"What is the deal with the PINK Scrubs?"
The Combined EM & Peds residency program was started in 2005 by Dr. Dale Woolridge. Dr. Woolridge trained at the EM & Peds program in Baltimore, MD and brought with him two traditions:
- A Halfway Party, celebrating the 2.5-year mark in a combined resident’s 5-year program
- A pair of pale pink Shock-Trauma scrubs that he was fond of wearing here in Tucson
In 2008, he gave a set of pale pink scrubs to his second class at their Halfway Party (the first class refused to wear them because they looked like they were stained with Pepto-Bismol). This began the tradition of giving pink scrubs to the EM & Peds residents at their Halfway party. The pink scrubs represent the EM & Peds senior residents and are known throughout the hospital to identify some of the most experienced, skilled and versatile residents at the University of Arizona. Each year both the Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine programs look forward to the Halfway Party and to celebrating the achievements of our EM & Peds residents.