Enclothed Cognition

Hectic Friday morning at our animal hospital. The waiting room is already full with wagging tails and nervous meows, but first I have to make sure that "Bandit" a brave 14 year-old Border Collie mix, fresh from a night at the animal emergency clinic, is in stable condition after he got bit by a Copperhead last night. The owner, worried about his dear companion, follows me in the treatment room where I do my physical exam, while my techs get everything ready for Bandit. Half an hour later, I am catching up with my appointments. I enter the first room and immediately apologize to my client and her pet for the long wait. "I am so sorry I made you wait. I have a snake bite patient who needed immediate care. Thank you so much for your patience!" She looks at me with a scared look, "How really? A snake bite? What are you supposed to do in a case like that? I thought you had to go to the emergency room." I tell her that yes, getting emergency care was the right thing to do, and that my patient has been transferred from the local emergency clinic. While I examine her dog and administer the vaccine, she looks at me, curious, " Is the man going to be ok?" I look at her, a little confused, "I do not know. What man?" "Well, your patient with the snake bite." I refrain a smile, surprised and honored that a client would think so highly of her veterinarian. "Oh, his dog got bit, not him. I do not know how to treat humans!" I did remind her before she left that in case of a snake bite, one is to rush to the closest emergency room, the one with M.Ds. P.S: I saw "Bandit" a few days ago. He has fully recovered from the snake bite! He gave me a look that I can best describe as "Bring it! I eat snakes for breakfast!" Medelita Guest Blogger: Julie Pearson, DVM. Julie is currently working on the East Coast as a small animal veterinarian. She was born and raised in France, where she got her degree before getting licensed in the USA. She enjoys being a general practitioner, and feels privileged to be there for her patients, whether it is for a wellness visit or a serious medical issue. Julie has been wearing Medelita since August 2010, and is seen here wearing her scrubs.

Did you know that human sweat is odorless? Our sweat itself doesn't actually smell, and the odor we associate with perspiration is caused primarily by bacteria on our skin. These bacteria rapidly multiply in the presence of sweat, breaking our perspiration down into certain acids and causing unwanted and embarrassing odors - the last thing you want when you're dealing with patients. Medelita medical scrubs are made from certified high-performance drirelease® with FreshGuard® fabric. So what's special about the bacteriostatic FreshGuard® performance feature? FreshGuard® is an odor neutralizer that is embedded in the drirelease® fabric. It doesn't kill bacteria - instead, it eliminates odors in your scrubs by blocking bacterial growth and preventing sebaceous body oils and skin cells from actually attaching to the fabric. Unlike other chemical treatments, FreshGuard® is completely friendly to the environment - and to you. FreshGuard® is built directly into the fabric at the yarn level, so it doesn't wash out. In fact, all FreshGuard® engineered fabrics are put through standard ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) wash tests, which include 50 washings. In each of these tests, FreshGuard® products by Medelita emerged like-new and incredibly soft. The reason we advise against using fabric softener with your scrubs is that fabric softener coats clothing and can clog the weave of our performance fabric. The additional coating created by fabric softener actually acts like a shield, preventing FreshGuard® from working and providing a safe place for bacteria to multiply. Luckily, because the fabric does dry so quickly, you only need to put your scrubs in the dryer for 10 to 15 minutes. Every feature of every garment we make was chosen for a reason with you in mind. Working in healthcare, your comfort and the comfort of your patients are important. Medelita scrubs work as you do, to ensure that you never have to be embarrassed by unwanted body odors.

