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by
Erin Lee, BSN, RN (Editorial Team / Admin)
In this exclusive interview, Lauren Douglas, the owner and founder of Scrub Life Notes, shares her journey of creating a unique educational tool during her ICU orientation. Initially developed for personal use, her visually styled one-pagers have become invaluable resources for nurses, offering concise and visually engaging information on critical care topics.
Lauren discusses the inspiration behind Scrub Life Notes and her experiences balancing her nursing career with running a small business.
Interview with Owner & Founder of Scrub Life Notes | Lauren Douglas
allnurses: First off, tell me your name and the organization that you're with.
Lauren: Yes, my name is Lauren Douglas. I'm the owner and founder of Scrub Life Notes.
allnurses: What inspired you to create Scrub Life Notes? Did you identify a specific need, or did someone come to you?
Lauren: When I was a new grad nurse, I started in the ICU, and it was incredibly overwhelming — the learning curve that you are expected to know in your first year of nursing, the resources that were originally provided to me during my new grad residency program, and during my 16 weeks of ICU orientation, were great, but they weren't comprehensive, and they weren't tailoring to the specific learning needs that I required.
For me, I really do best when I'm learning with visual education resources —diagrams, tables, pictures, and things like that. So eventually, I started to create these ICU one-pagers, really for myself, to help myself grow and learn as a new grad starting in the ICU. I eventually created so many of these that I compiled them into a packet, and thus, "New to ICU" was born.
allnurses: Without this resource, how are new nurses in that field getting that information? Is it just passed down, are they on their own to figure it out?
Lauren: For most hospitals, they offer new grad residency programs. There is a little bit of variety, depending on what residency program that you'll be joining on what education is going to be offered. It can vary in region, it can vary by hospital, so not every residency program, and the education that new nurses, especially new ICU nurses are going to be learning is going to be the same.
Some of it is going to be what you're learning on orientation from your preceptors. Some of it is going to be what you're learning in your lectures from the residency program, and some of it is going to be what you're learning on your own outside of work, doing your own research. It's kind of a variety.
allnurses: What were the first versions like, and how has that evolved to now?
Lauren: Yes, so when I first started making these packets, my first ever ICU one-pager that I created was on the EVD, an ICP monitoring device or "brain drain.” As nurses, we were expected to know the drain's ins and outs, analyze waveforms, and troubleshoot it. As a new nurse learning this new, very critical equipment, I really wanted to make sure I knew everything about this. So, I made drawings for it, created diagrams, and made sure I felt comfortable enough to take on these pieces of equipment and these types of complex patients.
It originally started as just a drawing and like an ICU one-pager that I would bring with me and use this quick reference, and now it's become a packet in a section on neuro equipment.
I've even started to create pocket cards that are even more expansive for a quick reference for nurses. So, if anything, I've just built on what I learned initially and then created more expansive pieces of information for those devices.
allnurses: The versions that are on your Etsy site now, are those all your drawings that you did by hand?
Lauren: Yeah, yeah, so I draw everything on my iPad, and I transfer it into a digital software where I can edit and add text to it. I draw everything by hand, and then kind of can make some tweaks, and can edit it myself into like, "Oh, this is what you should know for this,” or "See this part right here, you should be monitoring this,” or "When this turns this color, this is what you should be paying attention to.” It's kind of giving you all the information you need to know right at your fingertips. And it's incredibly visual, and it's not just black-and-white bullet points.
allnurses: What was the moment when you realized that this could be a business rather than just you doing stuff for yourself?
Lauren: So originally, I had these ICU one-pagers, and I use them as education resources on my unit in the ICU. And there was a moment where nurses from other units were coming and taking the resources from our unit. And one of my co-workers made a comment to them and said, "Hey, this is these are our resources, you guys need to get your own,” and they said, "We don't have anything like this on our unit.” So, it made me realize that this was not only something that would work just for my unit, but this is something that could work for any ICU anywhere. Eventually, it got to the point where I expanded it. I provided these resources to the educators throughout my hospital. I just gave it to all of them, and I said, "Let's just share. Everyone can use these if they're really that beneficial.”
