A few months back I wrote a post about how easy it can be to buy medical scrubs for an office or group at Lydia’s Uniforms. Since then, we’ve been busy adding more features to make it even simpler! So let me tell you about what’s been happening and how it’s going to help your group buy medical uniforms.

We still have the all the things I told you about in my previous post: knowledgeable customer service reps, custom embroidery (with the set-up fee waived for orders over $495), group discounts and custom e-stores (think personalized login, scrubs that your company chooses and even products displayed in your colors with your logo). <-- Visit my last post on group orders for even more details about any of these things.

Now here’s what’s new:

We’ve decreased the minimum order size for group discounts and the discounts are available all day every day! Get your group to order just $200 worth of medical scrubs and you’ll receive $25 off. Have an order of $350? That means $50 off. And an order of $500 or more means you’ll get $75 off! I know it wouldn’t take much for a group of my friends to spend $200-$500 on work clothes and I bet that’s the case for you as well.

Lydia’s has also added a payroll deduction feature. After a quick set up, your company can make shopping easy for employees by deducting their medical uniform purchases right from their paychecks. Employees can buy scrubs without a hassle and the result is a staff that looks professional and put together. Everybody wins!

And as always we have tons of scrubs that are great for groups. Whether you’re looking for stylish uniforms, men’s nursing scrubs or just affordable uniforms that will fit your budget there’s something for everyone. Need a recommendation? Call us at 1.800.293.7721, email us, live chat or even leave a comment and we’ll be happy to help. Or if you want my personal recommendation, click here.

Now stop reading this, go get your group together and save some money on your scrub uniforms!
 
Or if you have something to say, leave a comment here.
 

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for winter to be over and for spring to begin. I’ve had enough cold, snow and ice for one year and can’t wait to get back outside; and of course it will be nice to unpack my warm weather clothing once again and even buy a few new items to update my spring/summer wardrobe for 2009.

If you’re feeling the same way I do, you’ll be happy to know that Lydia’s new line of medical clothing uniforms is now available. Our spring catalog just went out in the mail and if you can’t wait to receive yours then head to www.LydiasUniforms.com where you can also browse all the latest items. 

I think you’ll be excited to see the new medical scrubs because they have lots to offer in terms of comfort and fashion. Prints are a popular in new scrubs for spring and there are some to suit everyone’s taste. We’ve also got a new scrub top from Cherokee Flexibles and I have a feeling that it’s going to be a top seller this season.

             

So take a minute to shop our new medical uniforms and see what you think about them. When you’re done, leave a comment and let us know your thoughts. Did you find the perfect addition to your spring work wardrobe? If so, what was it?  
 

Congratulations to Mary, the winner of January’s Editor @ Large Contest. When I contacted Mary to tell her about her win she shared a little bit about herself and her job. Keep reading to find out more about her.

Mary earned her M.D. and is now doing her residency, working towards a specialty in Emergency Medicine. She’s employed at one of the largest public inner city hospitals in the country and she described her position in detail,
“I am blessed to get the opportunity to care for a variety of people that have very few options with little to no access to routine healthcare including:  individuals who are indigent, homeless, incarcerated, low income and undocumented.  This special population of people due to factors such as substance abuse, mental health issues, little to no previous medical care, environmental factors, cultural beliefs and lack of knowledge   present with a multitude of disease processes not commonly seen in any other setting.  The care of this population brings with it a need for a unique and exceptional learning experience that when my training is complete will allow me to work anywhere and be adequately prepared. In 5 short months my training will be complete and I will assume a role in a yet to be determined location as your run of the mill ‘ER doctor’ yet my training and residency experiences have taken me to a level that makes me not so run of the mill.”

For the contest, we asked you, our customers, to describe the colors required by your work dress code and here’s Mary’s winning comment:

“I am a senior resident in the Emergency Department of a large urban public hospital. We have no specified dress code, yet most of my colleagues have adhered to an unspoken tradition of wearing either the scrubs provided to us from the hospital or solid navy or black traditional unisex scrubs almost always embroidered with their title. The amusing thing is that the hospital scrubs are color-coded depending on size. Therefore, when these are worn everyone knows exactly what size you are wearing. The XL scrubs, the size many of the males wear, are pink. Despite my adherence to said tradition and often adding a lab coat, I had a difficult time conveying my role as the physician to patients. It is clear that my sex will always foreshadow any other role-identifying label including nametag, lab coat and uniform. Having recognized this fact, I have chosen to break tradition and become much more creative with my uniforms. I have now started wearing styles that are more fashionable and fun. The amazing thing is I now connect better with patients and gain their trust much more easily despite the new scrubs.”

