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!

Last week, I started my first teaching gig as a clinical instructor at a school of nursing. It has been one of my long term career goals, but now that I am doing it, I am so nervous. I'm teaching a group of ten students in their first ever med/surg clinical. They will be caring for real patients and attending clinical at the hospital for the first time. I feel like the pressure is really on, because whether you love med/surg nursing or hate it, it is pretty much the foundation for all other specialties.

To prepare for the job, I thought back to all of my own instructors I had in nursing school. They all had their good traits, some more than others, and they also had quirks, too.

I had one instructor who would come up to us in the middle of clinical from out of nowhere and say things to us like, "God has a purpose for you." or "The end is near..."

I also remember another instructor who I seriously wonder if she went into teaching not to help students learn about nursing, but to be mean to them...still trying to remember what the good traits were. Um, maybe it was that she had really shiny hair?

But one clinical instructor really stood out from the rest. Her name was Deb. She was my instructor for both the lecture and clinical portion of my med/surg course. She treated all of us with respect, and never talked down to anyone. She would never accept, "I don't know" as an answer, and she would help us think things through until we realized that we knew more than we thought. She even looked out for us, like scolding us if we ever walked out to our cars alone in the evening (we had second shift clinicals), or telling us how important it  was that we each had our yearly pap smear. She was always one of our biggest advocates, especially if we were having any issues with other faculty (see above instructor) who were being exceptionally unfair.

As I was starting to get really worried about how will I ever be a good instructor to these future nurses just starting out in one of the fundamental nursing courses, I thought "What would Deb do?" I hope I can use her teaching method as a model to help provide these students with the knowledge and confidence they need to proceed with becoming a nurse.

I hope that no matter how much farther I go in my own education, or how long I end up teaching, that I will never forget what it felt like to be a student. When someone showed faith in me or displayed kindness, it made such a difference.

Did you have an instructor or professor who really made a positive impression on you when you were in school? Or did you have someone really evil who was completely out of touch with how nursing really is in today's world? Feel free to share your stories about either one!



 

• 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

At work today, I had the luxury of having four nursing students care for my two patients. I know having students around can mix up the normal workflow, but I am always glad when they are there. I feel like each of my patients will get a lot of attention (sometimes more attention than they really want) even if I have to be spending time in other rooms.

As the students' clinical day ended, they all came up to thank me. One even shook my hand and said how helpful I was. I brushed it off, saying "Oh, it was nothing," and she responded, "No, really, you don't understand. You were nice to us. That doesn't always happen."

I thought back to my interactions with them throughout the shift, things like "Hi," or "Thank you for letting me know," or "you really did a good job at taking that axillary temperature on that squirmy kid." How sad is it that these simple phrases made such an impression on her? I didn't say anything profound, but the fact that I said anything at all was a big deal to her, apparently.

I know this kind of thing is not unique to my institution, and it's not a recent phenomenon. How? Because it happened to me as a student, 10 years ago, in a different hospital, in a different city. But all I can wonder is, why does this keep happening?

We were all students at one time or another, and I'd assume that we all like to be treated with respect so I'm not sure why it's such an issue. But it is. I know that there are those students every now and again who aren't so motivated or dedicated, but there are plenty who are. And nursing school is challenging enough as it is! So let's all try to be nice when we see those nervous faces out on our units.  It doesn't take much to make a positive difference in the day of a nursing student, obviously! Even a smile would probably make his or her day.

It kind of brings to mind that bumper sticker I've seen that says something about being nice to your children because they will choose your nursing home. Be nice to your student nurses, they could be taking care of you someday!

It's also new grad season out there, and I know it can be hard for them, too. Sometimes being a preceptor can make you seem twice as busy, and it's not always fun. I've been the new kid on the block several times before, and having a friendly and helpful preceptor sets the tone for your entire career on a unit. As we brace ourselves for this nursing shortage we keep hearing about, let's try and make sure we take care of each other. We're all in it for the same reason, to give excellent patient care!



 

I've dealt with a lot of transitions in the last year: finishing graduate school, moving into a new home, giving birth to a second child, and starting a new job. The adjustment of having another baby was obviously the most difficult thing to deal with, but moving from the area of oncology nursing to pediatric nursing comes in a close second.

