There were lots of entries, but only one person will receive $250 worth of free medical uniforms. The winner of August’s Win Your Wishlist Contest is Christine H. from Ohio! Congratulations Christine. We hope that you enjoy all your new designer medical scrubs from Lydia's Uniforms and that they make you the best dressed employee at work. Now I wonder what you’ll do with all that extra money since you don’t have to buy medical scrubs.

If you didn’t win don’t fret because you can still enter the Editor @ Large contest. And the good news about that contest (besides that it’s another contest) is that there’s a winner every month. The good news for me is that I get to read all your interesting entries.

So once again, congratulations Christine and enjoy your new scrubs and good luck to the rest of you in the Editor @ Large Contest!

For today I wanted to write a quick post about the Lydia’s affiliate program. If you’re already an affiliate of Lydia’s, stop reading now, go enter the  Editor @ Large Contest and win some free scrub uniforms. If you’re not an affiliate, keep reading.

The Lydia’s Uniforms’ affiliate program is an opportunity to partner with us and earn commission by posting banners and links to Lydia’s Uniforms on your web site. We provide the banners and the links; all you have to do is post them to your site. If you already have your own web site or you write a blog (especially one about shopping, nursing, healthcare or medical scrubs) you might be a good candidate for the program. And why not earn a little extra money from the site/blog that you already put so much work into?

If you want to join, go here to sign-up. If you’re interested, but still have questions about it feel free to send me a message or leave a comment and I’ll do my best to help you along.

Speak your mind and win a spot as guest editor at Lydia’s Uniforms. If you win you get a $50 gift certificate to spend on new medical uniforms and your winning entry will be featured on our blog! Each month there will be a different topic, so feel free to enter every month to increase your chances of winning. We’re running the contest wherever you connect with Lydia’s, whether it’s our blog, MySpace or Facebook.

For September, we want to hear about your unique uniform style. Tell us how you make your scrubs stand out from the rest. Is there something you do to personalize your medical uniform and make it reflect your personality? Are there little details you add to create a unique, one of a kind style? We would love to hear about it. And we bet that you would love to win a $50 gift certificate, so go ahead, get going and leave a comment!

The important details (there aren’t too many):  
-Comments must be under 200 words.
-The contest will begin on the 1st of each month and end at 11:59 p.m. on the last day of the month
-One winner will be chosen from all of the comments we receive.

Happy Friday everyone! I just want to remind you one more time to enter the Win Your Wishlist Contest if you haven’t already. The deadline is Sunday, so no more putting it off. And don’t forget to check the blog next week to see who the lucky winner is. If the winner doesn’t happen to be you, there just might be another opportunity to win free medical uniforms next week, so keep your eyes and ears open.

Healthcare Professionals in the News:

• Two Sutter affiliates strike deal with nurse’s union
• AVMA New Orleans Convention Succeeds As A Meeting Of Veterinarians ... And Through Good Will
• Making Practices Perfect-Time-Pressed Doctors Reinvent Their Offices To Build Improved Ties With Patients
• 100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare

Health News:

• The Politics of Prevention
• Vaccine-wary parents spark public health worry
• FDA to consider rules for food allergy warnings
• Ala. To Charge Obese State Workers
• Benign skin cancers may be ‘warning sign’
• Cells transformed in promising research

Press Releases:

• Book To Help Nursing Students Authored By Rutgers College Of Nursing Professor

Right now is the perfect time to invest in medical coats and warm-up jackets for your work wardrobe. Fall is just around the corner and winter is sure to follow soon after. I’m always reluctant to buy a new coat because it feels like by doing so I’m permitting the cool weather to come. Maybe you’re like me and you’ll do anything to hold off the cold as long as you can, or maybe you’re one of those people who loves the seasons and can’t wait for autumn.  Either way, whether you love it or hate, whether you buy a coat or not, the cold will come, so I guess it’s time to prepare!

To make your shopping experience a little bit easier; I visited our product room and found four warm pieces that are perfect additions to medical uniforms. I chose all solid medical coats because they’re the most versatile and go with almost any scrub uniforms. But if you’re looking for prints, there are some great ones in the Lydia’s ProSoft Collection, which you can view here. 

