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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!



 

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We are so excited about our new Lydia's line we had to test them out for ourselves. I asked a few Lydia's employees to try them on and share what they thought of these medical scrubs. Find out what they had to say!

I tried on the new Pro Stretch Cha Cha Top in the color Aqua and the Swing Pants in Steel Grey. I love that the material is light weight and stretches with movement! I tried the scrub top in large (my normal size) and the fit was great and roomy in the chest area. The gathered back detail definitely gives the top a fitted and feminine look!

The pants were very comfortable throughout the waist, hip and thigh areas.  However, the length of these pants was a bit short on me since I usually wear a 34 inch inseam and this style is offered in a 31" inseam. Overall, I liked the look, feel and comfort of this medical uniform!              

-Liz, Special Sales Representative





I tried on our Lydia's Pro Stretch Jitterbug Top in Pink Blush/Navy. The top was great! It was soft and comfortable. The stretch knit side panels give you so much movement. Being large chested I was a little scared that it wouldn't fit in that area and I was surprised to have so much room.
 
I also tried our Lydia's Pro Stretch Mambo Pant in Navy. These pants had a lot of movement to them as well. Being short (barley reaching 5'2) these pants were a little long on me. I flipped the waistband over for a perfect length. I also love all of the pockets that these pants have. I believe that the Jitterbug Top and Mambo Pant tend to run slightly large.      
 
-Lori, Call Center Team Leader

I am in love with the new Pro Stretch scrubs!  I tried on the Tango Top in Chocolate/Pink Blush and the Salsa Pants in Chocolate.  I tried on the size that I would normally wear and they fit just right.  I am 5’4” and the length on the pants was close to being too long, but as long as I wore the New Nurse Mates Bryar or the Dansko Professional Clog that have a little bit of height to them it was a perfect length. The material is very rich looking because it has sheen to it.  They are comfortable to wear, the stretch allows for movement without feeling confined.   So, if I were required to wear scrubs for a uniform these are definitely what I would pick. 
         
 -Regina, Special Sales Manager

We would love to hear what you have to say about our new Lydia's line. Feel free to leave a comment here!

I am in the midst of conducting a research study at my institution, over a subject that is near and dear to my heart: workplace lactation. Since I've gone back to work on the hospital floor, it's been a real struggle to get away when I need to pump breastmilk to provide for my infant son. I've talked to lots of co-workers who've dealt with the same problem. So instead of complaining (or maybe in addition to), I've decided to do something about it. I'm seeking to identify what barriers hospital employees face when it is time to pump or breastfeed at work. Maybe something good will come of it - I hope. I was totally surprised when, within a week, 49 people had taken the survey. Anyone who's ever conducted research knows that it can be hard to get people to respond to surveys.

But for those who aren't lactating, there is still the issue of getting away from the job for a few minutes. I work 12 hour shifts, like many healthcare workers. Our policy states that you are allowed two paid fifteen minute breaks as well as an unpaid half hour break for lunch. But how many of you are able to take advantage of what you are allowed?

The other day, I had a patient who needed a little extra TLC. For the entire shift, I was attending to her needs and wants. Then it was time for me to quickly grab a bite and go take it over to the hospital daycare to feed my son while wolfing down my lunch. Apparently while I was gone, she called out for me and said "What do you mean my nurse is off the floor?! I need her now!" Thankfully my charge nurse helped her with what she wanted, but I thought, do people really think that nurses should not allowed to have a few minutes to themselves?

I'm sure the majority of us have clocked out no lunch, on more than one occasion. And have never taken a fifteen minute break in years. But is that a good thing? Is it really impossible to get away, or are we just not taking care of ourselves?

I admit that I've been in line at the grocery store and heard the cashiers saying "I need someone to relieve me so I can take my break," and thought, "Well, must be nice to get a break." But really, they're just looking out for themselves, is that so wrong? People need to eat, go to the bathroom, and even sit down for a few minutes every few hours. I guess it's not really out of the question.

I'd like to hear about others' experiences. How does your unit/office/institution handle breaks? Do you get a few minutes to yourself to just sit and take a breath, and if so, does it make you happier in your work? And if you're one of the working moms like me who's trying to nurse, how do you handle pumping?

 

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So I got a sale coupon from Lydia's a few days ago and it was very timely. I think I'm going to need to order some new scrubs. Not because mine are too old or worn out, it's because they're getting a little too tight. I should probably admit that as I type this, I am eating straight out of a bag of chocolate chips.

Nine months back, I gave birth to almost an 11 pound baby boy, and my body has not been the same since! And I turned 31, which some say the older you get, the harder it is to lose. But I started to wonder if some of it has to do with the line of work I do...

If you're like me, you probably work shifts that are 12 - plus hours long. You may not get many opportunities during that time to take a break, and many times clock out "no lunch." And if you are one of the lucky ones who gets to sneak away, you might have a hospital cafeteria whose menu makes some fast food restaurants look like healthy choices. Or maybe you're one of those night shift folks, I used to be one of you. You'll pretty much do whatever it takes to stay awake, and it might require lots of caffeinated soda and chocolate candy bars.

I know some workplaces are making changes to improve the health of their employees. For example, our cafeteria no longer serves foods that are fried on Fridays. I'm not going to tell you what the staff actually thinks about it, though.

I remember a while back, an acquaintance said something about nurses needing to practice what they preach. I said, "What do you mean?" And she said, "Well, there are a lot of overweight nurses out there...don't nurses go around telling people they need to eat healthy?" She may be kind of right, but I think there are lots of reasons for this phenomenon.

I just did a simple internet search using the terms "Obesity and nursing" and got quite a few research articles from real sources. One even said that out of a sample of several thousand nurses surveyed, 54% were obese or overweight. That's pretty significant. And I do wonder what kind of message it sends to the population of people who we're teaching to be healthy.

I'm not writing about this topic to make people feel bad about themselves, because I am dealing with this problem myself! I want to hear from other nurses about some tips! What do you do to eat healthy on the job? How do you work exercise in to your routine when you're spending a good portion of your waking hours at work? You'll have to be particularly convincing, because I choose sleep over exercising after a long day on the hospital floor.

And on a personal note, what nursing scrubs have you found to be flattering for gals in my situation??