• Call for 'fast track' recruitment of health visitors and more male school nurses
• Will Insurance Alone Cure What Ail Us?
• America Nurses Association Talks Healthcare Reform with White House Officials

• Cancer survivor provides free health care for uninsured
• FDA cracks down on ibuprofen gels
• $1.2 billion granted for electronic health records
• Parents Doubt Gardasil's Safety
• Mercury found in all fish caught in U.S.-tested streams

• Re-Engage Your Passion for Nursing
• A Nurse's View of Health Reform

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.

Are there any men who wear medical scrubs reading today? If there are, today’s post is for you- a post entirely devoted to men’s nursing scrubs.

Now, it’s true that men’s nursing uniforms don’t come in as many styles and patterns as women’s. For some of you that’s fine, it’s actually perfect. Less variety means that when you buy medical scrubs it doesn’t require as much thought. When you’re pulling a pair out of your dresser in the morning you don’t really have to choose what to wear, they’re all fairly similar. But then there are those of you who love variety. You don’t want to look the same at work every day and you would like if your men’s nursing scrubs were a little bit different from all the other scrubs at work. So if you’re in the latter group I’ve got a few tips on how you can add a touch of style and personalization to your medical uniforms. And if you have additional tips, leave a comment.

One easy trick is to use layers and colors to accentuate your style. Back in August Rachel posted about a medical professional who wore contrasting color tees under his medical scrubs. We both loved this idea. Check out her post to see a picture of him wearing chocolate and lime green. It’s a color combination that you might not think of, but it looks great when you see it! If you want more subtle contrast try different shades of the same color, like a ceil blue scrub top with a navy tee underneath. Mix and match colors from your closet and you might discover that an unexpected combination of colors actually works well.

You can also play with colors without wearing layers. Why not wear a neutral shade of scrub pants like khaki with a maroon top? It’ll change up your look a bit, but you’ll still have a uniform style. Plus, mixing and matching means that you’ll multiply the number of looks you have.

A third way to add style is to personalize your look with embroidery. Embroidery is subtle, but it shows that you really care about your look. Add your name and an emblem that shows off your personality to your medical coat or scrub top and you’ll instantly have a one of a kind uniform. 

So how do you wear your men’s nursing scrubs? Do you keep it simple or do you mix it up with colors, layers and personalized touches? If you have more ways to add style to men’s nursing scrubs, leave a comment and share it with our readers!

Everything Happens for a Reason by Jaclyn Hall

Colt was a six week old male Boxer puppy who was brought into the clinic by his breeder to be euthanized.  He was underweight, under-developed, and appeared to have some severe neurological issues.  He was about 1/4 of the size that a Boxer pup of this age should be.  His head was dome-shaped and completely disproportionate to the rest of his body.  He struggled to keep his head up and was wobbly on his legs.

We all took pity on this poor little guy and talked his breeder into relinquishing him to the clinic so that we could get some much needed nutrients in him and do some diagnostics to figure out exactly what was going on with him.  If at all possible, we would then nurse him back to health and adopt him out.  The breeder agreed after some coaxing and all legal documents were drawn up and signed. 
 
Immediately following all the logistics of relinquishment, we began syringe-feeding him a high-fat, high-calorie diet every hour on the hour, as he wasn't eating on his own.  His blood work came back normal, but a skull rad revealed an unfortunate truth... this little pup was suffering from hydrocephalus.

Hydrocephalus, or water on the brain, is a sad condition which spans across all the breeds, as well as all species (don't ask me about it's effects on people as all my patients have either four feet or feathers).  This diagnosis is not a death sentence in the least, although it does cause severe mental retardation - and therefore - a very special owner.
       
We kept the wobbly pup safe in a kitten condo with padding on all sides.  He required round-the-clock care and so at night when the clinic closed and on weekends, my now soon-to-be-husband (also with veterinary experience) and I cared for him at our home to ensure Colt had the best chance for survival.  We took turns feeding him through the night and cleaning up his frequent 'whoopsies' which were often used as paw-paint throughout his padded kennel.
     
