Enclothed Cognition

Our Founder, Lara Manchik, PA-C, has a history of medical missionary work and has instilled the value of contribution and charity into who we are as a company. Recently, we discovered that a customer, Jane Petro, MD, was involved in a non-profit volunteer organization, Healing the Children. Dr. Petro works with Healing the Children Northeast, headquartered in Connecticut. Dedicated to giving care to children in need, Healing the Children provides donated medical, surgical and dental services for children in the United States and abroad. Since 1985, medical professional volunteers have treated more than 33,000 children worldwide. Healing the Children envisions a world where every child has access to medical care. It's a vision that we are all too happy to share, and Medelita was proud to donate several men's and women's lab coats to their cause. Our lab coats will be traveling with the next missionary team to Santa Marta, Columbia at the end of October, where the Facial Plastics & Cleft team of surgeons, doctors, nurses, speech therapists and administrators led by Dr. Manoj T. Abraham will be assisting children and teenagers born with cleft lip palates and other facial deformities. During the week long mission, the team will provide life altering surgery and care to more than 50 children free of charge. If you know of any non-denominational charity or organization in need, please email us at contact.us@medelita.com. We're always happy to donate lab coats or scrubs for a worthy cause.

When we started a blog here at Medelita, we had one main goal in mind – vibrantly friendly and interesting communication with our unique and engaging audience of medical professionals. I'm glad to announce that we've recently decided to further that goal by inviting new voices from among our customers and colleagues to share their own stories. Our first official Medelita guest blogger is veterinarian, Julie Pearson, DVM. "My mom is a doctor, my dad is not a doctor, he works!" Meet my daughter Claire, 3 years old. Apparently, practicing as a "animal doctor" is not work. And in a way, she is right. Nothing about my profession is routine. Every day is different, I never know what is going to come through the door of our hospital. As many said before me, being a veterinarian is not a job, it is a way of life, and little Claire has already caught on to that. Unfortunately this comes with a price, as all working moms know too well. There are many evenings when Claire is asking for attention while I can not take my mind off the challenging cases of the day. There are many early mornings when I have to pull my sleepy child out of bed to take her to daycare when it is still dark out. However, Claire's days are filled with impromptu visits to our hospital. She gets to cuddle with fluffy rescued kittens, visit with my team members, share drawings with them, read kids stories, and play ball in the waiting room at lunch time. She gets to watch bloody surgeries from the best seat in the OR, on her daddy's shoulders when he visits us. She also loves to assist me in the exam room, sitting on the counter, watching every single step of my physical exam. How many young kids get to do that? Her childhood is different, rich in experiences and memories that I hope she will keep forever. There is nothing I liked more as a kid than following my dad, a general practitioner, for his house calls. Every visit, was different, exciting, unknown. I can tell that so far, Claire enjoys this very much, as she asks almost every evening "Can we go to the clinic?" as I pick her up from daycare.

"Nature makes penicillin; I just found it." Indeed, Alexander Fleming's discovery of Penicillin was a product of serendipitous events, far more than scientific planning and intent. Sir Alexander Fleming was born in 1881 at Lochfield, a farm outside Darvel, a small town in Ayrshire, Scotland. He was the third child, with seven other brothers and sisters. He completed his education at Regent Street Polytechnic, in London in 1897, and several years later, he went to St. Mary Hospital to study medicine where he continued to work after graduation. During the First World War in 1914, Fleming joined the British Royal Army Medical Corps to develop a cure to reduce the number of soldiers dying from infected wounds. He argued that antiseptics were not effective in preventing wounds from becoming infected. His argument was, however, rejected and little was done to relieve the suffering of many wounded soldiers. Alexander Fleming was no stranger to chance discoveries. In 1922, Fleming discovered lysozyme when his nose leaked into a petri dish and killed the bacteria he was researching. Fleming concluded that the natural enzyme found in tears and nasal mucus helps the body fight germs. Possibly the luckiest scientist in the history of the world, Fleming's most famous discovery came with a similar story of chance. On a September morning in 1928, Alexander Fleming sat at his work bench at St. Mary's Hospital after having just returned from a vacation with his family. Before he had left on vacation, Fleming had piled a number of his Petri dishes to the side of the bench so that someone else could use his work bench while he was away. Fleming was sorting through the long unattended stacks and placing the contaminated dishes in a tray of Lysol. His work was interrupted by a visit from a former lab assistant, and while complaining about the amount of extra work he had since the assistant's departure, Fleming pulled out several Petri dishes from the tray not yet submerged in the disinfectant. While picking up one particular dish to show the assistant, Fleming noticed that the mold that had grown inside it had killed the bacteria sample. The mold that had contaminated the experiment turned out to contain a powerful antibiotic, penicillin. However, though Fleming was credited with the discovery, it was over a decade before someone else turned penicillin into the miracle drug for the 20th century. We chose to honor Alexander Fleming with our own traditional and professional Medelita Men's Fleming lab coat. With a flattering lapel and collar and functional pockets throughout, the 30" Fleming lab coat is ideal for professionals who wear a consultation-length or student-length lab coat. The Fleming lab coat also boasts breathable, 100% cotton pre-shrunk DuPont™ certified performance fabric that repels fluid, soil, and stains – including blood, while helping to maintain the bright white coat color that signifies prestige and professionalism. A perfect blend of quality and functionality. Learn more about the Fleming lab coat.

