that customer service is a more like 95% of what we do. If you ever have a question or can’t find something, feel free to contact us anytime 7 days a week via email or with a phone call.
For example Raenetta called us to see if we could overnight a set of scrubs for her granddaughter.
We had to contact our suppliers and low and behold we were able to do it at an additional charge for the overnight. You can read her testimonial here: -
Shhh…Female Nurses – Are You in “Menstrual Synchrony”
with Your Co-Workers?
We have heard this phenomenon over the years that women who live together or work together tend to get their periods around the same time each month. After working near each other for almost a year their periods seem to synchronize to those they work the closest with. This happened again recently with Lisa and we had to explore the topic more.
This phenomenon all started with Martha McClintock. In a paper published in Nature in 1971 she found that “social interaction” in a college dormitory setting could have a strong effect on the menstrual cycle. It took 4-7 months of living together for their periods to synchronize. A follow-up study in 1998 tended to support the hypothesis that pheromones were involved: smelling armpit secretions of other women could either lengthen or shorten cycles depending on what part of her cycle the donor was in. Does this mean women smell each other’s armpits?
The chemical signals (scents) are called Pheromones – They are airborne chemical signals that are released by an individual into the environment and which affect the physiology or behavior of other members of the same species. It was unclear if these were present in humans. By showing in a fully controlled experiment (in 1998) that the timing of ovulation can be manipulated, this study provides definitive evidence of human pheromones. The existence of human pheromones has been controversial.
Pheromones are chemical signals released by one individual that affect the behavior of another individual of the same species. They can be useful for alarms, food trails, sex attractants, and other purposes. They have been well documented in insects and even in plants. In one memorable demonstration, a drop of oleic acid was all it took to persuade other ants that a live ant was dead; they dragged it back to the trash heap over and over, ignoring the fact that it kept protesting its trips to the ant graveyard by vigorously kicking, and that it kept “coming back from the dead.”
There have been other studies in China and Poland that did not find the Menstrual Synchrony to pan out. Does this mean it does not exist? Or does it mean it only does sometimes?
Back in the cave man times women menstruated at the same time as it was common for men to take multiple mates and efficient reproduction was essential to the survival of the species. This assumes that women in their brief monthly phase of peak fertility gave off some pheromonic signal that drove men wild. If his wives were on different cycles, he had a good chance of picking the wrong one when his nose tells him it's time to go into action, thus wasting precious bodily fluids. But if the women were all menstrually synchronized, he COULDN'T pick wrong — they were ALL fertile.
Do our biological clocks still work with this theory in mind?
Nurses, we would love your take on the Menstrual Synchrony either by your own life experience or your schooling to become a nurse. Please leave us a comment here on it! -
Staying Fresh, Fit, and Fierce in the Nursing Profession
An honorable profession. Nursing. From the LVN to the RN and BSN, all the way to nurse practitioner, the men and women who serve patients in a hospital setting represent those with the most contact with them. Because of this, they have the best opportunity to positively impact the lives of the frightened, ill, hurting, and dying in the health care environment.
Those who naturally give of themselves, rarely give to themselves. But to stay on your game in the nursing profession, you've got to get a little ‘me time’. You can't truly, competently serve others if you feel worn out, tepid, and soft. Help yourself to elevate your ability to help others. This goal of creating a regular routine of 'me time' may prove especially challenging if you work as a shift nurse.
But you, your patients, and your family, deserve the best. Be that – for you and for those you love.
Get Your Fresh On
What does fresh mean in relation to nursing? Fresh means keeping a curious, agile mind – one that's ready to consume and learn new information – all the time. Check out these tips about getting your fresh on and staying at the top of your mental game:
• Get the daily Sudoku or crossword puzzle out of the newspaper. Brainteasers like these really do keep your brain fit and fresh.
• Start a blog. Use one of the free platforms, such as Wordpress or Blogger. You can research for your next post, answer comments, and visit other blog sites during breaks and downtime (you know, like at 3:00 am at a hospital in some suburb or 10:00 am in the less desirable parts of town)
• Stay up to date on current events – worldwide. It's important to know about milestones and happenings in the outside world. You can discuss these with co-workers, doctors, or even your shift supervisor on your break or other appropriate times. It never hurts to schmooze with the big dogs once in a while (raises, promotions, recognition)
• Check out medical and nursing journals in those boring, sluggish downtimes. As long as you stay alert and at the ready when duty calls, others can't say much about your boning up on the latest health care news and information.
Get Fit and Fabulous
The long shifts, the same-ol'-same-ol', and the intermittent periods of high tension – all of these things wear away at your resolve to follow a regular exercise routine. By the time your shift ends, you're bone tired. Who wants to go to the gym and work out for an hour or more? Think about this quote by the famous anonymous, “No matter how slow you go, you're still lapping everybody on the couch.” In other words, any physical activity you do is better than sitting around wishing you had the energy to move.
• Put some pep in your step when you need to take a long trek around the hospital. Turn those boring, arduous hikes into vigorous, calorie burning activities.
• Many larger hospital and health care facilities now have wellness centers with exercise equipment and Pilates or other classes. Take full advantage of these, sneaking in a butt burner or two during breaks, at lunch, or directly before and after your shift.
• Invest in a relaxing yoga DVD to use after work. Not only does yoga relax and center the body and mind, it's a great way to get in shape if you've been out of the fitness game for a while.
• Check out Crossfit – the new fast and furious fitness craze. After just a couple of training sessions, or following a DVD, you'll have the know-how to Crossfit all on your own at home or the park. It's inexpensive, effective, and you can do a whole workout in 30 minutes or less.
• Please people, eat breakfast – a real breakfast – not a doughnut or a cheese Danish. You had the class. You know what's right. Do it.
Get Fierce About Your Work
You chose to become a nurse for a reason. Get involved. Stay involved. Evolve. Learn new ways to think about what you do and share this with other fresh, fit, and fierce nurses.
• Get involved in forming health care policy at a local, state, and national level. Many opportunities exist for think tanks and focus groups that take part in creating relevant and meaningful health care policy.
• When things seem really bad, remember what you signed up for – to make a difference. Don't lose sight of the fact that you are making a real difference in the lives of those who can't help themselves.
• Check out and get to know nurses and doctors from other departments. You may see an opportunity for a shift switch or for a lateral career move to shake things up a bit.
• Befriend and talk to EMS staff. Listen to their war stories about the outside. Not only will this help them get a load off, you'll get a glimpse into another facet of medicine and health care.
• Do your very best while you're on your shift. Deep dive into your work – give it all you've got. Don't count down minutes to your next break or days until the next vacation. This will eat away at your ability to enjoy what you came there for and make a true difference.
Get out there. Stay fresh, fit, and fierce in the nursing profession to do the same outside of it. Give to others like there's no tomorrow – but don't forget to build the foundation and care for the vessel that houses your best nursing game.
About the author:
Samantha Gluck works as a freelance health care journalist, copywriter, and brand-positioning strategist. Numerous well-known newspapers and magazines across the US and UK, including the Houston Chronicle, Hartford Courant, and Balanced Living Magazine -- as well as various regional publications -- have published her work. Learn more about her and her work by visiting her sites: Medtopicwriter and Freelance Writing Dreams. -
Nurses are you required by your employer to get a flu vaccine?Is it mandatory for your job?We were reading that Health Officials in Colorado State want all their hospital and nursing home employees to be vaccinated with no religious or personal exemptions. They state that patient safety outweighs personal choice. Should it be a law that a healthcare worker be vaccinated?
According to the CDC’s August report there were than a third of U.S. health care employees that did not get vaccinated last flu season. Research shows that the staffs that are not vaccinated have a decent chance of getting the flu and passing that infection on to at-risk patients. They could pass the flu to dozens of patients. The flu kills thousands of people each year in the United States.Why do so many nurses and healthcare workers not get vaccinated? What do they know? Is it because of the limited risks involved or that they don’t believe it is effective enough? About 13% of healthcare workers are mandatorily required to get vaccinated. But is that the way to go in this free country of ours to make it mandatory?Some hospitals require those that don’t get vaccinated to wear surgical masks throughout the flu season and even if they don’t work directly with patients. The mask policy, for example, did increase the uptake of the vaccine from 70 to 96 percent at one Massachusetts hospital, The Boston Globe reported in 2011. Would you want to be forced to wear a surgical mask if you did not believe in getting the vaccine?We would love to know if you are required to get vaccinated where you work or not. -
What's Your Scrub Hat Style?Surgical scrub hats started to be worn back in the 1940's when healthcare workers focused on hygiene. They wore these scrub hats to protect patients from contaminants in their hair. In the 1970's doctors and nurses began to personalize their surgical scrub hats with their own designs and patterns. Today they are fashionable and still protect their patients from their contaminants.
Patients may feel more comfortable with their doctors and nurses when they see a pattern they can relate to. Love cats? Wear a scrub hat with a cat pattern and your patients with cats will feel better and may talk about their cat to you.We now offer several different styles of scrub hats for your collection. They are made with 100% cotton and come in several differences styles and many patterns to choose from. We have the tie back style if you have long hair.Want to look real stylish? We have a french bouffant style with 18 prints to choose from.
This one comes in a heart print, coffee print, shopping print and more fun prints!We also have the skull scrub hat for men - easy to put on and stays on throughout a long shift - made with 100% cotton.
And of course we still have our soft poplin blend scrub hats made by Gel Scrubs and the Collegiate line of scrub hats to cheer on your favorite NCCA team or your alma mater. These Gelscrub hats can also be embroidered.What does your scrub hat say about your personality? -
A Nursing Scrub QuiltWe recently read about a woman who worked in a healthcare for many years and was inspired during her health challenges to ask the staff at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center for old scrubs so she could turn them into quilts for the needy. That made us wonder - has any other medical professionals turned their old scrubs into a colorful quilt?
There are so many patterns and prints to choose from. How would you go about choosing? If you collected Tooniforms you could use them for your quilt. Another popular print choice is animals. There are many cute dog prints as well as cat prints. You could also make a holiday quilt from the holiday print collection of scrubs with Christmas trees or Valentine's Day heart prints.What a great way to help the needy and recycle your old nursing scrubs!Would you or someone you know make quilts? -
Have You Been to Fancy Scrubs.com Lately?Have you been to our website lately and seen all the changes and improvements? We have been working hard these past few weeks to improve our website and offer you, our customers, a better experience as you shop for your medical scrubs and clogs.We are now an affiliate for Crocs and Dansko. What does this mean to you? You can have one stop shopping here at Fancy Scrubs.com - We also can offer you their latest specials and more great selections of clogs and medical shoes.