As our winner she’ll be receiving a $50 gift certificate which she can use towards hospital scrubs, medical coats or whatever else she’s had her eye on at Lydia’s Uniforms. Mary mentioned that Dickies Everyday scrubs are her favorite, so maybe a new pair will be going into her shopping cart soon.

If you want to be our next winner, click here to enter.

Did you know that Lydia’s Uniforms has an Online Only Scrub Shop? There’s a whole portion of our web site devoted to medical clothing uniforms that you’ll find exclusively online and not in our catalog. So if you have a love for shopping and you’ve already seen everything that the Lydia’s catalog has to offer than head to this part of our site for even more options. And if you haven’t seen everything in the catalog you should still check it out; there are some ultra stylish and, of course, functional scrubs that aren’t to be missed.

 Here are a few of my top picks from our Online Only Scrub Shop:

      

I’m all about finding good deals. Whether it’s clothing, dining or any other purchase I get excited to find something I love at an awesome price. If you’re like me, today’s post is for you; it’s all about finding the best deals on medical clothing uniforms here at Lydia’s. From scrubs coupons to contests there are all sorts of ways you can save a dollar or two. Here are my tips for buying scrubs on a budget at Lydia’s Uniforms:

• Read the blog and enter our contests! What better way to save money on scrubs than by winning them?! Each month we hold a contest on the blog and the winner receives a $50 gift certificate to Lydia’s. You can enter every month so your odds of winning aren’t bad (Enter now!). And that’s not the only reason to read the blog; we also offer other chances to win uniforms with more contests and I try to keep you informed about the latest sales and deals.
• Sign up for our e-mail list and you’ll save tons of money. Just for signing up you’ll receive a coupon for 20% off and after that we’ll frequently send you free shipping offers, scrubs coupons, info on our latest sales and more. The best part is you can choose what kind of e-mails you want to receive from Lydia’s so you’ll only receive messages that are valuable to you. If you only want e-mails that contain coupons that’s fine or if you just want to be informed about contests that’s not a problem either. Sign up for the e-mails that are important to you and you’ll be able to save a little cash when you buy medical uniforms.
• Add Lydia’s as a friend on MySpace or Facebook or Twitter. Every Wednesday I post a deal of the week on these sites and they’re also another place when you can enter our monthly contest.
• Visit our Bargain Outlet to find a variety of affordable nursing scrubs. This section of our site has over 150 products, so it’s hard not to find something that’s your style. The Bargain Outlet section is great because you can search by size (it’s got everything from XS scrubs to plus size medical uniforms), style, price or brand to find exactly what you’re looking for.
• Use the advanced search feature at LydiasUniforms.com to search by price. If you’re budget is under 10, search for all items under $9.99 and see what’s available to you. It’s like searching for a deal on the sales rack, except we do the hard work for you!

Next time you’re shopping for scrubs on a budget follow these tips and see what happens. I hope that they help all of you find the uniforms you’re looking for at prices that you can afford. Leave a comment and let me know if you saved any money at Lydia’s and if you have your own budget shopping tips leave a comment and share them with all my readers.

Open your Lydia’s catalog or browse all our new scrubs online and you’ll notice an emerging trend: bamboo. Bamboo scrubs are incredibly popular this season and with good reason; they’re soft, eco-friendly and come in a variety of styles.

Only a year or two ago it was difficult to find any type of clothing made out of bamboo. Now at Lydia’s Uniforms you can find bamboo medical uniforms (scrub tops and pants) from three different brands: White Cross, Landau and Iguana Med. Each brand’s bamboo scrubs are extremely different styles, but they’re all fashionable in their own way.

White Cross incorporates colors and designs from nature into its bamboo scrubs; I love the palette of blues, greens and tans! Landau uses bold hues and prints and even offers a few unique mandarin collar scrub tops. And the Iguana Med Bamboo Scrub Top is one of a kind because of its stylish crew neck and deep colors. Like I said, each collection is stylish in its own way; it’s all a matter of personal taste. What the scrubs do all have in common is that they're soft and comfortable thanks to the bamboo fabric.

