Here’s one more way to make shopping at Lydia’s quicker and more convenient. Check out our Narrow Your Results Feature.

Some of you may already use or be aware of the Narrow Your Results feature, but others may not have noticed it. Here’s how it works. When searching for a product you can use the sidebar to search by gender, brand, style, color, size, price and item number.
(See picture below)

Now go ahead, try it. See what you can find

I don’t wear medical scrubs on a daily basis (very rarely, actually) which might make some of you wonder what makes me qualified to write about apparel, scrubs and medical clothing uniforms on a daily basis. Even though I don’t wear them, take my word; I do know a little bit about scrubs.

Lydia’s Uniforms knows it’s important that all of its employees are educated about the products that we sell. Last week I attended a product training session to learn about the new designer medical scrubs that are in for the summer season. Some of our lovely ladies and gentleman from the customer service department put on a fashion show and I learned tons of information about the new medical scrubs. I learned about the sizing, materials, colors, patterns and styles. There was so much information that I had to take notes!

Check out these pictures of our employees modeling some of the brand new designer medical scrubs.

See what our models are wearing.
Group Picture: In front Lori is wearing the Drawstring Top from L.A. Rose in the LeDot pattern and from left to right Melinda is wearing the Kimono Print Top from L.A. Rose in the Floral Kitchy pattern, Mandy is wearing the Mock Wrap Ruffle Print Top from White Cross in Citron/Lime, Jose is wearing the Men’s Warm-Up Jacket and Unisex Three Pocket Scrub Top from Lydia’s Pro Series, Erika is wearing the Emily Top from Koi in the Stardust pattern and Oyuki is wearing the Sash Mock Wrap Top from L.A. Rose in the Chelsea pattern.

The award for best photo goes to Jeanne B! Jeanne is the winner of the Annual Nurses Week Photo Contest from Lydia’s. She will be receiving a $100 gift certificate to Lydia’s Uniforms, just in time to buy medical uniforms or new nursing scrubs from Lydia’s brand new Summer 2008 Catalog.

Although it was difficult to choose a winner from all the wonderful entries we received; everyone agreed that these two photos from Jeanne are exactly what we were looking for.

We love how the photos show group shots of Jeanne and her co-workers in action. And of course we love how they all wore their brightly colored Cotton Partridge Warm-Ups from the Lydia’s ProSoft Collection with matching scrub pants. The three of them look cute and seem to make a great team.

Congratulations Jeanne! Enjoy your gift card from Lydia’s Uniforms.

To continue the Nurses Week festivities, I went on a quest to learn more about the Nursing profession. I picked a few of my favorite facts to share with you.

• In 2007 hospital staff nurses in the United States earned an average of $59,061.
• Nursing is one of the fastest growing occupations in the United States. Unfortunately there is a shortage of nurses and nurse educators.
• The average age of Registered Nurses has risen from 42.3 in 1996 to 46.8 in 2004.
• Research indicates that advanced practice registered nurses can provide 60 to 80 percent of primary care services as well as or better than physicians and at a lesser cost.
• Among professions in the United States, nurses rank first for their honesty and integrity, with 82 percent of Americans rating them "high" or "very high," according to a 2005 Gallup Poll. Nurses have consistently rated first every year but one after being added to the list in 1999.
• The first nursing school in history dates back to 250 B.C. and was located in India.
• There are more nurses than any other workers in the health care profession.
• Florence Nightingale, the most famous nurse in modern history, was only a nurse for three years of her life.
• Mary Eliza Mahoney became the first African-American nurse in 1879.
• According to a report released by the American Hospital Association in April 2006, U.S. hospitals need approximately 118,000 RNs to fill vacant positions nationwide.
• The earliest hospital uniforms for nurses were based on function and feminine virtue.

Does anyone else have any fun facts about things like nursing, hospital uniforms, scrubs or Nurses Week to share? I know that there’s a lot more than this to know about nursing and I would love for you to share your knowledge!

