1. Comfortable shoes and socks! As a student, I am always on my feet for most of the 8 hour clinical shift. From staying with the patient to get everything done to following them to all their tests and procedures, the only time I'm sitting is when I'm charting (and sometimes not even then!). The shoes I have are slip-resistant (I can't remember what brand) and my socks are Goldtoe and are thick so when you're on your feet a lot, they don't rub or wear thin.
2. Chapstick and water! The clinical locations I was at were always super dry so I always made sure I carried chapstick with me and had water handy. It's not fun to walk around all day with a dry throat and chapped lips.
3. Penlight. As a nursing student, we have to do a full assessment on every patient. This includes looking at their pupils during a neuro exam. I also used mine this semester to look at a healing skin graft on the back of a patient's throat. Using the big and bulky flashlights in the patient's room is not helpful or practical. Penlights are super cheap (I got mine for $4 at Scrubs and Beyond) and they come in fun colors! Mine matches my stethoscope.
4. Nursing Diagnosis handbook. Trust me, you will not remember that many diagnoses no matter how common sense they seem and you will be left with 15 minutes to come up with ten full diagnoses before you have to give your oral report and submit a concept map. You will thank me later.
5. Hair tie. Because, really, who wants their hair all up in someone else's bodily fluids?
Thanks for joining me!! :) I love it. And your list is perfect.
ReplyDelete(Maybe next year we'll get more people involved!)