For nine years, I worked in an oncology setting. I loved oncology. For years, I swore I'd never do any other kind of nursing. Then, after having kids, I wanted to be home more, and going back to floor nursing allowed more flexibility and fewer days a week at work. A part time job on peds came up on the job board, and I figured I could handle it since I took care of my own kids, right?
 
As an oncology nurse, I heard the phrase, "I don't know how you do it. Oncology nurses are angels," at least once a week. After receiving such meaningful comments from patients and families, it was easy to think that oncology nursing is the most difficult, stressful, special, and rewarding job there is, which made it hard to leave.

Last week, I took the Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) Provider Course as part of the requirements for my new job. The whole concept of learning about performing in a code situation after working in an area where the majority of clients have chosen No-Code status made me pretty anxious to begin with. At the end of the day we watched several 10 second video clips of children in respiratory distress. Seeing those kids immediately brought to mind images of my own babies. I felt a lump in my throat, and hoped no one else noticed my chin quivering. I realized how heroic the healthcare providers who care for sick kids really are. If you ask any parent what the most important thing in their life is, they will most certainly answer: their children. And when you are in the situation of having a seriously ill child, you want only the best people caring for him. I had respect for my new co-workers before the class, but as I walked out, I had a whole new level of appreciation and admiration for them.

It made me think, each specialty within nursing really does require special nurses. I started to think about critical care nurses and the lives they save every day, and hospice nurses and the profound difference they make in the lives of patients and families. It takes a certain bravery to go out into a patient's home (and with some homes, even more bravery than others) and provide home health care. Whatever area of nursing is out there, it takes a highly skilled, compassionate nurse to do the job. I had a whole new awareness that even though there are some places I would NEVER want to work as a nurse, I am thankful for nurses who do.

What is your specialty? Why do you love it, and what made you choose it?

 

I’m not one to pay attention to rumors in the workplace until they have been confirmed, but the scuttlebutt at my institution is that our Chief Nursing Officer would like to see all nursing staff to begin wearing all-white uniforms. I’ve heard that one of the reasons behind this is that there is too much confusion from patients about who’s who among hospital employees. Nurse techs, unit secretaries, and even housekeepers all wear nursing-type scrubs, and sometimes the people we are serving don’t actually know which of the people who are coming in and out of their rooms is their nurse.

I’m conflicted about this--for one, I don’t particularly want to go out and buy an entire new work wardrobe. I just had to do this recently when I went from an office setting back to bedside nursing. Secondly, I know there are some folks who take comfort in seeing a nurse wearing whites: to them, it might seem more professional or it might fit more with what their vision of how a nurse should look BUT  there are also those people who truly have “white coat syndrome” and the sight of someone coming at them dressed head to toe in white could make their blood pressure skyrocket!

Lastly, I think one of the main reasons I am reluctant is the whole practicality issue. How is it going to look if we do move in this direction? As neat as a freshly pressed white uniform might look in a photograph, it might not look the same in real life. I’m 31, and I think a lot of people my age and younger don’t own an iron nor do they care to buy one, and I’m not sure how it would look if someone didn’t wear wrinkle-free whites. There is always that argument about showing stains, too. There are at least seven bodily fluids that OSHA recognizes, I think, and I’m pretty sure most of them are not clear. Although, I think in my years of bedside nursing I’ve only had to change my scrubs at work two or three times due to getting emesis or urine on my shoe…but I bet that number would shoot up dramatically if I started wearing all white. It’s just the way that sort of thing goes. And then there are those things that maybe administrators who are, shall we say, out of touch with how things actually work out on nursing units might not have thought about: those nurses who wear undergarments that may not look (ahem) appropriate under white slacks. I’m not saying people do it on purpose. Maybe they forgot they were wearing hot pink underwear when they put on their nursing pants at 5:30 in the morning after being exhausted from a 13-14 hour shift the day before!

