These Shoes Just Might Save Your Aching Feet—and a Life


Nike has crafted a shoe with you in mind: the Nike Air Zoom Pulse.

As they put it in a press release this week, the design is “a shoe for everyday heroes: nurses, doctors, home health providers and others who work tirelessly to support patients.”

That’s right, Nike has created a shoe solely for medical professionals and the physical challenges they face on a day-to-day basis.

To develop the Nike Air Zoom Pulse, the company conducted product testing at OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital and collected worker insights. During their sessions at the Portland, Oregon based hospital, they found nurses walk approximately four to five miles per shift, while sitting for less than an hour, during their 12-hour shifts.

Nike then set out to develop a shoe to confront a range of specific challenges experienced by medical workers—creating a shoe that is easy to get on and off, easy to clean, comfortable for long periods of standing, and versatile enough to support the hurried movements of healthcare professionals in emergency situations.

In December, Nike will release six versions of the shoe, which were designed by Doernbecher patients, and all profits will be donated to OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.

For more information, and to view the patient-designed styles, click here.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.