Another one of our great customers, Karissa, offered to take a pair of scrubs for a road test (what would I do without so many helpful customers always willing to give their feedback?) She chose to tell us about her Sand Washed Mock Wrap Scrub Top and Flare Scrub Pants from Dickies.  As a busy RN/BSN, Karissa wears these scrubs about one out of the three nights a week that she works. After all that wear time I bet Karissa is almost an expert on what these nursing scrubs have to offer!

Karissa answered some questions about the scrubs for us. She had some particularly helpful advice about their sizing. Let’s hear what she had to say.
 

What are your thoughts on the fit of the scrubs?
The fit of the top is great.  You can adjust the fit of the sides of the top with the back tie, and it actually lets you have a shape rather than looking like a box.  The pants are really nice, too.  The drawstring ensures that they won't fall down, and the elastic back gives you the extra flexibility.  Also, the pant legs are not super tight; however I would suggest buying the next bigger size for both pants and tops if you are on the cusp of sizes.  For example, I usually wear a medium in most scrubs (Cherokee, Landau), but with the way Dickies does their sizing, most of the time I need a large after they have been washed due to shrinking.   

What is your favorite thing about these scrubs?

They are super soft and they are comfortable to work in; they don't bunch or ride up while you're walking or doing procedures at the bedside.  Also, they don't show your midriff if you reach up.    
 

What is your least favorite thing about these scrubs?

They collect lint like it's their job.
 

Are there any unique features to these scrubs that your other scrubs don’t have?

The pocket in the top, some other brands have started to do that now, but this one is just the right size for 3cc saline flushes. 
  

Have you received any compliments on them?

Yes, usually about how soft they are.   

So it’s nice to hear that these stylish medical scrubs are not only cute, but also comfy and soft. In any outfit it’s always reassuring to know that you can do what you normally do without being uncomfortable, your clothes bunching up or your midriff showing and it’s especially reassuring to know these things when you’re at work!

Thanks again Karissa for all your helpful comments!

I'm giving away two of these Earth-friendly totes!  Keep reading to find out how you can get one.

It’s April 22^nd and that means that Earth Day is officially here, a day all about awareness of our Earth and giving back to our community. Two weeks ago I wrote about the great things that Lydia’s employees are doing to go green and since then I’ve found out even more!

Not only are individual employees working to be green, but so is Lydia’s Uniforms as a whole. Lydia’s currently recycles and uses green cleaning products, but the company is brainstorming all sorts of new ideas on how to be environmentally friendly in the future. For example, Lydia’s is looking into new power strips which, unlike normal power strips, prevent an electric current from being drawn when electronics aren’t in use. Sounds like an awesome idea to me. Imagine how much electricity could be saved in just a single home by using those power strips and using them at Lydia’s would save even more than that! Lydia’s also wants to start saving electricity with their lights and saving plastic by providing employees with reusable water bottles.

In honor of Earth Day, I also went around to see what else Lydia’s employees might be up to that I wasn’t aware of. I found out that the employees are doing all sorts of things to give back to the community, not just on days like today, but all year long.

Some of the employees here volunteer doing various things. Their volunteer activities include: helping out at church, serving food to those in need and putting together a benefit for a family member. And not only are employees volunteering, but so are their kids! One employee told us how her children continuously volunteer, another has a child who goes around collecting recycling and other employees have children helping out the community through Girl Scouts.

Of course volunteering isn’t the only way to give back. One employee reminded me of Operation Christmas Child, which he participates in. All you have to do is fill a shoebox full of toys, personal items and school supplies and it’s sent to a child in need! That’s a simple way to help out a child who will really appreciate it and it’s something you can do every year.

After speaking with employees and thinking about Earth Day, it made me realize that everybody doing something (even if it is something small) really can add up. It might be hard to be completely environmentally friendly, or to give back all the time, but if you do something new every once in awhile, I think that it could make a big difference!

So what are you doing for Earth Day? Will you be taking part in any special events, or maybe just wearing your favorite pair of green scrubs to show that you’re aware?

