New nurse. What do I need?

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Hey folks,

I just passed my NCLEX and have a job lined

up for February. I'll be working on surgical and orthopedic units at a nearby teaching hospital. Besides a stethoscope, scissors, tape, and pen, what gear should a med-surg nurse have available? Also, with holidays approaching, what nursing related gift do you wish someone would get for you?

thanks!

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Hey folks,

I just passed my NCLEX and have a job lined

up for February. I'll be working on surgical and orthopedic units at a nearby teaching hospital. Besides a stethoscope, scissors, tape, and pen, what gear should a med-surg nurse have available? Also, with holidays approaching, what nursing related gift do you wish someone would get for you?

thanks!

You don't need to bring your own tape. :p

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

Penlight and pens. Clipboard with compartment for papers.

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I know I don't have to bring my own. Just wanted an idea of what other nurses carry around. Thanks tho!

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Specializes in ICU.

Never a bad idea to have hemostats.

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

Hemostats for sure. Also, search the threads here for brain sheets, print out some and take to work. You'll see which ones fit your work environment pretty quickly.

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I always have alcohol pads, dead enders for the ivs, saline syringes, penlight, scissors, chapstick, sharpie marker, dry erase marker, highlighter, pulse ox, stethoscope, All of these in my pockets. Then my coffee and bottled water by the nurses station because I wont have time to run back to the locker room between assessments and I wont remember to drink! My hospital has us use binders with dividers which works because I have all patient info to carry with me when I go to a patients room if a doctor calls me in the middle of an assessment I dont need to walk all the way back to the nurses station.

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Specializes in med-surg, IMC, school nursing, NICU.

Definitely a binder to keep everything organized. It's such a helpful tool. LOTS of pens, alcohol swabs, caps for IV lines and saline flushes. LIP BALM. I never go to work without my chapstick, the air in hospitals can be so dry and I hate chapped lips.

And yes, water. So much water. All the water.

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I keep some cough drops, Tylenol and eye drops in my work bag, just in case. If you need some OTC meds at work, keep some basics in your work bag or locker.

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May I also add...HAND LOTION. Non-scented. Hands dry out fast after all the hand washing

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I always have alcohol pads, dead enders for the ivs, saline syringes, penlight, scissors, chapstick, sharpie marker, dry erase marker, highlighter, pulse ox, stethoscope, All of these in my pockets.

The JC frowns on this. :yawn:

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A good pulse oximeter.

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