Slowly and steadily, but not without the occasional speed bump', Colt proved to be strong enough and brave enough to make an outstanding recovery.  His weight increased and with the proper nutrition, his natural hunger drive began.  He no longer had to be syringe-fed and with that caught on to the idea that he didn't want to soil where he slept.  He began walking on his own, still with a slight wobble, but with enough neck muscles to hold his head up.  He began growling and playing with the toys we had gotten him, and he even began doing the classic Boxer butt-wag.  We were now faced with an encouraging realization... Colt was actually happy and healthy enough to be adopted!!
      
It was terribly sad to see him go, seeing that we had spent so much time caring for him.  He had become a big part of out hearts while on the other hand it was unbelievable gratifying to know that we aided in his great success and ultimate survival.  My fiancé and I contemplated making him a true member of our family; however our pet situation at that time would not have been the best situation for Colt.  We just would not have been able to continue giving him all the attention he would require as he grew into the adult dog we worked so hard to get him to become.
     
With the help of a local rescue organization, all of us at the clinic, and of course my fiancé; we were able to find this sweet little boy an absolutely wonderful forever home.  His new family had a 3 year old female Boxer that took Colt under her wing and showed him the ropes.  She watched him like a hawk and would rush to his side anytime she thought he needed assistance.  It was amazing!  An assistive dog for a dog!  It was the sweetest and cutest thing to see - truly endearing and awe-inspiring.
       
Colt is now 3 years old and doing great!  He still has
a slight wobble, and often uses people, and his older Boxer sister for support.  His hydrocephalus is till present, but he was able to grow more into his head.  He remains intact as there are several anesthesia risks associated with his disorder.  Despite the fact that his family lives far away from me, they do let
me see him from time to time.  This pic was taken
of him and me on his third birthday earlier this summer.  As you can see, he appears to be very normal and healthy.  Though he does suffer from seizures as well as retardation, he is still extremely happy, healthy, and content.
      
Being given the opportunity to be a part of this fur-kids life is a constant reminder of why I do the work I do.  Despite the fact that not every patient is happy to see me nor easy to work with, and the majority of our patients are sad, sick, and only masking the pain to appease their owners, at the end of the day they go home and they feel better.  That to me is the most gratifying feeling in the world. 
      
Colt knows that he was saved and his personality reflects that knowledge.  He is always ready and willing to be a part of the fun things life has to offer and always wants in on the action.  I understand that he has successfully finished his training to become a therapy dog and frequents Children's Hospital on a weekly basis.  His Mom states that the children are so fascinated with a dog that has physical and mental challenges - proving that he makes a positive impact on their lives.  This just goes to show us that everything does happen for a reason and that Colt has found his reason. 

Finding a Home for an FIV Kitten

I work at a small veterinary clinic in Arizona.  We pride ourselves on providing advanced and compassionate veterinary care and occasionally we will take in strays that our clients have found, clean them up, take care of their medical needs, and then find them homes.

On this particular day, one of our clients had found a tiny black/white male kitten near the dumpsters of her daughter’s elementary school.  Although he was nothing but adorable and sweet, she knew she could not make him an addition to her family.  Not knowing what else to do, she brought him into the clinic.

We willingly took him in, gave him a bath, and addressed his ear mites.  It is standard practice in the field to FIV/Feline Leukemia test all stray cats, and of course we did so appropriately.  We all waited anxiously with fingers crossed hoping he would not pop up positive for either of these debilitating diseases.  Sadly, however, the little guy came back positive for FIV (Feline Immune-Deficiency Virus - think of it as kitty AIDS). 

We knew now that finding this bundle of fluff a forever home would not be easy.  Since the disease is extremely contagious, anyone with a cat could not have this kid, as he could easily pass it to the other cats in the household.  Nonetheless, he appeared to be happy and healthy in all other aspects and did not have any signs or symptoms of the disease.  We neutered him and started his kitty vaccine series, along with posting him on our adoption board in the front lobby.

Several people were interested and inquired about him, but all shied away when they heard of his illness.  We did let them know it was a possibility that he actually did not have FIV and that the test was positive only from antibodies passed on from his Mother.  However, no one was willing to take that risk and so there the kitty sat – stuck in a vet clinic with no family of his own for an entire month!

