It is that time of year to go back to school! Excited?! Feeling a bit overwhelmed? We know it can be hectic during the first few weeks of school. The stress of figuring out your new schedule,  late nights of studying, and of course getting all of your books, medical scrubs and supplies without breaking your budget. Well Lydia's is here to help!

I have put together seven essential items you will need for school for LESS than $100.
Check out what I picked out!

1)  Lydia's Red Tag V-neck Unisex Scrub Top Price: Get two for $9.98

This unisex nursing scrubs top has one divided chest pocket for pencil, set-in sleeves and a 28" length.

2)  Lydia's Red Tag Unisex Drawstring Pant Price: Get two for 11.98

This unisex scrub pant has one back pocket and a matching drawcord with a 30 1/2" inseam.

3) Clinical I Stethoscope Price: $39.99

This stethoscope has a a stainless steel chestpiece and stainless steel binaurals that incorporates the most effective sound conducting metal available. It includes two sizes of soft color matched eartips that seal out extraneous noise.

4) Adult Nylon Sphygmomanometer Price: $24.99

This spygmomanometer features a durable nylon cuff with index and Range markings. Also included is heavy duty vulcanized bladder, standard inflation blub and a precision calibrated manometer gauge.

5) Pocketlite Price: $4.99

This replaceable battery penlight is an essential to keep on hand.

6) Essential Tote Bag Price: $4.99

This tote features one main section with inside pockets and is great to carry your books and supplies. It also comes in fabulous color choices!

7) Bandage Scissors Price: $2.99

These 5.5 inch bandage scissors are stainless steel and are at an ubeatable price.

So..lets see what all of this adds up to!

• 2 scrub tops-$9.98
• 2 scrub bottoms-$11.98
• 1 Stethoscope-$39.99
• 1 Sphygmomanometer-$24.99
• 1 Pen Light-$4.99
• 1 bandage scissors-$2.99
• 1 essential tote bag-$4.99

Grand total: $99.91

Our team at Lydia's would like to wish you the best of luck going back to school!!

Don't forget to sign up for our email promotions to receive discounts on hospital scrubs and medical supplies as well as coupons to use throughout the school year!

• Innovative health programs counter primary care shortage
• Pharmacists Take Larger Role on Health Team
• Pay Practices in Health Care Are Investigated

• Green Leafy Veggies May Cut Diabetes Risk
• Salmonella cases almost triple as tainted eggs are recalled
• More U.S. teens get vaccinated, CDC finds
• Obesity, Smoking Linked to Teen Migraines
• Tai Chi beats stretching in fibromyalgia study

• Sliding Down the Emergency Chute into the Rubber Room

• Do not immerse your stethoscope in any liquid or subject it to any sterilization process. If disinfection is required, the stethoscope may be wiped with a 70% isopropyl alcohol solution
• Keep your stethoscope away from extreme heat, cold, solvents and oils
• Ear tips may be removed from the ear tubes for thorough cleaning
• Before and after every shift, wipe down the stethoscope, starting at the earpieces (which helps prevent the spread of ear infections among the staff), continuing down the tubing, and ending around the bell and diaphragm. Take the diaphragm apart to remove dust, lint, or debris and clean it well before reassembling it.

• Remove ink stains – peroxide
• Armor All your stethoscope to remove scuffs
• Keep the box/packaging it comes in when storing it in your backpack or work tote keep.
• You don't want to use anything abrasive to clean a stethoscope because it will end up looking worse. Wiping it with a disinfectant will get the marks off as well as anything.
• After trying on your scrubs, wash them before wearing them. This will prevent any dye rubbing off on your tubing when wearing it around your neck or storing it in your pocket.
• You want to be careful when you clean the tubing on your stethoscope. Too many applications of alcohol or Cavicide will cause it to stiffen and crack. Every once use a tire dressing. It's meant to keep rubber tires supple and lubricated and it works just dandy on stethoscope tubing too. Just make sure you buff off the excess.
• Use disposable covers. Available in various styles, the most useful covers are designed for single use. They're made of thin plastic, which prevents crackling sounds. Most covers protect the bell and diaphragm and the tubing leading to the stethoscope's bifurcation. Ask your infection control coordinator about these covers.

• U.S. nurses unions merge, back healthcare overhaul
• Gallup Poll Votes Nurses Most Trusted Profession
• Supplying The Demand For Primary Care Doctors
• Investigation: Temp Firms Often Employ Incompetent Nurses

• New Weapon in Breast Cancer Battle? Experts Cautious
• Germ-free kids may risk more adult illnesses: study
• CDC: Fewer states seeing widespread swine flu
• FDA Staff: Crestor's Benefits Outweigh Risks
• Bone Marrow Transplants May Cure Sickle Cell in Adults

Resourceful Nurses? The Problem with Workarounds
Courtesy of NurseConnect

Nurses are a savvy, resourceful group. I’m not sure if this is an innate or acquired trait. But it is definitely a common one in our profession. Perhaps necessity really is the mother of invention. Whether or not they call it by name, most nurses are familiar with the concept of a “workaround.”

