What’s in My Nursing Bag?

As a new nurse, you want to be uber-prepared, ready for anything and super organized. Part of that is having a functional work bag stocked with things you may need during your grueling 12-hour shifts. I use a Timbuk2 bag, but any bag with lots of pockets and such will do. So, what’s in my bag?

• loads of black pens
• one lonely red pen for noting orders
• one multi-color pen
• a dry-erase marker for the white boards in the patient rooms (sometimes we run out)
• highlighters for making note of important items on my report sheet
• alcohol swabs (from emptying out my pockets at the end of the day)
• toothpaste (I have a toothbrush in my locker at work….but that’s a whole other post)
• 5-hr energy drink
• Lara Bars
• stevia (gotta have that coffee!)
• end caps (also from emptying out pockets)
• 3 penlights that broke almost immediately (WHY IS THIS???)
• 3 hemostats (one has no teeth)
• scissors
• end-of-shift gum (for pleasant report giving!)
• a pair of compression stockings for those tired legs
• hair clips and bobby pins
• cough drops
• miniature sharpies that hang from my ID badge holder
• girlie supplies
• a teabag or two
• back-up glasses in case I have to take out my contacts
• customized post-it notes with my daily To-Do list on them (more on this later!)
• a mechanical pencil or two
• eye drops
• pepper spray for that walk out to the parking lot after dark
• Aveda breath refresher drops (remember all that coffee???)
• stethoscope
• ID badge
• emergency $20

So…that may seem like a lot of stuff. I keep it organized by using smaller bags inside to keep things tidy. Here’s a couple of pics…what’s in your bag?

Inside of my work bag…all tidy!

The outside…I keep scissors, hemostats and my go-to pens in this outer pocker.

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