Gear for your first clinical day!

When I did my clinicals, I made sure I had a pen with me at all times to write on patients' charts. I also brought lotion because the alcohol hand gel they use is VERY drying, and so is soap and water. I found a neat little pouch at my school's bookstore that had a velcro change purse and I put my car key in there that would unlock my door, and kept my purse in my trunk. It was very helpful. I brought lip balm since my lips are always chapped, and I also brought some cash for break time.

This is the pouch I got:

http://www.meridys.com/index.php?pag...mart&Itemid=26

All I took with me on the first day of clinicals was a black pen, a notepad, my watch, my lunch, and my stethoscope. My stethoscope wasn't ever needed (I had no idea who I was being assigned to, so I didn't know if I was going to be doing vitals, showers, feedings, or what). I carried it in my pocket the whole day and it was a nuisance, always in the way.

Something I wished I'd had was a little bottle of hand sanitizer. I think you can get this at Walgreen's or Walmart or some other pharmacy/drug store. And if it's scented with fruit or whatever, that's ok. After a day of smelling things you don't like, the smells kind of linger in your sinuses afterwards, and anything to break the scent is good. But also, having the hand sanitizer means you don't have to always stop and hunt down a sink where you can spend 15 seconds scrubbing up (and trust me, you will be using the hand-san/washing hands MANY times).

PS. Leave the cell phone in the car.

In the previous, I would agree with all of that...and I did the same thing but in addition, I kept mints handy or gum.

In addition to all of the above, I learned after day one to always carry an extra handful of gloves in your pockets. They had them in all the rooms, but you never knew when you'd get that one room where no one had restocked!!

I second the pocket of gloves! I need large gloves and most rooms aren't stocked with those. So I ALWAYS have a pocket full.

My program required that we wear/carry the gait belt to clinicals each day. I think I used it maybe once but it was part of the dress code. Also if your dress code includes whites (mine did), check your undies for visibleness before you leave home

Definitely, gloves. Carry an extra pair or two at all times. You will learn this quickly, though - sometimes you need to be putting those suckers on immediately, and there isn't time to run to the corner and look for the box for your size, then find out it's empty, or all there is is S and XL and you need M.

We also had to have our gait belt every day. I maybe used it once too. As for the white uniforms I definitely wore clothes underneath. I already had a pair of nude colored Spanx so I wore those under the bottoms, and I wore a plain white t-shirt under the top. Surprisingly I wasn't too hot!

*And my "extra" clothes came in handy when I got soaked during my first shower! lol

1 Small spiral notebook
1 black pen
1 watch
1 small bottle of hand sanitizer
1 Gait belt

Pack a snack, thermos of coffee and/or water -- some facilities are expensive and others just don't have a place to get a snack. Also, you don't want to be tempted by the junk food.

Put your name on everything.

Some other tips...

Patients/clients tend to keep their rooms REALLY warm. Use a quality deodorant and if you tend to get sweaty use baby powder too.

Keep a few gloves in your pockets (as others have said).

Leave the cellphone and valuables in your car.

If you bring your cellphone with you, put it on silent and DO NOT USE IT. It is incredibly unprofessional. Yes I know some of you may have family emergencies but quite honestly what people call emergencies are rarely so. Our instructor dealt with this by saying that our family could call her if there was an emergency and she would get us -- this was after hearing someone explain to her child where the Cheerios were.

Do not congregate together if you think "there is nothing to do". Split up. Find something to do. Restock linen in the rooms. Tidy the waiting areas. Learn to chart on the computer. more. Restock the fridge.

Don't be over familiar with patients. They do not want to know that your mother/grandmother or whatever had IBS/cancer/bursitis too. They could care less and it is TMI.