Now here are my favorite, solid color warm-ups:

Left: Cardigan Jacket from Cherokee Scrubs 
This warm-up is light weight and comfortable. It’s also high quality and comes in lots of different colors, making it easy to find the perfect match for your medical uniform.
Right: V-Neck Knit Jacket from Katherine Heigl’s Vancouver Collection
This warm-up is one of our most fashion forward medical coats. The defined waist and rich colors make it super stylish.

Left: Heart Fleece Jacket by White Cross
This jacket is extremely functional; it has large front pockets, fitted cuffs and it will keep you warm!
Right: Hoodie Fleece Jacket by White Cross
I originally wasn’t going to include this hoodie in this post since it’s more of a sweatshirt than a warm-up jacket, but once I felt how soft and cozy it was inside (you know the new sweatshirt feel I’m talking about!) I couldn’t resist. This top has the word “NURSE” written across the back, so if you’re proud of your profession this might be a great addition to your medical uniforms.

So get shopping, just in case the cold comes soon! And don’t forget to leave a comment if you have a favorite warm-up jacket that I didn’t mention.

Last month I showcased bold, daring prints in my designer style to scrub style post. This month, I chose simple solids in flattering mock wrap styles. The mock wrap style is perfect for designer styles and scrub styles because it’s so versatile. Even without adding a print, this style top can take on a variety of looks.  Check out the designer styles and scrub styles below to see what I mean.

        Designer Style: PO Top          Scrub Style: Cherokee Scrubs Top
          
These two mock wrap tops utilize a rich color that’s perfect for fall- especially when you start to lose that summer tan! Even though both tops are very plain, the simple style works well with the deep color. And you’ll be happy to know that this affordable nursing scrubs top won’t break your bank, but unfortunately the designer style might.

        Designer Style: Aqua Top      Scrub Style: Koi Scrubs Top
         
Each of these black mock wrap tops add a touch of ruffle to the trim, which creates a nice balance with the dark color. The medical uniform top is also super lightweight so you can be stylish and comfortable.

   Designer Style: Jones New York Top     Scrub Style: Urbane Scrubs Top
         
These tops have a totally different feel from the rest. They perfectly combine a fitted shape, adjustable waists and crisp collars for a classy, professional look.

So what are your thoughts on wrap tops? Have you found an awesome style that fits your figure best or do you prefer the more traditional medical uniform styles? Tell me what you think!

I love YouTube. When I’m bored YouTube is there to entertain me. When I’m procrastinating YouTube is there to help. It has everything from full episodes of my favorite British comedy to 14,000 plus search results for the term, “laughing baby.” And now it has one more thing that makes me love it: videos from Lydia’s Uniforms.

We recently published two new videos on YouTube. We had the idea for these videos a few months ago and eventually everything came together. After waiting all this time to see the final results it was exciting to see how well they turned out. The videos are both under two minutes, but they manage to fit loads of interesting material into that short time. One of the videos has a customer service focus and features an interview with our Contact Center Manager here at Lydia’s Uniforms. The other is based around customer testimonials and highlights comments made by Lydia’s customers who work at a local health center. 

I think my favorite part about these videos is that you get to view real customers talking about their medical scrubs. I really enjoying sharing my favorite medical uniforms with you, but I think it’s even better when you can hear the opinions of actual customers!

So enough talk, check out this video:

Or head to YouTube to see both of our new videos!

P.S. If you want to hear more about the customers in the video and get an idea of what went on behind the scenes at this video shoot, read Rachel’s last blog post: Unique Scrub Styles.

Depending on the day, I’ve been known to argue that sacrificing comfort for fashion is just necessary. I’ve worn completely inappropriate shoes for mile long walks, just because they were the perfect addition to my outfit, and this has been known to happen on more than one occasion. I’m not the only one who thinks this way, the proof is everywhere: women in dresses, mid-winter, waiting to get into night clubs; brides in elaborate wedding gowns that won’t even allow them to go to the bathroom without a three man (or woman) team; girls in high heels, taking on the descent of the four flights of stairs in their apartment building. Women everywhere are willing to give up comfort for a day of looking good. It’s not rational, but it happens, and somehow I understand.

