Category Archives: Lab Coats

roll up sleeves lab coat

Lab Coats With Foldable Sleeves? Look No Further.

Clinicians of all levels and specialties need their tools of the trade to be as highly functional as possible – lab coats and scrubs included. And in those high pressure situations where you must be as streamlined as possible, the ergonomic fit of a lab coat can really make a difference in your level of efficacy while performing a task.

Renowned for their tailored and ergonomically designed lab coats, Medelita has taken the functionality of their high performance lab coats one step further with their two latest styles: the Rosalyn slim fit lab coat for women and the Bernard slim fit lab coat for men.

Bernard lab coat with foldable sleeves

The main feature that these coats share in common is their foldable sleeves and back pleat for full range of movement in your shoulders. The Bernard has elevated this feature even further by adding custom buttons to the foldable slits in the sleeves.

We love this new feature of the lab coats. What functional features would you add if you could design a lab coat of your own?

This Lab Coat For Women Is Going To Be Your New Favorite Article Of Clothing

What capes are to superheroes, is what the lab coat is to physicians. You want a white coat that is a reflection of you, that shows your colleagues and patients that you take yourself seriously. It’s more than just a piece of clothing – it’s a symbol of what you’ve accomplished and how far you’ve come.

Right now we’re loving the Rosalyn Lab Coat and the Vera G. lab coat, both from scrubs and lab coats company Medelita, as our top picks for modern professional style…in lab coat form!

Rosalyn Slim Fit Women’s Lab Coat

This is a very new style, just released last month, and you can tell just by looking at it that it is finely tailored down to the clean finish neckline. They also added a new feature, bracelet-length sleeves with buttons so you can roll the sleeves up to your elbow, for improved functionality. This is the most fitted women’s lab coat that Medelita makes, but the improved sizing and tailoring keeps in flattering and professional. Check out the Rosalyn Slim Fit Women’s Lab Coat

slim fit lab coat for women roll up sleeves lab coat

Vera G. Slim Fit Women’s Lab Coat

The Vera G. is an old favorite of ours, and it continues to be one of Medelita’s most popular coats. Since its initial release a few years ago they’ve made some upgrades to the style. But the envelope collar of this lab coat is what really made us fall in love, and the little details are what makes all the difference. Check out the Vera G. Slim Fit Women’s Lab Coat

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The White Coat Effect

Colorful Lab Coat Embroidery

What a wonderful time to be alive. All it takes is a Google search to find a plethora of lab coats, scrubs, and stethoscopes in all shapes, sizes, materials, and colors. Well, technically a lab coat is meant to be white to represent cleanliness and purity, but there’s nothing stopping you from making your next lab coat purchase stand out with some custom embroidery in any color of your choice!

Medelita’s lab coats and scrubs (and now scrub jackets!) can be purchased with custom name and title embroidery, which their team of embroidery artists will complete in-house for a small fee of $12. They have 18 options of embroidery thread in every color family, from blossom and bougainvillea, to teal and slate blue, to willow and seafoam.

Lab Coat Embroidery Colors

Embroidery Colors

Scrubs and scrub jackets can be embroidered too, but your color choices will be more limited to make sure the embroidery will stand out. Slate blue is one of the most popular colors for lab coat embroidery, but it would be next to impossible to see slate blue embroidery on baltic scrubs or a navy scrub jacket.

Now that Medelita has launched their new line of stethoscopes, we love the idea of getting your lab coat embroidery in a matching color as the tubing of your new stethoscope, or perhaps in complementary colors. The ERKA stethoscopes available on their website come in three different models, all comparable to Littmann models, that each available in up to 13 different tubing colors. The ERKA stethoscopes also have a solid warranty, and even come with their own stethoscope carrying case so that you don’t have to purchase that accessory separately.

What color embroidery would you choose for your lab coat? Would you ever match your stethoscope to your embroidery colors? Let us know in the comments below!

gifts for nurses nursing scrubs

Updated Gifts For Nurses Gift Guide

No matter the time of year, nurses need love and appreciation for the hard work that they do. Nursing scrubs company Medelita recently updated their gift guide for nurses to help you out when you need an idea for a birthday, anniversary, or any other holiday (Nurses Week is coming up soon, guys…).