Free Shipping Day - December 16, 2011. We are again participating in the FREE SHIPPING Day December 16 on all items except our affiliates and New Balance Scrubs and Gelscrubs.(Both New Balance and Gelscrubs could not ensure delivery by December 24th.You must order these brands by December 9th.)
We now offer a Wish List - if you would like someone to purchase scrubs for you or if you want to put a wish list together for you for a future date, that feature is now available! Instead of adding a product to the shopping cart you can select wish list.
Stress Free Nursing - We are now featuring Joyce Harrell, RN, OCN with her own page and community for nurses.
~ As A Health and Wellness Coach, Nurse, Low Glycemic Educator, Vision Board Coach, and Former Over Stressed & Burned out Nurse: Joyce Harrell, invites you to powerfully and confidently take a step forward to take control over your stress and and be empowered to gain control of your health and wellness – body, mind, and spirit ~Inventory - We are working closely with our suppliers to keep up on the latest inventory. If there is something that you order and is no longer in stock, we will email you within 12 hours and may follow up with a phone call if we don't hear back. We also update the website daily and if there are just a few left you'll now see that too on the product.Please let us know how we are doing with a comment here or give us a product review of a recent scrub or clog purchase. -
Our Dentist Dr. John G. Wade loves his dental scrubs that repel fluids.
When I asked if could take his picture in his scrubs this morning after having my teeth cleaned he said "yes and I LOVE these scrubs, they don't fade or stain after months of wear."
Dentists are always at high risk for get blood splattered on them during dental procedures. This splattering can lead to the spread of HIV, Hepatitis and other infectious diseases from patient to dentist.
Vestex™ has a lower adhesion level than untreated scrub fabrics. Fluids run off and other particles are repelled or can simply be rinsed off. Contaminants stay away from your skin. They also contain technology that makes the scrub garments naturally self-cleaning.
Fluids literally bead up and fall off the garment!
Get the best nursing scrubs you can buy today and you'll see why Dr. Wade loves his dental scrubs...
Dr. Wade is on the Top Dentists list in the United States and his office of general dentistry is located in Warwick, Rhode Island.
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How Do You Handle Stress as a Nurse?
By Joyce Harrell, RN, OCN
I thought I would take this time to share my story. I will be a regular writer here, and I wanted you to get to know me, and where I am coming from. I’ve been a nurse over 21 years. Finishing nursing school with three children under the age of 6 was a tremendous undertaking. I was invincible. I thought. After all, with the dream of being a nurse since the age of 14, I knew this was my calling. It still is. I just have a different focus now. I’m focusing on YOU.
As you know it takes a little time to find your niche in nursing. Some know they want to work with babies, or moms in labor. For many you just get in there and work a basic med-surg floor for awhile until you find your path, and then you specialize and certify and some even go into management. Most of us went into nursing to serve and help. “I wanted to help people” is the answer I get most often when I ask nurses why they became nurses.
My experience started out on a medical floor. I then gained experience on an intense ICU/Open Heart recovery unit, then home health. When we moved back to North Carolina, I was briefly a charge nurse on a surgical unit until fate had me in an outpatient oncology unit and I found my niche. I LOVED the outpatient setting and quickly became the manager of the unit, and was ever challenged as this new unit grew, and grew, and grew. Then we added a heart failure department. I thrived in this area. After 6 years in this position I knew I would NEVER leave it. I was in my element. I loved the one on one personal interaction with the patients and their families. I tried to foster a very holistic environment. Then life happened to me.
Within the course of 18 months I experienced major life events. My father died, my oldest son went to Iraq, my husband’s cousin (who was also our next door neighbor) was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer and died 7 months later (I was present when she passed) leaving a husband and 2 young teen children, my father in law passed away unexpectedly, the secretary who had been with me 7 years got a job offer with pay so much more than I could offer her and she left, I hired the wrong person in her place who absolutely was a wrong choice and I let her go 3 months later but not before she did much damage to the schedule and other things too many to mention, my main chemo nurse had a daughter that needed a liver transplant and the week of my daughter’s wedding left on a moment’s notice to fly to Philadelphia for the transplant (I was so happy for her, and it saved her daughter’s life and she is doing GREAT today), my son came home from Iraq and experienced issues from a bomb that went off several feet away from him (still alive though, and I am very thankful for that), my daughter got married, and the gal I fired started harassing me by way of phone and other things. I think that about covers most of it.
I probably needed counseling but was really too stressed to see it. Instead I made a job change. I went back into staffing on an inpatient oncology unit at another hospital. Nights/Weekends. It was at this time I was introduced to essential oils. I wish I would have known about them at the time I was the manager at the cancer center. I may not have left had I known about the oils. Everything happens for a reason though. During my time on the unit, it allowed me to go back to school during the week, and devote time to starting a business. I opened an aromatherapy bar inside a health food store and continued my personal growth and development as well as more business development classes.
Today, I still use essential oils for everything from stress to relaxation, from building my immune system to warding off colds and flu. If you are experiencing stress or overwhelm, I definetly suggest you take advantage of the counseling program your hospital may offer. In addition a few oils I suggest for uplifting you are oils like peppermint, any citrus oil, and many others. There are oils for grounding and relaxation. I use Certified Pure Therapeutic oils only. You can message me for more information on those.
Currently, I am working as a contracted nurse educator and I travel. That contract is ending soon, and I am concentrated on helping nurses like you learn to work through the pain of your stress and to offer support by way of forming group chapters of support. In the upcoming articles I will share with you how to implement wellness and balance into your life. I am now a wellness coach and look forward to helping you find your path to wellness.
Joyce Harrell is a Mom, Wife, Nana, Nurse, Health & Wellness Coach, Low Glycemic Mind-Body Transformation Coach, Author, Certified Vision Board Coach, and Aromatherapist. Her unique talent is to empower self-acceptance and purposeful living utilizing wellness principles, , vision boards, and essential oils. Joyce emphasizes simple principles for individuals who desire to feel better about whom they are as they are empowered to bring positive changes to their emotional and physical selves. In addition to being a Registered Nurse, Joyce has also received training as a wellness coach through Wellcoaches, and The Wellness Inventory coaching programs. She has co-authored the soon to be released book Heart of Success.
In addition to her Health/Wellness coaching business, she has founded the organization Nurses On The Edge, for nurses who are stressed, eat on the run, or are on the edge of burnout in their nursing careers. Her wellness programs can be utilized by individuals, groups, or the workplace. You may contact Joyce at joyce@lowglycemicnurse.com, or get on her mailing list at http://www.lowglycemicnurse.com. Receive your free copy of CPR for the Kitchen Pantry when you opt in for her newsletter. Nurses can sign up for The N.O.T.E. (nurses on the edge) newsletter at http://www.nursesontheedge.com.
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Are you feeling cold in your nursing scrubs?
As the temperatures drop you may be feeling a bit cold in your nursing scrubs. Why not wear a long sleeve tee underneath your scrubs or uniforms?At Fancy Scrubs.com we offer several different brand of these long sleeve tee-shirts made for medical scrubs and uniforms.We carry Vestex, White Swan, Jockey, New Balance and Cherokee.Our premium tee-shirt comes from Vestex - it is a fluid repelling long sleeve t-shirt that protects you from bodily fluids, blood and your coffee too!
So check out our Scrub Tee's today and stay warm as the temperatures begin to drop! -
October - Breast Cancer Awareness Month This October Fancy Scrubs.com is once again giving 10% of sales on any pink items to the Ellie Fund. We have expanded our selection of pink items with our new lines of New Balance, Scrub Ink and Gel since last October. You see them in our Cancer - Awareness page. The Ellie Fund is a non-profit organization that fights Breast Cancer and eases its effects on patients and their families by providing transportation to and from medical appointments, with children, housekeeping, grocery shopping, preparing and delivering prepared meals that are nutritious. They do this FREE of charge to hundreds of women and their families with breast cancer across Massachusetts.
Every 3 minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer.1 out of 7 women will be affected by Breast Cancer.Show your pink in support: There are pink nursing scrubs, pink clogs and even pink clogs for kids! -
Today was the walk for Ovarian Cancer in Providence, Rhode Island and Fancy Scrubs.com participated this year.
Thanks to those who participated and donated!
Picture of our team....
Our totals are not all entered you can visit them here.
We hope to have an even bigger team next year.
There were over 1,000 walkers this year for the event in Providence.
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We now offer more men's medical scrubs than ever before. What makes them so different? Sure you can get unisex scrubs but men's scrubs are a little harder to find.
Here are some ways men's medical scrubs are different:
- The Fit
- The Color Choices
- The Styles - More Masculine
- The Sizing - Larger Shoulders and Longer Lengths
You can also find men's clogs here too. Several brands, styles and colors to choose from just for men.
So check out our men's page today for your medical scrubs and clogs just for men! -
September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and Fancy Scrubs is donating 10% of the their Ovarian Cancer Teal Products to Teal Toes to promote awareness of this silent killer.
You can also purchase 2 pairs of cute Ovarian Butterfly Clogs by Cape Clogs and Get 1 Pair FREE! Team up with someone in your office or hospital to order these for September today.
Learn more about Teal Toes with Lisa's visit with Teal Toes founder here.
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Hospital Infections
How many healthcare providers are dense enough to ignore their colleagues on a national level? I personally came across one in a hospital in RI who would not even accept the recommendations of colleagues from across the country. He just kept eating his pasta salad. Kathleen Sebelius – Secretary of Health and Human Services wants to reduce rehospitalizations by 40% in the next 2 years.
I represent a product line that could reduce rehospitalizations by 55% or even 60% in the next 2 years. My name is Ken Buben and I am the president of a company called Fancy Scrubs.com and I can save lives.
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Nursing Apps – Which Do You Use?
Today the technology of mobile apps on Smartphones is endless and we were curious as to which ones nurses use on a daily basis. These are some we came across as curiosity got to us:
• Symptom Checkers
• Digital Imaging
• Lab Results Review
• Remote Heart Monitoring
• ECG Viewer
• Oxygen Level Remote Check
• MedlinePlus Mobile - Authoritative consumer health information from MedlinePlus.gov in a mobile-optimized Web site that includes summaries for over 800 diseases, conditions and wellness topics as well as the latest health news, an illustrated medical encyclopedia, and information on prescription and over-the-counter medications. It is available via the Web browser of any mobile device.
Apps we would love to see:
• An app to lose weight
• An app to stop a heart attack from progressing
• An app to cure you of the common cold
• An app to stop a headache
• An app to stop you from choking when you are alone
• An app to stop a stroke as it starts
Is there an app that could just make you well?