Fortunately, there is one category of clothing, where I can honestly say that comfort never needs to be compromised for fashion. That category is, of course, medical uniforms. Any part of a medical uniform, whether it’s a lab coat, nursing scrubs or a pair of shoes, I will stand behind the statement that there are comfortable and fashionable options. And if you don’t believe me, here are a few of my favorites.



Left: L.A. Rose Keyhole Neck Scrub Top in Blueberry & Dickies Sandwashed Flare Pants in Cocoa 
Right: IguanaMed Short Sleeve Scrub Tee in Winter White & Urbane Essential Pant in Steel Grey


Left: Cherokee Flex-i-bles Callie Scrub Top & Cherokee Flex-i-bles Scrub Pants in Black
Right: Dickies Black Label Mock Wrap Scrub Top in Ceil Blue & Dickies Black Label Flat Front Flare Leg Scrub Pant in White



I personally went through all of our scrubs to find the ones that I thought had the most comfortable feel. Out of all of our scrubs the Dickies Black Label are definitely the most touchable. The Cherokee Flex-i-bles are unique because they have side insets that are stretchy and allow for easy movement. I hope you like my comfy scrub picks! And if there are any scrubs I didn't mention that you think deserve to be noticed for their high level of comfort combined with fashionable style, leave a comment and share your opinions!

If you haven’t already heard: the Lydia’s Win Your Wishlist Contest is back (I love being the bearer of good news)! Just in time for fall we’re giving you the chance to score $250 of stylish uniforms.  Entering is extremely simple. Whether you’re looking for men’s nursing scrubs, medical supplies or a new lab coat, just login to your Lydia’s Uniforms account, find your favorite items and add them to your wishlist. You have until August 31st to create your wishlist and I’ll be announcing the winner the following week.

                  

To read all the official rules and details of the contest click here. And if you happen to know where I can score my own free work clothes just by browsing an online store, let me know!

Last Wednesday’s blog featured a story from Francisco, a Lydia’s Uniforms’ employee of eight years who left his job in the toy industry to come work with medical uniforms. For the next few weeks I would love to share more stories with you from employees who have been working with scrubs for years. Today’s story is from Melissa.

Read on.

Growing with a Company and Gaining a Family by Melissa Quesada
I am the Web Department Supervisor and I just celebrated my eight year anniversary with Lydia’s Uniforms in January.  I cannot believe how fast time goes by!  It seems like only a short time ago I was applying for a Customer Service Representative position at a company I had really never heard of.  It was my first year of college and I was not very familiar with the nursing community, but I was excited to see what Lydia’s was all about!

Starting out in our call center was the best starting point and it taught me so much!  The Call Center Manager taught me everything about giving great customer service and I continue to learn from her in so many ways. I am still fascinated when I learn more details about how a company is run!

Seeing a smaller family owned and operated company grow and succeed is inspiring.  Not only has Lydia’s been a great place to work and given me many opportunities to learn new skills; it has also felt like family.  I will always remember the day when I really saw the family aspect of the company come through. Six years ago, a close friend of my family lost her battle with lung cancer. Her passing really affected me and I was having a difficult time dealing with the loss. The president of the company heard what happened and came to see how I was doing.  She ended up talking to me for a couple of hours about struggling with loss, faith and her own personal experiences with grieving.  I don’t think she ever knew the magnitude of that chat we had, but I knew that any company that had president with a heart like that was a place I wanted to be a part of!

For work, home or going out on the town, I love layers. I’m unsure as to whether this love of layers developed because I’m cold all the time (it seems my body is incapable of retaining heat) or it might just be part of my style. Most likely, it’s a combination of the two. Regardless of the reasons I love layers; it’s safe to say that at any given time, I’m wearing them (unless I’m shopping-trying on clothes is enough work as it is!).

So when it comes to scrub uniforms there are a few specific reasons why you can love layers.