Check out their nurse gift guide below!

Whether its for a birthday, a holiday, or just a little something special to show someone that you care, here are some gift ideas for the nurse in your life! With gifts for every size budget, you will surely find something on this list that will put a smile on their face.

1. A Professional Nursing Lab Coat

The symbolic white coat is no longer reserved for physicians! Though historically lab coats have only been worn by physicians, today more and more nurses are embracing high-quality medical lab coats to complete their professional look. With custom name and title embroidery, they can show off their nursing credentials and wear their white coat with pride. Opt for a lab coat made with performance fabrics, which will repel fluids, wick away sweat, and are generally lower-maintenance and have greater durability.

nursing lab coat

2. Personalized Nursing Scrubs

Nursing scrubs that get softer with every wash? I dare you to find a nurse who doesn’t dream of that. Scrubs are a wardrobe staple for nurses—they can never have too many! But these nursing scrubs are unparalleled in their comfort (crucial for 18 hour shifts), durability (can last over 100 washes without fraying or fading), and fit (purposeful tailoring is flattering and gives unrestricted movement). Add an extra special touch with personalized embroidery in fade-resistant thread!

Medelita scrubs for men and women in "Baltic"

Medelita scrubs for men and women in “Baltic”

3. Audiobook Subscription

Nurses are always on the go and don’t have as much time to do the things that they enjoy, such as pleasure reading. Give your loved one the gift of an Audible or Scribd audio book subscription. These services will allow the nurse in your life to catch up on their summer reading list during their commute, while running errands, or doing chores.

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4. A Sleek New ERKA Stethoscope

Every single handmade ERKA stethoscope is a unique masterpiece: elaborately polished and chrome plated by a master craftsman. Just like a set of personalized nursing scrubs or custom embroidered nursing lab coat, each of these stethoscopes can be personalized with an individual laser engraving or a customized membrane. For an extra special touch, you can also choose from a wide range of different tube colors an chest-pieces to render a nurse’s everyday life a little more colorful.

nursing stethoscope

5. A Versatile Underscrub Tee

Most underscrub tees are meant solely to give you an added layer of protection under your scrubs, but not this one. The Core One Underscrub Tee is as versatile as it is soft and comfortable, making this the perfect gift for the nurse who needs to seamlessly transition from the hospital, to the grocery store, and even to the gym. The buttery-soft performance fabric is lightweight and wicks away moisture, and the reinforced seams ensure that this gift will work as hard as nurses do.

 nursing underscrub

 

6. I Wasn’t Strong Like This When I Started Out: True Stories Of Becoming A Nurse

This book contains true narratives from nurses who remember the difficulties they encountered when they first entered the profession, and reflect upon what makes their career so rewarding and what gets them through their hardest shifts. Perfect for a nurse who might be feeling discouraged, the stories in the book will renew his or her personal strength and will remind them why they became a nurse in the first place—to help people.

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7. Prescription Coffee Mug

All nurses need coffee, and a lot of it. This 12-oz mug is dishwasher & microwave safe and is sure to bring a laugh to the nurse who receives it. It looks like an oversized prescription bottle with the label full of detailed descriptions about coffee—sure to lift the mood in any hospital or private practice!

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8. The Weeknight Survival Cookbook by Dena Irwin, R.D.

With very little free time to spare, it can be difficult and costly for someone in nursing to make tasty yet healthy meals for themselves throughout the week. A cookbook full of simple, nutritious recipes that can be made in 10 minutes is absolutely perfect for saving time and staying healthy.

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9. FitBit

On a nurse’s busiest days they can end up walking miles and miles—give them the gift of being able to track that exercise! In such a demanding career, it can be difficult to factor in time for working out but a wearable device such as FitBit allows you to track how much activity you have actually done during the day. It also tracks your sleep and lets the nurse in your life monitor their own health data and stay motivated with their health.

10. Keurig Coffee Maker

Another time saver for those who are short on time, a Keurig machine is a must. Gift it with a box of K-Cups in their favorite brand of coffee, or get them a Keurig My K-Cup Reusable Coffee Filter so that they can make their preferred gourmet coffee in an easy-to-clean, reusable filter. This contraption will end up saving time and money!

nursing-lab-coats

Lab Coats On Nurses: Yay Or Nay?