Please comment here and let us know which apps you use or if there is an app you'd love to see. We would love to know!
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Fancy Scrubs Now Offering Jockey™ Scrubs!
Are you looking for new nursing scrubs and want to try something new but want style and comfort? No need to look any further - Jockey™ scrubs are now here!
Offering a variety of new styles and pretty prints - created especially for you this Fall season. Fresh looks and limitless mix-and-match ability bring even more life to this popular classic collection. Everyday comfort, exceptional fit and performance, and extraordinary style. That's what Jockey™ Scrubs are all about.
The most innovative, comfortable stretch fabrics help put Jockey™ Scrubs in a class all its own - easily moving with the wearer and meeting the day-to-day needs of the modern healthcare professional. Wrinkle-resistance means near-effortless care for today's busy professionals. Who has time to iron? This fabric's two-way stretch with soft, cling-free drape also means comfort - to the max. 
Jockey's fit mirrors today's fashions-closer to the body. Yet the jersey knit's stretch and the tri-blend twill's spandex allow more movement for absolute comfort. So try out a set today and you'll love the comfort and style of Jockey™ Scrubs now at FancyScrubs.com!
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Do you find yourself freezing in the summertime at work?
You think summertime and you think hot until you arrive at work in your office or hospital. And then you began to freeze as the air condtioning runs to keep the heat out of the building. You have on your summer nursing scrubs and are rubbing your arms to keep from freezing. Have you tried a nursing scrub jacket? They are many pretty prints and solid colors now available to keep you from freezing in your air conditioned workplace.
Air condioning can also aggravate arthritis and having a jacket to cover up in will help relieve the additional pain for the air conditioning. As with many things there are good and bad things about air conditioning. It keeps you from sweating in the summer heat and if not too cold will feel great after being outside in high humidity. If can also prevent allergies from kicking in. If it is too cold it will make you feel like you are in an icebox and if not properly filtered it can spread germs through the building.
So don't forget to bring your jacket to work or order a new one today and stay comfortable all day at your workplace! Let us know how you cope with the temperature changes at your office or hospital.
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Medical Scrubs to Keep You Cool in the Heat!
Today will be an extremely hot day in most of the country with temps here in the Northeast approaching 100 degrees. Do your medical scrubs keep you cool in this extreme heat?
We have a line of scrubs that do just that and they are called Vestex.
Vestex™ hydrophilic properties wick moisture away from the skin on the inside of the fabric.
This enables rapid evaporation and stimulates the body’s natural cooling process.
Vestex™ maintains a professional appearance even when you perspire.
Vestex™ resists perspiration from being transported to the outside of the garment.
Vestex™ dries noticeably faster than untreated fabrics.
Vestex™ is breathable to keep garments clean, cool & dry.
So what are you waiting for? Order yours today and be ready for the heat of the summer yet to come!
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Klogs USA
Did you know our Klogs from Klogs USA come with a 1 year guarantee? All of their molded polyurethane klogs come with a full year guarantee. If during the first year of wear your pair of molded polyurethane KLOGS proves to be defective in workmanship or materials under normal wear (excluding insole wear and stains), we would be happy to send you a replacement pair of KLOGS. Our limited guarantee is valid for 1 year from date of purchase and defective product must be accompanied by original sales receipt to be applicable. You can return that product to KLOGS-USA directly by printing out KLOGS’ Wear Guarantee Replacement Form and following the instructions.
These Klogs are made in the USA in Sullivan, Missouri since 1999. Klogs USA are constructed using industrial strength molded polyurethane, a material that allows for excellent slip resistance and oil resistance. Both the outsole and footbed are made from a proprietary polyurethane formula that provides exceptional shock absorption and superior energy return. This makes these Klogs Soft, comfortable, washable, and durable. The white polyurethane KLOGS are molded using Perma-White technology, ensuring our white Klogs stay brighter 10 times longer than the competition!
Each of our KLOGS-USA styles are designed with a deep heel cup and come with a removeable footbed to accommodate most orthotics and arch support inserts. Anyone can say their klog is slip resistant, but Klogs USA really wanted proof. Slip resistance tests were carried out by an independent leading research and technology organization for the footwear industry. These KLOGS were tested for slip resistance against the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) F489-96 standard using the James machine (the James method is the test recognized by the U.S. Postal Service). Testing was conducted under dry, wet, and oily surface conditions using red quarry tile. The results? KLOGS-USA exceeded the standards in workplace environments resembling these conditions.
So try on a pair today and feel the difference! They come in many styles and colors too. They also come in narrow, medium and wide sizes to fit your feet perfectly. So order a pair or two today, (Free shipping on orders of $59 or more) you'll be glad you did.
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Why Be A Nurse?
Everyone needs to know their why…
By Joyce Harrell, RN, OCN
Do you remember the first time you decided you wanted to be a nurse? I do! I was 14, and was sitting in study hall one morning prior to school starting. I really don’t know how it popped into my head. Now, as I am a vision and wellness coach, I really believe we were all made for a particular purpose. We have something to do in a way that is unique to each one of us.
When I started as a nurse, I did the usual medical-surgical stent. I knew this wasn’t where I was going to specialize, but it was a good start. I certainly remember the first patient I had to drop a blood sugar. I couldn’t get the charge nurse to understand something was really wrong with my patient. You know us young nurses could be so histrionic. However, I took her blood sugar and it was something like 19. So after an amp of D50, she was good to go, and I had survived my first blood sugar drop. There have been many more to come after that, but I never had to question what was going on when it happened after that.
The majority of my career has been focused on cancer nursing. I never particularly liked chemotherapy and all the side effects that go with it. However, what I found was I felt bonded to the people who came in week after week for treatment and physician appointments. I have celebrated cures with my patients, and been at the bedside with others as their life slipped away with this disease. My husband always told me I wasn’t there to give the chemo, but to bond with families, and be that peace presence in the midst of their storms. I would have to agree with that.
So this brings me to my title. Everyone needs to know their why. Nursing is not an easy field. I have heard my share of “wow, you are a nurse, you bring in the big bucks”. You know, there are some days there is not enough money in the world to pay you for what you go through. The past 4.5 years of my nursing career, I had gone back to the bedside after being a cancer center manager for 8 years. This work was incredibly hard. The acuity/staff ratio mix was too high many days. I felt some days that I wondered why I even became a nurse. It gave me a new respect for nurses at the bedside. Knowing your “why” is essential during you hard shifts.
Athletes who run or do any type of strenuous sport run up against something they call the “brick wall”. This is the time in the marathon, or race they want to quit. They just don’t think they can go any further. It is during this time they quickly have to remember their “why”. If you are running up against your brick wall, you need to think back and remember your “why”. Why did you personally choose to go into nursing? For me, the answer was very simplistic and probably like most of your answers. I just wanted to help people. My why is plain and simple. I am a nurturer and enjoy caring for others.
As I have grown in nursing, my focus has now shifted. I have been a nurse over 20 years now, and my focus has shifted from the illness continuum to the wellness continuum. I think after years and years of seeing the young die prematurely, and people suffer from illness that may have started from lifestyle choices, I have shifted to a nursing focus of helping people take responsibility for their health care by educating on how to make better choices.
I left bedside nursing recently to focus in another area. I am renewed and refreshed. There are so many areas of nursing to work in. When you feel burned out in one area, take a few minutes to evaluate what it is you really want to do. Revisit your why. See if what you are doing lines up with your why. You may be in need of a change of nursing focus, or you just may need to go through that brick wall.
What is your why? I would love to hear your why! You can email me at joyce@poweruphealthcoaching.com. When nurses share stories, they bond. Happy Nurses Week! Take time this week and reflect on your why and renew your passion in making a difference in the lives of others!
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Bedside Manners:
It’s the Thought That Counts
Patricia L Raymond MD FACP FACG
It’s the thought that counts. That’s the phrase you hear when you look at your gift with bewilderment, seeking to understand—why this? Why to me? It usually comes as a set with a phrase about gift horses. And it’s always non-returnable, without a gift receipt.
The phrase leapt into my mind and burrowed there this week when I received an email from one of our local large hospitals about this years’ plans to celebrate Nurses Week. It left me bewildered.
The email, to the physician members of the medical staff, first educated the docs about Nurses’ Week; celebrated annually the week leading up to the anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale. Fair enough; I didn’t know of the specific linkage of the dates.
Then the email went on to tell us of the planned celebration, and I quote: At the April MEC, we decided to recognize the nurses of XXXXX by doing 3 things: --a banner will be hung outside the main entrance of the hospital thanking them for the care they provide; --each nurse on staff will receive a travel coffee mug with a message imprinted on it from the medical staff; and --on Saturday, May 8 we, the medical staff, will provide a free car wash for any and all currently-employed XXXXX nurses that wish to participate. This will be held in the parking lot in front of the Medical Office Building from 9 am to 3 pm. Physician assignments for shifts are being filled now, so if you have any interest in volunteering 2 hours of your time this Saturday, please talk to your respective department chairperson.
The first two underwhelmed me: A banner (yawn.) A coffee mug (yippee, small font intentional and heavily sarcastic). The third confused me.
They’re having the doctors wash the nurse’s cars on Saturday between 9 AM and 3 PM. What was this? Was it supposed to be allegorical, a staff of medical Jesi washing the feet of their disciples?
My brain worked this rubix cube of a gift: But I don’t even wash and detail my own vehicle… and you believe that I’ll do an amazing detail job with yours…and to get your gift you must drive to work on your scant Saturday off within a brief window—wouldn’t you rather get a gift certificate from the car detailing biz just down the street, to use when you choose?…perhaps nurses really want to see their physician colleagues of all sexes in sopping wet tank tops and short shorts—kind of a “Physician Hooters” (although of course we’d go for a more clinical description, like “Mammaries”.)…
Fortunately, I was at a nursing convention when I got this email, so I projected it on the screen during my presentation and asked for feedback. What did the nurses think about these plans?
Not unsurprisingly, our celebration plans met with raspberries topped with derisive laughter.
So, I asked them the question: “Beyond the collegial respect you are due from your doctor associates, what do you really want? What Nurses Week gifts have you enjoyed in the past?”
I got some great answers, suggestions, and ideas: ⌂ A certificate for a meal for themselves and a loved one at a local 4-star restaurant ⌂ Movie tickets ⌂ Chair massages during their workday ⌂ A choice of a perennial plant or a house plant ⌂ A gift certificate for a spa treatment ⌂ A catered meal at the hospital to enjoy with their colleagues ⌂ Raffles throughout the day, evening, and night with “good” prizes—not coffee mugs ⌂ A catered affair after hours at a local museum with access to the museum and IMAX theatre.