1.) Warmth: Add a layer under or over your scrubs when you’re cold. Remove a layer from your medical uniform when you’re hot. You get the idea.
Left:Cardigan Scrub Jacket  Right:Nu Dimension Stretch Tailored Scrub Jacket 

2.) Style: When you can’t accessorize layers are the perfect way to add color and contrast to a look. Make your plain blue uniform scrubs pop with a red long sleeve tee underneath. Add a short sleeve tee in a complementary color under your hospital scrubs for a hint of color that peeks out at the neckline. Or add a plain long sleeve tee under a bold print to balance out your look.

3.) Versatile: Mix and match your layers for different looks. Layer your designer medical scrubs one day, but not the next for even more looks. Layers are a cheap way to expand your wardrobe without spending a ton of money (that must be another reason I love them!).

4.) Simple: Not in the mood for matching? Some of our scrubs do the work for you. There are mock layer tops from Katherine Heigl that look like layers but are really only one top! Or there are tops from Koi that come in sets that include a long sleeve tee and a matching scrub top for the price of one!

Sanctuary Mock Layered Scrub Top & Screen Print Mock Layered Scrub Top

     Annie Combo Scrub Top  &   Harlow Scrub Top  

So whether you’re looking for the best way to stay warm while still being stylish (like me), or you need a few new pairs of affordable nursing scrubs to freshen up your wardrobe, layers might just be the way to go this fall.

And if you happen to be in Michigan, like all of us here at Lydia’s, the time to start shopping for those layers is now because fall is on its way!

Happy Friday everyone! Before we get to the news for today, I have a quick scrubs story to share with you. Last night I went to the movies (and finally saw The Dark Knight after weeks of hearing about it!). I arrived at the movie theatre and was driving through the parking lot trying to find a spot, as I did I noticed a woman and her child walking to their car and the woman was wearing uniform scrubs. Living a block away from a hospital I see people wearing scrubs everyday and don’t feel the need to share it with you, but this instance was noteworthy because she was wearing one of my favorite medical uniform tops: the Koi Harlow Top. I was excited to see an actual medical professional wearing this top because it confirmed for me that it looks just as good on a real medical professional as it does in our catalog! Luckily for this woman I was running late for the movie, otherwise she might have been bombarded with questions about her designer medical scrubs by a certain Lydia’s Uniforms' employee.

So do any of you have this medical uniform top by Koi? Do you love it or hate it? The woman I saw had it in steel/pink, but I think all of the color combos are really cute and versatile. The cocoa/sky combo in the picture above is probabaly my favorite.

And now, here’s the news from the week:

Healthcare Professionals in the News:

• House Panel OKs More Visas for Foreign Nurses, Rollover Green Card Allotments
• American Dental Education Association Awards Open To Dental Educators And Students
• Legislation Would Protect Physicians Who Volunteer To Treat Low-Income, Uninsured Patients From Liability Claims
• Lack of school nurses put kids at risk
• Visiting Nurse Service of New York Breaks with Home Health Care Advertising Traditions

Health News:

• Scientists create stem cells for 10 disorders
• CDC: Average ER Wait Time an Hour
• Fertility treatments 'no benefit'
• Dachshunds’ gene 'blindness clue'

Blogs:

• The Nursing Shortage: Political and Personal
• Will Hiring Foreign Nurses Solve the Nursing Shortage?

I’ve been working at Lydia’s for a little over four months now. Even after such a short period of time I feel like I’m basically an expert on medical scrubs. From Barco Nursing Uniforms to Cherokee Scrubs, my brain is bursting with information about Lydia’s. So considering all I know about scrubs and about Lydia’s Professional Uniforms, I can only begin to imagine what kind of information is in the mind of a long term Lydia’s employee.

For today, we’ll hear from one of those long term employees. I didn’t quiz him about the knowledge he has on scrubs (I’ll save that for another time), but I did find out how he wound up working at Lydia’s and why he’s stayed here for the past eight years.

Read on. 

I’m a Lucky Person by Francisco Saenz

Yesterday it was eight years of me being an employee of Professional Uniforms.  On that day I always look back and realize how fortunate I am to be here. 

I used to live in Denver, Colorado. There I worked for a company that sold science fiction toys, and let me tell you, there was no better day than product training day.  On product training day you went into a room full of toys and well, you had to play with our new product line.  It was awesome!