As a small company still in its infancy, the heartbeat of our growth and success is the support of our customers. Over the past three years, we have been both honored and humbled by the feedback, encouragement, and fostering of the medical community. It is because of our loyal customers that we continue to succeed, and we are genuinely grateful for those who have become advocates for Medelita and the paradigm shift we're attempting to bring to the standards of medical apparel. I'm excited to tell you that we have recently launched a brand new referral program here at Medelita. The $20 for $20 Medelita Colleague Referral Program provides our existing customers with an opportunity to earn $20 in store credit each time their colleagues make a regular purchase at medelita.com. Better yet, every referred colleague will also get $20 towards their initial purchase. Hence, $20 for $20. Simply log in or create a new account on the medelita.com home page, and you can send your colleagues $20 worth of medelita.com store credit. You will automatically receive $20 in credit when they place any order with a subtotal over $100 (prior to any discounts and/or their own $20 store credit). There is no limit to the amount of store credit that can be earned, but it must be used within 90 days of being awarded. Our store credit can be used for any of our medelita.com products, including Web Specials, and can be combined with any discount or coupon code. Store credit is not valid, however, for purchases made on products with exclusive dental pricing or AAPA purchases. This is our special way of saying thank you for being a Medelita advocate, and a way for you to be rewarded for spreading the word about our tailored lab coats and performance scrubs. To learn more about The Medelita Colleague Referral Program and to get started with a step-by-step guide, click here.

There's nothing quite like watching TV and being able to say, "Oh, that's our coat!" It's an immense feeling of pride that floods over us as we get to see Rachelle Lefevre looking absolutely amazing in our Callia lab coat on the new CBS drama, A Gifted Man. The new show, which airs on Fridays at 8pm ET/PT, follows a gifted surgeon (Patrick Wilson) who suddenly has his life changed when his ex-wife dies and goes on to teach him about life from beyond the grave. It's a great show, a unique combination of House meets the Patrick Swayze classic, Ghost. On the show, Dr. Kate Sykora, played by Rachelle Lefevre, is often featured wearing the Medelita Callia women's lab coat. The Callia lab coat is our original, signature lab coat. Distinctly feminine, yet appropriately professional and distinguished, the Callia lab coat features rounded lapels, rounded corners on the chest and front pockets, and beautiful back waist detail with buttons. Pleating above and below the back waist belt make it especially flattering to the female figure. The brushed finish of the fabric makes these lab coats exceptionally photogenic - the perfect choice for professional photography or on-screen filming.

On average, we lose about 4 cups of sweat every day to keep our bodies at their optimum temperature of 98.6 degrees. This rate is increased for men, and during strenuous or stressful activities, as well as in higher temperatures. For most medical professionals, the daily grind comes with a large dose of stress – long hours and constant moving, agitated patients or family members, complex procedures under hot lights, and demanding workloads. The good news is that Medelita scrubs work equally as hard as you do – no matter how long or stressful your shift. We often boast that Medelita scrubs are made from certified high-performance moisture wicking drirelease® with FreshGuard® fabric, but what exactly does this mean, and how does it benefit you? It means that the fabric itself pulls moisture away from your skin and then quickly distributes the moisture through the fabric, to allow for rapid evaporation. The drirelease® yarns are a patented blend of 85-90% hydrophobic/synthetic ("water-hating") fabrics and 10-15% natural/hydrophilic ("water-loving") fibers, and this perfect combination of fibers makes this advanced technology possible. This 'push-pull' combination works together to efficiently pull sweat away from your body and then push it to the outside of the fabric where it can evaporate quickly. In fact, our drirelease® fabric dries 4x faster than cotton. The patented Optimer certified formula is applied at the yarn level, so it's permanent and lasts the lifetime of the garment. It's also completely environmentally friendly and won’t wash out. Unlike some performance fabrics with topical treatments, our scrub fabric is luxuriously soft, breathable, and comfortable. Medelita scrubs are easy to care for, launder beautifully, and maintain their high-quality appearance better than any other scrubs available. Our only unique care recommendation is to NOT use fabric softener, as it clogs the moisture wicking functionality by coating the surface. Fabric softener creates an additional layer between your skin and the moisture-wicking fabric, and decreases the effectiveness of the performance fabric. If you accidentally use fabric softener, it will wash out the next time you launder your scrubs. Every feature of every Medelita garment we make was chosen specifically with the wearer in mind. We are acutely aware that fast-paced and high-stressed medical professionals need a garment that works FOR them. Medelita drirelease® with FreshGuard® scrubs do just that, and allow a professional appearance both at the beginning and end of your shift.

