A slimy celebration for National Doctor’s Day at Cook Children’s Hospital

By Abbi Elston, Staff Writer

Published Apr 16, 2024

Doctors on the South Tower Lawn of Cook Children’s Hospital squeeze their eyes shut tight as they anticipate for buckets of slime to be poured on their heads in celebration of National Doctor’s Day. (Abbi Elston/Staff Photographer)

Buckets of green and blue slime are doused onto the Cook Children’s Hospital staff. (Abbi Elston/TCU 360)

Children of all ages gathered on the South Tower Lawn of Cook Children’s Hospital to slime their favorite doctors for the 9th annual Slime-A-Doc event in celebration of National Doctors’ Day.

Slimy goo of neon green and blue covered physicians, nurses, child-life specialists, administration staff members and advanced practice providers as children’s laughs filled the space seeing their favorite doctors “get slimed.”

For patients in the hospital who could not leave their rooms, the Slime-A-Doc event was live streamed to the television in their room, so they were still able to enjoy the celebratory event.

Crowds of people circle the South Tower Lawn and watch their favorite hospital staff “get slimed.” Patients had the opportunity to squirt the staff with slime guns. (Abbi Elston/TCU 360)

Some patients loaded water guns with slime to shoot at the participants, while others filled buckets with goo to pour on top of participants’ heads.

Patients, staff and family members were encouraged to vote for which staff member they would like to see get slimed on the hospital’s social media platforms. Voting opened March 18 and closed on March 25. The staff members who got the most votes in each category were then subjected to further “sliming” at the grand event that took place on March 27.

A patient shoots a green slime gun at his doctor while a bucket of blue slime is poured on top of his head. (Abbi Elston/TCU 360)

If watching their favorite doctor get slimed isn’t enough, patients even got to pour slime over their own doctor or nurse.

“I love how much everybody comes together to celebrate! There’s so much excitement surrounding the day and people look forward to it, and we have some great participants who are willing to get dirty and just have some fun. It is a great way to celebrate our employees,” said Sydney Hanes, Cook Children’s Hospital Digital Communications Senior Specialist.

The event commemorated National Doctors’ Day, which fell on March 30 this year. It is expected for this tradition to continue in the coming years, with a bigger celebration to come next year for it’s 10th anniversary.