But as years went by and the national economy took a downturn, sales decreased and I decided to look for other employment opportunities.  One day I received a call from my current boss here at Professional Uniforms, he called and said, “Hi I’m Jim with Professional Uniforms, I’m calling you from Grand Rapids, Michigan”.  At that time many thoughts went through my head but mainly…  Where is Michigan?  So we talked for awhile and while he was telling me about his product line, his catalog, etc. I was searching the Internet trying to find Grand Rapids on a map. I agreed to meet with him in person, so a few days later I came to Michigan and we talked for nearly 6 hours.  I met his family (they all work here) and we all shared our views about the industry and the importance of quality customer service.  I was so impressed with this company that as soon as I went back to Denver I sold my house and moved to Michigan (July 2000).  Since then, I can honestly say that the fast pace we experience here at Professional Uniforms sure beats playing with any of the coolest toys we ever had in Denver.  It has truly been a blessing to be able to serve customers whose jobs are so necessary and so important.  Thank you for keeping me here all these years, and thank you to Jim. As always, I look forward to serving you soon.

This weekend I was thinking about how I should start doing volunteer work. I’ve volunteered in the past, but recently my life has been extremely busy and volunteering was pushed to the back of my mind. Now my life is a little less hectic and I would love to start again.

While I was thinking about all of this it made me consider how many volunteer opportunities there are for medical professionals.  Of course anyone can volunteer, but it’s awesome if you have a specialized skill like nursing that you can use.So for today I looked through some sites and compiled a list of places that you can check out if you want to volunteer.

So if you wear medical scrubs and you have some time to spare, check out these sites:

International Health Volunteers
This site connect health care professionals who are looking to volunteer with organizations that are focused on improving health care, disaster relief or medical education in domestic and international locations. One opportunity that is currently listed at this site is for volunteer radiologists at Mount Kilimanjaro

Doctors Without Borders
This organization seeks physicians and other medical professionals to provide international care.

Nurse Job Shop
This site provides job listings for nurses and also has listings for volunteer opportunities. It provides links to organizations that offer domestic and international positions for volunteers.

If there are other organizations that you’re involved with or opportunities that you are aware of, feel free to leave a comment and share it with all of our readers.

And if you want to read about how some of our employees here at Lydia's give back, check out this blog post.

P.S. Don’t forget to check out the stylish uniforms featured on our homepage. They’re all extremely fashionable and they made me realize that it’s a good thing I don’t wear scrubs because I would never be able to decide which ones to buy!

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you enjoyed reading about everything from spacious nurse uniforms to designer medical scrubs this week.  I love how there are so many new things for me to write about now that the stylish scrubs for fall have arrived. Who knows what I’ll find to write about next week.

Now, taking a break from medical uniforms (just for a minute), here are some news stories from the week that you might find interesting:

Healthcare Professionals in the News:

• New nurses need criminal record check
• Dental Care Shortages, Reimbursements Need To Be Addressed In Health Policy Debate, Experts Say
• GenVec receives funding for foot-and-mouth vaccine program
• Most Generalists Reluctant To Provide Primary Care For Young Adults With Chronic Illness
• Doctors’ opposition to home nursing riles midwives, moms
• As Doctors Cater to Looks, Skin Patients Wait

Health News:

• Experimental Alzheimer’s drug shows early promise
• Pre-pregnancy diabetes tied to more birth defects
• Artificial pancreas just years away, experts say
• Does Bush proposal threaten access to the pill?
• L.A.: No new fast-food outlets in poor area

Opinion Piece:

• PRICE: Transforming health care

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, and if you’re planning on purchasing any apparel scrubs, lab coats or medical supplies in the next few days I suggest you keep an eye on your e-mail for an opportunity to save a little cash when you do.

For last month’s Designer Style to Scrub Style post I showcased three sets of medical uniforms and designer outfits that shared similar shapes and styling. This month my focus has shifted. I’ve found three stylish uniforms which borrow their enticing color palettes and patterns from high end designer tops. I’m personally trying to add more colors and patterns to my wardrobe. It would be great if I could do it by purchasing affordable women’s uniforms like you can!