So do any of you own bamboo scrubs (or any type of bamboo clothing)? What do you think about this new fabric trend, is it here to stay? Let me know your thoughts by leaving  a comment here.

Want to know more about bamboo scrubs, read another blog post I wrote on the topic here.

If you receive the Lydia’s Uniforms’ catalog you might have already discovered your new copy in the mailbox. The new winter catalog is filled with all your favorites, but also has many new items that were carefully selected by our merchandising team. They did a great job creating a wide selection of medical uniforms and hospital scrubs for you to choose from.

If you look at the catalog you’ll notice that many of the new items are made with your comfort in mind. For instance, the new Cherokee Touch is my absolute favorite collection and its name says it all. These scrub tops and pants are made from polyester and rayon and they’re super soft; I can only imagine how nice it would be to work in them. The comfort level combined with the stylish solid color combos and prints are what put them at the top of my list.

When flipping through the pages you’ll also come across new Dickies Performance Stretch scrubs and White Cross Bamboo medical uniforms. Of course that’s not all you’ll see, but those are just a few noteworthy collections that I would recommend checking out.

So if you haven’t opened the new catalog from Lydia’s Uniforms yet now is your chance. Browse it online here or order your own copy if you would like to receive one in the mail.

That’s all for today; I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year. Be safe and have fun as you celebrate the beginning of 2009!

P.S. Today's your last chance to enter December's Editor @ Large Contest. Click here to enter now!



What do you think about the new catalog? Leave a comment here.

Earlier this month Lydia’s employees worked together to give back to the community by making a large donation of food and personal care items to a local organization. I was extremely impressed with everyone’s response and the huge collection of items that were donated. Giving is as much a part of the holiday season as receiving and it’s great to see Lydia’s employees doing their part.

I talked with my co-worker Natacha who was largely responsible for organizing the holiday food drive; she told me more about what was donated and who the donations will go to:

What organization was the food drive for/ who will benefit from the goods that were donated?
We donated to Mel Trotter Ministries.  Mel Trotter provides shelter, food, clothing, education, biblical studies, computer-based learning, and work training and experience for men and women in need throughout our community. To help those with drug and alcohol addictions, they also offer a state-licensed substance abuse recovery program. Last year thanks to local donations they were able to provide:

• Over 289,000 meals
• More than 950 holiday food boxes
• 6,192 daily food boxes containing over 130,000 meals
• 13,699 daily food bags
• Over 1,500 Thanksgiving dinners for the homeless and working poor

What types of goods were donated by Lydia’s employees?
All non perishable foods were donated, mostly canned fruits and vegetables, oatmeal, pasta/sauce, macaroni and cheese, crackers, peanut butter, tuna, rice and mashed potatoes.  Also many personal care items were donated, such as shampoo, conditioner, hair accessories, deodorant, and toothpaste.  Many people also brought in gently used coats, clothes, and shoes as well as toys. As a company we were also able to donate thousands of new shirts, pants, jackets.
   
Was there a positive response to the drive/ approximately how much was donated?
There was an amazing response! I was so impressed by everyone’s support and willingness to give. I know how hard the economy has been on everyone this year and the fact that people gave so much, even though they have very little, really showed me how generous our co-workers are!! They continued to impress me throughout the 2 weeks the food drive ran. We were able to send around 20 boxes of food and countless boxes of clothes and personal care items.  When Mel trotter came here to pick it up, our donation filled their entire truck!

Does Lydia’s do an annual food drive or was this the beginning of a new tradition?
We donate clothing throughout the year to other charities, but this year was our first food drive. I hope to continue it for years to come!

Did you and your co-workers do anything special to give back this holiday season? If so I would love to hear what you did. Leave a comment here and share your story.

The holiday season is here and we want to wish you Happy Holidays by offering you two chances to win free medical clothing uniforms from Lydia’s. Tons of new designer medical scrubs, lab coats and medical supplies will be available soon in our new catalog and on the web site so now is the perfect time to win a Lydia's gift certificate.

Enter our Holiday 2008 Photo Contest and you could win a $100 gift certificate or enter our Editor @ Large Contest and you could win a $50 gift certificate; enter both and double your chances of winning free scrubs!