October is National Dental Hygiene Month, organized by the American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA). In addition to promoting healthy habits for a healthy smile, National Dental Hygiene Month also celebrates the day-to-day efforts of dental hygienists nationwide. The dental hygienist career, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, is one of the fastest growing occupations, slated to grow 36 percent by the year 2018. Dental hygienists are licensed oral health professionals who focus on preventing and treating oral diseases - both to protect teeth and gums, and also to protect patients' overall health. If you know a dental hygienist, honor their dedication and hard work this month with a pair of Medelita performance scrubs. Medelita scrubs are made from certified high-performance drirelease® with FreshGuard® fabric. Drirelease® yarns pull moisture away from the skin and help to regulate skin temperature, minimizing sweat and discomfort. FreshGuard® is bacteriostatic; it neutralizes and inhibits the growth of bacterial odors, and therefore keeps the wearer fresh even through stressful, long shifts. In addition to our performance scrubs, we offer a line of lab coats ideal for dental professionals. Our dental coats, Elsie G. and Lucy H.T. for women and Fauchard for men, were ergonomically designed specifically to accommodate all procedural movements required of dentists and dental hygienists. During our design phases, we extensively tested the coat range of motion in all positions, both sitting, standing, and with arms in extension and abduction, to ensure a perfect fit and thus a truly comfortable, professional garment.

The holidays are rapidly approaching. Halloween is just around the corner, and then Thanksgiving - before you know it, it will be the holiday season. If you're like me, you probably haven't given much thought to gifts yet, but now is the perfect time to start brainstorming if you don't want to be rushing around in December (I have actually been shopping for last minute gifts on Christmas Eve before . . . it was awful!) Our lab coats and scrubs are the perfect gift for any medical professional in your life because you're giving something revolutionary - a gift of pride, sophistication, style, and comfort. One customer, Vicky Goodman, bought a second lab coat as a gift for her daughter after the first was so successfully received. "I bought her another coat from Medelita when she first graduated med school, and she said everyone stops her to ask about it as it is so much nicer than any of the other lab coats. I know she will enjoy this one as well," she told us. Here at Medelita, we do our best to make the process of buying a gift as pleasant and easy as possible. We also offer exquisite gift-wrapping, presenting your purchase in a beautiful logo box with thoughtful, professional finishing details. You can even get FREE gift-wrapping by entering the discount code GIFTWRAP at checkout. For more information about buying Medelita lab coats or scrub sets as a gift, click here. Sometimes giving a lab coat or set of scrubs as a gift can a little bit stressful because you have a lot of choices to make – style, size, and embroidery details. At Medelita, we’re experts at helping people choose the perfect gift. Call us Monday-Friday 8 AM – 5 PM PST at (877) 987-7979 and we can help you take care of everything in one easy phone call.

October is American Pharmacists Month (APhM). As the month ends, we'd like to recognize the significant contributions to health care and the commitment to patient care by pharmacists in all practice settings, from all around the country. “Know Your MEDICINE, Know Your PHARMACIST” is the theme and core message of this year’s American Pharmacists Month.

The role of a pharmacist dates back to the Middle Ages when apothecaries formulated and dispensed medicine to physicians, surgeons, and patients. In ancient Japan, the men who fulfilled roles similar to pharmacists were highly respected, and they were assigned status superior to all others in health-related fields, including physicians and acupuncturists. In the Imperial household, the pharmacist was even ranked above the two personal physicians of the Emperor.

If you know a pharmacist, honor their contributions this month with a Medelita lab coat. Medelita lab coats are made from breathable, 100% cotton pre-shrunk DuPont™ certified performance fabric that repels fluid, soil, and stains, helping to maintain the bright white coat color that signifies prestige and professionalism.