Although each of these tops features a daring print, they all have a slightly different appeal, which is what makes these stylish uniforms so special.

The first pair consists of a scrub top by Los Angeles Rose and a designer top by Sweet Pea. The muted color palette combined with the shapes on each top creates a subtle style. 

                 Designer Style: Sweet Pea       Scrub Style: LA Rose
             

The second pair consists of a Landau Medical Scrubs Top and a designer top by Shoshanna. The vibrant bursts of color on these two tops create a more fun, outgoing look. And the two are just another example of how designer nursing scrubs are keeping up with high end styles.

                Designer Style: Shoshanna          Scrub Style: Landau
              

The last pair consists of a second top from Los Angeles Rose and a designer top from Cynthia Steffe. To me, these prints seem to combine trendy style and sophisticated style. I think it’s the baroque patterns that make them seem so sophisticated. 

                  Designer Style: Cynthia Steffe  Scrub Style: LA Rose
             


Have you noticed any other color palettes, prints or styles that are showing up in the new fall medical uniforms and also in your favorite clothing stores? If you do, e-mail me pictures or links to these styles and I’ll feature them in the next month’s Designer Style to Scrub Style post.

Happy Friday everyone! Another busy week filled with stylish medical scrubs and discount medical uniforms has passed by again. We’ve been busy working on all sorts of different projects here at Lydia’s. One thing we did this week is add the Share This button to the blog. If you haven’t already seen it, it’s that green button at the bottom of each post. Here’s an example of how you could use it: Say there’s a blog post featuring affordable women’s uniforms. You decide that these scrubs are a great deal and you want to tell your best friend from work about the deal.  This button makes it simple, just click on it and you can share the post through e-mail or social networking sites. Now you and your co-worker both know about the great deal on affordable women’s uniforms. Test it out when you have a spare minute.

Now here’s the news from the week:

Healthcare Professionals in the News:

• Association Of Academic Health Centers Calls For National Plan To Recruit, Retain Health Care Workers
• Drexel University College Of Nursing Receives $1.4 MM Federal Grant To Spread Nursing Technology Expertise Nationally, USA
• School Nurse Shortages Prompt Teachers, Staff To Substitute

Health News:

• Oxygen therapies may relieve headache pain
• Asthma risk from too many nuts in pregnancy
• AP: Food industry bitten by its lobbying success
• HIV Patients Living Longer

Blogs:

• A “real” nursing job
  

I also came across this opportunity:

• Know a nurse that deserves to be honored? Nominate her to be featured in the New York Times Magazine. You have ‘til August 1st!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone. And if you’re subscribed to Lydia’s Uniform’s e-mail list, keep your eyes open for a great deal that will be coming your way tomorrow!

Everyday our office here at Lydia's Uniforms is full of cute apparel, and I’m not just talking about the stylish uniforms. The five other members of my department have great taste and it always shows in their clothing. I inquired into these fashionable minds to see what they love about the new scrubs for fall and they told me which stylish uniforms are their favorites.

Leesa:
My favorite product is the new Flex-i-bles print jacket.  The colors in the print are my favorite combination for this fall - simply spectacular!  Flex-i-bles has always been one of my favorite lines because of the knit spandex, roll down waistband on the pants.  The jacket has this same coordinating knit spandex inserted into the sides.  Ooohh...so comfy!

Lindsey:
I really like the new Koi Vanessa Prints. The scrubs have retro patterns with really trendy styling. I don’t think they look like scrub tops at all!

Rachel:
I like the new Bamboo line by Iguana Med. It’s super soft and very light, plus they’ve taken the sporty styling to a new level by adding some feminine details (i.e. gathered seams, colors match what’s hot for fall).

Amanda:
I would have to say Katherine Heigl Woodstock is my new favorite collection.  The colors are bright and pretty, and I love the hippie vibe that you get from these scrubs!

Nicole:
The Swirls and Whirls Contrast Sash Mock Wrap Scrub Top by Dickies is my favorite. I love the style with the tie back and especially love the color combination of aqua blue, off white and chocolate brown.  This top will go great with the Back Elastic Cargo Scrub Pants in Chocolate, which are an everyday favorite. 

