Typically, as nurses care for others, they sometimes forget to care for themselves.

With the increased challenge in health care, nurses find themselves working longer hours in more demanding situations. When they leave work, they have a difficult time decompressing.

Not so in Texas with the nurses and health care workers of Baylor Medical Center at Irving.

Donning tiaras and long pink gloves, they meet monthly each Friday night to share fun, food, conversation and a love of reading at their new book club, The Pulpwood Queens of Flamingo Floozie Flats. With their wacky name, they are determined not to take themselves too seriously, and demonstrate that with their glamorous attire.

The book club is modeled after The Pulpwood Queens of East Texas Book Club in Jefferson. The club was featured on ABC's "Good Morning America" in March 2000 to kick off the television show's Read This! book club. Since then, the organization has grown to 25 chapters in six states, including Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Los Angeles and Naples, Fla.

"Nurses today are faced with doing more while delivering the same quality of care to a greater number of patients-in the same amount of time," said Jean Macrander, RN, a certified professional in health care quality, on why this book club is valuable to nurses and health care workers. "With improved technology, expectations increase. As soon as a new piece of equipment is learned, it changes, forcing us to readapt at a faster pace."

The Pulpwood Queens provides a healthy escape and a place to unwind. "Not only are we letting off steam," said Macrander, a health care consultant who specializes in joint commission compliance, "but we are getting to know each other on a more intimate level as we explore new novels or best-sellers."

It all starts with a hot-pink flamingo, the club's mascot. "Some of us have already decorated our yards with flamingos. Others thought they were tasteless," Macrander said. "That's why we chose the flamingo-it's outrageous."

At each meeting, the hostess plants a plastic flamingo near the front door of her home. Then, the competition begins. Some carry the theme inside, using dinner napkins, a tablecloth and centerpiece or drinking straws decorated with the flamingo imprint. "We don't object to being as garish as it takes," Macrander said, with a laugh.

The group believes that "being tacky" is part of the release. "It's the exact opposite of what we do during the day in our profession." When they meet, the members are strictly off their diets, munching on taco salads, spicy chili casseroles or sumptuous desserts.

"When you can meet others and let your hair down, it's good for your soul," said Molly Banks, RN, director of Our Children's House, a Baylor Health Care System pediatric rehabilitation center in Irving for special-needs children.

Our Children's House is one of six satellite sites, offering therapeutic services for chronically ill children, newborns through age 18, with birth defects, head injuries, seizures and cerebral palsy. "We provide therapy to maximize their abilities," said Banks, who logs up to 50 hours a week. She coordinates the Irving program, where she manages 22 employees. Her center receives about 9,000 therapy visits a year.

In addition to exchanging books and ideas, Banks thinks The Pulpwood Queens of Flamingo Floozie Flats Club offers its members many networking opportunities and helps build morale. Lively discussions on authors and books such as The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, Grace by Jane Roberts Wood and Ten on Sunday: The Secret Life of Men by Alan Eisenstock, lead to expressing views on politics, religion, family and relationships. As members begin to know each other better, they begin to trust one another.

"We build on that," Banks said. Networking often leads to better relations in the workplace. For example, several book club members are collaborating on a United Way campaign and safety fair for the hospital.

Health care worker Christine Williams also believes in the power of networking. She is an associate director in medical records at Baylor All Saints Medical Center at Fort Worth, a 529-bed facility affiliated with Baylor Medical Center at Irving. While overseeing 35 people, Williams manages the documentation of all medical records, from hospital evaluations to payroll and supplies. Because of increasing rules and regulations, this has become a more complicated endeavor.

Through the book club, Williams met Julie Campbell, MHA, RN, director of medical surgical services at Baylor Medical Center at Irving. "Julie helped me develop new forms for my department, which is easing my workload," said Williams, who believes the Pulpwood Queens' connection is strong. "We are helping each other out. We are becoming close. It probably wouldn't have happened if it weren't for the club."

The club has 16 members, all of whom are health care professionals. At the end of a day of constant caring for others, many are exhausted. But at the book club, a change comes over them as soon as they walk in the door. "It's like they let down their hair and take a deep breath," Macrander said.

A few of the book club members knew each other before, Campbell said. "We've been through illness, a husband's death, children going through college, retirement and, most of all, friendship."

To an outsider, the Pulpwood Queens of Flamingo Floozie Flats may look a bit "crazy," but to Campbell, it means much more.

"We share a love of books and a loyalty to our hospital," she said. "Participation in this club has deepened our friendship. We've developed greater insight into each other's lives."

If you are interested in starting a chapter of The Pulpwood Queens, contact Kathy Patrick at (903) 665-7520 or visit her Web site at www.beautyandthebook.com.

Pamela Stone is a syndicated writer and journalist, who is the author of A Woman's Guide to Living Alone: 10 Ways to Survive Grief and Be Happy, Taylor Publishing. Her new book on the horizon is Reaching Across the Miles: A Family's Guide to Long-Distance Caregiving. Email her at pamstone3@aol.com

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