When I saw how helpful they were, I thought maybe this is useful even outside of my hospital. And this is useful to nurses across the country or even in any ICU this could be applicable. So that was a really cool realization. That's when I decided to kind of go for it and created my packet. I first started it off as a digital download, and I want to say the first six months we were in all 50 states and 14 countries. I was absolutely blown away by the demand for these types of resources.
allnurses: That's crazy.
Lauren: Yeah, it was, it was so crazy.
allnurses: And then it was build an Etsy shop and the social media to support it?
Lauren: Social media was really big, and showcasing my stuff. It's just given me so much more confidence in creating new products —because I haven't been a new grad ICU nurse, but I know what that learning curve is like, and know what it's like to need to get from A to B as fast as possible. So, it's great that I have that experience and have also been working in that field so I really know what these nurses need the most for an educational resource. Which is awesome.
allnurses: What are some of the challenges you faced as a full-time working nurse and now an entrepreneur and small business owner?
Lauren: You know, there's never enough time in the day to do all the things that you need to do. When you are working a small business and still working full time, you are not only filling the role of the technician side of drawing and creating and producing these products, but you're also the entrepreneur where you're managing your social media and outreach. And then you're also the manager where you're having to make sure that everything is staying on time, and you're executing all of your orders appropriately. There's so many different things that you're juggling all at once, and it can be really, really overwhelming starting out at first.
allnurses: So, you do all physical copies now, right?
Lauren: Yes.
allnurses: Do you just go somewhere, like a printer, and have them printed off? Then you do the shipping?
Lauren: Yeah
allnurses: So you're like filling boxes?
Lauren: Yep. I say my unpaid intern... okay, my husband. We have our designated shipping days, and we have our designated packing days. One of the biggest steps I think I had to take this year was finally making the jump to get a storage unit because I could not keep having brown boxes in my one-bedroom apartment any longer. So yeah, I'm doing all of the shipping and manufacturing. I have a printing company that I work with really closely for all of my bulk shipping needs, and they've just been fantastic at helping me explore different printing options. Especially when I've been creating new products too, they've been great at helping me source those as well.
allnurses: Have you had any challenges or opposition from nurse management, other nurses, or even the device companies that you're detailing?
Lauren: I have not run into that. If anything, I've worked pretty closely with nurse managers to offer bulk ordering for their units. I've actually been in touch with some of the equipment companies because they were interested in bringing me on as a consultant to kind of help build on their education for their pieces.
The only downside I would say that I've run into is that not every ICU nurse is the same; some nurses love my packets, and some nurses don't find my packets super useful. To each their own, but I would say as a whole most people really like it, so I try not to get too discouraged when a couple of nurses say, "Oh, this wasn't advanced enough,” or things like that. But I'm like, "Well, it's called New to ICU." It's for new nurses. It's not really for super-experienced nurses. It covers the foundational concepts.
allnurses: I think that's one of the things with social media — you're always going to find detractors. I mean, someone could post a picture of a puppy, and someone would say something bad about it.
Lauren: Yeah, I've had some people tell me, "I wouldn't pay this price for it,” and I've had other people tell me, "I would pay three times the price for this.” You just have to keep doing what you're doing and not listen to the peanut gallery.
allnurses: Do you have any advice for aspiring nurses who are looking to start their own side business or business in the nursing field?
Lauren: Yeah, I actually just talked about this with another group. I always like to remind nurses that no one knows our profession like ourselves and that if you can find something that worked to help you better yourself as a nurse, I guarantee you it will help another nurse somewhere else move from A to B. We know the profession the best, we are the best people to build products for our profession because we know what we need as nurses.
The other piece of advice I would say is to just go for it. It can be really scary and overwhelming to go out and start a business on your own, but there's such a need for many nurse-owned businesses that I think they should just go for it.
allnurses: What have you learned about business in general and then business in the nursing world from your experiences?