If you’re looking for a new way to be green, Lydia’s is offering all their customers a free tote bag with any purchase of $75 or more*. So if you need some new scrubs, why not let Lydia’s help you celebrate Earth Day by providing you with a brand new tote bag that you can use again and again. Just enter code PEARTH08 at checkout.

Plus... I took a couple of these out of stock (shh!).  The first TWO people to leave a comment on this post will get one of these earth-friendly totes FREE!
 

*While supplies last

Last month Rachel and Leesa decided to take our product for a test drive and wear a pair of scrubs around the office for a day. Unfortunately I didn’t work here yet; otherwise maybe I could have been the one coming to work in a pair of comfy medical scrubs! Perhaps I can convince them that we need to have scrub Monday, in addition to casual Friday. Then I could buy medical scrubs to wear to work instead of the normal office apparel. I’m not going to count on that though.

This month, instead of having Lydia’s employees do a road test of the scrubs, we decided to let a customer try it. Our customers are the ones who are working hard, moving about and putting their uniforms to the test on a daily basis, so why not hear what they have to say about their scrubs from Lydia’s.  

Our customer, Kassie, tested a pair of Katherine Heigl scrubs from her New York Collection and answered a few of our questions.

 
What are your thoughts on the fit of the scrubs?
I absolutely love them!  The tops are flattering, and have a professional look and they don't make you feel like you are wearing a box like some other tops. The pants don't quite fit perfectly, if you have wider hips, they hug that area. I love the flare bottom with the slit on the outside of the leg. I got several compliments on both the bottoms and the tops. The small details that went into making these scrubs really show.  I love the black stitching on the white, and it's even better on the black collar with the white stitching.  That is what gives these scrubs their own personality.

What are your likes/dislikes about the scrubs? What do these scrubs have that other brands do not?

These scrubs are definitely different than all the other brands out there.  You can tell that she put thought into what she was designing.

Have you received any compliments on them?
Oh my, everyone at work complimented me on them, and when I told them they were Katherine Heigl, they were floored and started calling me Grey’s Anatomy girl.  No one had seen any of her scrubs yet.

Do you have any anecdotes about your scrubs to share with us?
The only anecdote that I have is that I need to lose some weight in my hips! No scrub can help me with that!  Haha

So it sounds like Kassie is pretty happy with her Katherine Heigl scrubs, even if they did get her the nickname “Grey’s Anatomy Girl”. There’s nothing wrong with being the first person at work to have the newest designer medical scrubs. And instead of trying to make her hips smaller (because we all know that losing weight from our hips is virtually impossible) maybe she could try out a pair of Cherokee Flex-I-Bles Scrub Pants, I hear they’re quite flattering.

Does anyone else have scrubs from Katherine Heigl’s New York collection? What do you think about them? Do you agree with Kassie?

Now that it is officially spring and Earth Day is rapidly approaching; I can’t help but think green thoughts. Not only am I thinking about the green grass that’s soon to come (not soon enough here in Michigan), but also about green efforts.

After a little research, I discovered that medical scrubs aren’t the only thing that’s green here at Lydia’s. Many of the employees are living environmentally friendly lifestyles at work and at home. I only had to walk a few feet to my co-workers desk where I found a place to put my paper for recycling.

I asked some of the employees how they are green on a daily basis. I found out that this is what they do:

 Recycle everything possible (paper, plastic, aluminum, batteries, etc.) One employee gets her son involved with recycling and she says, “He loves to go [to the recycling center] with grandma.”
 Return cans and bottles to the store instead of throwing them away
 Use reusable totes for shopping (here’s one tote that Lydia's offers which can be used for shopping or for bringing your stuff to and from work)                            
 Drive fuel efficient cars
 Bike or take the bus instead of drive
 Turn off lights when leaving the room “I’m obsessive about never leaving lights on in more than one room at home,” said Lindsey.
 Use energy efficient light bulbs around the house
 Turn off or unplug appliances/ electronics that aren’t in use
 Make sure that the dishwasher and washing machine are completely full before running, in order to save water
 Use green products 
 Keep the heat down in the house
 Make all errands in one trip to cut back on gasoline

And one of my favorite green efforts came from Gail, an employee at Lydia’s, who is environmentally friendly even when she’s quilting! Gail uses recycled express and priority mailing envelopes in the creation of her quilts. I thought this was an awesome way to show how you can be green in all aspects of your life! I think I need to be more creative like Gail.                           

