New nurse-what do I bring daily for work?

[Kebby1016]

Hi All!

I've accepted a full-time RN position on an adult ortho-neuro floor. We were required to bring everything but the kitchen sink for clinicals in school, but I'm wondering what you all find to be necessities now that you are working. So far I've got a list that includes the following: steth, penlight, pens/highlighters/sharpies, scissors, personal items, and an extra set of scrubs. I also plan to keep my drug guide, lab book, and patho book in my locker for reference when I need them. What else do you guys use frequently that I may need to bring along? I've been out of school for a little while now, so I'm sure I'm forgetting things! Also, does anyone have a link for a great "brain sheet?" I'm open to any advice ya'll might be able to throw my way! Thank you! :)

[Larry3373]

I work ICU. I bring a stethoscope, scissors, hemostats, and several pens. I also bring plenty of snacks and maybe 2 meals. Remember to stop and eat something if you find yourself unable to concentrate.

[NOADLS]

Different places will require you to bring different things to work. Some places are unionized and will require the employer to provide something as basic as a stethoscope.

I bring my laptop and a bottle of water. There's been the odd occasion where I will bring a sleeping bag.

[canigraduate]

Two pens, hemostat, bandage scissors, mini-Maglite with mini-Sharpie on a keyring, whatever leftover alcohol swabs I had left from the last shift, a small bottle of PRN meds (ibuprofen, bendaryl, excedrin migraine, etc). Sometimes I take fluids and food, sometimes I get it from the caf on the way in.

Don't keep your reference books, you need to use the hospital approved ones so you don't make policy mistakes. I have a Davis' Drug Guide app that I use all the time, though, it's faster when I'm looking up drugs on the fly.

[sjalv]

I bring scissors, pens and a sharpie, and my stethoscope. That's it. Usually I leave my stethoscope in my locker so all I bring with me to work is my scissors, pens, and sharpie.

[~PedsRN~, BSN, RN]

I can beg borrow and steal most everything I need - however, my one go to MUST HAVE is a pair of HEMOSTATS. The best engineering tool out there, handy for unscrewing pesky secondary ports and stubborn caps.

I once had a surgeon ask to borrow my hemostats - undoubtedly for some purpose in which they were invented - and I was like, NEVER!!!! They tend to sprout legs and walk off at the best of times, and I can not get through one shift without them.

[~PedsRN~, BSN, RN]

Oh, and as for a second pair of scrubs? If I soil the pair on my body beyond repair of comprehension (no one wants to see a nurse walking around like a scene from NCIS, or worse yet, smelling like a sewage treatment plant) - I call down to the OR and get them to send me some oh crap surgical scrubs from supply.

[emmy27]

Stethoscope, pens (I keep a couple distinctive ones so I'm more likely to track them down when they wander off), a sharpie clipped to my badge, trauma shears, a bunch of shelf-stable snacks and some gum for after meals, caffeinated beverage of choice, a big bottle of water, and a freezer meal or two for the days you can't get to the cafeteria (unless you're an organized person who actually packs a healthy lunch- but even those people once in a while seem to need a lean cuisine), and a little supply of OTC headache/tummy/sore throat/congestion meds an will earn you friends among your coworkers if you're the only one who has an ibuprofen on hand. A couple of tampons isn't a bad idea either, for similar reasons. A change of scrubs is a good idea, too, although don't buy extra if you don't already have them- in most hospitals you can get OR scrubs if needed in a crisis.

You can certainly bring your books, but I've literally never in my actual career had time to run to my locker to reference something, and there's usually a built-in drug guide to your EMAR system. Unless you're planning on spending your lunch break reading nursing texts (and I really suggest you spend it decompressing instead), they'll probably just gather dust.

[Ankh]

Get as much rest as you can and bring water and gum/mints.

[No Stars In My Eyes]

Until Ankh's post, nobody mentioned mints/gum.

I take meds that make my mouth dry and can't always pause for a drink of water.

The mints are also helpful when there's those smells and those odors that tend to kling inside your nostrils and that you can taste in your mouth for hours after the fact....

I could not live with some peppermints in my pocket, just-in-case!

[Ayvah, RN]

Not something you have to bring from home, but when you get to work put a bunch of alcohol swabs and a few small gauzes in your pocket. You never know when you'll need one!

[mrsjonesRN]

I worked on ths same type of unit as a new nurse.

I keep a cup on my COW that has the following:

1.) Trauma shears

2.) Hemostats (those pesky central line caps can be hard to remove sometimes!)

3.) Dry erase markers

4.) Pencils (i write my report in pencil so I can make updates without messy scribbles!)

5.) Pens

On my badge holder I have a pen light and another light that is a little brighter along with key chain sharpies to mark my dressings.

I have a report sheet I made when I graduated nearly 5 years ago...it is my brain that I have updated over the years and passed along to new grads.

I have a clip board with a pocket to keep reference papers in.

And, most importantly, my stethoscope.

Yes, I am OCD and must have all this stuff with me each night!

Best of luck on your new job!

[BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN]

OK, good, I wasn't the only one thinking this! No way do I keep spare scrubs at work! I DO bring my own pens because it never fails that the only thing available in the entire building is a fine point variety and I'd rather remove my own spleen with a grapefruit spoon than use a needle to write with!

The only thing I ever brought when working at the bedside was my stethoscope. Anything else the hospital should be providing. If I needed extra scrubs while at work, I took them from the hospital's supply.