As a company originally founded by a female clinician, for female clinicians, it's only natural that a majority of our customers and colleagues are women. As dedicated fans of Medelita, customers often want to continue wearing our garments through their pregnancies, and so we get a lot of requests for maternity scrubs. While we wish wholeheartedly that we could develop a full maternity line, unfortunately being in the early stages of growth as a new company, it isn’t feasible to introduce a new line without a certain level of consumer demand and anticipated volume of sales. However, all is not lost for our loyal and pregnant customers. Medelita founder, Lara Manchik Francisco, PA-C, learned a great deal about comfort during her pregnancy - not very long ago - and offers some insight. "Most clinicians settle for unisex scrubs a few sizes too big and then tie the drawstring over the top of their belly. But it's awkward and can make you feel very self-conscious," said Lara, "At a time when comfort is paramount, it's unfathomable to be in unisex scrubs that are more unattractive than ever before – a tough thing to accomplish." Much to her surprise, Lara found that she was able to wear her Medelita scrubs through month eight of her pregnancy. In addition to designs that naturally accommodate the female figure, our scrubs feature a wide athletic waistband, akin to a pair of lululemon® pants. By wearing incrementally bigger sizes throughout her pregnancy, Lara explained that she was never uncomfortable. By the 8th month, she'd gone up about 2 sizes in both the scrub top and scrub pant. But it wasn't until the 9th month that she stopped feeling comfortable, although she readily admits that really nothing felt ‘comfortable’ in that final month when everything 'popped and dropped'. In addition, Lara found the functionality of Medelita scrubs extremely helpful. As her internal temperatures fluctuated, the moisture-wicking drirelease® fabric kept her dry, fresh, and free of odors. "I was so grateful for that," she said with a chuckle, "It's the little things like that when you're pregnant that make you happy." Sanita® clogs were another of those little things that made all the difference. For our customers, who often spend so much time on their feet even through their pregnancy, a shoe with good arch support and a comfortable fit is essential. According to Lara, "Going up one size was enough for my entire pregnancy. In the last two months, I wore the Sanita clogs every single day. Even to the birthing center, I wore my clogs." If you don't want to pay full price for scrubs that you may only wear for a few months, try our Web Specials. Our Certified Seconds are especially reasonable, as garments with slight fabric or sewing imperfections. These are garments that didn’t meet our own extremely high standards of perfection, but are still garments that could be worn proudly - and are perfect as an option for buying larger sizes to be worn as maternity scrubs.