Finding out all this information was exciting to me. At home I tend to be alone in my quest to be green (the recycling boxes are right next to the garbage and my roommates still don’t use them)! But at least now I can come to work and be surrounded by others who are on the same quest. And who knows, maybe I’ll eventually rub off on my roommates.
 
So what do you do to be green? Do you have any suggestions for us at Lydia’s about what we could do to improve? We would love to hear your ideas.

As a new employee at Lydia’s Uniforms I’ve met all sorts of people since I started just a week ago. It’s hard to remember all the new faces and especially all the new names, but I’m working on it! One thing that I noticed when visiting the different departments is that everyone at Lydia’s is involved with customer service. It seemed like there was someone from every department, whether it was the call center or the warehouse, who was trying to figure out how to best meet a customer’s needs or make a customer happy. The best part was, nobody was complaining about it! And as someone who has worked in customer service for the past seven years, it’s refreshing to see employees who are dedicated to the customer and willing to help (without complaining about it).

One particular employee that I met on my first day here, Jose Ortiz, is an expert in the field of customer service. As a Team Leader in the Customer Service Department, Jose’s job is to ensure that customer’s needs are met. Turns out, that is exactly what he was doing the first time I met him. When I approached Jose to introduce myself he was on the phone with a customer. I realized right away that Jose wasn’t trying to hurry the customer off the phone, but was instead trying to assist them with whatever they needed. I decided not to bother him and come back and introduce myself another time when he wasn’t as busy! I eventually found a time when we both had a free moment and I got the opportunity to meet him. Jose seemed extremely friendly and personable (perfect for a job in customer service).

              After meeting Jose and realizing what an important part of the Lydia’s team he was, I wanted to ask him a few questions about his job here. What better way to get to know more about the employees and the company than actually hearing what they have to say? This is what I found out from Jose:

What is your favorite thing about working for Lydia’s?

My favorite thing about working for Lydia’s is the diverse clientele we have on a daily basis.

What did you think when you saw Rachel & Leesa road-testing scrubs for the day?

I believe it is a good idea. It gives us the opportunity to try it before you buy it.

What’s your favorite scrub?

My favorite line of scrubs is the Urbane from Landau. The scrubs are trendy. I actually own a few pairs of the Urbane Boot Cut Pant 9502. It is very comfortable, and fits very loose.

(I guess you don’t have to work in the medical field to buy medical scrubs!)

He also shared his customer service philosophy with me. This is what he had to say: “As a Customer Service Specialist, I feel it is crucial that every individual receives the utmost care and dedication he/she deserves. I have worked in the Customer Service industry for over 11 years, and dealt with all types of situations. Some time ago, I had a customer who was unsure about ordering uniforms for sizing reasons. I suggested she sample the items, to make sure it was the color, style, and size she was looking for. Finally, the package was received and some of the items worked but a few didn’t. I instructed the customer to send what she didn’t like back at no charge. We shipped her requested items, and now all the items worked out perfectly.  Now the customer knows what color, size, and brand to order and we have her business for life. It’s not always about getting the customer off the phone, but getting them what they need. Our customers rely on us to get them their uniforms, and making their experience as smooth as possible.

          Working for Lydia’s Professional Uniforms has been a great experience for me, and I will continue to strive in giving the best customer service possible.”

After having many of my own terrible experiences with all kinds of customer service representatives, reading Jose’s philosophy helped me understand why he is such a valued employee. I cannot imagine Jose ever telling a customer, “that’s your problem, not mine,” which is something I personally have been told by a customer service representative of a company whose name I won’t mention. I wish every customer service representative that I spoke with had a motto like Jose’s. It would make life just a little less frustrating.

