I don’t wear medical scrubs on a daily basis (very rarely, actually) which might make some of you wonder what makes me qualified to write about apparel, scrubs and medical clothing uniforms on a daily basis. Even though I don’t wear them, take my word; I do know a little bit about scrubs.

Lydia’s Uniforms knows it’s important that all of its employees are educated about the products that we sell. Last week I attended a product training session to learn about the new designer medical scrubs that are in for the summer season. Some of our lovely ladies and gentleman from the customer service department put on a fashion show and I learned tons of information about the new medical scrubs. I learned about the sizing, materials, colors, patterns and styles. There was so much information that I had to take notes!

Check out these pictures of our employees modeling some of the brand new designer medical scrubs.

See what our models are wearing.
Group Picture: In front Lori is wearing the Drawstring Top from L.A. Rose in the LeDot pattern and from left to right Melinda is wearing the Kimono Print Top from L.A. Rose in the Floral Kitchy pattern, Mandy is wearing the Mock Wrap Ruffle Print Top from White Cross in Citron/Lime, Jose is wearing the Men’s Warm-Up Jacket and Unisex Three Pocket Scrub Top from Lydia’s Pro Series, Erika is wearing the Emily Top from Koi in the Stardust pattern and Oyuki is wearing the Sash Mock Wrap Top from L.A. Rose in the Chelsea pattern.

The award for best photo goes to Jeanne B! Jeanne is the winner of the Annual Nurses Week Photo Contest from Lydia’s. She will be receiving a $100 gift certificate to Lydia’s Uniforms, just in time to buy medical uniforms or new nursing scrubs from Lydia’s brand new Summer 2008 Catalog.

Although it was difficult to choose a winner from all the wonderful entries we received; everyone agreed that these two photos from Jeanne are exactly what we were looking for.

We love how the photos show group shots of Jeanne and her co-workers in action. And of course we love how they all wore their brightly colored Cotton Partridge Warm-Ups from the Lydia’s ProSoft Collection with matching scrub pants. The three of them look cute and seem to make a great team.

Congratulations Jeanne! Enjoy your gift card from Lydia’s Uniforms.

Be sure to check your mailbox for our latest Summer catalog. I'm so eager to show you this season's designer medical scrubs that I thought I would post the link here immediately so that you could see what all of the excitement is about.  I love the detail and thought that has gone into each of our new styles. These are not just your basic scrubs- each style has a twist that adds a bit of extra fashion detail, comfort, or fit.  Check them out for yourself! Just click here. 

Now that it is officially spring and Earth Day is rapidly approaching; I can’t help but think green thoughts. Not only am I thinking about the green grass that’s soon to come (not soon enough here in Michigan), but also about green efforts.

After a little research, I discovered that medical scrubs aren’t the only thing that’s green here at Lydia’s. Many of the employees are living environmentally friendly lifestyles at work and at home. I only had to walk a few feet to my co-workers desk where I found a place to put my paper for recycling.

I asked some of the employees how they are green on a daily basis. I found out that this is what they do:

 Recycle everything possible (paper, plastic, aluminum, batteries, etc.) One employee gets her son involved with recycling and she says, “He loves to go [to the recycling center] with grandma.”
 Return cans and bottles to the store instead of throwing them away
 Use reusable totes for shopping (here’s one tote that Lydia's offers which can be used for shopping or for bringing your stuff to and from work)                            
 Drive fuel efficient cars
 Bike or take the bus instead of drive
 Turn off lights when leaving the room “I’m obsessive about never leaving lights on in more than one room at home,” said Lindsey.
 Use energy efficient light bulbs around the house
 Turn off or unplug appliances/ electronics that aren’t in use
 Make sure that the dishwasher and washing machine are completely full before running, in order to save water
 Use green products 
 Keep the heat down in the house
 Make all errands in one trip to cut back on gasoline

And one of my favorite green efforts came from Gail, an employee at Lydia’s, who is environmentally friendly even when she’s quilting! Gail uses recycled express and priority mailing envelopes in the creation of her quilts. I thought this was an awesome way to show how you can be green in all aspects of your life! I think I need to be more creative like Gail.                           

Finding out all this information was exciting to me. At home I tend to be alone in my quest to be green (the recycling boxes are right next to the garbage and my roommates still don’t use them)! But at least now I can come to work and be surrounded by others who are on the same quest. And who knows, maybe I’ll eventually rub off on my roommates.
 
So what do you do to be green? Do you have any suggestions for us at Lydia’s about what we could do to improve? We would love to hear your ideas.

As a new employee at Lydia’s Uniforms I’ve met all sorts of people since I started just a week ago. It’s hard to remember all the new faces and especially all the new names, but I’m working on it! One thing that I noticed when visiting the different departments is that everyone at Lydia’s is involved with customer service. It seemed like there was someone from every department, whether it was the call center or the warehouse, who was trying to figure out how to best meet a customer’s needs or make a customer happy. The best part was, nobody was complaining about it! And as someone who has worked in customer service for the past seven years, it’s refreshing to see employees who are dedicated to the customer and willing to help (without complaining about it).

One particular employee that I met on my first day here, Jose Ortiz, is an expert in the field of customer service. As a Team Leader in the Customer Service Department, Jose’s job is to ensure that customer’s needs are met. Turns out, that is exactly what he was doing the first time I met him. When I approached Jose to introduce myself he was on the phone with a customer. I realized right away that Jose wasn’t trying to hurry the customer off the phone, but was instead trying to assist them with whatever they needed. I decided not to bother him and come back and introduce myself another time when he wasn’t as busy! I eventually found a time when we both had a free moment and I got the opportunity to meet him. Jose seemed extremely friendly and personable (perfect for a job in customer service).