Lately there has been much discussion over medical uniforms and how they serve the purpose of differentiating medical staff members’ roles. Most medical professionals, regardless of level or specialty, wear scrubs.

But what about lab coats? Should lab coats only be worn by doctors, or is there something to be said for this nursing lab coats trend?

Nursing Lab Coat

The main argument against nursing lab coats is that it is confusing for patients when lab coats are worn by both doctors and nurses. This is fair, and confusion should definitely be avoided as much as possible. However, there is an easy solution for this if you just get your lab coat with custom embroidery, where you can prominently display your title in a place that’s easy to read. With name & title embroidery on your lab coat, it’s still very easy for patients to tell who is a doctor and who is a nurse: they can just look at your lab coat!

We vote that if your white lab coat makes you feel more professional and helps you do your job better, and if there are no hospital rules preventing nurses from wearing lab coats just as doctors, go for it! 

The White Coat Effect

Logos On Lab Coats: Hospitals

Custom embroidery is an easy way to make your lab coat truly stand out. Add your name, title, and credentials so that your patients and colleagues can more easily identify you, and if you work at a private practice or large hospital you can even have your logo digitized and embroidered onto your lab coat.

Here are some of my favorite custom embroidered logos from different large institutions around the country. Check out more embroidered logos here.

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San Joaquin General Hospital is an acute care facility that now houses a 196-bed hospital, a medical campus dedicated to primary and specialty outpatient services, as well as two ambulatory care sites that provide over 134,000 outpatient clinic visits a year.

harbor-ucla-medical-center

Harbor UCLA Medical Center is one of only five level one trauma centers in Los Angeles County. Harbor UCLA Medical Center’s services include primary care, emergency medicine, neurology, psychiatry, and even a Child Abuse Crisis Center.

Scripps Health is a private, nonprofit, integrated health system dedicated to providing the highest quality care to the people of San Diego.

Scripps Health is a private, nonprofit, integrated health system dedicated to providing the highest quality care to the people of San Diego.

As a nonprofit integrated delivery system, MemorialCare Health System consists of over 200 medical facilities, including five top hospitals, numerous medical groups, outpatient health centers, as well as imaging and surgery centers in Southern California.

As a nonprofit integrated delivery system, MemorialCare Health System consists of over 200 medical facilities, including five top hospitals, numerous medical groups, outpatient health centers, as well as imaging and surgery centers in Southern California.

Power Dressing For Female Clinicians

If you’re a female leader in medicine (or are heading down that path) there will be times when you need to step up your style to convey the appearance of the powerful, take-charge woman that you are!

So the next time you have an interview, presentation, important meeting or even just are having a professional headshot taken, follow these basic guidelines so that you can present yourself as a polished, skilled leader.

Skirt suit or pants suit

You can’t go wrong with a business professional skirt/pants suit, as long as it fits you properly. This is an opportunity to let your personal style show a bit more, and it can make a powerful statement if you go outside the box of traditional colors (think black, navy, grey) to opt for a bolder, more unique color like a burnt ochre, or deep plum – you can even play around with unexpected patterns like plaid or stripes, as long as the color palette is muted and still professional.

Crisp white button down shirt

If you don’t have this in your wardrobe already, bite the bullet and get one. This is not only perfect for professional settings, but it’s an extremely versatile piece that you will find dozens of opportunities to wear throughout the year.

My recommendation for purchasing a button down shirt is to not necessarily go for the most expensive or the cheapest option. You should shop for a middle-of-the-range shirt that isn’t absurdly priced, but is still made with quality materials, and take it to a professional tailor to have it fitted perfectly to your body. This simple step will make it look like the most expensive shirt you own!

Low heels or pumps

You should have at least one pair of nice dress pumps in your closet, but I would recommend against any heels higher than 3 inches. For one, they aren’t as comfortable, no matter how much you might relate to Sarah Jessica Parker’s affinity for sky-high heels. Secondly, super high heels can be distracting and don’t look as professional as a more modest heel.

Tailored lab coat with name & title embroidery

You worked hard for your credentials, so show them off by having them embroidered on your lab coat. And while you’re at it, get a lab coat that actually fits you – not the cheap, semi-see-through, unisex lab coats you might be used to. Even if you don’t think you’ll wear it in a clinical setting, you should have at least one professional tailored lab coat that will make you look polished.

