Where do you put your STUFF

[DAMomma]

How you organize carrying all of your stuff? I have one of those pocket organizers, but when I am running thru the night I usually will not stop to put it back in my organizer. I also use one of the hospital lanyards around my neck and I will clip my pen, highlighter, sharpie, mechanical pencil on it while having my mini flashlight, scissors, alc pads, and my "brain sheet" in my pocket. I like to wear cargo scrub pants so I can carry my flushes in my leg pocket. I am a mess.

I find myself tossing my lanyard over my shoulder while assessing patients (germ control) but I am afraid I am going to hang myself doing that...can you imagine the headlines, "Nurse hangs herself while helping others".

Have yall came up with any great ideas to organize your stuff?

[shinyblackcar]

Right scrub top pocket: pens, Sharpie, organization sheet for my shift, alcohol pads

Left scrub top pocket: Calculator, lip gloss

I don't use my pants pockets.

:)

[USMC Ret., RN]

I use Aviator Scubs http://www.aviatorscrubs.com/ trauma shirt and ER pants. There are enough pockets to stuff almost anything, including extra 1,000 ml bags of fluids, etc.

At the beginning of the shift I have ready...

Trauma Shirt:

- 2 black pens (1 left breast pocket and 1 in left shoulder pocket)

- 1 sharpie (double sided marker tip: Thick/Thin)

- 1 pen sized mag light (right breast pocket)

- 6 10ml salines (right trauma shirt poket)

- 20 alcohol swabs (right trauma shirt poket)

- 1 roll Paper tape (left trauma shirt poket)

- 1 roll Plastic tape (left trauma shirt poket)

ER Pants:

- 15 pairs of large gloves in plastic bag (left ER pants side pocket)

- markers (yellow, pink, dry board marker) (left ER pants side pocket)

- ER scissors (right ER pants side pocket)

- wallet (right ER pants side pocket)

- Apple I-Touch loaded with Epocrates Med progam, (right ER pants side pocket)

Neck Lanyard:

- ID

- Key to supply room

- Small keychain style Sharpie pen

- Stethescope on neck

Watch (Casio Pathfinder) wth 5 preset alarms

- 1750: Blood glucose check alarm

- 1845: post meal insulin alarm

- 2000: Med time

- 2200: I/O collection time

- 2230: Get the Shift reports and MARs redy for Night shift.

- Luis RN

[CoffeeGeekRN]

Luis, thanks for posting that link for Aviator scrubs. Those look perfect for my needs.

[Tait, MSN, RN]

I am not a fan of the tucking in deal on the Aviators, do you have to?

[rotteluvr31, ADN, RN]

Just my 2c:twocents:, but many places won't let you wear a lanyard unless it has velcro tabs. It is too easy for an agitated pt to reach up and choke someone wearing a lanyard. Most places that I am familiar with have done away with lanyards and gone to clips d/t infection control.

I use one of those little pocket organizers with velcro for my scissors and hemostats. It holds black pens, a sharpie, highlighter and usually a couple of bucks or change in the pocket. It lives in the right pocket of my scrub top along with alcohol pads and tape.

The left pocket use to have my PDA when I worked in LTC, but in the ICU I have a computer within reach. Now I usually keep gloves in there. My pants pockets are usually empty, which is good because if I load them up too much they tend to fall down :imbar

[teeniebert, LPN]

My pants pockets are usually empty, which is good because if I load them up too much they tend to fall down :imbar

This is why I don't buy pants with elastic waistbands. Drawstring only! :uhoh21: :imbar

[bakpacker13]

Alright,

I wear scrub shirts with 2 pockets. The scrub tops with the pocket up on the left upper chest are crap, whenever you bend over to do anything everything falls out. Now back to the 2 pockets: in the right I have my keys (med-box, PCA, random locked doors on unit, mini-sharpie pen) it actually has a pocket face shield, then I always carry a dry erase marker to update pts. boards, at least 2 pens (different colors(write report in on color, changes in another)), in the left pocket is typically paper tape, some 2x2 gauze, alcohol swabs, 10cc NS syringe.

I also prefer the cargo pants. In the Left hip pocket I carry my wallet/money, in the right pocket is were I attach our work phone (so telemetry can call with changes, lab, MDs, other nurses, and veterans can get ahold of us). In the right cargo pocket is where I have little pocket organizer (in this I have a pair of scissors, and 2 hemostats (very useful to disconnect those stubborn/tight IV tubes)). The left cargo pocket is typically stocked with what the pt load looks like. Also I have one of those clip boards for nurses with little cheat info and a calculator (this is were I put my report sheets)

And of course the stethescope, the neck is the best other wise it gets left in rooms or other random place. The retractable ID holder works great and stays out to the way most of the time.

[Lossea, RN]

Thanks for all your responses, everyone! It's great to know of a good pack organizer (MedPack from NurseProPack) in case I discover I could use one. Sounds like some people find that they look a little funny... I feel like I might want one, but I won't know until I actually dive in (at least a year from now...doing clinicals) and see what I need. Just trying to get an idea of what everyone finds they need!