• Senate fails to spare doctors from Medicare cuts
• Nurse-Led HIV Care Yields Good Results
• New AMA leader: Doctors will demand more
• It's Time to Stop the Regulation of Hospital Nurse Staffing Dead in its Tracks
• Obama thanks nurses for backing health care bill
• Retirements by baby-boomers, doctors, nurses could strain overhaul

• Pain drugs abuse requires urgent action: CDC
• Campbell Soup recalls SpaghettiOs
• Stem cell therapy 'damage' seen
• CDC to offer free HIV testing in 10 cities

• ED Slang
• Obama: "America's Nurses are the Beating Heart of our Medical System"

• International Year of the Nurse
• The Coming U.S. Doctor Shortage

• One percent of U.S. children have autism-study
• US Study: 1 in 5 Lost Health Insurace in Past Year
• Scientists Discover Natural Flu-Fighting Proteins
• Scientists unlock genetic code in major cancer breakthrough
• FDA Panel Rejects Earlier Use of Taraceva in Lung Cancer

• Worries About Doctor Shortages Deepen as Overhaul Looms
• Rapid Response Nurses: A Resource for Nurses, Families and Patients

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?  
 

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.

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.

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. 

Melissa is an employee here at Lydia’s Uniforms and the other day I spotted her wearing this zip front hoodie from Katherine Heigl’s LA Collection. Come to find out, Melissa doesn’t own just this Katherine Heigl top, but three more tops as well! Here’s her explanation:

“I recently became semi-obsessed with the Katherine Heigl line because they are very well made and long-lasting while still being very comfortable.  I wear plus sizes so I was concerned that it would not be a flattering line, Katherine Heigl isn’t exactly a plus sizes woman:), but I was wrong!  I get so many compliments whenever I wear it, inside and outside of work.  Other employees recognize the Katherine Heigl items I wear right away and comment on how good it looks in person.  I have since seen a few other employees purchase some as well.  We just have to be careful not to wear them on the same day!” - Melissa, Web Customer Support Supervisor

I guess Melissa is proof that some of these pieces are so stylish that they can be worn outside of the hospital or clinic. Do any of you own clothes from Lydia’s Uniforms that you wear as part of your regular wardrobe and not as part of your medical uniform? If so, what are they?

Happy Friday everyone. Below is the weekly roundup of the news and I want to take a minute to point out a couple of links that are especially noteworthy.

The article Health Watch: Color Scrubs to Fight Infection (the first article under Health News) is a story about a hospital that is testing a new method to fight infections in the O.R. The hospital is only allowing certain medical clothing uniforms in the O.R. in an attempt to control germs that are brought in on hospital scrubs. I found this article really interesting. I’ve always wondered about the standards and regulations regarding scrubs being worn outside of the hospital before or after shifts. It seems that many employees and patients have concerns about germs being transferred in and out of hospitals on medical clothing uniforms, but that many workplaces are not recognizing this worry.  Is it common practice for workplaces to enforce rules about where you wear your scrubs or are most employees free to use their own discretion? Tell me about the policy at your workplace and what you think about it.

I also want to point out the Change of Shift link in the Blogs section. Change of Shift is a compilation of blog posts about nursing. Anyone is free to submit their post, whether you’re a nurse, patient or student. So if you’re interested in submitting something or just reading what others have to say, check it out!

Healthcare Professionals in the News:

• Hospital, Physician Groups File Lawsuit To Block Enforcement Of California Rules That Ban Balance Billing
• Medicaid/Physicians Brace for Medicaid Payment Cuts in 2009 Amid Weak Economy
• Pa. nurses gain victory in long drive to ban forced O.T.
• California takes steps to probe nurses’ criminal backgrounds
• First Paramedic Course To Use Second Life
• Physician Uses Harp to Soothe, Heal Patients
• ‘Prescribed’ Reading For Physicians

Health News:

• HealthWatch: Color Scrubs To Fight Infection
• E.P.A. Toughens Standard on Lead Emissions; Change Is the First in 3 Decades
• Keeping the beat for CPR? Hum ‘Stayin’ Alive’
• Medical helicopters crashing at alarming rates, federal officials say
• Infant Deaths Drop in U.S., but Rate Is Still High
• Death rate 70 percent lower at top hospitals
• Your ‘pure’ bottled water has contaminants too
• States: Ban bisphenol A in baby products
• Parkinson's Patients More Prone to Vitamin D Deficiency
• Pediatricians group doubles recommended vitamin D dose for children
• Keeping Your Own Health Chart, Online