I am a small animal veterinarian working at a small animal veterinary hospital. I am trained to care for small animals, aka cats and dogs. Pretty straight forward. However, over the years I have had my fair share of requests very far from small animal medicine. The first one happened years ago, when I was practicing as a solo vet in a small rural town in the East of France. Back in France, where I was born, I could pick up the phone without saying my name and play receptionist. Here in the US, my French accent gives me away after half a second, and here goes the free medical advice for clients all too happy to get a direct line to the doctor! Back in France then, I picked up the phone. "Clinique Veterinaire, Bonjour." "Hello, I would like to cancel Sophie's appointment today because she is having her period." "Oh, ok," I said a little surprised, while trying to locate Sophie on the appointment book. Keep in mind that in rural France it is fairly common to have pets not spayed or neutered. I offered to reschedule even though I could not find any Sophie on the book for today. "And what were we seeing your pet for today?" The client took a second to breathe and shouted, "My pet? What do you mean my pet? That is not a way to talk about your patients! What kind of clinic is this? Sophie was scheduled for her Pap smear of course!" I was not sure how to respond... "Well, I am sorry Madam, we are a clinic, a vet clinic (Clinique Veterinaire)." I found out later that the local OBGYN office had a number pretty similar to ours. I wonder if they ever had calls from our confused clients. I can only imagine a frantic call regarding a patient who had already given birth, in the bedroom closet nonetheless, to six healthy babies with the seventh one being stuck in the birth canal! By Medelita Guest Blogger, Julie Pearson, DVM

We're a company founded on the principles of exceptional customer service, and whether I'm writing it now or a thousand posts from now, I will never tire of repeating that we listen to YOU. Responding to customer and colleague feedback, we recently set out to make a few changes to the design of our Lucy H.T. dental lab coat for women. Here are the recent upgrades: Snaps: We replaced all the buttons on the Lucy H.T. with snaps, as per customer feedback. The Elsie G. lab coat has snaps, and most female dentists and hygienists who wear their coat closed, preferred the snap closure. Raised Lower Snap: We always think about the motion required of the wearer when we design our coats. So we’ve now raised the lowest snap on the coat to the upper hip area - allowing dental professionals to be most comfortable in a seated position, poised for procedures. Chest Pocket: Our dental customers told us that they don't typically use the chest pocket in the original design, so we removed it. This omission allowed for a surprisingly clean, polished, and refined look of this one-of-a-kind dental jacket. Knit Cuffs: In addition to the DuPont™ Advanced Dual Action Teflon® fabric protector already applied to the 100% cotton performance fabric, we added stain technology to the ribbed cuffs, as well. This repel technology by DuPont prevents fluid, soil, and stains (including blood and impression material) from seeping into the fabric, ensuring that your lab coat and your cuffs remain white and clean. Sleeves: Enhancing the ergonomic design of the Lucy H.T. dental lab coat, we introduced additional shaping to the sleeves that replicates a true position of function and prevents any tension at the elbow. This very slight pattern change to the sleeve ensures added comfort during procedures and improved durability long-term. So there you have it - a few small details that make a big difference to the comfort of our customers. As a colleague of Medelita, you should feel as proud as we do - that your valuable feedback has helped us to create another exceptionally thoughtful, flattering, and comfortable lab coat.

Sanita® professional clogs have a reputation for keeping your feet comfortable and cozy during long, strenuous shifts, and now I'm inviting you to experience that comfort for yourself, with a special opportunity to save 20% on clogs. Sanita® has been making supreme quality Danish clogs since 1907. The premium leathers, professional designs, modern styles, and durability of Sanita® clogs represent a perfect blend of tradition and innovation. This month we are featuring Sanita® professional clogs in a number of men's and women's styles that offer a finished look when paired with our scrubs and lab coats. And - for a limited time, we're offering our entire line of professional clogs at a special 20% discount. Just enter the code “ComfyClogs” (all one word) at checkout. Your feet will thank you! For more information, call us at 877.987.7979. Our friendly team is here to answer any questions and to help you in placing your order.

Interacting with our customers on Facebook is one of the most enjoyable parts of my day. It's a privilege to be involved with our community of medical colleagues, experiencing firsthand the positive impact that Medelita has had in their lives. It's a pleasure, also, whenever I have the opportunity to give one of our fitted, beautiful, and sophisticated garments to a member of the deserving medical community.

We're now featuring Medelita Scrub Top Tuesdays on Facebook. Once a month on a Tuesday, one lucky Facebook fan will receive a FREE Medelita Scrub Top.

If you've been curious about our scrub sets but haven't purchased one yet, here is a perfect opportunity to try your first Medelita scrub top. If you already have a set of scrubs, then take advantage of a chance to win an extra scrub top in your favorite color or try one of our other popular colors.

If you're not already a part of our Facebook family, please join us. If you are, help us spread the word - send us to your friends, family, and colleagues and help us to revolutionize medical apparel.

