Outliers: Nurses get a flowery tribute

Outliers loves a good parade. And what parade is bigger than the Tournament of Roses? This year's event, held on New Year's Day in Pasadena, Calif., featured several members of the healthcare community celebrating the Dr. Seuss-inspired theme, “Oh, the Places You'll Go.” This year the Tournament of Roses Association even had a registered nurse as president, with Sally Bixby leading the organization.

A group of nurses formed a not-for-profit in 2007 to sponsor a float and began raising funds. The organization, called Bare Root, collected more than $300,000 for its entry, which was fully decorated by nurses. The nurses' float was themed “A Healing Place” and aimed to honor Bixby and recognize the work of all nurses across the globe. Eight nurses were chosen to ride on the float along with two nursing students. The float featured representations of animals meant to embody the characteristics of nurses: caring, commitment, compassion, confidence, conscientiousness and intelligence.

Floats aren't anything new for Kaiser Permanente, which regularly wins parade trophies. This year, the mega-system took the theme's cue and entered a “Oh, the Healthy Things You Can Do” float, which earned the parade's theme trophy. More than 500 Kaiser employees volunteered to decorate the float, which featured the Cat in the Hat and other classic Seuss characters.

Pomona (Calif.) Valley Hospital Medical Center, Sharp HealthCare of San Diego, St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, Calif., Huntington Hospital of Pasadena and Nurse.com were among the other healthcare-related parade participants.