              After meeting Jose and realizing what an important part of the Lydia’s team he was, I wanted to ask him a few questions about his job here. What better way to get to know more about the employees and the company than actually hearing what they have to say? This is what I found out from Jose:

What is your favorite thing about working for Lydia’s?

My favorite thing about working for Lydia’s is the diverse clientele we have on a daily basis.

What did you think when you saw Rachel & Leesa road-testing scrubs for the day?

I believe it is a good idea. It gives us the opportunity to try it before you buy it.

What’s your favorite scrub?

My favorite line of scrubs is the Urbane from Landau. The scrubs are trendy. I actually own a few pairs of the Urbane Boot Cut Pant 9502. It is very comfortable, and fits very loose.

(I guess you don’t have to work in the medical field to buy medical scrubs!)

He also shared his customer service philosophy with me. This is what he had to say: “As a Customer Service Specialist, I feel it is crucial that every individual receives the utmost care and dedication he/she deserves. I have worked in the Customer Service industry for over 11 years, and dealt with all types of situations. Some time ago, I had a customer who was unsure about ordering uniforms for sizing reasons. I suggested she sample the items, to make sure it was the color, style, and size she was looking for. Finally, the package was received and some of the items worked but a few didn’t. I instructed the customer to send what she didn’t like back at no charge. We shipped her requested items, and now all the items worked out perfectly.  Now the customer knows what color, size, and brand to order and we have her business for life. It’s not always about getting the customer off the phone, but getting them what they need. Our customers rely on us to get them their uniforms, and making their experience as smooth as possible.

          Working for Lydia’s Professional Uniforms has been a great experience for me, and I will continue to strive in giving the best customer service possible.”

After having many of my own terrible experiences with all kinds of customer service representatives, reading Jose’s philosophy helped me understand why he is such a valued employee. I cannot imagine Jose ever telling a customer, “that’s your problem, not mine,” which is something I personally have been told by a customer service representative of a company whose name I won’t mention. I wish every customer service representative that I spoke with had a motto like Jose’s. It would make life just a little less frustrating.

As usual, my morning is frenzied, and I have to race to get myself ready and things loaded up in the car before my son wakes up.  Since I’m a working Mom, I like to spend time with him in the morning before we leave for the day.  This morning I did things a little differently- instead of checking my closet for what to wear, I grabbed my scrubs out of the dresser (Thanks Lydia’s- and sorry about that stain. I guess you didn’t want these back anyway).  I actually felt like I was hopping right back into my jammies, but was excited about the opportunity to get a glimpse into what goes on in the world of nursing scrubs.  I will say that the scrubs did simplify my morning- I wasn’t doing much coordinating, and if truth be told, I usually spend more time analyzing how colors look against my fair skin than doing my hair.

Anyway, we hopped in the car and were on our way. I have to add here that I was starving because I had to do a fasting lab test after I dropped off Matthew at daycare.  However, I quickly let this go once I reached the lab and had such a fun time showing off my scrubs with the ladies that worked there (Note to employers: you should try out your staff in fun and flattering colors like the turquoise blue I was wearing- everyone was so excited to see it.).  Getting my blood drawn was a breeze, and I enjoyed the camaraderie I shared with the ladies in the clinic, all wearing scrubs.  I even surprised them with some Lydia’s tote bags and a few catalogs, and we proceeded to talk about our favorite items.

When I got to work, I kept an eye out for Leesa, because I knew she was wearing her uniform as well.  Sure enough, she was cheerful as usual, and looked cute in her designer medical scrubs (ok, like a dental hygienist too J ).  Together, we went to the morning manager’s meeting, and everyone was excited to see us.  The entire team caught our enthusiasm, and I think our vibe made everyone loosen up a little going into the workday.  This was one of the things I definitely noticed. I was having a hard time not smiling, and felt more relaxed than usual.  I know that this projected in my attitude toward meetings that day, and other projects I was working on.  This makes me wonder: how do scrubs affect your customer service skills?

There are a few things that I really liked about Cherokee Authentic Workwear besides the great color palette.  For example, the pants have this cool “hip flip” that ensures that they don’t bunch up, and it really helps with fit.  Also, it means that the legs don’t drag on the floor, which is something I’m picky about.  I love wrap styling for casual wear, but often find it cumbersome to pull off.  However, the mock wrap detail on the top was just enough to add a little style, and I found myself sticking my hands in the pockets all day (conveniently located- that certainly provided an answer for me about the styling of nursing scrubs!).

There were a couple of elements of my road test that I struggled with.  The scrub top wasn’t as tailored as the clothes I normally wear, and made me feel a little unkempt overall.  I’m not used to wearing anything baggy, and I also am trying to work off the baby weight, so this was something I was a little self-conscious about.  I looked at Leesa, wearing tailored looking Urbane scrubs, and wondered if she was feeling more orderly.  Also, like Leesa, I was super relaxed and ready to GO, so it was hard for me to sit at my desk all day. 

I was really glad to have the opportunity to road test a pair of scrubs for the day.  I’ve tried on lots of scrubs before, so that I can describe to you how they fit.  However, I’d never spent an entire day in them.  My respect for what you do, and the daily challenges that you face, has only been reinforced.  You need the most comfortable uniforms available so that you can focus on what’s really important- your patient.  It’s my goal to help you find them.

- Rachel

Want to test drive Cherokee Authentic Workwear Medical Scrubs yourself?  Click here to check them out!

Update: The ugly stain was removed!  But I’m still keeping the scrubs J