Blogs:

• Change of Shift
• Physician Assistants Establish Online Presence
• Slowing Economy Boosts Travel Nursing: Part Deux
• Bulletproof Your Nursing Career

 

In recognition of National Dental Hygiene Month I would like to shine the spotlight on one of our valued customers, Judy. Judy is a Registered Dental Hygienist Alternative Practice; she provides services to patients in long-term care facilities. I interviewed Judy about her career and found out that it’s a tough, but rewarding job. Here’s what she had to say:

What factors influenced your decision to become a Registered Dental Hygienist Alternative Practice? 
I have been a dental hygienist for over 26 years and the last 2 years practicing as an RDHAP. This has allowed me freedom to practice preventive hygiene care to patients who have little or no access to dental care, to serve the underserved.

What type of schooling is required to become a Registered Dental Hygienist?
A dental hygiene education is a minimum of 2 years, but it can be a long as 4 years. A 2 year program offers a diploma, certificate, or associate degree.  A four year program offers a baccalaureate degree. There are some schools that offer Master's degrees for those interested in education, research, or administration.  An accredited dental hygiene program requires an average of 1,948 clock hours of curriculum. This includes 585 clock hours of supervised clinical dental hygiene instruction.  For a list of all dental hygiene programs in the country you can utilize the American Dental Hygienists' Association website.

As an RDHAP working with patients in long term care, what does your job consist of? 
Every day is varied. I try to stay flexible with the resident patients, the nursing staff, and all the adjunct support staff. I usually have a list of residents to see, but sometimes it is not a good time to visit...sometimes they are in the beauty shop having their hair done, or they are in the shower room, or physical therapy, or in activities. Heaven forbid we disrupt a hot game of Bingo!  Each patient that is seen, their facility chart is checked for their current medical and drug status. I then will see the resident in their room, in their bed, wheelchair, or reclining chair. Complete an intra and extra oral assessment. Chart missing, decayed, broken teeth. Complete a periodontal assessment; perform preventive hygiene services as necessary such as scaling, root planing, and applying fluoride. I try to adapt toothbrushes, and other intra-oral aids for ease of use of the resident or for the staff or family members that may be assisting the resident in their oral care. Then the charts are completed and equipment is packed and moved to the next room. At the end of the day a Resident Oral Health Needs Assessment form is filled out for the residents that are seen on that day. This form addresses the acute needs, suspicious oral lesions, denture concerns that will need the attention of the facility's dentist.

Some days I do an inservice for the nursing staff or an informational evening with resident's family members. I am a speaker that promotes and provides education on prevention of oral health diseases and total health to the public, special needs and senior caregivers, other professionals, and government agencies.

What are the things you love about your job and what makes your job difficult?
I love the people! Everyone has a story to tell. Most all my patients are thankful for the services I provide, and it is rewarding to see the improvement in my patient's oral health and the improved self esteem they have.

What makes my job difficult is the long hours. Takes about an hour to pack my supplies for the day and load my car. It is a set-up time of approximately 15 minutes before seeing a resident, and a tear-down time of about 20 minutes before I can move on to another resident's room. Upon the return to my home-office it is time to unpack, clean, sterilize instruments and equipment and pack up my mobile cart again. Then there is the paperwork and billing insurance and Denti-Cal. Each resident seen takes about one hour of clinical time and the same in preparation and completion of paperwork and equipment maintenance. 

Is there a dress code at your place of employment? If so, what is it? If not what do you wear on an average day? Do you have a favorite medical uniform? 
No dress code, when seeing residents I wear single color scrubs, with a white lab coat with my name embroidered on it. I love Landau Scrubs especially the pull-on pants. I think I have all the colors!  When meeting with the public or giving an inservice I usually wear nice street clothes with my lab coat.

Will you be doing anything specific to participate in National Dental Hygiene Month 2008?
Yes, on October 30th my local dental hygiene society along with dental hygiene students will be having a "Sugarless Shack" at a market night. We will have stuffed "goody bags" with sugarless treats, toothpaste and toothbrushes and floss. The dental hygiene students will be demonstrating tooth brushing techniques, and some tooth fairies in costumes appear! It's a fun time for adults and children alike!