OK, once in a while I'll get this "just 'gotta' buy something" feeling for nursing school....whenever it may be that I get in.
Here's my latest expenditure.
I paid about $30 for it.... I don't know if that's a bargain or not, but I liked it. lol Although it seems like I paid about $20 or $30 for my inexpensive stethoscopes (no bp cuff) about 10 or so years ago.
I figure I can practice on B/P's since I haven't taken one in several years (except a couple of times in A&P 2 this past summer.)
I also figure I will want a backup stethoscope, just in case my Littman gets stolen, broken, or lost. (No, I haven't bought my Littman yet.)
So, what have you purchased already, before you find (found) out that you were accepted?
Try washing the black pants inside out. I would say use cold water but I guess you really can't. Try the new detergent (Cheer, I think?) made for darks or use Woolite for darks. I've found the Woolite is fabulous. You could also skip the dryer - dryers are actually pretty bad for clothes; they make the fabric break down faster. The only things I put in my dryer are towels, socks, the ferrets' blankets and bedding, and underwear - and the occasional tee shirt. Luckily I have a laundry room; when I lived in an apartment I used to hang stuff in the second bedroom!
My mother used to put salt in water with darks, too.
I like those too...seen them in the Life Uniforms catalog. I like my jeans tight, not my scrubs. ....They just have to be a perfect fit, not too tight, not 5 sizes too big. (I do NOT like the penquin look!) (I also like the penstripe pants with the flip down waste band.)
So, I will definitely have to find a uniform store around here to try on different types. All the ones close by that were open when I was doing medical assisting has sense closed.
Carlinapooh....it would be my luck, I'd have salt dried on all my clothes. (because it didn't dissolve.) :chuckle I agree, dryers are terrible clothes eaters....like big, electric moths.
One thing we all need to think about: Many hospitals/LTC/Dr.'s offices have color coded scrub requirements. We never know if we'll get to pick our scrubs, or work in a place were the colors and/or styles are picked for us.
Worse scenerio: One place I worked at required a certain color, depending on the day of the week. Everyone had to wear that color and the same style as everyone else. That wouldn't be so bad, but the style was a one-piece jumper. I didn't like those things!!!!! They were a hassle when you needed to go to the bathroom too.
There's several cute socks, retractable badge holders, pens, shoes.......I wish I knew if I was accepted or not, and what the exact needs/requirements are!!!!!
I have the dickies flare leg scrub pants currently for work...I love how soft they are, but I was dissappointed at how fast they faded!
I like Dickies too, but the lady at the scrub store I was at last week told me they fade worse than any other brand. She also gave me a lecture on how us "kids nowadays just don't know how to properly take care of clothes!" According to her, you should soak your dark clothes in vinegar when you first get them to set the color and then wash inside out (as someone else suggested). She gave a lot more advice but I stopped listening after she told me that the black jeans she had on were just now starting to fade because she took good care of them, and they were 15 years old! What!? Oh yeah, the only other thing I remember her saying was that you should use non-chlorine bleach on whites because the "whites nowadays" are made of polyester and chlorine bleach will turn those yellow or brown. She like the word "nowadays" can you tell! She had the cheapest scrubs in town, but I'm scared to go back to her!
I was also told at 2 different stores that you shouldn't get Dickies if you have to wear the same color top and bottom because they won't match - even when you first buy them - and just get worse the more they're washed.
Makes you wonder..... Then again, pants that were in style 15 years ago are probably in style again now. :chuckle :chuckle :chuckle
"Nowadays" we are all ignorant, don'tcha know? .....'back in the day' they knew everything....that's why they gathered around the 'radio' to listen to "Amos and Andy" and not talking on their cell phones while at their computer surfing the net. :roll :roll
Anyway, I need to hold off on buying anything right now, but I'm 'thinking' about what to buy next.