Once in awhile, the residents get together and just laugh. We have to, with some of these patients. Here are a few stories from this past month's work: A kind resident goes to evaluate a woman that has presented for multiple times for drug seeking behavior, on the premise of chronic pain. She probably does have pain, at least from being so addicted to narcotics, but we don't want to prescribe anything because it's not good for her, and not good for the baby. As I'm leaving triage, I hear her shouting at my (male) colleague: "Bitch, you don't know my pain!" I enter the delivery room and greet a woman who is fully dilated and ready to push. I begin to give her my earnest speech about how to push with an epidural, how to pull your legs back and take a deep breath and curl up around the baby. This speech is complete with a demonstration that I think (hope) is helpful and I'm sure makes me look like a giant fool. As I talk, the woman sneezes and delivers her baby. In clinic, my friend was performing a well-woman exam, and asking about any changes to the patient's breasts. The patient says, "Well, they've gotten bigger..." and asks the doctor to measure her breasts to fit her for a different sized bra! My friend, being a kindhearted woman who used to work in a department store and thus is qualified to do this task, considers it but ultimately decides this is a doctor's office and refers the woman (in all seriousness) to Victoria's Secret. Do you document that referral on the chart? Meanwhile, on the antepartum ward, another resident is called urgently to evaluate a patient. She has had a cerclage, meaning her cervix has been tied shut in order to help her avoid premature delivery. It is much akin to the string tied at the base of a balloon. It appears that the cerclage has come out, as the nurse reports finding a long black string with a knot in it. The resident comes right away, and the nurse presents him with a paper towel spread between her hands. On the paper towel is a lone long black pubic hair, with a knot tied in it. He explains to the patient, Ma'am, the cerclage is fine. And no, I don't know how that hair had a knot in it. Over on labor and delivery, I am working with the most anxious patient in the world to push. I'm trying to distract her, to calm her, so we are talking about her horses at home, and shooting animals in the wild, and her latest hunting trip. (Let me say here that I do not have much to add to this conversation, as I am a liberal almost-vegetarian.) Nevertheless, I act interested as she says she'll just die if this baby is a city boy instead of a country boy. She pushes a little more, and I tell her I can see the top of the baby's head, and he has some hair! She asks me if by looking at the top of the baby's head, if I can tell if he is a Republican? The next delivery I have is normal, and uneventful, and to very nice parents. I hold the baby up and announce the arrival of their baby boy! Both parents start crying; the dad in joy, the mother in horror. What? I glance at their pink car seat, the baby's name written on the board. Oh. Yeah...this wasn't the Liliana they were expecting. The dad is ecstatic, and has already named the baby Jr. whatever his own name was. The mom asks me if I'm sure I got the right baby? I am sympathetic, even though this question is obviously answered as the baby is still attached to her via the umbilical cord. It's not often in this day and age that parents don't know what they are having, and even fewer times that it is not what they expected. On the postpartum visit the next day, she asked me if she could go home. Was she feeling okay? "Yes, and I need to get to BabiesRUs. I have a lot of exchanging to do." Medelita Guest Blogger: Dr. Anne Kennard. Anne is an OB/GYN resident in Phoenix. She has kept a collection of writings about medicine/becoming a doctor since her second year of medical school, and we're excited she's joining us as a guest blogger.

When Medelita was founded, our initial focus was on providing fitted and subtly feminine garment choices to female clinicians. However, it wasn't long before we discovered that men were equally unhappy with their frumpy unisex scrubs and lab coats. We were delighted to fulfill the male demand for high standards of quality, and Medelita Men's aims to be the answer for all men in the medical industry who want to look professional, sophisticated, and distinguished. For the perfect finishing touch, we strongly recommend adding name & title embroidery to your lab coat order. Nothing looks more distinguished on a lab coat, in our opinion, than professionally sewn name & title embroidery. We often say that embroidery is the “icing on the cake”, and we believe it wholeheartedly. Embroidery allows for a sophisticated, polished look - it's the same as wearing your diploma – and for that reason, should look perfect. While our customers often pick standard colors (like black) for their embroidery, we suggest 'out-of-the-box' colors that allow for a more upscale, professional look. In the interest of helping our male customers make the best choices for embroidery, I went to our CEO and Medelita Men's expert, Joe Francisco, to find out his preferred embroidery colors for men. Cocoa - "Cocoa is rich and warm. It's strong, without being overbearing." Charcoal - "Charcoal is a gun-metal gray that reminds me of high-end sports cars." Storm Navy - "Storm Navy is a masculine, yet elegant blue." Choosing a unique color, like Cocoa, Charcoal, or Storm Navy, allows your name & title embroidery to draw the eye of patients and colleagues as an especially distinguished display of your personal achievements. Next time you're ordering, consider choosing one of these stunning colors for your perfect finishing touch. Please call us Monday - Friday 8 AM - 5 PM, PST at 877.987.7979 if we could help you with your embroidery order.