Not one of them wanted their physician colleagues to wash their vehicle. Really.
My suggestion to my hospital? Ask the nurses how THEY’D like to celebrate their week, and then go for it. There’s something to be said for getting a gift that you actually want and can use, donch’a think?
Oh, and Happy Nurse’s Week to all of you. You have my respect as a colleague. Just don’t expect to see me outside with a hose.
Description: soupLooking for a sign to find good health? Let us help! Visit www.YourHealthChoice.net today and find the answers you need in our tip library; our doctor is always in! Coming soon: Your Health Choice Radio! A dose of funny health, directly to your ears! Need new energy, enthusiasm, & humor in your healthcare career? Get the prescription you've been looking for at www.RxForSanity.com . Time for that colonoscopy? Expel that fear of colonoscopy at www.ColonJoke.com, or get more endorphins via select video at www.ButtMeddler.com Patricia L. Raymond MD FACP FACG Founder, Rx For Sanity & Your Health Choice P. O. Box 1611 * Chesapeake VA 23327-1611 888/437-7286 (888- 4 Dr Pat 6) plraymond@rxforsanity.com
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That Extraordinary Child
by Joyce Harrell, RN, OCN
Through my years as a nurse, the type of nursing I have done has been targeted towards adults. There was a short stent, and I mean very short, where I was expected to care for pediatrics because they we at the end of the hall on one of the adult units. These little people had special needs very much different than their adult counterparts. I was never totally comfortable on that unit. I think the work I did as a nursing student on a pediatric cancer ward pretty much decided for me I didn’t want to be a pediatric nurse. There was just too much pain.
With children there are numerous developmental stages we learned about during school. Trust vs. mistrust for example. Eric Ericson has done a great job in categorizing different stages that we must all go through to be a well adjusted adult. What happens when your child doesn’t develop according to plan? What happens when your child doesn’t start talking when he or she should talk?
How does a parent feel when their child isn’t reaching developmental milestones by the age they should? Bringing awareness to developmental delays and early screening for autism spectrum disorders can mean early intervention for children born with this problem. Statistics show that 1/110 will be born with some type of autism disorder. This development disorder affects a person’s ability to interact and communicate with others.
We have a friend in Indiana with a son diagnosed with autism very early in his years. This young man is an adult now. However, for the first 17 years of his life, he was unable to communicate with this parents and teachers. With the rise in usage of computers, and keyboards, he was given the opportunity to learn to type. This young man for the first time in 17 years was able to communicate words with his mother and father. As he learned to spell words, he was able to tell his parents how he felt about things. What an awesome opportunity to find a way to communicate. What a tragedy all these feelings had been trapped inside with no way to express. Thanks to early identification, children are able to have learning opportunities now that weren’t available when this young man was growing up.
My sister in law is a teacher of special needs children. She has shared stories with me of many of the students she has. One family she told of has three boys, and they all have been diagnosed with some type of autism spectrum disorder. I know of another woman who has two boys and they both have been diagnosed. Their disabilities vary. What is common is that you can have a diagnosis of autism, but your needs and requirements can be totally different than someone else diagnosed with autism. This disorder has not received very much attention. And you know, when something doesn’t receive much attention, the money for research is not there.
I would like to take time to bring to your attention a very worthy organization, www.extraordinarychild.org. This organization is based in Rhode Island. They will serve the surrounding states and have brought attention to the special needs of autistic children. As I wrote, the differences from one child to another can be very diverse. These challenges range from tactile differences, to intolerances to noise, lights, textures of food, and other stimuli. Extraordinary Child will be built with the needs of special children in mind. This will be a place where these children will play and learn in a safe environment. Extraordinary Child will be a model for the rest of the country to learn from. Jennifer Gingras is the founder of Extraordinary Child, and has 2 extraordinary children.
I would also like to bring attention to a very special person who is an activist for autism research. Her name is Anna Angelosanto. Anna has a very beautiful extraordinary child named Aly. These women, Jennifer, Anna, and others like them work tirelessly to bring attention to Autism Spectrum Disorder. You can find Extraordinary Child on Facebook. Please “like” this page and find out more about what they are doing.
My friend, Lisa of www.fancyscrubs.com is a support of autism research. Lisa and her husband are so generous in that they are always giving a portion of their business earnings to organizations worthy of support. In today’s economy where “big industry” has overtaken small businesses, I like to find those small businesses that make a difference and support them. I highly recommend www.fancyscrubs.com for their personal attention and excellent customer service. They have clogs that represent different challenges like autism, and cancer.
What I would like to leave you with is a comment about the parents of these beautiful children who are so extraordinary. These parents often time have stress, and work without thought to their own needs as they meet the needs of their very special children. Please take time if you know any of these very special people to see if there is anything you can do for them. Something as simple as going to the grocery store, or seeing if you can build a relationship with the child, so you can allow your friend to do something they never do, like get a massage, or have 30 minutes to themselves. See if you can help watch their other children for a time out. A good resource for more information of what you can do is found at www.autism-society.org.
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Friday, April 29, 2011 is our First Anniversary! We are celebrating by giving out our special Syringe Pens to anyone who purchases a Vestex scrub or an order of $50 or more through April 30, 2011
We started a year ago with just 1 brand of scrubs, Trend and one brand of clogs, Cape Clogs. We have since added many brands and many more styles to our medical uniform collection. We have continaully offered FREE shipping on orders of $59 or more even as the cost of shipping has climbed during this past year.
Our favorite and unique line Vestex medical uniforms is our pride. They offer protection from bodily fluids and germs. They come in 5 colors and 2 lengths of lab coats and a surgical gown. We now offer in-house demo's in the New England Area. We recently were an exhibitor at the Women's Expo in April at Twin River Event Center in Lincoln, RI. So get protection today and we'll send you our syringe pen that was such a hit at the Women's Expo.
Any comments or suggestions please drop us a comment here.
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April is Autism Awareness Month
The United Nations declared the first official World Autism Awareness Day on April 2, 2008. This was a global awareness effort to heighten the awareness about the disorder that affects millions of people and their families. This brain disorder inhibits a persons ability to communicate and form social relationships and has behavioral challenges along with it. 1 in 110 children in the US are affected by this disease.
Here at FancyScrubs.com we wanted to help a local organization near and dear to our heart - the Extraordinary Child. This New England group is a non-profit organization which will provide a supportive and nurturing environment for children with and without disabilities and their families to engage in safe, fun, therapeutic, and social interaction. This facility is planned to be in Cumberland, RI. It will provide recreational activities for children of all ages with developmental challenges so that they will be able to participate in play experiences and develop their skills as optimally as possible. According to the founder Jennifer Gingras "my goal is to touch the lives of as many children and their families by creating a facility that can accommodate children with special needs of all ages, a facility which would allow any child to play."
So please help them build this unique extraordinary facility for the extraordionary children - purchase any pair of clogs from our website and we will donate $10 from every pair to them during the month of April. We have over a 100 pairs to choose from in Cape Clogs, Klogs USA and Anywear Clogs. Please share this info with as many people as you can to help this Extraordinary Group raise funds during the month of April!
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Have YOU Had Your Colonoscopy Yet?
Bottom line…I’m Talkin’ to You! The Divine Butt Meddler,
AKA Patricia L. Raymond MD FACP FACG
Whatcha waiting for? Colon cancer is our second leading cause of cancer death, right after lung cancer. Six percent of Americans get it…it isn’t rare. However, it is one of our most preventable cancers …and lets face it, if you’re reading this blog, wouldn’t you do just about anything to prevent rather than undergo treatment for cancer? Ya talkin’ to me?Yes you! Everyone at age 50 needs a colonoscopy to look for and remove polyps, the little mushroom-like growths in the colon that over a ten to fifteen year span can grow up to become cancer. Start earlier if you’re African American—age 45. Twenty to forty percent of people over fifty have one or more polyps. You need your colonoscopy sooner if:
• You have symptoms, such as chronic diarrhea or constipation, a change in the shape of your bowel movements (some people do look, y’know), or visible blood on the bowel movements or even on the toilet tissue (if I had a nickel for every time a person said “I thought it was just hemorrhoids…”)
• You have a relative (parent, sibling, child) with colon cancer, especially before they were fifty. The rule of thumb is that with the increased risk, your screening should occur at ten years before their age at diagnosis. Thus if they were 50 years old, you should start screening at 40. Before you blow a gasket, this increased risk is still only 10% compared to 6% for average risk Americans.
• You’re a survivor of a ‘girl cancer’. If you had uterine or ovarian cancer, or are ten years after the diagnosis of cervical cancer and had radiation treatment for your cervical cancer, your risk of colon cancer is intensified. If you were diagnosed with uterine or ovarian cancer before 50 years old, your risk of colon cancer is shocking…up to as much as four times the average risk! Run, don’t walk to the telephone to call your doctor, and insist on referral for a colonoscopy now!
There is some good news to all of this. The myth of increased colon cancer in breast cancer survivors turns out to be just that…a myth. And the increased risk with cervical cancer is from the radiation, not the cervical cancer. No pelvic radiation, and you’re at average risk. However, you’re not off the hook for screening just as if you were an average American!
Get off your buts (as in, “But, I don’t want to…”, “But, I can’t take the time of from work…”, and the perennial favorite, “But, it’s soooo icky…”,) and take it to a gastroenterologist for screening…you’ll be glad you did. Watch our video for a toe tapping digestive ditty in homage to CCR’s “Lookin’ Out My Back Door” at www.ButtMedder.com.
And if you’re behind on your colonoscopy, call your gastroenterologist.
We’d be happy to rectify that!
Virginia gastroenterologist, Patricia L. Raymond M.D. FACG is an author and consultant, who speaks to nurses and physicians through hospital systems and medical conventions. With her company Rx For Sanity (www.RxForSanity.com) , she humorously leads physicians and nurses to rediscover their joy in medicine. She is the host of Your Health Choice Radio (www.YHCRadio.com). Dr. Raymond earned her degrees at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine and The College of William and Mary, and is a Fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology and the American College of Physicians. The author of "Don't Jettison Medicine: Resuscitate Your Passion For the Career You Loved", “Colonoscopy: It’ll Crack U Up!” and “Colonoscopy Is A Gas!”, Dr. Raymond’s upcoming opus is “Colonoscopy: It’s Not A Party Until Somebody Loses Their Pants!”
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FancyScrubs.com will be donating 5% of all sales for the next 3 months to the American Red Cross. After watching all the images coming from Japan we wanted to do something to help in this ongoing crisis.You may also donate directly through this link here for the American Red Cross.
