I see this thread from time to time in the general nursing or student sections, but since PDN is a different situation from floor/facility nursing (no locker to stash stuff in, no cafeteria or vending machines, no coworkers to borrow from), I wondered what all everyone carries with them to work?
What do you have in your bag for every shift?
What do you keep in your car for "just-in-case"?
What did you use to carry with you that you realized was a waste of energy so you stopped bringing it?
Hey, we're talking EDC. There are entire forums devoted to Everyday Carry, and there are some YouTube videos about it too. Thousands actually. I'm definitely an EDC'er. Call me prepared...not for nursing or anything since I don't have or need to carry around any nursing supplies, but for everything else, yes!
Specializes in Cardio-Pulmonary; Med-Surg; Private Duty.
Call me prepared...not for nursing or anything since I don't have or need to carry around any nursing supplies, but for everything else, yes!
Exactly! I absolutely *hate* to be somewhere and not have access to something I wanted. And since I'm the one schlepping it all over the place, I figure I only have myself to blame if the bags are big-n-heavy! LOL
I actually purchased a tote bag today to replace my non-backpack bag. It's a smaller (and way cheaper!) version of the Organizing Tote by Thirty-One, with exterior pockets. I figure this will let me keep my "food accessories bags" and my soda cans organized, so it's not all in a great big heap that I need to rummage around for in the bottom of the bag.
Specializes in Cardio-Pulmonary; Med-Surg; Private Duty.
Things I always make sure I bring with me:
-my Bible
-cell phone, charger, and earbuds
-extra reading material
Have you considered consolidating and getting an e-Bible? I have one that I can access on my smartphone, Kindle, and tablet... one less thing to tote around (because I'm already toting way too much stuff as it is!).
Just wanted to say that I am loving this thread! I am about to start working for a pediatric home care agency, and I will be doing 8-12 hour shifts of care in the home with the patient.
I had never stopped to think that a home might not have toilet paper (!!!) or heat (!!!!!). Great things to be prepared for! Also - a lack of running water (!!!!!!!!). I will definitely refer back to this thread when I prepare my own bag.
Specializes in Med/surg tele, home health, travel.
Good information here. I start my first case in May as an RN. I have been in home care for many years as an aide, so being away from home for a long time can be rather challenging if you aren't prepared for the day!
Have you considered consolidating and getting an e-Bible? I have one that I can access on my smartphone, Kindle, and tablet... one less thing to tote around (because I'm already toting way too much stuff as it is!).
I do have the a Bible on my phone as well, and I use it if is too dark to read my regular Bible comfortably.
I just prefer my regular Bible. It is a study Bible and has all my notes in it!
Upper glove box: Assorted insurance, registration, warranty papers, vehicle manual, small stapler, and box of staples
Lower globe box: LOTS of fastfood napkins, straws, some eating utensils, around $14 in ones, gift cards I've been given to places, a couple of pistol magazines, a compass, a tire pressure gauge...all that comes to mind at the moment.
Front, passenger door compartment: DC to AC power converter so I can run electronics in my vehicle, a can of de-icer, ice scraper, and a cord to someone's phone.
Front, driver door compartment: Emergency Response Guidebook, a couple of highway maps, a pump bottle of hand sanitizer (so I can clean my hands after shopping, touching the gas pump, etc), snack crackers, and little pouches of peanuts
Rear, driver side door compartment: Two bottles of foaming hand cleaner, and two hand towels.
Rear, passenger side door compartment: A set of hearing protection, safety glasses, and leather work gloves
Center console: Adjustable tip screwdriver, loaded Glock 23 and holster, can of pepper spray, bottle of Excerin Tension Headache, bottle of ibuprofen, a small bottle of hand sanitizer, my checkbook, and a notepad
Front console: black pen, blue pen, folding scissors, nail clippers, Blistex SPF something for men, and change
Driver's seat rear pocket: ear muffs, warm gloves, and a neck gaiter (I'm still loaded for winter)
Under rear seat: A couple of boxes of pistol ammo, 12 ga 00 buckshot and slugs, Mora knife, N100 masks, military poncho, flagging tape, 550 cord, tie downs that lock in to the bed of my truck, water purifier, small titanium pot and lit/frying pan, toilet paper, 3M gorilla tape, and some other things I can't recall
Rear floorboard: my EDC bag - Maxpedition EDC Versipack, 32 oz Nalgene water bottle, Anker Astro 3E 10,000 mAh portable battery (for recharging cell phones, etc), assorted cables and adaptor tips to allow the Anker to charge all kinds of handheld devices in a Maxpedition Mini Organizer; Maxpedition Micro Organizer with pen, mechanical pencil, notepad, Fresnel lens, $60 in 20s, postage stamps, paper clips, mini Bic lighter, Leatherman Micra; Streamlight Stylus Pro light, Leatherman Wave, Leatherman Bit Kit, Leatherman Bit Extender, zip ties, Gorilla tape wrapped around an old gift card (about 6 ft), about 10 feet of 550 cord, a Sharpie, and a three foot keychain tape measure also in a Maxpedition Mini Organizer; Under Armour protective gloves, AND my get home bag / this bag is full of handy stuff bag - Maxpedition Falcon II with Maxpedition bottle holder, 40 oz Klean Kanteen, Fenix LD20 flashlight, spare lithium AA and AAA batteries, Petzl TacTikka headlamp, spare boxers, spare t-shirt, spare socks, wool hiking socks, moisture wicking t-shirt and short, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, hotel soap, hotel shampoo, deodorant, disposable razor, a couple of Ziploc bags, about $3 in quarters, Hot Hands, Wet Ones wipes, Rem Oil wipes, AquaMira tablets, 2 bic lighters, compass, more Gorilla tape on an old giftcard, more 550 cord, more zip ties, a first aid boo boo kit / small trauma kit, assorted OTC meds, 4-way sillcock, 2 disposable pochos, 2 emergency space blankets, safety pins, a small sewing kit, Light My Fire ferro rod, waterproof matches, WetFire blocks, $100 in assorted cash, encrypted flash drive of important documents like identification, insurance, licenses, certificates, warranties, registrations, deeds, photographs, serial numbers, account numbers, manuals, etc.
I like to be prepared, and all of that is organized in such a way that, other than the two bags, it's all out of sight/out of mind.
PG2018
1,413 Posts
Hey, we're talking EDC. There are entire forums devoted to Everyday Carry, and there are some YouTube videos about it too. Thousands actually. I'm definitely an EDC'er. Call me prepared...not for nursing or anything since I don't have or need to carry around any nursing supplies, but for everything else, yes!