What's in your bag?

For school-- no bags permitted as no place to store. Pocket on right--stethoscope, bandage scissors, trauma shears, penlight. Left pocket note pad, pocket nursing guide/drug guide, pens, change for vending machine. Instructor held our car keys. School ID worn as well as name pin.

Now I work private duty & home health so my bag is very different and necessary.

My work bag holds back-up supplies, extra ear pieces to my stethoscope, stethoscope, extra pens, highlighters, EKG references, drug book, manual B/P cuff, batteries. My pockets (of which I have 4) cargo pants left-calculator/phone, notepad, right-wallet, scrub top left-pens, kelly clamps, scissors, right-alcohol wipes, tape, I also wear a vest and sometimes have post-its in my pocket. I feel like I need a mule pack!! But if it saves me a few steps or time, then it is worth it.

Last night in the line to pay for parking, one of the straps of my well-worn backpack snapped and it fell to the floor. This morning I walked into class with my pens in my pockets, my (heavy!) books clamped under my arms, my stethoscope around my neck, and my sphygmomanometer stuffed between two books. That was my Spanish class. Hey, it had to be done because my lab was right after.

I was always told not to "overpack" for clinical since we are the guests and the nurses locker rooms are small enough already. I usually just carried a draw string bag from our schools giftshop with me. I carried 2 pens - a notepad - penlight- stethoscope - flushes (always had extra in my scrubs that I would discover on the ride home) - alc. prep pads.. trying to think if anything else!

I always carried my car keys/wallet/phone in my scrubs.. I was a little paranoid about getting anything stolen since we didn't get a locker.. we would just leave our bags on the floor of the break room.

My books, notebooks, binders, stethoscope, BP cuff, penlights, scissors, headphones to watch videos for class, calculator, lots of pens and pencils, highlighters, post its, clipboard, snacks, stapler... I'm sure I'm forgetting stuff. I also have a red lab bag that has all of my stuff for lab in it.

School:

Lunch

2 pairs of hemostats

Pen light

Trauma shears

Smaller scissors

Multi-colored pen

2 highlighters

Stethoscope

Breath mints (I suck down coffee, and no one wants to smell that)

Kind bars

Water bottle

Hard folder for brain sheet and notes

Reading glasses

Student ID badge

Now for work, I also carry:

Pulse ox

Manual BP cuff- reg and large

Temporal thermometer

Stuff to study (getting my certs), depending on the pt

Multiple ID badges, since I have a few PRN jobs

Stuff I'd pick up at work:

IV line plugs

Saline flushes

Alcohol wipes

Empty 10mL syringes (for DCing Foleys, which happens a lot on some units, like postpartum)

Somehow it always feels like my bag is infinitely more full than this.

For clinical I carry a drug book, stethoscope, pens, pencils, penlight, gum, clipboard, any paper work we have to fill out while we're there, notepad, a water bottle, and a snack in my bag. I keep my car keys and some money in my pockets. (don't want them stolen!)

Don't over-pack your clinical bag!

My facility doesn't have room for everyone's rolly-bag, drinks, massive textbooks, etc.

In my scrub pockets, I carry my stethoscope (no need to drape around your neck--just pocket the thing), penlight, multi-colored pen, retractable Sharpie, small notepad that functions as my nurse "brain" for my patients (no big clipboard), med cards for my patients' current meds, phone so I can text my instructor when I'm ready for med pass.

I gather patient care supplies--NS flushes, alcohol wipes, sterile caps--from the med room at the beginning of the shift.

In the actual bag that stays locked up in a random office on our floor--folder with pertinent clinical post-conference stuff, skills checklist, water bottle, lunch from home, granola bar, Altoids.

I don't bring textbooks or drug references. Too bulky and my facility has e-resources that are easily accessible to students. I would recommend getting comfortable with your facility's resources/references ASAP. It's faster than fumbling for a book or a phone app.

Just be sure to offload unused supplies before you leave!

Good luck--you'll figure out what works for you :)

Well. I'm not a nurse so I don't really brings stuffs like nurses do. But I have this small kit which has first aid kits. Got thermometer, alcohol, band aid and tissue.

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[TD=class: xl66, width: 253]Catherine J. Davis

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