All Your Scrubs

I’ve been a registered nurse for about five years now, and the hospital where I work doesn’t require us to wear a specific kind of shoe as part of our uniform medical attire. But I’ve found that I enjoy wearing my nursing shoes even when I’m not at work! When I first started working, I just wore ordinary white tennis shoes because the hospital didn’t require nursing footwear. However, I noticed a lot of my co-workers were wearing nursing shoes, and I decided to buy a pair for myself.

After wearing my nursing shoes for about a week, I found that I wanted to wear them outside of work as well! I couldn’t risk scuffing up the nursing shoes I wore for work, so I bought a second pair to wear outside of work. They’re not so great as formalwear, but when I need to run to the supermarket, visit a friend, or take a walk outside, I love wearing my nursing shoes!

Let’s face it - the United States in a full-on economic recession. That means people are losing their jobs, collecting unemployment, and reevaluating their careers. It’s times like these that force us to take a look at our chosen career paths in order to determine whether or not changing jobs would help our financial situations. Despite media reports that companies are cutting jobs and wages, it’s still possible to find work that pays well and is fulfilling.

One of these types of careers is nursing. No matter what happens we know that there will always be a demand for nurses. The economy may be bad, but that doesn’t mean that people will stop getting sick. Why not consider enrolling in nursing school? Becoming a nurse may be the answer to your financial woes. At least you know that you’ll always have a job. There are even effective ways to save on schooling, like renting your textbooks and purchasing discounted scrubs.

 Whether you’re feeling the full effects of the recent economic downturn or not, there are millions of people who are feeling in secure about their jobs, or even unemployed. If you’ve turned on the television recently, you’ve also no doubt seen all those people walking around in print scrub jackets. The media has been telling people for months that the health services industry is immune to the recession, and while immune is a stretch, there’s no doubt that the industry is growing. Nursing assistants are some of the most in demand professionals in the United States right now, and it’s a great career for advancement and if you’re just starting out.

Certified nursing assistants can count on reliable wages, reliable hours, and benefits. The job security of individuals in the health services industry is unrivaled, and in tough economic times with lots of people feeling insecure, it’s nice to feel confident about your job.

Everyone deserves a heartfelt gift sometimes, especially those in the medical field. Doctors and nurses are under so much stress. They often work 24-hour shifts without a break, and must deal with death everyday. These people deserve a break sometimes, but they don’t always get one.

Let the doctor or nurse in your life know that you truly appreciate them. Buy them a nice gift that shows the depth of your gratitude. When it comes to buying nurse gifts, consider a cheerful calendar, or maybe a cute pair of medical uniforms scrubs. These items may seem inconsequential, but will be greatly appreciated by the recipient.

When about 80% of my co-workers are female, as a male nurse I’m scrutinized now and then by patients. The truth is, the health care field and the nursing profession are booming, and I chose this career in part because it would provide me with a secure job. I also wanted to help people. Patients mistake me all the time for a doctor, even though I wear my nurse medical uniforms whenever I’m at the hospital. I have no aspirations of becoming a doctor, I just don’t want to go back to school for quite that long.

Despite some snide comments now and then, I enjoy being a nurse just as much as I think I would enjoy being a doctor. While I think there will always be some kind of social stigma about male nurses, overall a career as a nurse is quite fulfilling and the job security is unrivaled.

My girlfriend just started medical school this fall, and we are already beginning to feel the financial pinch. We both realize that suffering through the tough times will payout big dividends in the future, but we also have to worry about the present. I have started an extra part-time job and she is tutoring undergrad students on the weekend to make some extra money.

One of the biggest ways that we have been able to save money is by doing more of our shopping online. We always comparison shop now before making a major purchase, and she was even able to find most of her med school supplies online. Just last week she found a great deal on online scrubs.

We’ve all heard the old adage “never judge a book by its cover,” and while this is usually sound advice, a person’s appearance can often give us some initial insight into their life. Now I am not advocating superficiality, but as we all know, nearly every job has a set of dress requirements. Whether that means wearing a suit or sweatpants to work, we all have work uniforms.

At my job, the atmosphere is fairly relaxed and I am free to wear pretty much whatever I want. For other professions, however, the uniform is a crucial element in ensuring the job gets done safely and correctly. For example, medical scrubs help keep the ER sanitary, while neon shirts keep construction workers safe on the job.

As the weather gets colder for the winter, we must all think about staying warm throughout the workday.  As a nurse or healthcare professional, you must remain comfortable so that you can provide the best care possible.

One part of a typical nurses uniform now includes a warm up jacket.  These are now made to match your scrubs or compliment them.  The jacket can be a solid color or many times it may be a print to help brighten the day of your patient or their family. 

In addition to keeping you warm, the warm-up jackets usually have additional pockets to accommodate all the supplies that we as nurses must carry with us.

As the winter approaches, be sure to stay warm and stay healthy!

The holiday season is upon us.  It is a time to remember special friends and coworkers with gifts to show our appreciation and friendship.

One very important group of people to remember are the ones who devote their lives to professional healthcare.  I have often pondered on what I could give to my coworkers in the hospital where I work that would demonstrate my appreciation for them without going deeply into debt!  I have discovered there are any number of small gift items that say “Thank you” to a nurse or other healthcare professional.  There are lots of nurses accessories they can use in their work that will remind them of me on a daily basis.

Nurses generally are required to display their ID badges–particularly if they work in a hospital setting.  There are different styles of badge holders including cute Christmas themes, Cancer Awareness themes, and Heart Awareness themes.  They may be plain solid colors, cute designs, or have just a little “bling” added as a fashion statement. 

Nurses also use lanyards to display their ID badges.  These also come in various designs.  You can get whimsical, solid colors, or ones that display awareness to specific illnesses.  There are numerous Christmas and winter themes that will brighten the days of both the nurses and the patients.

 While these badge holders are simple and inexpensive, they convey the message.  Keep these in mind as you check off your holiday gift list.

When my friends first told me about the show “Scrubs,” I was puzzled as to what could be the premise of the show. After watching it for the first time, I quickly realized that the show’s title was an allusion to the med students’ scrub uniforms. After first I couldn’t stand the program, but I have grown to have an appreciation for the subtle humor and inside jokes.

Normally I am completely against medical shows; I feel that everything that can be depicted in a hospital has already been done by “ER” (and probably twice for that matter). “Scrubs,” however, takes a more lighthearted and humorous approach when dealing with medical issues, which was a refreshing change of pace from most hospital shows.