Doctors and aid workers are geting to work in Japan. A massive emergency response operation is underway in northern Japan, with world governments and international aid groups coming together to bring relief to the island nation.
CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta is in Japan to report on Friday's devastating earthquake and tsunami and you can submit your question to Dr. Sanjay Gupta on the medical and health crisis in Japan. -
Spring has arrived here at Fancy Scrubs.com and we've been busy as bees adding more of the Spring lines of nursing scrubs for your Spring scrub wardrobe.
Put some smiles on your patients faces with prints featuring Hello Kitty, Scooby Doo, Peanuts featuring Charlie Brown and a very cute top with The Seven Dwarfs.
And le'ts not forget the popular Betty Boop scrub prints as well as Winnie the Pooh and Marie in Paris from the PBS special. So take a look around the website and see what's new here at FancyScrubs.com today! -
Finding Your Ideal Nursing Job By Joyce Harrell, RN, OCN I have been a nurse for more than 20 years. If there is any advice I can give new graduates or nurses today it would be to really think about what you want out of your nursing career. I knew at the young age of 14 I wanted to be a nurse. After becoming a nurse I realize now I allowed many of my experiences to be left up to chance. My nursing path turned and twisted down a road which took me to Oncology Nursing. This has been very fulfilling for me in many ways. However, at my deepest longing there really was another path I wish I had followed. Looking back is hindsight and hindsight is 20/20.
My passions and dreams are unique to me as well as your dreams and passions are for you. Personally, I have always been attracted to natural health and complementary and integrative therapies. Early in my nursing career, I just didn’t see how nursing integrated with natural health. I felt I needed to either be a nurse and work in a traditional hospital setting, or work in natural health which was a passion of mine. I didn’t see at the time I could have integrated the two. I have nurse friends that capitalize on their passions for the natural such as yoga, reflexology, aromatherapy, and cellular nutrition education. I am now following my passion and integrating this with being a nurse.
Your passions may be totally different. You may have a passion to see babies born and help new moms nurse the new lives, but you work in ICU and are miserable. Why do we end up in jobs that are not a good fit for us? Some theories are you need a few years solid medical-surgical nursing before you branch out into specialties. I see that reasoning if you want to work in home health. I believe you do need a good base of experience before working more independently. However, if you have a passion to help bring new lives into the world, will you get a bad taste in your mouth for nursing if you take a position in an area where you really don’t want to work but it was the only opening at the time? Just a thought…
As a new nurse, you really may not have a clear idea of the area you want to work. Many hospitals have new nurse intern programs where you work a few days or weeks in most all areas in the hospital. If you don’t have a clear cut area you wish to work, starting out in a basic medical surgical unit may be a great idea.
If you have a particular area you want to work, then start right away taking steps to get there. Look up CEU’s associated with the particular area you wish to work, and complete these courses. Sign up for workshops in the areas you wish to learn more about. Find places to volunteer in areas of your interest. Beef up your resume in the area you want to work by doing these things and forming your portfolio.
If you really need clarity, find a good coach. Coaches don’t give you the answers, but help you bring up the answers that are already within you. I took this step and it has really brought clarity to me and I am now on a focused path. Like I said, hindsight is 20/20. I would be far ahead at this point as a Holistic Nurse if I had started on this path when I first became a nurse. The great thing for me is I am now focusing on my area of passion, and I am very happy.
Steps to take: 1) take an honest look at where you are. 2) realize where you really want to be. 3) Start taking steps to get there. I would really love to hear from you and have you share with me as you are becoming focused and beginning to make your career plans.
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Nurses- How are you getting to work during this tough winter?
Do you sleep over at your office or hospital? Does someone give you a ride or are you allowed to take the really bad days off?
We saw this image several times in emails this week and wondered how nurses make it to work in these tough winter conditions throughout the country.
Please let us know here at our blog and drive safe!
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Nurses and Maternity Leave
After reading the blog on KevinMD ‘s website about the research showing “It is not until about eight weeks of age that an infant has a fully developed capacity for mutual gaze”, we began to wonder how much time do nurses take for their maternity leave. 21 years ago I had to return to work after 4 months due to financial circumstances and with 2nd child I was lucky to have 6 months off but had to return on that day or not have a job. So we wondered how nurses today deal with this return to work issue.
Are the places they work flexible? Do the hours allow them to return after just 6-8 weeks? Do many take the 12 weeks unpaid that is now allowed by the law since 1993? (Family Medical Leave Act) Also do nurses work right up to the time they deliver their babies? Are they able to still perform their daily jobs or do they have to change jobs to keep on working?
Being on one’s feet all day is hard enough but adding 20 lbs of weight to the mix all day must be challenging. Other women who work at desk jobs can continue working right until the day of their delivery if all is well health wise and they don’t tire out from exhaustion in the last few weeks as I had. So we at FancyScrubs.com are curious as to how nurses today cope with the demands of job, pregnancy and a maternity leave.
Feel free to comment here at our blog. We’d love to hear from you!
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How Will Nursing Scrubs Look On You?
Check out this new feature from Scrubs Magazine: It shows you actually how the scrubs will look on you for your body type and which ones will fit you the best @ scrubsmag.com/style
This is for both women and men to see what will look great on their body shape and size. Check it out today and then come back to order your new nursing scrubs today!
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Germ-killing Uniforms for Doctors
Nurse Wilma Schmidt (below) put Vestex scrubs to work earlier this year in Haiti.
Read more here on the fluid resistant uniforms when Wilma Schmidt, a nurse at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center in Bradenton, Fla., volunteered to treat earthquake survivors in Haiti earlier this year and Vestagen donated scrubs for her and other emergency medical workers to try out.
FancyScrubs.com Now Carries the Vestex Line of Medical Uniforms for Your Protection!
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Working on a Holiday
Let’s be honest here (and I always am): no one likes to work on a holiday, unless you have nothing else to do. I can always think of something else to do, like spend time with family and friends. So to find that you are working both Christmas Eve, Christmas Day night, New Years Eve, and New Years night is just the pits. For my given schedule, I work the night-weekend option shift on a regular basis. So this year all these holidays fell on my weekends to work. With that being said, I never let a situation like this get the best of me. My second family is at work. If you are close with co-workers, they do become your second family. A little planning ahead is what is needed to make this all work.
First, we bought holiday scrubs to wear during the season. I did happen to buy my scrubs from www.fancyscrubs.com. They have excellent customer service, a nice selection, plus they have a quick delivery. We have been wearing holiday scrubs then entire month of December.
Second, plan ahead. We have known for many many months that we would be working the holiday weekends. So what did we do? We made a food plan. We partied on Christmas weekend, and we are partying on New Year’s weekend. Lots of food! We opened up the break room on Christmas weekend and had food both nights and anytime we wanted, we walked in and picked up a plate. (yes, I am a weight loss & wellness coach, but SHHH! A girl’s gotta have some down time) We are taking food in tonight for New Year’s night.
Third, make it fun for the patients. I bought a chimney hat with a Santa coming out of it. I wore it to work for my first rounds on Christmas Eve and Christmas night. Really, the patient’s didn’t want to be there. So, I made it fun for them. On a serious note, we really did all of the above. However, as caregivers, we are there to care for the sick and those needing us. So, even though deep down, we would love to have had more time with our families, I don’t regret the time I had with my patients.
Serving and caring for someone else is who we are as caregivers. So, on those rare events when life hands you two weekends of holidays back to back and you have to work them…you do it with love.
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We wanted to add more lines of scrubs this year to give our customers more choices when choosing their medical uniforms. We found Gelscrubs to be that line.
Gel Scrubs they are perfect for medicalwear, casualwear, sleepwear and workoutwearTM
We offer the Gel Scrubs - Classic Set. 65% Polyester, 35% cotton brushed poplin blend made in USA with drawstring pants. Top in V-neck with breast pocket. Sizes XS-5XL.
You may also choose from the Collegiate line of Gelscrub sets. We are adding more colleges and universities to this line daily. They offer 159 different colleges and universities from their complete line. University scrub sets in Gelscrubs are in their very own sanded fabric! The Gelscrubs fabric is wrinkle-free 65% polyester, 35% cotton. The Gelscrubs set is with the logo collar and drawstring. Perfect for casualwear, medicalwear, sleepwear, or workoutwear! Head logo is finely embroidered on the scrub top pocket and the upper leg of the scrub pant. Very sharp. Sizes XS-5XL.
You may also purchase their scrub hats to match your Gelscrub set. Tri-color woven label with brushed poplin fabric with adjustable tie that one size fits all.
If you would like a special college or university that you do not see on our website, email us at info@fancyscrubs.com and we will get it up within 24 hours for you to order. We will be adding the kids line as well and tops and bottoms seperately.
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The Magic’s In You
The Holidays were approaching My blood pressure was up. No one was happy, Not even the pup.
I felt pressured and frantic; Had not started the baking. Worst of all was the state Of the things I was making.
I need gifts by the dozen To find, wrap and label. That doesn’t included mailings Or decorating or table.
My breathing got rapid, My pulse started pounding; I stopped for a minute, A small voice was sounding.
“Be aware of your needs, Start to feel all your feelings; Nurture yourself and eat well, You need balance for healing.”
“Accept what is Present, Let go of the Past; You’re important as well, Don’t put yourself last.”
Look over your duties, Keep what’s important to you; Tamper with traditions In the celebrating you do.
Look carefully with Love, Gratitude’s a must. If you look at what’s missing, Then your attitude – adjust.
Reach out to others, Be supportive and kind. The Peace in your Soul Will bring Peace of Mind.
Use your Heart as a guide, And just stop to listen. Awake, Breathe, Create, The Magic will glisten.
Love’s not in the package, The lights or the toy, It’s in Peace and in Kindness, Smile – You’ll find JOY!
© 1997 All rights reserved. Lynn Durham, writer, speaker, well being coach. Programs on Stress Hardiness, Relaxation, Optimism and JOY in the journey. If you have a story, poem, or idea about a heartwarming tale or creative way to celebrate the holidays etc., please send it to Lynn for possible inclusion in her book - Holiday Magic, Being Santa Claus for Yourself and JOY to Your World. www.lynndurham.com
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Friday, December 17, 2010 is National Free Shippping Day and
Fancy Scrubs.com is Particpating!
No Minimum Orders required all day Friday, December 17.
It's also the last day to order to have holiday delivery by December 24
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Plus Size Clothing for Nurses
I am a nurse, and I’m on the plump side. It’s not that I have an extreme love for food, but rather that our family is simply blessed with more flesh than others. But I have no weight issues. I love dressing up and my weight does not bother me. The problem with this, though, is that is it’s difficult to find something that would perfectly fit me. And that’s the dilemma I have - I am a nurse. I want something beautiful on me even if they are just simple scrubs, and I need 2X sized scrubs.
