nicu pocket gear

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What gear do nicu nurses carry on them during their shifts? I'm used to carrying only pens and chapstick, I'm not even used to carrying a stethescope. So what kind of stuff do I need to invest in?

Holey Moley. How do y'all keep your pants from falling down?

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Specializes in NICU.
Holey Moley. How do y'all keep your pants from falling down?

lol, that's what I was wondering. I thought I carried a lot! I actually need to clean out all my pens and pencils .... sometimes I collect them and have way too many. And even that weighs it down too much. I try to just keep the bare necessities in my pockets, everything else is readily available ... especially being in the NICU, all your patients are right there, at least in my unit ... no running from room to room.

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Specializes in NICU.

In my case, I have scrub tops with large patch pockets on each side.

ID card and teeny calculator go on collar (a buck at Office Depot!)

Organizer in left pocket.

Cards, etc. in right pocket.

Pants free for staying up!

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Does anyone make pocket protectors out of old IV fluid bags?

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Specializes in Neonatal ICU (Cardiothoracic).

I've never heard of that one, adrienurse! You are quite the resourceful little nurse!...... I tell ya, my pants would fall down if I carried around half the junk some of you do! ;>P

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Specializes in Retired NICU.

Well...the nursing toolbelt doesn't weigh down the pants, the stethescope does, but it's not much. It I try putting my Treo also in my cargo pocket (have 2 on right side of each pair of pants, I have them added when I order them), it does get a bit too heavy! but I do wear elastic waist pants, not drawstring. My stuff is organized and minimimized. I have extra stuff in my locker...

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Specializes in NICU and neonatal transport.

Just flicking back through older stuff and found this fascinating!

For a start what is a Sharpie?

I'm on my break and going through my pockets etc. I've got:

Name badge on my chest

ID badge on pully and nurse fob watch on right pocket

calculator and my scribbled handover in right pocket

black pen and resus bleep in left pocket. (I happen to be the nurse with the bleep tonight-its only gone off once so far)

Gum in my left pants pocket.

Thats it!!

Each baby has it's own stethascope for infection control, we have totally computerised system except for fluid chart and drug kardex. All our patient notes (nursing and medical); vent setting; monitoring; bloods; baby diary are on our cot-side system.

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