The top 10 weirdest things in nurses’ pockets!

Scrubs pockets can be a nurse’s best friend—since you’ve only got two hands, you’ve gotta put everything somewhere! But we also know those pockets can lead to a few “oops” moments once you get home and empty them! We asked our Facebook fans for the strangest thing they’ve ever found in their pocket post-shift—check out their hilarious, slightly gross and even occasionally bawdy answers (and don’t forget to check your pockets before leaving work tonight)!

The top 10 weirdest things in nurses’ pockets!

1. A patient’s set of false teeth! Wrapped in a glove! Crazy but true!!!  - Teressa B.

2. I was on a 16-hour shift and had a patient with two necrotic toes. Near the end of the second half of the shift, I changed the patient’s foot dressing. As I took the old dressing off, off came a toe! I wrapped it in a 4×4 and called the supervisor. Long story short, I got home and emptied my pockets, and what did I pull out? You guessed it…THE TOE!  - Lisa O.

3. A tooth! Never did figure out how it got there…- Cheryl S.

4. A dried-up umbilical cord that a mother wanted to keep, but left it on the table. I called her and she came all the way back to pick it up! - Susan W.

5. A very small fake penis—we had to practice putting a new kind of condom cath on it. My grandson was the one who pulled it out of my pocket…I had some explaining to do, needless to say!  - Wanda R.

6. I was helping the doctor perform a thoracentesis, and the patient started coughing when his lung expanded. We all ducked from the bits of tumor that came flying, and thought we had found all the pieces…until the end of my shift, when I reached into my breast pocket. Ugh.  - Kristi P.

7. I kept hearing a crinkling, crackling noise and couldn’t figure out where it was coming from…until I was changing out of my scrubs. I had a wrapped baby bottle nipple stuck in the middle of my bra! (I’m a maternity nurse.) LOL!  - Cyndi P.

8. A specimen cup with a stool sample in it. I was working in ED and it was very busy. I saw the order on the computer and so did another nurse. We both ended up getting a sample from the same patient, only she sent hers down to lab first. I saved mine just in case and forgot it was in my pocket when I got home. YUCK!!!  - Sheryl A.

9. Wrist restraints…you should have seen my husband’s face when I pulled THOSE out!  - Poppy H.

10. A penis implant…loooonngg story!  - Shelly Z.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever found in your pocket at the end of a long shift?

New Stair Lift In The House!

We are happy to announce that we now carry a NEW brand of stair lift!

What exactly IS a stair lift, you ask?  A stair lift is a chair that you sit on and it glides along a rail, taking you up or down a flight of stairs.  People who find stairs difficult, or simply are immobile can still live in a home with stairs if they have a stair lift.  And stair lifts are far cheaper than remodeling or buying a new home, especially in THIS economy. 

The BROOKS LINCOLN is the new stair lift that we carry!  Pricing starts at just $2833.33 and installation is also available in our local area (Denver Metro, Colorado).  We say pricing starts at $2833.33 because not all stair cases are the same and thus the variable in pricing.

Here are a few features:

Padded seat and backrest


Easy to use controls

Secure safety belt

Folding arms, footrest and seat allow easy access to the stairway when the chair is not in use

Swivel seat - no need for twisting the body to get on and off the lift

Lockable on/off switch

Diagnostic digital display provides status of the lift

Five safety sensors stop the lift automatically if any obstruction is encountered

DC power packs recharge automatically and function even during power outage

Call 303-455-1300 or 800-873-7121 for more information today!

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

"You can tell you had too much for Thanksgiving when have to let your bathrobe out." 

A Wrong First Impression

by Sean Dent • October 17, 2012, ScrubsMag.com

“When I saw you walk into my room, I thought to myself…’Ooh, God, I’m in trouble.’”

A patient I took care of recently spoke these words to me in apology. Apparently, when I entered the patient’s room at the beginning of my shift, they took one look at me and expected the worst. They had already decided they got the short end of the stick when I was assigned to their care.

At the end of my shift, they wanted to let me know how wrong they were. They thought I was the most kind and caring nurse, and they were lucky to have met me.

*blush*

I didn’t ask why their first impression of me was so dreadful. Maybe I should have. Was it how I looked? How I sounded? How I acted? Maybe I smelled funny? Did I stomp my feet when I walked?

First impressions are interesting to me, since we all make them. We decide how a person “is” at a glance. We decide how nice they may or may not be. We decide if they are a “good” or “bad” person in that brief moment. We do it time and time again, because for the most part, our first impression instinct is fairly accurate and correct.

But, every once in a while, you make a wrong first impression.

I’d like to argue that it’s these “once in a while” occurrences that should spark us to not make hasty judgments about anyone until we interact and speak with them. Judge them by their actions, their personality and their genuine ability to care.

I, for one, make this mistake way too often as a nurse when I see my patient assignments from afar. I’ll get a quick glance at the patient and decide how my day or shift will go. It’s horrible, I know. And I’m willing to bet I’m not the only nurse who does it.

That particular patient gave me one of the greatest gifts that day. Thanks to their humble confession, my future patients won’t have to worry about me having a wrong first impression of them. I plan on making a conscious effort to give everyone the benefit of creating their own first impression.

For more Career Advice for Nurses pick up the latest issue of Scrubs magazine, available at our Laurel Uniforms & Apparel retail store located at 5376 Sheridan Blvd., Arvada, Colorado!

The top 10 weirdest things you've ever eaten for lunch on the job!

Everyone knows a nurse’s lunch break goes something like this: You take your lunch exactly at noon and relax for a full hour in peace and quiet while you eat a wholesome and delicious homemade meal. Right?