I like Dickies too, but the lady at the scrub store I was at last week told me they fade worse than any other brand. She also gave me a lecture on how us "kids nowadays just don't know how to properly take care of clothes!" According to her, you should soak your dark clothes in vinegar when you first get them to set the color and then wash inside out (as someone else suggested). She gave a lot more advice but I stopped listening after she told me that the black jeans she had on were just now starting to fade because she took good care of them, and they were 15 years old! What!? Oh yeah, the only other thing I remember her saying was that you should use non-chlorine bleach on whites because the "whites nowadays" are made of polyester and chlorine bleach will turn those yellow or brown. She like the word "nowadays" can you tell! She had the cheapest scrubs in town, but I'm scared to go back to her!
I was also told at 2 different stores that you shouldn't get Dickies if you have to wear the same color top and bottom because they won't match - even when you first buy them - and just get worse the more they're washed.
Regarding dark colors, I have used vinegar too, and only had it not work once, and that when I was working with a piece of vintage fabric from the 40's. When I worked in a quilt shop, we sold a dye fixative that quilters would use to treat fabrics so that the colors in their beautiful quilts would not bleed. It would set the dye permanently. Then again, I'm not sure I would want to wear fabric against my body that has been treated with a chemical. At least vinegar is safe. I haven't tried the new Woolite for dark colors but it sounds intriguing. And yes, washing inside out does seem to help. I've noticed that the inside of my black skirt that faded still looks new. Weird.
I bought something today that I can start studying now:
I have a long wishlist of books that I will allow myself to gradually start buying once I am accepted (Notice I said "when" not "if". Trying to be positive today).
And yes, I have wondered if I'll end up working at a hospital that has specific scrub colors for different floors. My greatest fear is that the color I will be required to wear will not be avaiable in a tall pant. I've already run into this for NS. The scrubs they require are red Landau scrubs only. Guess what color does not come in tall pants except for the tapered leg elastic waist style? Red! I personally do not look very good in tapered legs, and the waist sits so high it hits my ribs. Not sure what I am going to do about that yet, but will probably have to do some major alterations, maybe even using two pairs of regular length flare pants to make one tall pair. Or remove the elastic from the tapered leg pair, lower the waist, put in a drawstring, and use the fabric from a second pair to re-work the legs using a gusset. Either way, it's going to be costly.
Ya know, once my mom and I stopped at a yard sale b/c we saw a monitor & my daughter needed another monitor. Well, we ended up not getting the monitor, but I almost bought some NCLEX books that the lady was selling.
Now I wish I had. I didn't know if they would be too old. I wonder if I start rummaging when it starts getting warm if I can find anything useful.
I'm not the advid garage seller, but what the hay, if it means getting any type of nursing books cheaper, I may become one.
I was also told at 2 different stores that you shouldn't get Dickies if you have to wear the same color top and bottom because they won't match - even when you first buy them - and just get worse the more they're washed.
That is soooo true. I wear navy tops & bottoms - I've had the scrubs about 7 months now and I am nearly two-toned since they didn't fade evenly. I didn't notice the difference when I purchased them, only after repeated washings.
Fun2Care - I love the carpenter style flares you posted a link to - I had not found a flare carpenter before, only the straight leg carpenter (though those are easier to hem when I can't find the petite scrubs).
Fun2Care - I love the carpenter style flares you posted a link to - I had not found a flare carpenter before, only the straight leg carpenter (though those are easier to hem when I can't find the petite scrubs).
My dd has a pair of pants that have seams right below the knees. You could always cut them there, sew them up & still be stylin'.
(No, I haven't bought my Littman yet.) 
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I wonder if I start rummaging when it starts getting warm if I can find anything useful.
missninaRN
505 Posts
Los Angeles Rose makes some nice modern prints:
http://www.losangelesrose.com/large_image_pattern2.asp?Style_num=6403CDT&lets=DT&Division=New%20Prints&Category=P&Product%20Line=Los%20Angeles%20Rose
http://www.losangelesrose.com/large_image_pattern2.asp?Style_num=F106CB&lets=CB&Division=New%20Prints&Category=P&Product%20Line=French%20Kitty
They are a little more difficult to find, but most of the big online scrubs stores carry at least some of the line.
And I love those flared pants!