To enter our Holiday 2008 Photo Contest all you have to do is click here and send us a picture of you in your holiday medical scrubs. I’m excited to see all of your photos so I hope you take the time to enter. The contest ends on January 7th, 2009 so get your camera out this week at work.

To enter the December Editor @ Large Contest just share a funny work story. Visit my blog post here to read all the details and enter now.

Good luck to all who enter; I can’t wait to see your pictures and read your stories.

I’m excited to tell you about a new section of our web site. Just today we added a Lydia’s Uniforms Plus Size Scrub store. You can view medical clothing uniforms, scrubs and lab coats from all your favorite brands in sizes 2XL-5XL. Finding the right fit is one of the most important (and sometimes difficult!) things about shopping. I personally like shopping online just because I don’t have to sift through racks and piles of clothing trying to find the size I’m looking for. With our new plus size scrub store we want to make it easier for you to find exactly what you need.

To visit the main page of our new store, go here; click on the different homepage tabs to see our favorite trends, popular basics and featured Cherokee Scrubs.  Or click here and you’ll be taken to all of our plus size scrubs sorted by brand. Browse through them to find something you like or click on any of the brands and you’ll be able to view medical scrubs by size.

So next time your shopping, check out this new section of our site. If there’s something you love about it (or something you don’t), leave a comment here and let us know what you think.

Congratulations to Patricia, she’s November’s winner of our Editor @ Large contest here at Lydia’s Uniforms! We loved Patricia’s comment and as our winner she’ll be receiving a $50 gift certificate to Lydia’s Uniforms.

In November's Editor @ Large Contest I asked customers to tell me about the medical clothing uniforms that fit them best. I discovered that almost none of you had the same responses; you all have different favorite scrubs for a variety of reasons. It was interesting to hear which medical uniforms fit all of you best and why. Our winner, Patricia, loves the look of flare leg pants. Here’s her winning comment:

“I LOVE your huge selection on this site! The best pants I've found that flatter me most are the Cherokee Authentic Workwear Flare Leg Scrub Pant and the Dickies Hip Flip Cargo Flare Scrub Pants - can you tell, I love flares? Haha. As for tops, I've received TONS of compliments on my L.A. Rose tops. The tie on the back and the style/cut of the shirts are too cute and, well, they resemble NORMAL clothes rather than plain, boring old scrubs. They may not be the cheapest, but they're definitely the cutest! P.S. I can't wait to get my Tokidoki scrubs! ;o)”-Patricia

After contacting our winner I found out that she’s a student in New York who will be graduating this May with a Bachelor’s degree. She’s wanted to try out the Grey’s Anatomy uniforms and now she can! Congratulations again to Patricia!

Sticking with the theme of style and fit I’ll be posting a video on the blog tomorrow that highlights the brands and uniforms that are best for each body type, so check back then to see it!

And in the meantime, don’t forget to enter December's Editor @ Large Contest for your chance to win a $50 gift certificate to Lydia’s Uniforms. The contest has already started and you can enter now.

Last week I received an e-mail from my mom inquiring about what I wanted for Christmas. After thinking about it for a week I realized that I have no idea.

If you’re in the same boat, I have one suggestion: make a wishlist, pass it on. Visit your favorite web sites, places where you normally purchase all the things you want and need and make wishlists on them. Share them with anyone who wants to know what you would like for Christmas. At Lydia’s, making a wishlist is simple. If you see a pair of hospital scrubs or a lab coat that you like, simply click on the Add Wishlist button (see picture below). Once your wishlist is complete you can e-mail it to anyone who might be wondering what you would like for Christmas. This is the perfect chance to score a pair of the designer nursing scrubs you’ve been eyeing, so go ahead and make your list.

If your wishlist is already made, but you’re still looking for gifts for others, don’t forget that we now offer gift certificates at Lydia’s Uniforms. They’re perfect for co-workers or other friends or family members who wear medical scrubs.

Visit our site to start making your wishlist now or click here to purchase a gift certificate for your favorite healthcare professional.


Have something to say? Leave a comment here.