I go back and forth. I know it can look awfully nice, and everyone identifies white uniforms with nurses. When I graduated nursing school, I wore a white scrub dress for my pinning ceremony. And me being a frugal, no-nonsense kind of gal, I thought I should at least get some more use out of the thing. I didn’t want it to be like a bridesmaid dress that you spend tons of money on, only to hang in the back of a closet for decades. I wore it to work a few times, and got lots of compliments…particularly from elderly gentlemen, who said it was nice to see nurses still dress like they did in the old days. Of course after spending a 12 hour shift climbing up on beds to pull people over from a stretcher, or kneeling down to empty a catheter, I said “That’s the end of THAT!” So now, it is folded up in a box in my closet. And two kids later, I wish I could still fit into it…maybe someday.

At the end of the day, I’m still ambivalent about how I feel about the idea of wearing all white scrubs. In college, I changed my major about 4 times before becoming a nurse. The first of those 4 was art education. I like to express my creativity and individuality, and being forced to wear a certain color seems like kind of a bummer…I guess that’s why they call them “uniforms,” though. I know we should do what’s best for the patient. But it’s still unclear to me whether this is really best or not.

I’m curious about what other nurses think: have you done this at your institution? If you were told you had to wear all white, all the time, would you like it? Or not?

• 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.

• FDA Urges Doctors To Police Drug Ads
• US files first defense of health care law in court
• Study: Too many nurses leaving profession
• More Doctors Giving Pharma Sales Reps the Cold Shoulder

• Food Health Claims Need Scientific Tests, Report Says
• Poor child care effects linger into adolesence
• Stem Cells Regrow Crucial Hearing Cells in Mice
• Childhood Obesity: Attacking a Crushing Epidemic
• Mom's Voice Soothes Stress, Even by Phone

• The greatest nurse
• New Nurse Keeps Grandma's Gutsy Resolve, Varied Careers in Sight
• Everyone's Going to Nursing School

• Studies Examine Team Approaches to Hospital Care
• ANA Nurses Stand With President in Support of Health Reform Now

• Products recalled over salmonella
• Foodborne illness costs $152 billion annually
• DNA test 'could predict most effective diet'
• US Warns of Malaria Risk in Haiti

• The National Nurse Act 2010
• Nursing Education Forum Looks to the Future

Happy New Year! Start off 2010 in style with new scrubs from Lydia’s. Our Winter Catalog has so many uniforms to choose from; you’ll have no trouble finding looks to update your wardrobe with. And if you want to score some free medical scrubs, stop by later today, January’s contest will be posted this evening.

Now here’s the new from the week:  

Healthcare Professionals in the News:

• John Hopkins Nursing Explores “Nursing School 2.0”
• Exam-Room Rules: What’s in a Name?
• Bill could make it felony to assault a nurse

Health News:

• Proteins Show Promise for Ovarian Cancer Screening
• Ginkgo Doesn’t Stop Cognitive Decline
• FDA to study safety of drugs taken during pregnancy
• Tylenol Recall Expands

Blog Posts:

• 2010: The Year of the Nurse
• Are Nursing Unions Necessary
• 10 Most Famous Male Nurses in History

Have something to say? Leave a comment here.

When Jan Hastings, MSN, RN, became a nurse 34 years ago, formal training for preceptors didn’t exist.

“It was kind of an expectation that once you were comfortable in your role, that you would be able to precept,” said Hastings, manager of nursing education and professional development at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, Ill. Nursing research later showed that “training is absolutely necessary to be a good preceptor.”

In recent years, health care facilities have implemented more formalized training for preceptors. “There has been an explosion of online precepting programs,” said Meg Gulanick, PhD, APRN, FAAN, a professor at Loyola University Chicago’s Niehoff School of Nursing in Maywood, Ill., and some nursing schools are turning to professional preceptors instead of the typical “clinical faculty” to guide undergraduate students.

 To continue reading this article, click here to visit NurseZone.com.

• More is Less
• Home Health Care Nursing: Injury And Hazards Are A Growing Concern

• Smoking Bans Reduce Heart Attacks: Study
• Tylenol May Weaken Infant Vaccines
• Post-retirement jobs benefit health: US study
• Study Examines Ethical Dilemmas of Medical Tourism

• Dedicated Education Units Enrich Clinical Experience for Student Nurses
• For Doctor Burnout, Medication and Mindfulness