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I CONSIDERED WRITING THIS BLOG POST IN ALL CAPS but quickly reconsidered. It was harder to read, wasn't it? Seemed like I was yelling? It took up more space too - approximately 35% more space according a 1955 study by Miles Tinker. Miles coincidentally also noted that his study participants took far longer to read all-capital text than they did for lower case. Exactly forty years later (the world of capitalization seems as slow to evolve as the world of unisex scrubs), Colin Wheildon conducted another scientific study on "all-caps" and concluded that "Headlines set in capital letters are significantly less legible than those set in lower case." In the advent of internet communication, ALL-CAPS has even become the text equivalent of shouting. So with hard to read, sort of rude, and takes up more space staked against it, why do we still use all-capital text? [caption id="attachment_922" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Women's Embroidery - Caps vs. Lower Case"][/caption]For most, all-caps are a way to provide emphasis or clarity. In the case of embroidery, I'd venture to say the reason is mostly to ensure that letters are not misinterpreted and mistakes are not made. But on top of those aforementioned flaws, all-capital text doesn't look that great embroidered on a beautiful, professional, and sophisticated lab coat. Our script fonts, especially, do not translate well into all-capital text, as the pictures show. [caption id="attachment_923" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Men's Embroidery - Caps vs. Lower Case"][/caption]As a company that truly does care about its customers, we go to great lengths to ensure that your garment is as perfect as possible. For that reason, when we see an embroidery request submitted with all-capital text, we tend to contact the customer to make sure it's what they wanted. 9 times out of 10, the customer was just trying to ensure that their name was not misspelled. The trouble with this is that once we flag an order for clarification, it gets taken off the projected timeline - delaying completion and shipment beyond what was stated at the time of the order. We don't want anyone having to wait longer than necessary for any product they purchase from us, so it's important to enter your embroidery requests EXACTLY (all-caps for emphasis!) as you wish it to appear on your coat, including capitalization, punctuation, etc... If you're not sure or you're worried about something not being clear, then give us a call! We're always happy to help - we embroider hundreds of garments every day, and as our embroidery liason, Cindy, might say, we've become 'Gurus' on the subject of what looks stunning and what doesn't.

Which medical professional do Ancient Egypt, the Greco-Roman Age, Medieval England, and Modern America have in common? The answer is 'Midwife'. Ancient Egyptian papyrus details Midwifery as a recognized female occupation, dating back to approx. 1900 BCE. In Ancient Greece and Rome, Midwifery included a wide range of women, including 'wise women' who continued folk medical traditions, trained midwives who garnered their knowledge from a variety of sources, and highly trained women who were considered female physicians. Throughout history, midwives have been known by many different names, ranging from iatrin? (Greek for nurse), maia (Greek for midwife), obstetrix (Latin for obstetrician), and medica (Latin for doctor). The actual term midwife, however, comes from the Middle English word midwyf, literally meaning "with-woman." Known primarily for assisting with childbirth, Midwifery is a health care profession that provides care to women throughout their lives. Today, more than 300,000 women a year in the US partner with midwives to navigate birth, puberty, menopause, and other normal life stages. Midwives perform physical exams, prescribe medications including contraceptive methods, order laboratory tests as needed, provide prenatal care, gynecological care, labor and birth care, as well as health education and counseling to women of all ages. National Midwifery Week was created by American College of Nurse-Midwives to celebrate and recognize American midwives all across the world. In celebration of National Midwifery Week, we're going to be hosting a series of posts from one of our colleagues, Becky Carlton, BSN, CNM - a midwife currently working in Ethiopia. Through Doctors Without Borders (MSF - Médecins Sans Frontières), Becky traveled to Libya earlier this year into the heart of a revolution. What is known as the 2011 Libyan Civil War began in February and is an ongoing armed conflict being fought between forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi (the autocratic ruler of Libya who seized power in a military coup in 1969) and his regime and those seeking to depose him. With some details removed to protect the safety of those involved, Becky has agreed to share her experiences with us. I will be posting an entry from Becky's journal from Libya every day for National Midwifery Week - allowing us all a rare opportunity to see the medical frontlines through the words of this exceptional midwife. Journal From Libya: Part 1 Journal From Libya: Part 2 Journal From Libya: Part 3 Journal From Libya: Part 4 Journal From Libya: Part 5 Journal From Libya: Part 6 Journal From Libya: Part 7