I had the opportunity to have a great conversation with Kathy Peterson, the designer of Koi Scrubs the other day.  She and I really see eye-to-eye, probably because we both love to show off the fashion side of medical scrubs.  Here’s what she had to say…

Can you talk a little bit about your background?  Why scrubs?

My background is actually in fashion. I’ve been in the fashion industry for 15 years and started off working for Carole Little and have also worked for companies like Guess. I’ve done Disney product and really, I’ve just run the whole gamut of fashion design. I ended up at a uniform company called Barco and designed for companies like McDonald’s and KFC.  I had an opportunity to do some designs in the medical field and just loved it. It was the best happy medium between doing fashion and doing something that was functional. I really enjoyed the fashion element.  I love creating something that has a purpose… so that was the best opportunity to do something in fashion that was practical.

I started Koi because when you work for someone you don’t have control over the image of a product.  You have to turn it over to a marketing department and it wasn’t a complete vision for me. I wanted to control my product from beginning to end and have a unified vision. This was the next step because I was at the maximum I could grow.  This gave me an opportunity to share my vision and hope that people liked it.

What is Koi Happiness?

How we qualify a garment is that we look for something that is cheerful and happy, but functional.  We want to take the current trends and infuse the two. We interpret from fashion because we feel like a lot of the customers that are shopping for scrubs are the same ones shopping at Macy’s Bloomingdale’s or other stores. It’s important for me to have scrubs look like they’re viable in that same marketplace.  I think that the scrub market had existed for a long time on scrubs that did not have a fashion component.  Scrubs used to have fashion as a secondary component, and people focused on how practical it was, just the function.  We looked for things that married the two.  It’s great to create a product that people appreciate and helps them to feel good about themselves. 

What is the one thing you want customers to feel from your designs?

If we could in a small way help someone to feel better about themselves, that is the great reward for us. They work so hard and have such long shifts- anything we could do to make their lives easier or better is what we strive for.

I have to say that the road test of our scrubs was a success- not just because of what Leesa and I found, but because of YOUR comments.  What we found was that you are looking for sizing options and comfortable fit (kind of like us!).  I agree that everyone should feel like they look their best, whether at work or not, in scrubs or out of them.  So, without further ado, here are my top suggestions for medical uniform brands to try based on body type.

If you are petite or slender, try…

Urbane Scrubs - These designer medical scrubs are junior fit and flatter petite types most.

Baby Phat Medical Uniforms – Choose Baby Phat scrubs for a fun and funky alternative in scrub fashion.

Dickies Hip Flip – Popular “hip flip” scrub pant styling, and you’ll love the color palette.

Grey’s Anatomy – More celebrity uniform style comes to you in the form of quotes from the show and super soft fabrics. Made by Barco medical scrubs.

Our Own Signature Collections – Our Lydia's Signature Scrubs as low as $5.99.  Starting at XS and featuring petite and tall options as well as a variety of fabrics and prints galore. Great option for offices and hospital teams!

If you are average, try…

Dickies Sandwashed Scrubs– This line is missy fit and is sized like the misses section of your favorite department store. Lots of cute options!

Cherokee Authentic Workwear – The “hip flip” styling on their pants makes for a comfy fit and avoids “baggage”.

Katherine Heigl Medical Uniforms – She created this line after working in scrubs on “Grey’s Anatomy”, and trust us, she knows what you need in a stylish medical scrub!

Koi Nursing Scrubs – Youthful tailoring and girly details make everyone feel great.

Cherokee Flex-i-bles – This yoga-inspired line keeps you ready for action.

LA Rose – Cool basics & prints with extra detail in the styling.

White Cross – Your own style expressed in artistic designs.

Our Own Signature Collections – Our Lydia's Signature Scrubs as low as $5.99.  Looking for options?  Check here first!  Our hospital uniforms feature the most color choices you’ll find anywhere.

If you are curvaceous, try…

Dickies W – These scrubs are designed to fit all of your curves. 

Cherokee Basic Uniforms – One of the world’s most recognizable brands features specializes in super soft fabric. 

