With Halloween right around the corner, nurses need to get in the spirit of the season! We’ve exhumed a whole list of medical themed items that you and your coworkers can enjoy on a budget. Use these to have a quick celebration around the nurse’s station or with your patients.
Gruesome Goodies
Would you like that orange Halloween punch on the rocks? Get a real brain freeze with specialty ice cubes. Bonus points if you mix green and purple food coloring into the water so the ice turns out a ghastly gray! You’ll be a real Halloween hero if you follow this amazing tutorial to make brain shaped cake pops oozing raspberry filling.
If you’d prefer to make a quick stop at the bakery instead of spending hours in the kitchen, that’s okay, too. Just add some sweet cupcake toppers to your store-bought baked goods. Enjoy an assortment of Band-Aids, Rx pads and syringes…it’s first aid for your mouth.
Set up an IV drip and hang a pint of liquid candy blood. Then, sit down and stick the IV line in your mouth to suck down some “energy potion.” It’s the perfect gag (literally) for the nurse’s lounge. If you’re feeling brave, try this stunt in the reception area.
Scary Supplies
This is a nice gift to pop in a patient’s bag if they get discharged on Halloween. Of course, they may be sick of needles by then. So you could also save these for some midnight charting. Stick one behind your ear to add flare to your scrubs outfit.
Throwing a secret party in the janitor’s closet in the basement of the hospital? Send out the invites using some old fashioned mortician’s toe tags. Be specific with your instructions. Should all guests be DOA? Is it a white sheet affair?
Awfully Spooky Accessories
Even if your workplace doesn’t allow nurses to show up in full Halloween regalia, you can still probably get away with adding a little “Trick or Treat” to your scrubs outfit!
What does Casper the Friendly Nurse do? Fix boo boos. You’ll get a smile from peds patients with this haunted headgear!
Is it bad luck when a black cat crosses your heart? We guess you’ll find out when you add this feline and pumpkin bedecked cover to your stethoscope. Tell your patients to breathe in and purr out while you listen.
You know what origami is. But you may not have been introduced to the related art of kanzashi. This is a style of Japanese fabric folding that’s catching on with crafty nurses in the U.S. This badge reel adorned with a black sunflower and a glittery pumpkin center is ominous and beautiful at the same time.
This is the priciest item on our list, but it’s too fantastic to pass up. This handbag is actually made from a recycled copy of Gray’s Anatomy. You can choose it with a shoulder strap or wooden handles. Your coworkers will clutch their hearts with envy when you show up with this little number on your arm.
Did someone say skull cap? This is definitely the right gift for the OR nurses who work with your favorite neurosurgeon!
What do you plan to wear to work for Halloween? Let us know in the comments.
This article was republished with permission from SCRUBS Magazine.