What's In Your Pocket?

[AmyD_RN]

wanting to hear from you first year nurses about what you carry in your pockets and why, what could you not live without. I know I need a good watch, stethescope, hemastats, ............what else?

[UM Review RN, ASN, RN]

I have a red pen and a black pen in my left shirt pocket. Nothing else there, so I'm not fumbling to write.

In the right shirt pocket, I have a yellow highlighter, possibly an extra pen (or two), my bandage scissors, a couple of alligator clips, a 2X2 (at least one patient per night will pull the IV on the way to the bathroom and make a bloody mess) and the work cell phone.

Right front pants pocket is my PDA (which doubles as my wallet, so I don't bring a purse to work at all any more) and my calipers.

Left front pants pocket is my own cell phone.

I carry my brains around with me. If I lose sight of them, I panic because I have a memory like a sieve.

ETA: Oh yeah, tape. It's right here somewhere....

[tatgirl]

I have scrub tops with 4 pockets. On any given day the contents of pockets are:

tape

alcohol prep pads

5 black ink pens ( I misplace pens very easily!)

bandage scissors

penlight

highlighter

finger lancets for blood glucose monitoring

gum/mints

my report sheet

Wendy

[tatgirl]

lol oh yeah also

watch on my wrist

stethoscope around my neck

Wendy:doh:

[AmyD_RN]

I carry hemostats, scissors, pens, dry erase marker for pt boards, car keys, cell phone(turned off of course), alcohol pads, bandaids, cheat book got from the army recruiter that came to my school all kind of neat things you need to know at times. My patient list with why they are hear. My badge has my locker key on it. Stethoscope around my neck and watch on my left wrist.

If your phone is off why carry it?

AmyD RN

[FreshRN05]

alcohol swabs

IV tubing caps

pen light

pens (red and black)

pencil

highlighter

syringes

sodium chloride

bandaids

tape

kelly clamp

bandage scissor

mints

cell phone (unit allowed)

critical lab slips

blank piece of paper

[readysetgo]

How do you like your PDA on the job? I thought about getting one..

[AmyD_RN]

love love the extra pens for loan outs!!!!!!!!! great ideas!!!!!!

[Altra, BSN, RN]

Left scrub top or jacket pocket: 2 rolls of tape & tourniquet, sometimes a granola bar, and probably that other 1mg of Dilaudid that a pt. will need 30 minutes from now.

Right pocket: trauma shears, small notebook & pens.

Pants pocket: lip balm, lipstick, & money.

[lovingtheunloved, ASN, RN]

Totally not what the OP wanted to know, but I have to add. I'm a CNA on an Alzheimer's unit, and by the end of my shift I have pens, hand sanitizer, etc...rocks, silverware, a handful of grass, a small cup, razors, fake flowers, candy bar wrappers (they were gifts) a hearing aid, and just about anything else that will fit in my pockets. I have to unload before I go home!

[MIA-RN1, RN]

Right shirt pocket: a couple black pens, alcohol wipes, usually some change for the pop machine, chapstick. I also find other little things in here--gloves, sometimes IV caps etc.

Left shirt pocket: gum and/or mints, sometimes a small bag of M&M's, folded up pieces of paper with notes on them, small spiral notebook.

Right pants pocket: Small wallet w/ my credit card, parking pass, money etc

Left pants pocket: cell phone turned off.

[sabrn2006]

Anyone else have stuff fall out of your pockets whenever you bend over?.....i.e. to empty a foley..... LOL. Hate that! I like the cargo scrub pants with pockets down the sides but only own one pair of those.

I clip my hemostats on the bottom of my shirt with rolls of tape looped around it.

My stethoscope goes on a "hip clip"

In my pockets are black pens, red pen, highlighter, alcohol prep pads, bandage scissors, my worksheet (brains), notes for charting, carpucject, 3ml ns flushes, lip balm. Sometimes other stuff ends up in there, though.

[AmyD_RN]

Can anyone answer??? why a cell phone and how usful is a PDA???