Landau Medical Scrubs – Top notch comfort with lots of options up to size 5X.

Our Own Signature Collections – Our Lydia's Signature Scrubs as low as $5.99. As always, our own line has options for EVERYONE up to 5X.

If you are tall, click here to see our full selection of uniform pants for tall sizes.

Well, we did our road test- now it's time to hear about yours! If you've recently taken our scrubs for a test drive and would be interested in talking about it, leave a comment to this post with the brand you want to be interviewed about.  If you're selected for the review, you'll get a free gift from us, and your comments will be posted here.

You too can make a difference! Go ahead, leave a comment :)

As usual, my morning is frenzied, and I have to race to get myself ready and things loaded up in the car before my son wakes up.  Since I’m a working Mom, I like to spend time with him in the morning before we leave for the day.  This morning I did things a little differently- instead of checking my closet for what to wear, I grabbed my scrubs out of the dresser (Thanks Lydia’s- and sorry about that stain. I guess you didn’t want these back anyway).  I actually felt like I was hopping right back into my jammies, but was excited about the opportunity to get a glimpse into what goes on in the world of nursing scrubs.  I will say that the scrubs did simplify my morning- I wasn’t doing much coordinating, and if truth be told, I usually spend more time analyzing how colors look against my fair skin than doing my hair.

Anyway, we hopped in the car and were on our way. I have to add here that I was starving because I had to do a fasting lab test after I dropped off Matthew at daycare.  However, I quickly let this go once I reached the lab and had such a fun time showing off my scrubs with the ladies that worked there (Note to employers: you should try out your staff in fun and flattering colors like the turquoise blue I was wearing- everyone was so excited to see it.).  Getting my blood drawn was a breeze, and I enjoyed the camaraderie I shared with the ladies in the clinic, all wearing scrubs.  I even surprised them with some Lydia’s tote bags and a few catalogs, and we proceeded to talk about our favorite items.

When I got to work, I kept an eye out for Leesa, because I knew she was wearing her uniform as well.  Sure enough, she was cheerful as usual, and looked cute in her designer medical scrubs (ok, like a dental hygienist too J ).  Together, we went to the morning manager’s meeting, and everyone was excited to see us.  The entire team caught our enthusiasm, and I think our vibe made everyone loosen up a little going into the workday.  This was one of the things I definitely noticed. I was having a hard time not smiling, and felt more relaxed than usual.  I know that this projected in my attitude toward meetings that day, and other projects I was working on.  This makes me wonder: how do scrubs affect your customer service skills?

There are a few things that I really liked about Cherokee Authentic Workwear besides the great color palette.  For example, the pants have this cool “hip flip” that ensures that they don’t bunch up, and it really helps with fit.  Also, it means that the legs don’t drag on the floor, which is something I’m picky about.  I love wrap styling for casual wear, but often find it cumbersome to pull off.  However, the mock wrap detail on the top was just enough to add a little style, and I found myself sticking my hands in the pockets all day (conveniently located- that certainly provided an answer for me about the styling of nursing scrubs!).

There were a couple of elements of my road test that I struggled with.  The scrub top wasn’t as tailored as the clothes I normally wear, and made me feel a little unkempt overall.  I’m not used to wearing anything baggy, and I also am trying to work off the baby weight, so this was something I was a little self-conscious about.  I looked at Leesa, wearing tailored looking Urbane scrubs, and wondered if she was feeling more orderly.  Also, like Leesa, I was super relaxed and ready to GO, so it was hard for me to sit at my desk all day. 

I was really glad to have the opportunity to road test a pair of scrubs for the day.  I’ve tried on lots of scrubs before, so that I can describe to you how they fit.  However, I’d never spent an entire day in them.  My respect for what you do, and the daily challenges that you face, has only been reinforced.  You need the most comfortable uniforms available so that you can focus on what’s really important- your patient.  It’s my goal to help you find them.

- Rachel

Want to test drive Cherokee Authentic Workwear Medical Scrubs yourself?  Click here to check them out!

Update: The ugly stain was removed!  But I’m still keeping the scrubs J