A workaround is an unapproved strategy used for accomplishing a required task. There are many reasons that nurses resort to workarounds. Due to the crisis nature of much of our work, we often lack the time to troubleshoot malfunctioning equipment, missing or damaged supplies, or noncompliant computer screens. We have to find a way to make it work. STAT.

To continue reading this article click here to visit NurseConnect.com.

• American Nurses Association Urges Registered Nurses To Get The H1N1 Vaccine 

• Best and Worst States for Sleep
• Statin drugs may lower death from flu: study
• Flu Shots for Moms-to-Be Benefit Babies
• Obama to life HIV/AIDS travel ban

• Medical Supply Madness: Should we Standardize?

• Shortage of doctors could damage healthcare reform
• New York State Senate Passes Nursing Care Quality Protection Act
• The 'problem with nurses' is a problem with healthcare
• Docs, nurses use and recommend diet supplements
• Nurses Call On Rep. Miller To Support Amendment Allowing States To Enact Single-Payer Health Reform

• New Hope for Fixing Broken Hearts
• Poll Still Finds Public Support for Health-Care Reform
• Parental Stress Boosts Kids’ Asthma Risk
• Kids’ lower IQ scores linked to prenatal pollution
• FDA Urges Consumers Not to Purchase or Use Certain Gel-Filled Teethers
•  

Happy Friday everyone. Make sure to check back next week to discover all the exciting ways that we’ll be celebrating Nurses Week 2009 here at Lydia’s Uniforms.

Now here’s the news from the week:

Healthcare Professionals in the News:

• Hospitals, doctors deal with swine flu jitters
• AACN Launches The First National Centralized Application Service For Students Seeking Entry Into Schools Of Nursing
• America's RN Union Targets Congressional Healthcare Leaders In New Ad Drive
• Obama Administration Looking To Increase Physician Supply Without Increasing Costs
• Institute of Medicine Calls for Doctors to Stop Taking Gifts From Drug Makers

Health News:

• Stop using Hydroxycut products, FDA says
• Companies start initial work on pandemic vaccine
• Swine flu: Your questions answered
• Researchers find common genetic variations in autistic people
• ‘Bleach bath’ benefit for eczema
• New FDA Mandates for Labeling Over-the-Counter Pain Relievers

 Blogs:

• 100 Scholarly, Open-Access Journals for Nurses
• Elements of Nursing Style

 
Have something to say? Leave a comment here.

Happy Friday everyone. A quick reminder that this month is already half way over, which means there are less than two weeks left to enter this month's Editor @ Large Contest. Enter today and you might be the winner of a $50 gift certificate at the beginning of May. Best of luck to all who enter!

Now, here's the news from the week:

Healthcare Professionals in the News:

• Calls for whistle-blower review
• South Dakota finds clinic reused single-use supplies on patients
• State Nursing Associations Announce Formation Of A New National Nurses Union
• Falco Led 'NURSE JACKIE' Premieres on Showtime 6/8
• More Health Care Providers Asking Patients To Pay In Advance For Medical Procedures
• Nurse Called Out of Surgery, Laid Off
  
  

Health News:

• Does stress level depend on your home state?
• New sweetener not so sweet for your diet
• Transplants help Type 1 diabetics skip insulin
  
• Healthcare in Bits
• New oil with zero trans fat could revolutionize frying
• 
  

Blog Posts:

• As Nurses, Do We Really “Know” Our Patients?
• When Compassion and Fear Collide

Are you one of those people who are obsessed with Facebook gifts? If so, we’ve got something just for you. Yesterday we made a new Facebook application specifically for all of you who wear scrubs, use medical supplies and can’t get enough of Facebook gifts; we created a Send a Lydia’s Stethoscope application. It’s simple to use, just choose the stethoscope you want to send, pick who you’re sending it to and that’s it! It’s a fun way to show some love to your healthcare friends on Facebook, while also showing pride in your profession. So go check it out and see what you think. If you love it, let us know by becoming a fan. Or leave a comment here and share your opinion.

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 bet most of you accessorize your scrubs, although you might not think of it that way. The accessories probably don’t come in the form of pearl earrings, a silver necklace or an expensive watch. They’re more likely to be along the lines of a dependable stethoscope or a bag that you tote your belongings in on the way to and from work. These practical and functional pieces are what make your medical uniform complete. 

Many of you might think of Lydia’s Uniforms as a place to get your scrubs and medical coats, but not as the store for all those other helpful accessories. If you  fall into that category you should check out the medical supplies section of our    web site. In this section of the site you can find a watch to match almost any nursing scrubs, the perfect work tote and adorable stethoscope covers that are great for the Pediatrician’s office. There is also a large selection of medical supplies including tools like stethoscopes and thermometers.

I know when I’m shopping online I love being able to get everything I’m looking for in one place. It saves on shipping and it’s just more convenient. So hopefully next time you’re shopping for your medical uniforms (including accessories and medical supplies), you’ll be able to get everything you need in one trip to Lydia's.

P.S. As a thanks for reading, the first three people to comment on this post will receive a free tote from Lydia's. So let's hear what you have to say!

 

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!