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Writer's pictureNurse Karl

Nurse paraphernalia!

Updated: Apr 8, 2023


What equipment/gadgets do you have on you when you are working the floor?

Here are some of the items I always have on hand and others that may or may not suit you - You decide!


Click on the Links to see where you can buy them and to help start your search if you want something a bit different. Personally, I am a HUGE Amazon fan because it feels like one-stop shopping and with Amazon Prime, my shopping is at my door in no time. Plus, if you have been out shopping much lately, you will see that a lot of store don't carry everything in stock.


PEN I like the standard click ball-point pens and I usually carry at least 2 in blue or black.

(This is because I tend to lose at least one by leaving it somewhere or letting a patient have it...but I also tend to pick up pens that are lying around too!) Colors are great for your own notes, but if you have to sign any official documents they should be in blue or black ink. Gel pens write so smooth and I love them, but...they smear or can bleed onto your clothes if the tip is left exposed and tucked into your pocket : ( ...I have ruined several scrubs this way


MARKERS I also carry a dry erase marker to update care boards. It would be nice if each patient room had one, but they tend to walk away. It's better to have your own on standby. Sharpies are sometimes needed to mark certain things, so I usually keep one in my bag, but not on my person. Make sure not to use a Sharpie on a dry erase board!


BADGE HOLDER/CASE if you don't get a company issued badge holder or even if you do, you may want to upgrade to one that will last longer. You can get plastic protector sleeve in (horizontal or vertical) or go above and beyond and encase the entire ID in a silicone case with a clear front (horizontal or vertical); I really like these because they come in different colors and the plastic ring within the silicone keeps it from ripping where your lanyard or clip goes - even though it will pop out when stretched. I use the fully encased holder because working with babies, I have had on more than one occasion baby barf get into my plastic sleeve. Yuck! For the actual clip, I chose a clip with heavy duty line because prior to this, I have broken many clips with skinny string because either the string breaks or the retractable mechanism fails.



If you choose to use a lanyard, opt for breakaway types vs. the one-piece loop in case a patient grabs it and pulls on it.


STETHOSCOPE I started using Littmann stethoscopes by 3M in nursing school and have stuck with them for over 20 years. There are many different levels and I tend to go middle of the road. For Littmann, that would be the Littmann Classic III (photo 2). If you are on a budget, then the Littmann Lightweight II S.E. (photo 1) is a great choice. There are higher levels such as the Cardiology models (photo 3), but as I have lost several along the way, I don't like to spend $100s of dollars. Beware of who you lend your stethoscope to because mine have walked away around the necks of doctors on more than one occasion.



If you are working with kids or babies, the pediatric stethoscope will be better for the smaller bell. I like the Littmann Classic II or Adscope pediatric stethscope with interchangeable animal heads. Adscope also makes less expensive adult models as well.


Adscope pediatric stethoscope

There are lots of other brands out there and I have tried them out, but I always seem to go back to my Littmanns!


SCISSORS This is a nice to have item, but not essential. I would say if you are working out in the field or in the Emergency Dept, this is a very useful tool. Leatherman makes a particularly useful pair that is a multifunctional tool called the Raptor Response Emergency shears.




HEMOSTAT This is a nice to have item, but also not essential. Times when I have used it is generally having to do with stuck hubs in the IV line. If I do carry it, I like the short ones because they fit in my pocket and don't fall out as easily.


LIGHT A penlight is useful for checking pupils during neuro checks. Some hospitals will provide penlights. As a night shift nurse, I also had a light that clipped on my shirt.




Recently we got hospital issue Vocera cell phones that have a nice light feature as well as computer carts with a light that shines on the keyboard so I stopped carrying my own light.


During the pandemic and in ER, many nurses bought their own protective eyewear and scrub caps, but now many hospitals provide eye protection or face shields.


WATCH I like to use a wristwatch and some nurses use a retractable watch or a clip on watch. Either way, an analog watch works better to manually count respirations or heart rate. Make sure it has a second hand! Working night shift, I appreciate glow-in-the-dark watch faces and or watch hands and the date!



CLIPBOARD There is a handy lightweight aluminum folding clipboard made by Whitecoat that I use to hold my report sheet and other references. Alot of clinical references are online, but if your electronic system is not user friendly or it takes too much time to login, it is nice to have quick references in your clipboard. they come in many colors such as teal, coral, white, pink, blue, black, wine, red, lilac, army green, and silver. The clipboards also have a nurses cheat sheet on it.



Some nurses like to use a fanny pack (vertical or horizontal) like these from First Lifesaver for all their stuff.




Personally, i just like to wear scrubs with the 2 pockets and definitely scrub pants with the leg pocket. I usually also use a scrub jacket for more storage...and don't forget to empty your pockets before you leave!


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What else do you carry?

Are there any nurse essentials that I missed?



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