One day during Christmas break, however, that all changed.  A boy named Dakota and his Dad had come into the clinic to see the sick kitty that needed a home.  Dakota had wanted a cat for years and was so excited to learn of this little guy.  I brought the young boy and his Father into the treatment area where the kitten was kept and opened the door to his condo.  What happened next was one of the most precious things I have ever experienced in my life (not only in my job).  The kitten immediately began purring when Dakota picked him up to sit on the floor with him.  He rubbed himself all over Dakota – you could literally hear him purring from across the room.  The two played with a cat toy for a few minutes before the kitten climbed into the boy’s small lap and fell asleep.

Although Dakota’s Dad had said yes to the cat, he still had to ask his Mother in Texas if he could bring the kitten home with him when he had to go back the following week.  When we saw Dakota and his Dad leaving the clinic empty handed we assumed that his Mom had said no and that once again the kitten had come so close to finding his forever home, and then having it fall through.

But Dakota and his Dad came back the next day!  For as long as I live I will never forget what the boy asked the receptionist, “Umm.. is the kitten still up for adoption?”  It was so adorable!  His entire face lit up with delight and he grinned from ear to ear when he heard that the little one did in fact still need a family.  He and his Dad ran outside and came back in with all the supplies they had bought for the cat. We loaded the kitten up into the multi-colored carrier Dakota had picked out for him, complete with his blanket and Snugglebunny toy we had gotten for him when he first arrived at the clinic.  I asked Dakota what he was going to name his new buddy, and without one ounce of hesitation, he very matter-of-factly informed me that the kitten’s name was M&M – short for Milk Mustache (see the photo to see why).  It was the perfect name!

The next week Dakota, M&M, and their Dad came into the clinic on their way to airport to say goodbye.  My eyes filled up with tears after not seeing M&M for the past week and realizing that he had just spent his first week with his new family – a family that would love and care for him very much.  Dakota’s Dad took him to the airport and watched him board his plane with M&M as his carry-on. 

We still keep in contact with both Dakota and his Dad, who both say that the kitten is doing great and growing like a weed.  His Dad tells me that Dakota getting that kitten was the best thing for him.  He says there is not only a spark and a compassion that had never been there before, but also a real sense of responsibility.  Dakota says he loves the cat more than anything else in the world.  I hear that despite his FIV positive status that M&M is doing terrific!  He is happy, healthy, snuggly, and playful!  I am confident knowing that he couldn’t have landed in any better hands and that whatever his future holds, his best friend, Dakota will be there to love him and care for him as best as he, and anyone can.

Dakota and M&M will be staying with Dad here in Arizona again this summer and they promise to stop by the clinic to see us.  I’ve promised to microchip M&M for Dakota to ensure that if he is ever lost, the two will be reunited and I’ve also offered to help with any medical expenses should the need ever arise.J

Thanks for sending this in Jaclyn. I loved reading it and the pictures make it even more endearing. I would still love to hear more of everyone’s stories! Embarrassing scrub mishaps, success with a patient, new job drama- send your stories this way! You can e-mail them to me here.

This morning I was thinking about how diverse scrubs are. With so many fashions, prints and styles available, it’s hard to imagine that there was a time in recent history when scrubs only existed in the basic v-neck shirt and drawstring pant form and a time before that when they didn’t exist at all. How far we’ve come!

Nursing uniforms in general have existed since the 1800s. According to an article from the Center for Nursing Advocacy, the first uniforms were developed in 1874 at New York’s Bellevue Hospital Training School. These uniforms were a step in the right direction, but the fact that nurses weren’t wearing gloves or masks was not! Throughout the beginning of the 1900s the uniform developed and the majority consisted of ankle length white dresses with collars. These uniforms displayed the professional identities of female nurses. The uniforms continued to develop and change throughout the first part of the century, conforming to the styles of the times, but always remaining formal. It wasn’t until the late 1960s that scrubs emerged onto the scene. They were basic, usually white and then mostly green, but they were scrubs. Not only were they comfortable, but they were designed for women and men! Nursing isn’t just for women anymore.

 It was only 40 years ago that scrubs were developed and look how much they have already changed from the original white or green tops and pants. We still have the basics, but now there are tons of other options in addition to the basics. Stylish scrub tops, boot leg scrub pants and colors and patterns that go hand in hand with the latest fashion trends. With so many changes in just the last 40 years, I can hardly imagine the fashion and function that scrubs from Lydia's will offer in the next 40 years. What do you think your scrubs will look like in the future?