January 22nd, 2010

Why Should I Buy Grey’s Anatomy Scrubs?

     I also happen to own a medical uniform shop in Cairo, GA as well as several other websites where I sell medical uniforms.  I have been out of nursing for about two years now, and have been getting concerned about losing my skills.  I’m sure there will be many new medications and policies for me to learn, I figure I had better get back in there so I can brush up on my skills once again.

     In this hospital we get to select whatever type of nursing uniforms we want.  So you can imagine all the varieties out there.  I recently saw medical uniforms ranging from the bland old one pocket solid v-neck top, to the popular and flattering Grey’s Anatomy Scrubs made by Barco Uniforms.  Nursing scrubs sure have come a long way!  The biggest differences to me are that the Grey’s Anatomy sets are much more form-fitting and flattering, and the rayon material is much softer and flowing than the old standard poly-cotton sets.  Grey’s Anatomy Scrubs are made of a fabric called Dura-tech®.  Barco developed and introduced the luxurious Dura-Tech® fabric which wicks moisture away from the body keeping you cool and has mechanical stretching properties for comfort.  The elastic fibers also resist breaking from frequent washing unlike most fabrics that are elastic.  I often see some of my customer’s that like prints, come into our medical uniform shop and buy all Grey’s Anatomy Pants and then get print scrub tops from other brands to match since they are so comfortable. 

     Whenever a successful line of scrubs comes out, like the Grey’s Anatomy Scrubs, all the other uniform manufacturer’s attempt to mimic it.  So far, none of them have done as good a job as Barco.

     One of the scrubs manufacturers that has tried to mimic the Grey’s Anatomy uniform material and style is Cherokee Uniforms with their Cherokee Touch line of scrubs.  They look and feel really nice.  The biggest plus to the Cherokee Touch line is that they have figured out how to print on the rayon material.  Barco did not manufacture any prints in their Grey’s Anatomy Scrubs line this past season, however, they did release a great deal more colors than in season’s past.

     Dickies Medical Uniforms has produced the Dickies Elements line of scrubs to mimic the Grey’s Anatomy Scrubs.  The colors were a bit off when next to their normal EDS line of scrubs.  I don’t think this like has sold quite as well as the others because of this.

     I’ve ofter wondered if people are buying the Grey’s Anatomy Scrubs  just because of the “Grey’s Anatomy” label they bear, and their association with a hit TV show.  Or is there something special about these scrubs that sets them apart from the rest?  After asking several of our customer’s why they like the Grey’s Anatomy Scrubs, the most common response I get has something to do with comfort.

      I have yet to meet someone that does not like the Grey’s Anatomy TV show.  Perhaps the popularity of the Grey’s Anatomy Scrubs has more to do with the popularity of the show.  Either way, Barco wins the contest on most popular rayon scrubs.

      I will be wearing my Grey’s Anatomy Scrubs to work next week.  We’ll see how nice they really are.

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January 13th, 2010

So You Want to Be a Nurse?

As long as there is a need for providing medical help to people, there will obviously be careers available for various kinds of nurses.  Nursing occupations range from hospice nurses tending to elderly patients in nursing homes to surgical assistants in the operating room.

Is Nursing for Me?
It’s difficult to list an absolute checklist of criteria to help someone determine whether nursing should be in his or her future.  There is such a wide spectrum of work environments for the various kinds of nursing careers that it’s not realistic to place too many restrictions on what attributes qualify a person to be a competent nurse.  I personally have seen very different kinds of personalities, ethnic backgrounds, and diverse career goals excel at nursing.  There are a few things that likely should be considered before choosing nursing as a career path.  Generally speaking, nurses have strong stomachs.  Their work involves taking urine samples, giving shots, changing bandages, and other up-close-and-personal tasks.  If blood, needles, or scabs make you queezy, and you don’t foresee yourself being able to overcome that shortcoming, you’re better off pursuing a different career.
Nurses, the most successful ones anyway, have a disposition towards being nurturing towards people.  If you are generally ornery and dislike helping people in need, you’d probably hate nursing.  On the other hand, if you grew up with a habit of getting juice for your sick mother, nursing might be right up your alley.
The most coveted nursing jobs require a significant amount of education.  Many of the classes involve mastering portions of biology, chemistry, math and statistics, anatomy, physiology, writing and other disciplines.  For most secondary schools, getting in to the nursing program is not trivial and is often competitive.

Many nurses begin their careers working as EMT’s.  Nurses who are still in school can get valuable experience dealing with EMT work.  Oftentimes, people who take on an EMT job without considering a nursing career escalate their pursuits to include the formal education required to become a licensed nurse.  Other professional nurses start going that direction even while in high school.  Either way, if you are considering a career in nursing, it is worthwhile to take some time to evaluate the pros and cons of whatever nursing field you are considering, and make a careful decision about whether it’s for you.  Here are some of the pertinent factors to consider.

