Story at a glance
- Nurses, doctors and home health providers have jobs that are especially hard on the feet.
- Nike designed in special features including washable tops, slip-resistant soles and comfortable insoles to hold up to 12-hour shifts.
- The shoes will go on sale December 7th and profits will go to the Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Oregon, one of the largest pediatric care facilities in the Pacific Northwest.
Nike’s newest sneakers are made for a different kind of athlete. The Air Zoom Pulse, announced on November 8, is designed for medical workers like nurses, doctors, and home health providers.
Clogs are a popular shoe choice for healthcare workers because they check off a list of job-specific needs. Nurses, for example, might work 12-hour shifts with at least 11 hours spent standing and walking, so comfort and ease of wear is paramount. And the hospital work environment is rife with risks of unpleasant spills that workers don’t want to slip on or carry around, absorbed in cloth-based sneakers.
Nike aims to address these needs by giving the Pulse a laceless, easy-to-clean rubber top and slip-resistant sole. The cushion design is made to be comfortable after hours of standing, and safe during the flurry of emergency situations. The heel of the Pulse is held in place with an elastic strap, and the sneakers are designed to be easily put on and taken off one-handed.
The athletic brand’s “shoe drop” came just days after an op-ed in the New York Times criticizing Nike’s track program, the Oregon Project, for allegedly unsafe practices.
The shoes were put to the test at OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland, Oregon, and will go on sale on December 7th, Business Insider reports, including six designs created by patients at the hospital. Nike says profits from sales of the Pulse will go back to Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.
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