Personally, it’s hard for me to choose a favorite. There is definitely something to love about each of the choices above, whether it’s the fashion forward style (Katherine Heigl’s Woodstock line!) or an extra touch of comfort (Cherokee Flex-i-bles!). I think that in addition to all of the stylish uniforms shown above, the new Landau Medical scrubs are some of my favorites. This style top is flattering on different body types and I adore the bright prints and patterns.

So now that you've seen the designer medical scrubs that we love, which new scrub uniforms do you like best? Do you agree with one of us or is there a fabulous new item that we didn’t mention? Share your opinion; we would love to hear it!

Today I want to tell you about some of my favorite new styles from the fall collection of scrub uniforms.  It was hard to choose what to talk about with so many new designer medical scrubs available. After some thought, I decided on a few one-of-a-kind new looks from Iguana Med. Everyone in the office, including me, seems to love these new pieces. A few weeks ago they were on a clothing rack of scrubs near my desk; everyone who walked by took notice of them. I think the combination of their soft feel and unique yet traditional styling made them stand out among all the scrub uniforms.

What makes these medical scrubs unique is that they’re all made partially from bamboo. I remember hearing about bamboo clothing awhile ago, but before these medical clothing uniforms arrived at Lydia’s Uniforms I had never actually seen any articles that were made from it. I’m glad I finally did because I absolutely love it.

So you might be wondering why bamboo for medical scrubs? Well, some research informed me that in addition to its soft feeling and high quality there are many reasons that bamboo fabric is an awesome new alternative. Some of my favorite reasons are: it requires a relatively low amount of energy and water to grow, it can be grown without pesticides and it is sustainable to harvest because of its fast growth. Sounds good to me!

These scrubs are  really similar to many of the cotton surgical scrubs that we carry, but the mixture of bamboo and cotton gives them a different feel. The medical uniforms have a very high end look, but they're also soft and lightweight which makes them seem extremely comfortable. I also appreciate the crew neck on this scrub top. It’s a bit different from the v-neck that many scrub uniforms have, but still has the look of traditional and professional scrubs.

Iguana Med also offers these two tees. They're great because in addition to being super soft they're also slightly stretchy and breathable. If I happen to purchase new workout wear anytime soon, and I just might have to, this short sleeve top will definitely be on my list of must-haves. Either top would probably work great under your favorite cotton surgical scrubs or by itself with a pair of scrub pants.

So if you happen to try out these new medical scrubs, leave a comment and let everyone know what you think! How do they compare to your other designer medical scrubs? And if I end up purchasing one of the shirts I’ll be sure to tell you how they hold up during a tiresome workout.

If you’re anything like me (and I know I’m not alone here) you might have a mild addiction to social networking sites. Who knows how clean my house would be or how many books I could have read if they didn’t exist, but regardless, I still love them. If this sounds familiar, you’ll be happy to know that Lydia’s Uniforms has found its way onto MySpace, Facebook and Twitter. So why not increase your friends list (and ours!) and add us on whatever site you like best, or all three if you want. Need more convincing? Here’s my logic:

There are all sorts of benefits that come with being connected to Lydia’s Uniforms through these sites. For example, through Twitter you can find out via text message or IM the moment that we’re running a sale on a specific brand or style. Being one of the first to know, you have the opportunity to shop the sale immediately before sizes and colors disappear. We also constantly update our MySpace and Facebook friends on sales, promotions and contests and sometimes even have offers exclusively for our friends. Right now our MySpace and Facebook friends have the opportunity to receive a free messenger bag in the mail (there’s still a chance to get in on this offer if you friend us now!), just by explaining why they love Lydia’s.

So if you’re constantly visiting Facebook, MySpace or Twitter (like me), add Lydia’s as a friend and stay in the know on the latest in medical uniforms, medical supplies and more! And if these social networks aren’t for you, keep reading the blog because I’m not going anywhere.

Lydia's on Facebook
Lydia's on MySpace
Lydia's on Twitter

P.S. Check back tomorrow to see the web team’s favorite new scrubs for fall!