Salary
You always hear people say that you shouldn’t take a job based on salary alone.  However, most people don’t want to work for nothing.  Especially when considering how much debt you may need to incur to become qualified for the particular nursing field, it’s a good idea to get a good sense of how much you’ll be making once you begin your career and as you progress through your career ladder.  Struggling to pay student loan bills could easily make Ronald McDonald frown, so even if the duties associated with your anticipated career seems destined to give you heaps of bliss, make sure it pays at least enough to make you financially comfortable.

Some of the top paying nursing jobs include Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist – $135,000/yr, Nurse Researcher – $95,000/yr, Certified Nurse Midwife – $84,000, and Neonatal Nurse – $74,000.  Surveys abound showing the latest salary trends of nursing careers.  A quick Google search will give you more than enough information to make an informed decision.

Work Hours
People generally don’t restrict their medical needs to an 8am – 5pm schedule.  Many nursing jobs require those on the schedule to take their rotations staying up all night.  It would be worthwhile to consider whether that’s something you want to do before you get too far down the path of becoming a delivery room nurse only to find out that you hate being at the hospital all night or on a weekend.  If you don’t mind those kinds of hours or even prefer them, you might be able to get a pay increase for working the night shift.

Education Requirements
Some people could make it as adequate nurses except that they aren’t very good students.  Others love to spend years in school.  If you can’t see yourself spending more than a couple years becoming a nurse, you’d probably need to consider a vocational school and look at job possibilities for licensed practical nursing (LPN) or license vocational nursing (LVN).  If you think you want to put in a full four years and get a BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing), you can become an RN.  Many RN’s choose to go on to get masters degrees in nursing.  The general rule is that the more education you have, the more opportunities open up to you.  Also, more education typically means higher pay.
Hopefully these guidelines help you in deciding whether a nursing career is in the cards for your future.  There is always going to be a large demand for nurses.  Maybe you can fill some of that demand and gain some fulfillment in the process.

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December 14th, 2009

The Evolution of Medical Scrubs

While I was walking through a local grocery store recently, I couldn’t help noticing that many of the women I saw in the store were wearing a style of clothing that not long ago was most commonly only worn by nurses and others in the medical field while performing their work duties. The use of scrubs as general purpose clothing is a trend that has become popular for a number of reasons. The TV series Scrubs, a widely popular comedy-drama created in 2001 surely had an influence with its cast of scrubs-outfitted stars. Grey’s Anatomy, another TV series drama dedicated to the medical field even has its own scrubs line. The popularizing of the medical profession in American culture has brought with it a new trend in dress, especially for women.

The term “scrubs” was first used as a designation for the clothing used by medical professionals because of the procedure followed by surgeons, surgical nurses, and other surgery personnel prior to entering the operating room. “Scrubbing in” refers to sterilization (scrubbing down hands and arms along with dressing in surgical apparel) of medical staff prior to performing a surgery. The clothing worn by these people naturally became known as scrubs.
In the past, scrubs were made in drab colors, greys and light blues. They were perceived as functional attire, but not much more. In the previous ten years, however, scrubs manufacturers such as Cherokee, Dickies, Barco, and others have responded to market demands for more colorful and fashionable scrubs. As general practice nurses (in addition to ones who are involved with surgeries) widely adopted the practice of wearing scrubs on the job, the trend towards fashionable nursing scrubs has recently seen an explosion. Some hospitals, schools, and clinics have dress codes that limit the ability of nurses to be too creative at the workplace. That hasn’t curtailed the creation of a market for various styles that can be worn in less restrictive workplaces or outside of work hours.

The appeal to wear fashion-sensed nursing scrubs both at work and outside of the professional nursing environment obviously receives its fuel from women, who historically have comprised the large majority of practicing nurses. By design, scrubs have always been comfortable, allowing a person freedom of movement and flexibility. At the same time, a woman wearing scrubs also looks professional. The combination of those two nursing scrub features has extended the use of nursing scrubs to women in general. In fact, I’m planning to get some nursing scrubs for my wife, who has never had any interest in nursing, for Christmas this year. She wants some scrubs simply for the two reasons I just described: they’re comfortable, but they don’t look too casual – like sweats do.

Next time you’re in public, see if you can pick out some nursing scrubs being worn among the outfits you see. Chances are your perception of scrubs will change.

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BarcoNursingScrubs.com carries the full line of Barco Scrubs, including Grey’s Anatomy Scrubs, Elan Nursing Scrubs, and more.

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December 12th, 2009

Introducing NrG Stretch Scrubs from Barco

Barco is introducing a new line of scrubs this Spring called NrG.  The NrG line of scrubs is Barco’s new, breakthrough line of scrubs with a fabric that stretches with you as you move.  The NrG line is a must have for nurses who do a lot of bending and stretching throughout the day.

The Fabric

NrG stretch fabric is made of a Poly-rayon-spandex blend with moisture wicking and 3M soil release.  NrG is available in solid colors only.  This line is made up of rich, vibrant colors such as Toast, Aloe, Melon, and Slate.

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