How hard can that get? I thought. I’m not asking for heaven on earth. I mentioned this woe to a friend, a big girl just like me. Luckily she knew a place, according to her, that would put an end to my worries. She told me about fancyscrubs.com. True enough, there was an array of categories to choose from and up to size 5X. They even had some unique prints. I was ecstatic. So, now you may say that’s the end of my problems. But did they really?Another worry arose when my friend invited me to her bridal shower, which had a lingerie theme. Before I could even think about it, she already told me that I couldn’t say no. She further said that if I even tried not to show up, she wouldn’t talk to me anymore. Whether she meant her threat or not, I didn’t want to disappoint her. It was her night after all. So my hunt for the perfect plus size lingerie gift was on.
I scoured the department stores and lingerie shops in our city - but to my dismay I didn’t find anything in the right size. If I had my way, I would like to get her one of those sexy nightgowns, but it looked like they would all be too small for both me and my friend. I had been browsing for quite some time when I ended up at elingeriespot (a great place for plus size lingerie ) I thought at first that it would be just another lingerie shop with limited sizes. But as I browsed through it some more, I started to find some nice things in bigger sizes. They had plus size lingerie for sale. What’s more they had sizes up to 5X. So I browsed the plus size category to see if I could get what I was looking for. It was a complete online department store of lingerie. What caught my fancy was the silk chiffon tailored shirt. I checked if it was available. I was lucky and I ordered it right away. I also added to my cart the Smoothing Seamless Bra, for myself. It was the perfect plus size lingerie. I also found another great place to purchase plus size lingerie online with another Fancy name and ordered a gift.
That day on my friend’s bridal shower, I showed up. My friend was so delighted to see me. I have to thank elingeriespot.com and FancyLingerieStore.com for making both me and my friend a happy woman. The bridal shower was a huge success.
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Nurses Shouldn't Get Colds - Right?
Researchers have cataloged at least 101 rhinoviruses -- the viruses that cause most colds. At times, it seems there are almost as many myths surrounding all that sniffling and sneezing. According to National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases these are some of the myths. "It's good to dispel these myths," says Jack M. Gwaltney Jr., M.D., a cold researcher and professor emeritus. Here are some myths as common as the common cold.
Myth: Feed a cold, starve a fever. "This is one of those things that get passed down, much like a nursery rhyme. There's nothing to it, though," Dr. Gwaltney says. Drinking plenty of fluid is a good idea in either case, but feeding a cold will do nothing to make you feel better.
Myth: You have to be run down to catch a cold. Being tired has no bearing. "We placed cold viruses in the nasal passages of more than 300 student volunteers over a 10-year period at the University of Virginia, and we found that regardless of how tired they were, 95 percent of them became infected and 75 percent got cold symptoms," Dr. Gwaltney says. "These were young, healthy people."
Myth: Taking an antibiotic will make your cold shorter. Colds are caused by several categories of viruses, and antibiotics do nothing to viruses. These medications are used to treat bacterial infections, which sometimes can follow a severe cold of long duration. "If you've had a cold for eight, nine days and it's getting no better, I recommend seeing your doctor," Dr. Gwaltney says.
Myth: Sleeping in a draft or exposure to cold weather can cause a cold. In order to catch a cold, you need exposure to one of the viruses that cause a cold; just being exposed to drafts or cold weather won't give you a cold. Cold weather, however, may decrease your resistance to fight off a cold if you are exposed to one.
Nurses can avoid catching a cold by washing their hands frequently and not touching their noses or eyes when in contact with someone. Nurses must also take time to drink plenty of fluids themselves as colds are infections of the mucous membranes of your nose and throat. Water also helps your body produce mucus. The mucus is used by your body to fight the cold by making your coughs more productive. Mucus present in your nose and throat help your body fight the cold by preventing additional impurities from making their way into your body.
So before heading off to your next shift, make sure you have plenty of fluids to last you and take the time to drink them. Stay healthy this holiday season.
If you have other suggestions for staying cold-free this season please comment here on our blog below.
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Clogs for Nursing
We wanted to share some history on the clogs that nurses wear. We also wanted to provide you some information on our Cape Clog line that are still made in Sweden today like they were over 150 years ago. You can actually see them being made there on this video:
A clog is a type of footwear traditionally worn by workers as protective clothing in factories, mines and farms. There are various types of clogs. Traditional clogs are shoes or sandals made predominantly out of wood, and are associated with the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Galicia, Lithuania and Sweden. They can also be a type of heavy boot or shoe with sides, uppers and typically thick wooden soles, and may have steel toecaps and/or steel reinforcing inserts in the undersides of the soles. A clog can also be a special kind of shoe worn while clog-dancing . They are similar to tap shoes, but the taps are free to click against each other, therefore producing a different sound than tap shoes. Today clogs also mean comfortable slip-on shoes. They are often made out of leather, but some clogs keep the bottom part out of wood. All-rubber clogs are often worn while gardening, because they can be easily hosed off and allowed to air-dry. Some clogs come with heels, and are usually distinguished from mules by their higher vamp.
Swedish clogs became popular fashion accessories in the 1970s and 1980s for both sexes. They were usually worn without socks and were considered suitable attire for the avant-garde man. Based on the clog model, platform clogs or sandals often raised as high as 6 or even 8 inches right through between sole and insole, were another fashion of the 1980s and 90s in many western countries for women. This large mid layer was often made of solid cork, although some were merely of plastic with a cork covering. The sole, more often than not, was made of a light sandy-colored rubber. Some of the platforms of these clogs were encompassed about with a string-laced effect.
In 2010, clogs returned to the fashion world, and were featured on the likes of Chanel's and Louis Vuitton's Spring / Summer 2010 catwalk.
Cape Cod Clogs are handmade and individual. No one pair is exactly alike. That’s what makes them so special and beautiful. They also improve posture and increase your energy with wear. Try out a pair today and we’ll see why Oprah recommends these clogs in her December magazine. Check our guide to making these clogs last beautifully for years to come.
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Top 3 Reasons Why Kids Like to Dress Up As
Doctors and/or Nurses
Children love to dress up as someone else, which is why Halloween is a favorite holiday for most kids today. If your child sees you going to work every day in scrubs they would love to have a pair themselves to emulate you.
1. Self-Confidence Playing dress up is a great way to boost self-confidence in a child because they learn that they can do a lot of things on their own. For instance, a child who puts on a Spiderman costume may pretend to be Spiderman and climb throughout the house and learn they can do more than they knew possible. Dress up is essentially role play, which is an activity used by a lot of therapists with children as well as adults. Children who role play a wide variety of roles gain confidence in themselves as they feel they are capable of accomplishing great things.
2. Social Skills. If they kis can pretend to be someone else they will learn the social skills to do this. If they are a nurse taking care of a sick patient they will learn how to react to someone in pain and how to soothe them. They will also learn to say you’re welcome when thanked. They may also learn patience if they are pretending to help a sick person or someone who needs a lot of help walking.
3. Creativity Children love dressing up as different human roles such as doctors and firemen. They can also pretend to be animals or cartoon characters like Scooby Doo. They can also explore their own personalities through costumes and pretending to be someone different through body language and voice changes. They can also sing like their favorite characters too.
Feel free to share your photos here on our blog of your kids dressing up like doctors or nurses.
Check our our great nephew with his scrubs!
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Make Your Patients Smile with Scooby Doo Nursing Scrubs
Scooby Doo has been around since 1969. The animated talking Great Dane dog along with 4 young adults has made audiences laugh since 1969. The infamous “Where Are You” call can still be heard today. Who could not forget the mysteries that they got involved in between their musical gigs? Through the years they have had 11 TV series along with movies, stage plays and video games.
What patient in the hospital would not smile when seeing their nurse enter the room in cute Scooby Doo nursing scrubs? You could start singing “Scooby Where Are You?” to brighten their day. If they are a real Scooby enthusiast you could remind them of the characters Freddie, Daphne, Velma, Norville (Shaggy) who drove around in their Mystery Machine van. They always seemed to run into some form of a ghost or monster. And in the midst of it all Scooby is always looking for a Scooby snack. Children today are familiar with Scooby Doo as it still runs on TV, in movies and video games. Google this past year had the Scooby Gang logo featured on Halloween Day.
So put on a Scooby nursing scrub and make your patients smile as you enter their room today!
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Gratitude In Our Awareness
November is the month citizens of the United States celebrate the holiday Thanksgiving. Bringing awareness to things we are thankful for establishes a sense of good will and ushers in the remainder of the holiday season. For me, the warm fuzzies of family and friends take me back to a place in my childhood surrounded by parents, grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles.
Today,
my grandparents are gone, and so is my father. I remember the last
Thanksgiving we shared with dad. I wasn’t planning to spend it with dad
and mom. Actually, my father had been very ill for over a year and my
mother had arranged for constant care of him as she and my brothers were
to travel 600 miles to my home and celebrate the holiday. My mom really
needed the rest and a break from the care of my dad. He had been in a
nursing home for a year, but my mom continued to spend fifteen to
eighteen hours a day with him, ensuring every need was taken care of. Dad had actually gone to the nursing home the year prior, and I had traveled to Ohio . My brothers, mom, and I had prepared food and taken it to the nursing home and we had reserved a special room where the entire family could spend the afternoon sharing memories, taking pictures, and enjoying each other. We have some really nice pictures of the family with dad. I am grateful for those memories.
So, forward to the last year I had my dad. Mom needed a break, and we had talked her into leaving dad for just a few days and traveling to see me at my home. I had gone grocery shopping and filled 2 carts with food. As soon as I entered my home with the food, I saw there were 6 messages on my phone. All the calls were from Ohio . My dad had taken a turn for the worse, and instead of the family traveling to North Carolina , I went home. We spent Thanksgiving with dad as a family, and the last time I saw dad, I told him I was leaving to go back home for a few days but would return the next week. He had a tear flow down his cheek. Maybe he knew I wouldn’t see him again.
Six years have passed since that Thanksgiving. My heart is full of gratitude for my parents and family. Awareness of gratitude is abundant during this time of year. However, the habit of gratitude is something we need to adopt all year round. Gratitude may not be something we automatically think of as important in the day to day hustle of our busy lives.