Wrong! Unfortunately, most nurses barely get the chance to scarf down some Doritos on their lunch break—if they get one at all! We were curious about the weird lunch combinations nurses are forced to put together, so we asked our Facebook fans for the strangest lunch they’ve ever eaten at work. Can you top these?

The top 10 weirdest things you’ve ever eaten for lunch on the job!

1. Pickles and chocolate. It goes well with coffee, LOL. I was STARVING!  —Conni

2. A pack of mint M&Ms, BBQ beef jerky, a pack of my son’s Scooby-Doo fruit snacks and milk! LOL. I work in the ICU, which means sometimes you eat whatever is in your purse that day, IF you get to eat at all!  —Jennifer

3. Pork chops cooked via coffee pot.  —Tameka

4. Leftover corn tortilla with mustard and sauerkraut. COLD!  —Sharma

5. Coffee from a sterile urine specimen cup ’cause there were no cups to be had.  —Susan

6. Oatmeal with strawberry Pop Rocks.  —Robert

7. Ice cream float…made with strawberry Ensure…very interesting.  —Brittany

8. Crab bites that fell on the floor…three-second rule! I was that hungry!  —Melanie

9. A bottle of bacon bits.  —Kristen

10. I swallowed my chewing gum….  —Susie K.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten for lunch on the job?

Do I Have to Work Holiday Shifts?

Whether you have to work on a holiday depends on who you work for, whether you are covered by a union contract, and company policy regarding holidays.

If you work for the Federal Government, you'll get nine paid holidays each year including New Year's Day, Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Independence Day (4th of July), Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

Many private employers follow the same holiday schedule and also provide holiday days off or holiday pay for working on a holiday.

In addition, companies are not required to give you holidays off from work. Many employers, especially in retail, hospitality and healthcare, are open on holidays and conducting business as usuals. Workers are expected to work holidays and are typically paid their normal pay rate.

Price Reduction on Automatic Pill Dispenser

Was $83.64
NOW $76.36!

This fully automatic pill dispenser is SIMPLE to use with easy setup!

Features a long duration buzzer that sounds continuously until the pills are removed.

Capacity holds one weeks supply of pills taken up to four times per day, which equals 28 total compartments that can hold several pills (up to 18 aspirin sized pills).

Tray is lockable with key.

Battery operated with low battery alarm (batteries included). 

The compartment size on this dispenser is 20% larger than other automatic pill dispensers.

The Med-E-Lert is supplied with clearly printed discs. The discs identify the day of the week, and the appropriate number of doses per day (1,2, 3, or 4 doses per day). The appropriate disc for the medication regime is then placed on the tray; folding tabs down to secure in pill compartment, prior to filling it, and used as a guide as to where to place the pills.

MED-E-LERT has 3 different alarm tones and also silence with Blinking Light to accommodate different hearing levels.

Comes with extra key and 4 tray labels.

Click HERE to purchase online!

Employers and Obamacare: What it Means for You

Adapted from ObamaCare Survival Guide by Nick J. Tate

As the Affordable Health Care Act rolls out over the next year and beyond, we are finally learning the details of what ObamaCare means to working Americans.

First and foremost, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the government agency that will oversee our new healthcare mandates. Employers are required to report to the IRS about each of their employees, and individuals will have to report to the IRS regarding health care insurance status.

Senior Citizens
It’s no secret that ObamaCare will be significantly funded by money cut from Medicare. The original projected cuts totaled $455 billion over the next decade. Since then, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has twice updated that figure. In 2011, the CBO’s estimated cuts were re-estimated to be $507 billion between 2012 and 2021. Then, in July 2012, the CBO projected Medicare outlays would be cut by about $716 billion between 2013 and 2022. That is $209 billion more in cuts than originally projected. However, ObamaCare does expand Medicare’s prescription drug coverage, and certain preventive care services. It also caps what insurers can charge older Americans.

Large Businesses - 25 or More Employees
From a cost perspective, ObamaCare has not been good for large companies as new mandates imposed on their health insurance providers have increased business operating costs. Many Americans are worried that ObamaCare will force their employer to drop their insurance since it may cost less for some businesses to simply pay the $2,000 fine per worker for not providing insurance. Some businesses need to offer benefits to attract workers, and some don't. If you work for a company that easily attracts workers, may be in greater danger of losing your coverage.
Also, large businesses will have to wait to be able to participate in health insurance exchanges, assuming it is granted to them at all. Each state will have to decide itself whether or not to let large businesses purchase insurance through its exchanges.

Small Businesses - 25 or Less Employees
These companies have suffered from rising healthcare costs in the past, but will benefit more from ObamaCare, especially in the short term. They will receive significant tax breaks and in 2014 they will have immediate access to health insurance through exchanges, unlike large businesses. However, if a small business exceeds 25 employees, they will receive no tax credits, and possibly no access to exchanges. For employees who work for small businesses with no insurance, ObamaCare is great news if their employer decides to take the generous tax credit. If small businesses do not participate, workers may be required to purchase insurance through a government-subsidized exchange, or face a fine.
Approximately 6% of businesses with employee payrolls are considered large businesses in America, yet over 175 million Americans work for a large business. Approximately 37 million Americans have no health insurance.

It is also interesting to note that fear of an acute doctor shortage, which existed prior to ObamaCare, may be exacerbated by the new law. With lower expected incomes and student loan debts that are the highest in the world, there could be far fewer doctors to provide health care.

Also Sourced: http://www.census.gov/econ/smallbus.html