In all walks of life, starting off on the right foot can put you on the path to success.
Nursing is no different.
With the help of the Uniform Shoppe, students across Oklahoma have been starting their careers off on the right foot for more than 60 years.
For half a century, The Uniform Shoppe has had nurses’ back – and their front – literally bringing a professional look to their doorstep.
Green Country Technology Center Director of Nursing Darlene Baker, RN, MSN, has seen it firsthand for more than two decades.
There’s a special day every semester at the Okmulgee nursing school.
It occurs right after LPN students finish their Introduction to Nursing course and just before their Anatomy and Physiology course.
It’s the day Jody Weise from The Uniform Shoppe comes to visit and no one ever misses.
“They are so excited. They feel like they’re real nurses,” Baker said. “They’re trying things on, looking at the stethoscopes and picking out their colors.”
Baker has been at Green Country Technology Center for 22 years now. The school uses The Uniform Shoppe for all its LPN and CNA uniforms.
No one goes to clinicals until they’ve visited Weise.
“We’re very strict with our dress code when they go into the clinical setting,” Baker said. “Jody kind of knows what we like. She does the groundwork.
“Obviously, they are dependable. It helps us out because instead of us having to load students up or send students one at a time they actually come to our facility. If there are any changes they let me know well in advance.” (story continues below)
Since 1962, The Uniform Shoppe has been a family affair.
Albert and Elaine Weise opened the Uniform Shoppe in Tulsa.
They traversed the Oklahoma highways and backroads bringing comfortable, affordable quality to nurses at their facilities.
Riding in the back seat was their daughter, Jody.
She learned the business from the best and now co-owns and manages the Tulsa location.
While the styles on the rack may change, little else has changed about this Oklahoma institution.
The Tulsa location moved around the corner to 6044 S. Sheridan Road a while back but the Oklahoma City store is still located at 10503 N. May Avenue.
The Uniform Shoppe has hands-down always had the largest stock of scrubs for nurses, health care workers, and daycare workers – every profession that requires durable-yet-professional attire while working with people.
Service has always been the focus.
“We work with many schools to get their students started on the right track – nursing, dental, cosmetology, culinary, veterinary, physician assistants, physical therapy, chemistry, health careers and information, paramedics, lab tech, nutrition, occupational therapy, pharmacy, radiography, respiratory and surgical,” Weise said. “We’ve even had quite a few adolescent classes of ‘future leaders’ going into scrubs and lab coats.
“Most schools want their students to look professional which lends to acting professional.”
Starting a new career is exciting. Looking like you belong is important, too, that’s why Green Country students love it when Weise comes to campus.
The Uniform Shoppe also provides students with monogrammed lab coats, their first stethoscope, hemostat, and bandage scissors.
“It’s a very convenient, one-stop-shop for us,” Baker said.
Baker relies on Weise to keep Green Valley students and faculty in comfort and fashion.
“When you’re online you don’t know how it’s going to fit,” Baker said. “So when they come here they have the opportunity to actually try them on so you know. Not everyone’s body looks exactly the same so Jody makes sure we have different fits so that everyone is able to be satisfied.”
The Uniform Shoppe helps students present a professional and polished look while working clinical rotations in hospitals and offices, representing the student and the schools in the best light.
“Cheap uniforms tend to look that way, and when out in public, it reflects on the student as well as the school,” Weise said. “There are many well-made, quality uniforms that are very budget-friendly, and working with a local uniform store supports the very community that supports the students and schools in the real world.”
Baker said as graduation nears, students go up to The Uniform Shoppe as a group to select their first set of white scrubs as well as a new pair of white shoes.
The staff are very knowledgeable about fabrics, fit, and size availability and make it their business to learn the positive features of various brands so they can work with school administration and students regarding fit, wear, and care.
It’s more than a product, it’s a relationship.
“They’re just like family,” Baker said. “They seem to be as excited as the students are so it’s pretty cool.”
And for more than half a century, the Uniform Shoppe has been there helping nurses put their best foot forward. Visit us in OKC, Tulsa or online at https://theuniformshoppe.com.