One activity I that has become habit for me now, is to have a daily time when I stop and pay attention to my breathing. I find a time to relax in a comfortable position. I love to sit back in the recliner, and get totally comfortable. I then become aware of my breathing. Awareness to my in-breaths and my out-breaths is realized and I will continue this for a minute or two, allowing stressors and concerns of the day to leave. I will then bring to my remembrance something I have gratitude for. This has become habit for me. Not only has this caused me to have a definite time of relaxation with awareness to my breathing, but I am filled with gratitude for many things in my life on a daily basis and many days more often.
This week take time to be more aware of your breathing, your surroundings and the things you have gratitude for. Then, allow it to become a part of you daily, and not just a season or month during the year. Notice the positive change this brings into your life. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Be aware. Be grateful.
Joyce Harrell, RN, OCN
RN Health and Wellness Coach
Certified Healthy for Life Team Leader
www.poweruphealthcoaching.com -
4 Reasons to Become a Nurse Today
Why should a young person consider becoming a nurse today? Is it the same type of job as it was 30 years ago?
Today nurses can get their degrees online and they have more options to get advances degrees than ever before.They can specialize in various nursing programs rather than just the general nursing degree. There are RN’s, LPN’s, CRNA’s, CNM’s, NP’s, etc. Not only are the new nurses getting Bachelor degrees, more are getting their Master’s and Doctorates as well.
Some LPN’s are now delivering medications through IV’s which before was just the job of a registered nurse. In some areas appropriately trained Registered Nurses are finding opportunities to prescribe certain medications, previously only the domain of the doctor.
Nurses today also have to deal with more paper work and/or computer work than ever before. Many have to be trained with the new computer technology that must be done in conjunction with their work as the United States is going to computerized medical record keeping.
The number one reason today to become a nurse is the demand will increase as the aging population increases.They can not only work in hospitals but nursing homes, home care or be a travel nurse. They will have lots of choices as to where and when they work.
The number two reason is the flexibility. One does not have to work 9-5 Monday through Friday. Many nurses can work part-time if they wish as they are raising their young families. Some work 12 hour shifts and only a few days a week.They can also choose which area of the country to work in and can move easily as work is available in most places compared to other vocations.
The third reason would be the pay. More male nurses are emerging today as the pay for nurse’s is quite well. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses earn an average of $17. 57 per hour and Registered Nurses earn an average of $27.54 per hour.
So where can registered nurses make the most money, or at least stretch their salaries the farthest? According to Nurse Zone in terms of the highest average salaries for RNs, California lives up to its name as the Golden State, laying claim to four of the top five paying metropolitan areas in the country, based on data from the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. At the top of the list is the San Jose area, where the average nursing pay is approximately $46 per hour, or $95,000 annually for nurses working full-time. While $95,000 may sound like a lot of money to a nurse in Phoenix who is making the regional average of $60,000 per year, the reality is that the two amounts are very comparable in terms of what lifestyle he or she can afford in these cities. One way to compare nursing salaries and affordability in several locations around the country is with some of the free tools you can find online, such as those offered by PayScale.
It all comes down to the cost of living—which happens to be 55 percent higher overall in San Jose. Cost of living comparisons factor in the necessities such as housing, groceries, transportation, utilities and health care.
And finally the number four reason to become a nurse today is most people want to become a nurse for the love of the job.They find helping sick people to be a very rewarding job that outweighs the stresses of the job.
Can you tell us your reason for becoming a nurse or still being one today? We welcome comments here on our blog. -
So you just purchased those new pair of dark blue scrubs or new chocolate brown scrubs and want to make the bold color last. How will you wash them?
Read the labels on them carefully. Most labels will recommend you wash your darks separately from light colors and in cold water. Ever wash a dark red garment with white and see the white turn to red or pink? Always wash the colors in cold water to prevent fading. Washing in cold water also prevents shrinking of your cotton scrubs. Turning the scrubs inside out will help reduce pilling which can dull the look of the scrub fabric. You continue to keep them inside out in the dryer or outside in the sun which can also zap their color quickly. Both washing and drying can be rough on your scrubs causing more wear and tear.
Keep your laundry to small loads. Loading up the washing machine can also be rough on the fabrics and your washing machine as well. Some scrubs will not come as clean or have soap that is not evenly deposited throughout the wash cycle. The fabrics need to move freely about during the wash cycle. Washing on gentle and short cycle are some more ways to be sure your colors will not fade and last as long as they possibly can as well as preventing shrinkage.You may also use some special detergent such as Woolite, Dreft , Tide or Cheer Color Guard formulated to prevent colors from fading. (Find detergents that do not contain optical brighteners)
Another way to prevent fading is to add vinegar to your wash. One cupful will help stop fading and also is a natural fabric softener. The smell will not be retained after washing your scrubs. The vinegar is to be added during the rinse cycle.
And don’t forget the dryer. Over drying your nursing scrubs will also cause your colors to fade. You should remove them when they are slightly damp. If you hang them out to dry, remember the sun can bleach your colors over time. If you really love your color scrubs you can always brighten them up by re-dying them with fabric dyes.
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Pink Ribbons for Breast Cancer Awareness
Pink ribbons are universally known to be for breast cancer awareness. Do you know where this originated? It’s a rather complicated story. I researched several versions, and to the best of my knowledge, here it is!
It seems that using ribbons to raise awareness of anything was started in 1979 when a woman named Penney Laingen tied yellow ribbons around trees in her yard. She did this to bring awareness to the fact that her husband had been taken hostage in Iran, and she was prompted to do this because of the song “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree” which was released in 1973. That song was talking about women who wore yellow ribbons during the time of the U.S. Calvary when showing loyalty to an absent loved one being in the Calvary.
Reading several accounts, it was in 1991 when Komen Foundation’s Race for The Cure, distributed pink ribbons to participants in the New York City Race.
In 1992, a woman by the name of Charlotte Haley made thousands of peach colored ribbons to distribute, and brought attention to the huge cancer budget by The National Cancer Institute, and had found out only 5 percent of the $1.8 million dollars was actually going to cancer prevention.
In that same year, Alexandra Penny, editor in chief of Self magazine, came up with an idea of distributing ribbons for Breast Cancer Awareness Month and thought cosmetics counters would be a great place to pass these out. She enlisted the help of Evelyn Lauder (VP of Estee Lauder), and together they approached Charlotte Haley about helping out. Ms. Haley had no interest in helping, so they went with the idea, but changed the color to pink. Later, the Komen Foundation wanted to trademark the pink ribbon, but was unable. Today, Komen uses a pink ribbon which appears to be running.
In 1997, Paul Davidson launched the website www.pinkribbon.com, and further raised awareness with the idea of the pink ribbon. Later in 1997, a Dutch man by the name of Walter Scheffrahn established Pink Ribbon Inc. Popularity has grown exponentially every year and is now a global symbol.
That was interesting research. Many steps to where we are today! Now clothing, stationary, pens, pencils, cars, and items too numerous to count can be found with the pink ribbon. I had so much fun exploring the uniforms, socks, and shoes on www.fancyscrubs.com.
The site has so many great “pink” ribbon items. They are dedicating a portion of their profits for cancer causes. Please check out this great site!Joyce Harrell, RN, OCN is an Oncology Registered Nurse and Wellness Coach. Joyce provides education and workshops on a variety of subjects relating to the health and wellness of cancer patients and their families, as well as the general public. Joyce practices integrative care, which is adding (not replacing) integrative therapies to conventional medicine. She can be reached through her website at http://www.poweruphealthcoaching.com.
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Joyce Harrell, RN, OCN
September is Ovarian Cancer Month.
According to http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/ovarian/ there are 21,880 projected new cases of ovarian cancer for 2010 and 13,850 projected deaths. A direct quote from the same site supplies the definition of ovarian cancer as “cancer that forms in tissues of the ovary (one of a pair of female reproductive glands in which the ova, or eggs, are formed). Most ovarian cancers are either ovarian epithelial carcinomas (cancer that begins in the cells on the surface of the ovary) or malignant germ cell tumors (cancer that begins in egg cells).
According to www.ovarian.org, this cancer affects women ages 35-74 and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Also, it is estimated that one in 58 women will develop ovarian cancer in their lifetime. What has been so frustrating with this disease is there has not been a good screening tool available for this cancer, and early detection of this cancer is usually not the case. Some would advocate the tumor marker CA-125 as an early defining tool; however, conclusive data is not available. Currently an investigational study by M.D. Anderson is underway exploring Early Detection of Ovarian Cancer. Details of this study can be found at www.clinicaltrials.gov. Specific sites are still recruiting for this study. To access this specific study, and in the inclusion/exclusion criteria and available sites go specifically to the link: http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT00539162.
Several nice informational sites exist for more information on ovarian cancer. One site is www.ovariancancer.org. I found a nice glossary of terms, statistics, risk factors, and links to other resources. The American Cancer Society is always a reliable site for up to date treatment and information on any cancer. You can find information at www.cancer.org/cancer/ovariancancer/index.
From the American Cancer Society, you can find information on risk factors. Areas of risk discussed are age, obesity, reproductive history, gynecologic surgery, fertility drugs, androgens, estrogen therapy, family history, and diet can be found in detail at: http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/OvarianCancer/DetailedGuide/ovarian-cancer-risk-factors.
Treatment for ovarian cancer can include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and in certain areas clinical trials may be available. Complementary and alternative therapies are also mentioned, but these have not been studied and proven safe in clinical trials.
Complementary therapies are not advertised as cures, but can be used as supportive therapy. Such therapies help with relaxation, coping and sometimes pain. These therapies are range in modalities with examples of aromatherapy, music therapy, relaxation techniques, healing touch, reflexology, acupuncture, and even something as simple as peppermint tea for nausea.
Hair loss is almost a certainty with most chemotherapy associated with ovarian cancer. Skin changes can also occur. One program I helped establish while a cancer center manager was a local Look Good Feel Better group. Any woman going through cancer treatment can attend this group. If you know of someone currently going through cancer treatment, they can find information on this at www.lookgoodfeelbetter.org. Locations near the patient can be found at this site. I highly recommend this group. A free makeup and skin care kit is given to the woman, along with instruction on using wigs and scarves. An online support group for breast and ovarian cancer patients can be found at www.sharecancersupport.org.
For every pair of Clogs purchased between now and September 20, 2010, www.fancyscrubs.com will donate $10.00 each to girlygirlparts. This is a 5K Run/Walk event for Ovarian Cancer, supported by the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Check out the Ovarian Butterfly Awareness Clogs at this link: http://www.fancyscrubs.com/product/13221133.
Support is not only needed for the cancer patient, but for the caregiver as well. So whether you are a nurse who takes care of ovarian cancer patients, you are a caregiver, or close friend of an ovarian cancer survivor, take time to check out the different links here. You can also visit my site at www.poweruphealthcoaching.com for tips in nutrition and coaching that is available.
