Sips and Scrubs Bookclub, a Boston-based nurse led program, has announced the nationwide launch of its online platform designed to help healthcare workers across the United States unwind, destress, and foster community through the shared passion for reading.
Sourced by Sips and Scrubs
Founded by veteran nurse Lisa Crivello, the platform aims to combat the post-COVID burnout and promote emotional well-being by creating digital and local spaces where healthcare professionals can come together, exchange stories, and build camaraderie outside of their workplace.
The nationwide platform offers free, organized forums where nurses, healthcare workers, and other book enthusiasts can join existing book clubs within their state or start their own. Each group can choose to remain private, ideal for smaller workplace departments or friend groups, or public, allowing for others to join and grow the conversation. Crivello envisions providing every healthcare provider access to a community where they can feel connected, professionally and personally.
Crivello, a recovery nurse at a Boston hospital for over 28 years, was inspired to create Sips and Scrubs after witnessing the power of a local book club that brought her department closer together. “When I started in the recovery room, I noticed so many of us were avid readers,” she recalls. “We started a book club just for fun, but what it became instead was something much bigger. It gave us something positive to talk about besides the stress of work.”
As the community grew, Crivello realized that the model could be replicated anywhere. “Due to COVID, burnout among nurses was alarmingly high,” she notes. “It made sense to create something that could bring them together, giving them an accessible and free space to connect in fun and meaningful ways, and have a distraction from stressful circumstances.” Sips and Scrubs began as a grassroots book club in 2024, but now it has evolved into a national platform that combines literature, mental health awareness, and workplace wellness.
Sips and Scrubs Bookclub operates like an online forum where readers can search for or create groups based on their location and speciality. Crivello emphasizes that the platform caters to nurses as well as the broader healthcare community, including radiology staff, medical assistants, and administrative teams. “The nurses were the core of why it started,” she shares. “But we welcome everyone. The platform, at its heart, is vehemently wellness-driven, and everyone can benefit from that.”
The platform’s expansion also introduces several upcoming features aimed at strengthening its community impact. Future plans include book retreats across countries, an online merchandise store featuring Sips and Scrubs-branded tote bags and apparel, and a story-sharing hub that will spotlight book clubs from across the country.
Each week, the program’s Instagram account, which began on August 18th and has already amassed 5000 followers, will highlight photos and updates from various clubs nationwide, showcasing what they’re reading and where they’re gathering.
“Every initiative is one step forward toward preventing nurse and healthcare provider burnout,” she says, “We’ve all given so much, now it’s time to give back to ourselves and each other.”
With its nationwide rollout, Sips and Scrubs Bookclub aims to redefine what support looks like in healthcare. By combining reading, reflection, and connection, the platform offers a meaningful outlet for those who continue to care for others every day.
Media Contact
Name: Lisa Crivello
Email: sipsandscrubs@gmail.com
Published by: Pathos Communications Ltd