Sometimes laughter is the best medicine, even for nurses charged with studying and administering pharmaceutical shots, syrups and pills.
That’s why Chantelle Devost, a licensed practical nurse (LPN) who co-owns Scrubs Kelowna with her mother Lorraine, decided to take a humorous approach to the social media presence of their Harvey Avenue store.
Since the scrub store opened last August, Devost said she has scoured the internet for funny nursing memes to post on their Facebook and Instagram pages.
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Posts parody what it’s like to work long hours as well as weekend and night shifts, and poke fun at what it can be like to interact with the relatives of patients.
“It’s funny because it’s relatable,” Devost said.
The 27-year-old Sun Pointe Village LPN said that it’s important for nurses to find humour in the mundane.
“I think it’s good, it can bring people together, finding something relatable and help break up your day,” she said of taking a humorous approach to their online presence.
“It’s a hard job mentally and physically. Sometimes, not always, it can be a thankless job.”
She said her mother Lorraine, a veterinary assistant, is very supportive of the approach, sharing the posts on her personal pages, and that it has been well-received by other nurses in the community.
“People really like tagging their friends in them, sharing them and passing them along,” she said.
Her personal favourite post?
Devost said it’s hard to choose, but remembered one with a full moon and a spooky font that says, “If this scares you you’re either a werewolf or you work in health care.”
Devost said nurses are also starting to have more fun with their scrubs, adding that her and her mother sell some sets with llama and pineapple prints.
“Now scrubs are a lot more like activewear, lightweight material,” she said. “They’re a lot more fitting and flattering, not so much boxy and blue.”
She also said she thinks Nurses Week, which runs from May 6 to May 12, is important.
“It’s good to recognize all the hard work that everybody puts in everyday,” she said.
karissa.gall@blackpress.ca
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