Season Five of Grey’s Anatomy is in full swing and I’ve been trying to keep up with all the new developments and the never ending drama (what’s up with Izzie and Denny?!). Since I know that many of you have been watching since September, I thought I would ask what you think of the cast members in their scrubs. Who rocks their medical uniform and who doesn’t? Or do you think that you and your co-workers look better and, of course, more like real medical professionals than anyone on that show when you throw on your Grey’s Anatomy Uniforms. I noticed that these hospital scrubs have 5 star reviews on the site and I think maybe it’s because you do look better than the cast in them.

So tell me what you think about the show, the medical uniforms and whatever else is on your mind! Leave a comment here. 

Barco Medical Uniforms  
Grey's Anatomy Top    

Cartoon prints aren’t just for kids anymore. Of course, kids still love them, but that doesn’t mean that adults can’t too. Brands like Paul Frank and tokidoki specialize in funky, youthful designs that are incredibly popular. These designers have got it figured out when it comes to combining trendy fashions designs with fun, playful prints.

So of course, this month’s Designer Style to Scrub Style post is a tribute to Paul Frank and tokidoki. I compared their street wear clothing with their apparel scrubs. Get a glimpse of how cheery and fun you can look at work and out of work in these cute prints.

tokidoki


  Paul Frank




What do you think about these designer styles? Leave a comment here.

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m not a fan of winter. I don’t particularly like any time of the year when the weather drops below 60 degrees, so you can understand why it’s at the bottom of my list of favorite seasons. But regardless and as expected, winter comes each year anyway. So instead of suffering for months on end I do my best to make the most of it. I drink warm, delicious beverages like hot chocolate, cider and coffee. I curl up under blankets and read books and watch movies that I haven’t gotten around to. I’ve even been known to brave the snow and go ice skating (more painful than I expected) and sledding (more fun than I expected).

Another way to take the dreariness out of winter is by adding some colors or fun prints to your outfits, which is especially easy to do if your wardrobe partially consists of hospital scrubs or nursing uniforms. Below are a few cartoon print medical uniform tops that you can wear when you want to get a smile from your patients. 

  

So what suggestions do you have for combating the winter blues? Are there fun outdoor activities that you participate in to make the winter months more exciting? Or are there other prints or scrubs that you like to wear because they always seem to add a little cheer even when it’s chilly outside? Share your ideas with me by leaving a comment here.

Happy Friday everyone! I’ve decided that this weekend is a weekend for shopping. I personally am going to venture in the cold, rain and possibly even snow (yuck!) because I’m desperately in need of some new winter clothes. I have a feeling that boots are going to be must haves here in Michigan within the next day or two, so I better find some soon. You on the other hand can stay in and shop from the comfort of your home and this weekend is a great time to do it. If you’re searching for new stylish uniforms or designer nursing scrubs we have some awesome deals right now. We’re currently running a Designer Liquidation Sale, which features Katherine Heigl scrubs at their lowest prices ever, some as low as $8.99. This SoHo Contrast Print Scrub Top has always been one of my favorites and you can get it right now for only $12.99. If that’s not your style there are many more options including scrub tops, pants and medical coats. So go ahead, check it out.

Now, here’s the news from the week:

Healthcare Professionals in the News:

• New Mexico Department of Health Honors Award Winning Nurses
• The Importance Of Nurse Involvement In Policy Development Highlighted In Research Book
• Survey Gauges Healthcare Experts’ Views On Payment System Overhaul
• Nursing Excellence National Nurse of the Year Award Winners Earn the Vegas Spotlight
• EMU School of Nursing Injects Much Needed Help Into Nursing Shortage
• UC College of Nursing wins $1.3M grant
• Nurses Agree Collaboration With Hospital Support Service Functions Is Key To Patient Safety, Survey

Health News:

• Covidien Recalls Syringes Posing Risk to Diabetics
• Vitamins may cut cancer risk in some people
• Scientists Decode Set of Cancer Genes
• Drug ‘tricks body to lose weight’
• U.S. Reported 25,000 Cases of HPV-Related Cancers Annually
• Study: Counties with more rainfall have higher autism rates

Blogs:

• Do nurses have to be 100% healthy?
• Nightmare Nursing Job Interviews: 5 Tips from a Nurse Recruiter

P.S. Interested in a super-secret coupon code that you can use to save even more on your scrubs from Lydia’s? If so, then click here. And if you like what you see, sign up to receive Lydia’s e-mails and you’ll regularly find awesome deals like this one in your inbox.