By National Nurses Week, first signed into law by Ronald Reagan in 1982, begins with “National Recognition Day For Nurses” on May 6 – Florence Nightingale’s birthday – and celebrates all of the contributions of America’s hardworking nurses.
National Nurses Week is primarily promoted by the American Nurses Association, or ANA. All across the country, local nursing organizations, education facilities, nursing unions, and independent healthcare companies take time out to recognize the hard work and dedication of American nurses.
Whether you’re a nurse in a hospital, nursing home, hospice facility, physician care practice, or any other healthcare facility, National Nurses Week is a time to celebrate your profession.
Without nurses, the healthcare system of this country would certainly fall apart – nurses are the glue that holds everything together. National Nurses Week is a great opportunity to recognize the important role nurses play in the community and the healthcare industry.
However, nurses aren’t the only people contributing to the constant innovation of the healthcare industry. In this article, we’ll take a look at four entrepreneurs who aren’t nurses at all – yet are still making a huge impact in the nursing industry, and in the world of healthcare as a whole.
Mike Singer – Strategic Partners, Inc.
Mike Singer is the CEO and owner of Strategic Partners, Inc. (SPI), a multinational apparel and accessories wholesale and manufacturing company dedicated to providing high-quality, fashion-inspired scrubs and uniforms to medical professionals.
Mr. Singer is a formally trained entrepreneur. A lifelong student of business, he graduated from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California with a strong focus on entrepreneurship.
In 1995, Mr. Singer formed SPI by purchasing the uniform division of Cherokee, Inc. Since then, SPI has continued to grow dramatically in size and scope – becoming the single largest manufacturer and wholesaler of medical apparel, accessories, and footwear.
The company, based in Chatsworth, California, now sells top-quality healthcare apparel in more than 60 countries worldwide. Premium brands sold by SPI include Cherokee, Dickies, HeartSoul, Disney Brands, Code Happy, and more.
SPI also manufactures and distributes specialized medical footwear under the Dickies, K-Swiss, and Reebok brands, among many others. By providing the nursing community with affordable, high-quality apparel, Mr. Singer truly is making a difference in the nursing world – and his contributions don’t stop at scrubs!
SPI is an Industry Partner of The DAISY Foundation, which recognizes and honors nurses in nearly 2,500 healthcare facilities in the United States and 14 other countries, who go above and beyond in providing patient-family care with outstanding compassion and dedication.
And, of course, Mr. Singer is also the owner of ScrubsMag – if it weren’t for Mike Singer, you wouldn’t be reading these words right now – or any of our other awesome, nurse-focused lifestyle content!
Careisma Scrubs
Specifically designed to help nurses feel more feminine, empowered, and fashionable at work.
And Careisma Scrubs certainly delivers. This line of scrubs features bold prints, slim-fitting, yet stretchy cuts, bright colors, and totally unique designs that are sure to set you apart from the crowd.
Her reason for doing so? Sofia has long been an admirer of healthcare workers – especially nurses and was a sufferer of cancer herself. She wanted to make a line of scrubs that could make nurses feel special, and allow them to be sassy, fun, and unique – while still remaining professional. Sofia is also an avid supporter of St Jude’s Children Hospital in LA.
These unique scrubs are sure to brighten the day of healthcare workers around the US, and provide them with the high-quality, durable, and fun uniforms they need to work effectively – and feel great while they’re caring for patients.
Quint Studer – Studer Group
Quint Studer is the founder of the Studer Group, based in Pensacola, FL, and he’s been in the healthcare industry for nearly three decades.
Throughout his career as a teacher, community relations representative, and entrepreneur, Mr. Studer has focused on improving the performance of healthcare organizations, and providing medical professionals with the tools that they need to ensure better patient outcomes and a higher overall quality of care at their facilities.
Mr. Studer has achieved this goal by creating the Studer Group – a dedicated outcomes firm built specifically to advise healthcare providers on how to provide the very best care – and increase performance and cost-efficiency.
The Studer Group publishes periodicals and peer-reviewed journal articles to achieve this goal – as their management best practices are refined and tested, they share their findings with the world at large – allowing hospital staff to gain insights into their own processes and find areas of improvement.
This focus and dedication to improving hospital efficiency and patient outcomes has certainly saved countless lives over the years – and earned Mr. Studer a place on our list of people who are making a difference in nursing.
Joe Novello – Nurse Grid
What if there was a technology platform for nursing departments that benefited nurses, nurse managers, patients, and facilities alike? That delivered organization and balance to nurses’ work lives, cost savings and productivity to nurse managers’ departments, more time to focus on delivering excellent care to patients, and better bottom line performance for whole hospitals and facilities? There is – thanks to Joe Novello and Nurse Grid.
Novello is an active nurse with 17 years of clinical and healthcare leadership experience specializing in emergency and critical care. As a nurse entrepreneur, Joe has started two healthcare companies, sits on three Boards and is active in the Portland & Bay Area entrepreneurship communities.
Celebrate Nursing – And Those Who Contribute To It!
During National Nurses Week, celebrate yourself! You deserve it. If your hospital or care facility isn’t hosting any events, get involved with the ANA – and start your own event!
And while you celebrate, remember your colleagues and team members, as well as all the entrepreneurs who contribute to excellence and innovation in nursing.
Sponsored by Cherokee Uniforms