Medelita offers quite a range of different tailored lab coats for female professionals, and they offer in-house embroidery services so that you can skip the step of taking it to a separate embroidery studio to have your name and title added.

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Why Are These Lab Coats So Expensive?

The Medelita White Coat Collection is well-known as the best in class for medical professionals seeking a tailored, fitted lab coat. They have numerous designs in gender-specific styles, ensuring that there is a style for everyone.

But the price tag is steep – compare their H.W. Cushing lab coat, which costs $154, to a cheaper Landau lab coat at $30.58.

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H.W. Cushing Slim Fit Lab Coat

Why is the Medelita lab coat so much more expensive?

The simple answer is, you get what you pay for. Quality starts with the raw materials, and the cost of the high-quality raw materials sourced by Medelita for their fabric and buttons actually costs more than the retail price of that Landau coat. The difference in the quality of the fabric is the first thing you’ll notice that makes the Medelita version worth the extra money.

You also need to take into account the fact that Medelita lab coats are designed more or less like blazers or nice suit jackets. If you made them about half a foot shorter and in a khaki color or dark neutral, you would basically have something similar to a Brooks Brothers jacket, which is $648. So when you think about it, it’s actually a pretty darn good deal.

Medelita Lab Coat Features

  • Performance fabric is bright white, resists stains, wicks sweat away, easy to care for
  • Highly durable, double seams, darting, pleating and other small quality indicators
  • Flattering styles for men and women that are fitted and allow full range of movement
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A Women’s Lab Coat Of Distinction

The challenge with looking professional as a woman in medicine is that the traditionally male-dominated field has set the bar pretty low for attractive and flattering uniforms. Historically, almost all medical lab coats available have been unisex, with a very boxy shape that tends to look like a white smock.

That doesn’t look very professional. And it doesn’t make you feel very professional, either.

If this is a familiar situation for you, it’s probably time to upgrade your lab coat to one that is actually made for women. I recommend the classic Callia M., which was actually first developed back in 2008 as the very first women’s lab coat in history. Since then, it has been modernized and had its design upgraded to fit better than ever.

Check out our favorite features from this timeless style of women’s lab coat.

Women's Lab Coat Lapels

Delicately scalloped lapels

Callia M Back Belt

Two-button defining back belt

Darted back venting

Women's Lab Coat Pockets

Functional iPad patch pockets

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Basic Head-To-Toe Wardrobe For Female Doctors And Clinicians

Just because you often have to wear a uniform during work, doesn’t mean you can’t be stylish while also professional. Here is a great standard outfit for women working in healthcare, which you can either use by itself or as an outfit template that you inject more of your own personal style into later on.

Underscrub shirt

This is a little different than your average undershirt because it is designed to fit comfortably under scrubs without restricting movement, all while keeping you cool and dry. The performance fabric ensures you’ll stay warm in frigid hospital hallways, and cool when you step out into the sun.

Women's Underscrub Tee

Women’s Underscrub Tee

Shop underscrub shirts.

Fitted scrubs

Scrubs are, of course, the foundation to most (not all) work wardrobes for those who work in healthcare. If so, it’s probably well past time to throw out your shabby old scrubs and upgrade to a nicer quality set. If you already have invested in a high-quality set of scrubs, good for you!

Shop fitted scrubs.

Wristwatch

Whether you’re digital or analog, you can make your outfit your own with touches of personal style such as a functional and fashionable wristwatch. This is the most sensible accessory, since it does serve a purpose in addition to looking cute!

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Shop women’s watches.

Walking shoes or clogs

If you’re on your feet all day at work, save yourself from a world of pain and do some research about what kind of shoes you should be wearing to avoid a myriad of foot and back problems. We recommend these clogs from Sanita, which is known for producing super high-quality handmade orthopedic clogs.

clogs

Shop Sanita clogs.

Professional lab coat

Finish off your professional outfit with a tailored lab coat. Many brands now offer polished styles designed specifically for a woman’s body, which will ensure that you don’t have a boxy silhouette. Today’s options for women’s lab coats is quite large, with a selection of flattering styles for different body types.

Emma W Lab Coat

Shop professional lab coats.