Joyce Harrell, RN, OCN has been a registered nurse for over 20 years, and is an Oncology Certified Nurse, with experience as a cancer center manager. She is also a Health and Wellness Coach, with emphasis on nutrition, health modification behaviors and goal setting.
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Dancing Gracefully Through Life
Bully Behavior in Medicine?
by Lynn Durham, RN
All bullying behavior isn't relegated to the playground. All too often it's
found in nursing(1) and when it's there, it creates problems, not only for the
staff, but for patients as well including adverse events.(2, 3) In nursing
there are already plenty of issues that need to be handled. Why would we ever
want to make more?
Virginia gastroenterologist Patricia Raymond, MD(4) is attempting to shine a
light on the research and importance of civility in the medical workplace. She
is also giving some tips on how to change the culture and stop the bullying.
Dr. Raymond cites three aspects of bully behavior: attack on competence and
reputation, personal attack, or attack through work tasks. And why is it
important to consider it? Studies have proven that when there are problems with
staff interaction it translates into adverse events for the patient and low
morale and increased staff turnover for the organization. Click on the links
below that were cited above to see more.
If you are someone who wants this bullying to stop at your work location,
you have the Joint Commission behind you. They have zero tolerance for such
behavior. (5) If it's physical call 911.
Conflicts will occur. Unfortunately, many nurses would prefer to switch than
fight. But it doesn't have to be a fight. It's not the conflict itself, but how
it's handled that's important. If you can calm yourself, release defensiveness
and be willing to enter a difficult conversation with patience and
understanding, successes can happen. Even if it's just you knowing that you have
spoken up with a confident voice.
It may be difficult to admit that you might be the one exhibiting bully
behavior. Be honest with yourself, if it's ever been you, make a commitment to
stop right now.
Dr Raymond recommends "curbing your docs," or anyone else for that matter.
She points out that just like you cannot correct a puppy through official
channels with a long delay, the bully behavior also has to be called to
attention and stopped in the moment it occurs. One of her suggestions was
called "Code Pink," to describe an action of support that other staff members
can take when a nurse is being put down by a physician. The nurse's associates
would gather around and stare at the doctor. This action curbed that physician's
rude behavior! Raymond suggests augmenting the effect by notifying the CNO
afterwards, as approved by the JCAHO policies of zero tolerance.
On the flip side, she reminds us "Resistance is futile. Non-resistance is
fertile." One of her tips of non-resistance is to repeat, "Tell me more." I've
had the opportunity to watch it in action when I was helping to locate and set
up Red Cross disaster locations. A man was very angry with something that the
Red Cross had done in the past. My coworker and I just listened. We did not
defend, we did not resist. We heard his anger and gave him our attention. It was
amazing to me how it dissolved right before our eyes and we had a successful
conversation and secured another emergency location.
You'll never know until you test it in your life. I remember learning about
the reflective technique in nursing school - repeating back your patients' words
to draw them out. When we tried it on each other it sounded silly. It seemed so
obvious to us that we "knew" our patients would notice what we were doing. They
did not. They just continued to give further details and we heard a lot of
information that we could have missed if we didn't reflect their last words back
to them.
We each have the opportunity to choose how we will live, no matter what's
going on around us. The "they's" do not control our thoughts, our words or our
actions, we do. And we are contagious. I encourage you to be deliberate on what
you send out. Nurses are famous for their TLC for patients. Be willing to
request and to share that same tender loving care with each other.
At the end of the repeated "tell me more," when their steam runs out, Dr.
Raymond recommends that you ask: "What do you need?" or "What's missing for
you?" You may be surprised at what happens.
Let me know.
Communication & Creating Positive Workplaces.
Lynn Durham, RN is a well being coach, writing and speaking on mind/body/spirit
wellness. To get information on having her write for or present to your
organization you can contact her at 603-926-9700 or smile@lynndurham.com. Sign
up for her e letter at www.lynndurham.com
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Did you know that 5 minutes of remembering anger can depress your immune
functioning for up to 6 hours?
What you think is very important and your well being coach says, "You're One
Thought Away From Feeling Better!"
Lynn Durham, RN Well Being Coach
603-926-9700
www.lynndurham.comShare | -
Fancy Scrubs welcomes our new guest blogger:
Joyce Harrell, RN, OCN
RN Health and Wellness Coach - Certified Live Well Coach - Certified Healthy for Life Coach
7 Ideas That Promote Self-Care
As caregivers, we expend energy. For a moment, think of our energy as water. Imagine our source of water coming from a well. Day after day, you withdraw water from the well to drink, to cook with to bathe with. The source of replenishment has been cut off from the well. You may continue to draw from that well until it is dry. It stands to reason, if the well is not being continually fed from a spring or underground source, it will dry up. What happens if the well dries up? The well can no longer give water.
Think about yourself as a caregiver. Are you a physician, a nurse, a radiology tech, lab tech, childcare provider, nursing assistant, beautician, dentist, dental assistant or hygienist, or one of the many providers whose underlying mission is that of caregiver? You have chosen the noble profession of being a giver. Think of the water well. If you are not allowing yourself to be refreshed, you will run dry. What are some symptoms of running dry? Burnout, exhaustion, impatience, fatigue, or a feeling of overwhelm are just a few examples of one can feel if your well has gone dry. I am going to discuss a few ways I have found helpful to keep my well full and over-flowing.
1) Take at least 15 minutes per day for a time of quiet, meditation, or prayer. This time of quiet and reflection can help you focus and quiet your thoughts. This practice can be hard in the beginning as your mind wants to wander and fill with all the duties of the day. Continue to practice this and you will begin to see your mind and body relax.
2) Examine your nutrition. Do you eat on the run? Is fast food your main source of nourishment? Take time to plan your meals and snacks ahead of time. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water and not allowing yourself to get dehydrated. Headaches and fatigue can occur from simply being dehydrated. Eat low glycemic impact foods. These foods do not raise your blood sugar and cause unhealthy cravings. Eating smaller meals or snacks throughout the day also promotes even blood sugar levels, and will prevent spikes and lows in the blood sugar. (which will also help prevent unhealthy food cravings)
3) Wear comfortable clothing. Make sure you are wearing clothing you can breathe in. Do you remember how it feels good to purchase a new outfit? You can have those same feelings when you buy new work clothes. Most caregivers wear scrubs. They are very comfortable. You can be creative with colors and prints when purchasing scrubs. Unless your employment regulates the colors you wear, try something new and different. Speaking of comfortable, make sure you are wearing comfortable shoes! There is almost nothing worse than a long shift with shoes that hurt your feet. Clogs are very comfortable. Fancy Scrubs has a nice selection of comfortable shoes. They even donate to charity with some shoe purchases. Don’t be cheap when it comes to shoes. An investment in comfortable shoes will pay off in the long run. You can find Fancy Scrubs at www.fancyscrubs.com.
4) Affirmations! Do you like yourself? I mean, do you really like yourself? We have to first like and care for ourselves, if we are going to be affective in the care of others. If you have a hard time answering that question “yes”, you need to spend a little time in this area of self care. Conduct a Google search on “affirmation cards and see what you come up with. Affirmations are words of self-talk which are positive in nature. I have a set of Cheryl Richardson affirmation cards that I ordered from Hay House. I also have a few sets of cards from other authors of the same company. Place these in areas where you will see them each day. Invest in your self-talk.
5) Find your “happy place”. Where is your happy place? Do you like the ocean? Do you like the mountains? What place brings feelings of serenity can peace to you? Close your eyes and visualize this place. What does it feel like? What does it smell like? Allow yourself to be in this place. Take slow deep breaths. When you find yourself overwhelmed in a situation, step back for a moment and go to your happy place, even if for only a few moments in your mind. Take a few deep breaths. When you come back to the moment, you may be able to face the situation at hand.
6) What is it you enjoy doing? How do you treat yourself? Do you treat yourself? If not, then write down a few things you feel are a treat and schedule these things. Take a long relaxing bath. Schedule the much needed appointment with your hair stylist. Get that mani-pedi. Go to the museum and walk around for a bit, taking in all the beauty. Find what it is that is nourishing to you, and do it. Regularly.
7) Prioritize. We are given a fixed amount of time every day. Every item on your to-do list requires energy points. Make yourself a priority. If on your to-do list, you are not one of the to-do’s, then revamp that list until you are allowing time everyday for a refilling and refreshing.
These ideas are only a start. They are only the tip of the ice-burg. Self-care takes time, effort, and practice. My desire is to see you become your best self. The first ah ha moment you need to have with yourself, is the realization not only is self-care OK, but imperative for your overall mental and emotional well-being. I would love to hear from you as you share your self-care ideas with me!
Joyce Harrell, RN, OCN
RN Health and Wellness Coach - Certified Live Well Coach - Certified Health for Life Coach
http://www.poweruphealthcoaching.com
Share | -
August 14, 2010: If you haven't been to our site lately, you have missed many new additions. We have added to our mens department as well as our new Team Scrubs, MLB and NFL. We also have added Studio B - Boutique by Cherokee including petite scrub pants.
We also have included the You Tube video for GirlyGirlParts. Please check it out on our homepage and we are still collecting for every clog purchase.
July 17, 2010: Walk for the Cure! FancyScrubs.com announces for every pair of clogs purchased between today and September 20, 2010, $10 per pair will be donated to the GirlyGirlParts (Pre-screening Awareness Required To Silence Ovarian Cancer) 2nd Annual 5K run/walk being held on September 25, 2010 Town Neck Beach in Sandwich, MA.
The event is open to the public and is designed to help raise awareness and research funds for a reliable early screening test for ovarian cancer.
Jill Di-Tommaso and Laura Smith, both Sandwich residents founded Girlygirl P.A.R.T.S in 2009. The women were moved to create the organization after Di-Tommaso, who is in her early 40’s, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer after seeing her doctor for a routine visit in February, 2008. “My case illustrates how ovarian cancer symptoms are truly ‘silent’ and emphasizes the need for a reliable screening test.”
All proceeds from the 5K Run/Walk will go directly to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute specifically for ovarian cancer pre-screening research.
The success of the foundation’s first event underscores the overwhelming need for public events in support of ovarian cancer awareness and research. There are only 119 organizations nationwide dedicated to ovarian cancer while there are 1,700 organizations nationwide dedicated to breast cancer awareness and fundraising. Approximately 26,000 new cases of ovarian cancer each year, among those, roughly 16,000 will die of the disease. September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.
FancyScrubs.com features the Clogs for a Cure on their website along with Cape Clogs in variety of prints and colors to go with their nursing scrubs.
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