Lauren: That's a really good question. Mostly just reinforcing that we know our profession the best. And that if you are trying to create and sell a product just because you think it's going to be something that people need, and it's not necessarily a solution-based product, it's probably not going to do super well.
I've learned that with a lot of my products — that when they fill a need for something, those are the ones that do really well, versus like, "Oh, I think people will think this is cute or like this,” that can kind of be hit or miss.
allnurses: For sure. Have you heard the podcast "How I built this"?
Lauren: Yes, I love that podcast.
allnurses: I listen to it all the time. There are so many episodes on there where people are like, "I wanted x, and it didn't exist. So, I just made it for myself,” and then other people wanted it, and then they wanted it, and all of a sudden, it's this huge brand. That makes the most sense.
Lauren: Yes, that's exactly what I did, I literally made all of these just for myself, and I never thought that anyone would ever see my drawings outside my iPad. I thought those would just be something that I kept for me. That was cool to get to see that it was something that a lot of people could use.
allnurses: That's good. What is the most rewarding thing about running Scrub Life Notes, and do you feel more connected to the nursing profession because of it?
Lauren: Yeah. At NSNA, I had one student nurse come up and tell me his personal testimonial about how transformational my packet was for them as a newer nurse. He was on his ICU nursing rotation in an ICU with his preceptor, and he kind of had a leg up on some of the devices that he was using. The nurse was really impressed and made a comment to him and said, "Oh, are they teaching you guys this in nursing school now?” and he said, "No, I learned it from this book,” and they all loved it.
I just love hearing those responses from nursing students or nurses when they come in and tell me, "I bought your packet, and I use this as a new grad, and it helped me so much,” or, "I use this and it helped me pass my CCRN,” or, "I use this as a student, and it helped me feel confident on my ICU orientation.” Those moments, I feel like with business you can't replicate those types of things. So hearing those personal testimonials just really reinforces why I'm doing this and why I started this.
My whole platform is to support and promote new nurses starting in the ICU because I remember that transition very well from a personal standpoint. From that, even today, I have nurses coming up to me and saying, "I love your packet,” or they'll catch me in the hallway and say, "I love your TikToks like they're so wonderful,” and they want to introduce me to their friends. So, I feel so much closer in the nursing community now that I'm giving back to it. That's something that I don't think I ever thought would be something I would benefit from a business perspective, but it's so rewarding outside of all the other business things.
allnurses: I mean, you're having conversations that you'd never have if you were just nursing, and you're hearing all these other perspectives. I can see that.
Lauren: Exactly.
allnurses: What's next for Scrub Life Notes? Are you doing more products, expanding, NCLEX — what's the big picture of where you want this to be in five years or 10 years?
Lauren: That is the million-dollar question that I ask myself every day. At the heart of Scrub Life Notes, I love doing visual education, and I've gotten a lot of requests from people to expand and do different topics outside of my realm or comfort zone of critical care nursing. That's something that I'm definitely very interested in exploring.
Something that I'm going to definitely be working on in the next year is releasing a bigger and better "New to ICU packet.” I've had a lot of requests from nurses and different units in the hospitals, asking if I would add in more equipment pieces or critical care topics. So, making a more expansive booklet. That's something I'm working towards every day. But yeah, just continuing education, whether that be through in-person lectures or building a team of nurses who I can train to teach how to do my style of visual education teaching. That's something that we're kind of exploring in the future.
allnurses: Nice. Is there anything else that you'd like to share with our audience that would benefit them or interest them?
Lauren: Any direction?
allnurses: I feel like we've covered a lot of the different aspects of it, we probably covered most of it. Where can our audience find you?
Lauren:
- I'm on TikTok: @ScrubLifeNotes and Instagram: @ScrubLifeNotes
- People can email me or check out my website: https://scrublifenotes.com
- The best place is Etsy: www.ScrubLifeNotes/etsy.com
Anyone interested in doing custom bulk orders for their hospital or their unit can just email me or get in touch with me.
Edited by Erin Lee
