what's in your pocket?

jbird125 · Sep 9, 2005

two pens, i will always loose one over the course of the shift, trauma scissors, pen light, calculator, and a selection of analgesia - whatever falls out of the cupboard first

ERNurse752, RN · Sep 9, 2005

Right pocket: trauma shears, black pen, red pen, maybe tape

Left pocket: lip gloss, gum, calculator (eventually the PDA I plan to get, hehe) and my stethescope, mini calendar book and other paper card information stuff

luvnsg · Sep 11, 2005

I'm still a student, but I was wondering what people think of the pocket guides you can get at Barnes and Noble? They're kinda pricey: $21.00, but they look pretty handy. I was thinking of getting one for clinicals. I wonder if it's a good idea or a waste of money? What do you guys think?

I would definetely recomend RN NOTES(pocket guide)...it helped me during my clinicals, now that i'm working i have a pda with epocrates and davis drug guide..love it.

chadash · Sep 11, 2005

Apparently, I had an orange crayon in my pocket (my grandsons) and now I have orange cloths...ALWAY's check you pockets before washing you cloths!

DR2004RN · Sep 11, 2005

In the right scrub top pocket, I carry 2 black ink pens, a black sharpie, a yellow highlighter, mini maglite, and a key for the pca pumps. On left scrub top pocket, I carry alcohol pads, ekg patches, (for replacing on pts. w/telemetry) 2 bandage scissors, one hemostat, and some 2x2's, one hemostat with tape on it on the left side of scrub top. In the left pants pocket, I carry money and lipstick. Everything goes in the exact same pocket everytime.

TinyNurse, RN · Sep 17, 2005

pen, penlight, an 18, tournaquet , alcohol swabs,10ml prepackaged flush, trauma shears, hemostats, mac lipgloss and a sony clie.

Cheetah.......that's an awesome idea about a bin to drop your stuff in!!!!!!!

tramalady45 · Sep 24, 2005

As a new ER nurse, I am curious to know...what do you experienced ER nurses carry with you in your pockets or fanny packs?
Any and all information greatly appreciated...
I carry...my PDA, alcohol swabs, bandaids, tape, etc., etc....
SRKnurse

Well, I actually have a leather "fanny pack". I keep the following items:

1. Pocket PC of course

2. at least three bottles of flush

3. at least 4 empty flush syringes

4. 2 tournaquets

5. tons of alcohol pads

6. a plethora of 2 x 2's

7. 2 of each: 16 guage, 18 guage, 20 guage and 22 guage caths

8. three pens

9. red pen and one sharpie pen

10. halls mentholyptus lozenges ( these are great to suck on when a really bad smelly patient comes in and you can't take the smell. You can barely smell anything else but Halls cause they are so strong!

11. Tape

12. penlight

That's about it. It usually gets me through a shift without having to keep leaving a patients room. I have to restock sometimes but it beats saying "um, oh-I forgot that- I will be right back....." Good luck!!

errn7 · Sep 24, 2005

ER nurse for over 9 1/2 years.....at the beginning of each shift its :

Carpujet

Sm sissors

Red and Black Pen

Critical Care/EMS Field Guide

And $1.00 and some change in hip pocket....

There isnt a need to carry all that "stuff" when its located in the rooms and or the med room.

Adenosine_Addict · Sep 25, 2005

The mention of "the longer you are a nurse...the less you carry" fits me well and I agree. I have my Palm T5 in my pocket, a pen, and my thumb drive. I don't carry scissors because they hang everywhere and I lost the only pair I ever bought. I don't carry tape because I demand that coban be everywhere in the ER. I hate penlights and prefer real flashlights or the overhead light for neuro checks.

What would I carry if the technology permitted? Discharge chips. A SD mini to hand the pt instead of writing all of that redundant over and over info we do all day. It would have the entire chart, all labs, all rad studies, and all discharge instructions. I'd settle for a CD of the entire encounter. Any informatics experts...please help change the ER!!

Altra, BSN, RN · Sep 26, 2005

Tape, trauma shears, small notebook, a tourniquet, 2-3 black pens, money, breath mints, & my parking garage card.

Still trying to adapt my PDA from "student" use to ER use. :confused:

SchizopRN · Oct 3, 2005

2 pens and scissors. Everything else is in easy reach.

dcastlewood · Oct 5, 2005

Just an observation but in my 17 years of emergency medicine there seems to be a corrlation between length of time as a ER nurse vs how much one carries.
To that end the longer one has been a nurse the less they carry. There are a few exceptions - myself generally its a pen or two ( ones the throw down pen ),
the PDA- cuts down on having to find the IV/Drug book(they tend to be pretty ratty looking w/ missing pages anyway), trauma shears and tape.. and some ETOH pads. I dont include the stethoscope as almost everyone has that. Also means less crap falls out when one bends over or is doing CPR.
Rj:coollook:

Is that an allusion to Rescue in your sig?