What's in your nurse bag?

Nurses General Nursing

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As a new nurse, I'm always curious to know the essentials to bring with me to work. So, what's in your nurse bag? What type of bag (brand or style) do you bring with you to work?

And on that note, what are your must have's on hand in your pocket?

Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

I have a messenger bag just for work. In it: all my ID badges and lanyards, steth, penlight, bag of pens, name stamps, notebook, DSM-5 (pocket edition), clipboards, notebook, makeup bag, my medications, and whatever CEU I'm working on at the time.

I wear at least one pen, a hand sanitizer and lipstick/gloss. I also carry a pair of rubber gloves in my pocket at all times. The rest I get as I need.

I also have a locker whose sole purpose in life is to hold my coffee creamer supply.

Specializes in Multiple.

I like seeing these posts about food. I often get low blood sugar symptoms at work and have learned to carry a morning snack and an afternoon snack. I always read about all of these martyr stories where nurses go hours upon hours without eating. It's just nice to see that it is possible to avoid this and still be a nurse.

Specializes in Med/Surg/ICU/Stepdown.
I like seeing these posts about food. I often get low blood sugar symptoms at work and have learned to carry a morning snack and an afternoon snack. I always read about all of these martyr stories where nurses go hours upon hours without eating. It's just nice to see that it is possible to avoid this and still be a nurse.

Oh, it's totally possible! After morning report, I usually heat up oatmeal and have a banana. Mid-day, I take my lunch. And then sometime around dinner, I have another quick snack. If I'm hungry and cranky, I can't do my job properly.

Specializes in CICU.

What I carry at work - Hemostats are generally the most useful, and most borrowed item in my pocket. Scissors, two pens, yellow highlighter, calipers.

At any point there may be at least one paper towel with I&Os written on it.

2 stethoscopes, a PT/INR machine, a glucose machine, pulse oximeter, thermometer, scissors, butterfly needles, lab tubes, gloves wound care supplies, vaccutainers, blood pressure cuff, santi-wipes, pens, pads, food, money, gas card, cell phone, map, drug book, pepper spray, OTC meds, CPR mask, goggles pen light, and an AED in the trunk... but then I am a Home Health nurse so my bag is pretty stocked and pretty massive.

Specializes in Med/Surg/ICU/Stepdown.
I have a messenger bag just for work. In it: all my ID badges and lanyards, steth, penlight, bag of pens, name stamps, notebook, DSM-5 (pocket edition), clipboards, notebook, makeup bag, my medications, and whatever CEU I'm working on at the time.

I wear at least one pen, a hand sanitizer and lipstick/gloss. I also carry a pair of rubber gloves in my pocket at all times. The rest I get as I need.

I also have a locker whose sole purpose in life is to hold my coffee creamer supply.

I like the idea of carrying gloves in your pocket! I sometimes get called to do an urgent task and find I haven't grabbed a pair of gloves. This is pretty genius!

Nursing stuff: stethoscope, scissors, hemostats, mini-calculator, pens, Sharpie, penlight, little notebook for notes/info to jot down, long-sleeve scrub jacket

Personal stuff: Definitely snacks that can be kept in your bag without refrigeration like other people said. A Ziplock full of trailmix is my favorite because it's healthy and protein-packed for days that you're starving and can't eat lunch anytime soon. I also carry mini boxes of raisins or granola bars. Chapstick, extra contacts case/solution and extra pair of glasses (hey you never know when you're going to have a contact lens malfunction - it's happened to me, liquid bandaid, Ibuprofen, water bottle, hand lotion, eye drops, utensils for lunch, mints (eaten and passed out to others at end of shift so we don't scare off the oncoming shift), cell phone charger.

In my scrubs pocket: 2 pens, scissors, mini-calculator, chapstick, stethoscope (around neck).

Specializes in ER, progressive care.

I use a Vera Bradley bag (you can wash them!).

Nursing stuff: a pen pouch where I keep all of my pens, a pencil (for making assignments), markers (gotta make sure I fill out those white boards!), stethoscope, hemostats, tape, 2 sets of trauma shears (I like to use the hemostats/tape as a holder and have my two pairs of shears in them - the hemostats come in handy when trying to take the metal caps off of nitro/other glass bottles), scrub jacket, badge.

Other stuff: snacks! Preferably ones that do not have to be refrigerated - piece of fruit and packet of nut butter, trail mix/nuts, granola/protein bars, etc. Hand sanitizer, hand lotion, cuticle cream, chapstick, Tylenol/ibuprofen/allergy meds, mints/gum, phone charger, phone battery pack, Kindle (I like to read on my lunch breaks - if I ever get a break, that is!), notebook, my Emergency & Critical Care ACLS pocket guide.

On my person at work: 2-3 black clicky pens, white board marker, badge (and I have sharpies on them), hemostats/tape/2 sets of trauma shears, stethoscope, chapstick, piece of paper to jot down notes, phone. And since I work in a facility where we do not have lockable carts in the rooms I also carry extra NS flushes, some IV catheters and 18G needles for transferring blood specimens.

Me too!

Two pens, work badge, work keys, one pair of scissors, a stethoscope, one pen light, 6 Coke No Sugars, one bottle of Tylenol and a bottle of ibuprofen.

That's it.

I have a back pack which in the car my car thinks it's a person and beeps until I have the seat belt on it.

-carrying case with electronic BP cuff, spo2, temporal thermometer

-manual bp cuff

-stethescope

-pen case like the zipper school bag

-binder with master copies of papers we use @ work, list of usernames

-a book, you never know when out and about you'll need a book.

-report sheets binder clipped together

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