Hi Everyone! Thank you so much for coming to the blog. This probably comes as a shocker, but I actually graduated with my Bachelor of Science in Nursing when I was just 20 years old (NO I WAS NOT OLD ENOUGH TO TAKE CELEBRATORY SHOTS WITH MY FRIENDS).
Anyway, if you're a baby student nurse, or in nursing school, I wanted to share some products that helped me survive nursing school and clinicals. Without further ado, here we go. I actually want to start my showing some pictures of the items that I'll be recommending. They are VERY OLD PICTURES from 2017-2018 that I took off snapchat, so don't mind the funny captions and bad quality. But at least you know I truly used these products and highly recommend them.
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DISCLOSURE: THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. This means that if you use my links to by one of these awesome products, I get a commission at no expense to you :)
1. NURSING CLIPBOARD
If there is ONE thing you get from this recommendation list, THIS IS IT. I can't tell you how many times this clip board has COME in handy because of the cheat sheet on the back.
If you need to reference conversions, EKG strip measurements, lab values, injection sites, basically anything that pertains to nursing fundamentals (except for meds), this clipboard has it. I love that it folds as well, so you can fit them into deep scrub pockets or even your fanny pack. I would highly highly highly recommend this clipboard.
If you have to get it in your school colors, then you're in luck. It comes in Black, Blue, Green, Lilac, Mint, Orange, Pink, Red, Grey/Silver, Teal, White, and Wine.
2. PEN LIGHTS
These were the pen lights I LIVED by in nursing school clinicals. These are the BLACK and WHITE pen lights that I have pictured.
I initially bought the pink and purple pen lights which was a HORRIBLE mistake. WHY? Because of HOW BRIGHT the lights were. Word to the wise, DO NOT buy the LED pen lights, because they are WAY too bright to shine into a patient's eyes when conducting a neurological exam. If you have ever had a flashlight shined into your eyes, that's exactly what it's like.
However, the pen lights that I linked are dimmer and more tolerable for your patients, while still allowing you to evaluate the patient's eye reflexes. It also has a pupil gauge to reference during your exams. I would highly recommend buying this penlight pack, as it comes with six, and they're sometimes prone to getting lost (or STOLEN).
3. Bandage Scissors
Please, please, please DO NOT forget to have bandage scissors on hand. Imagine changing a patient's dressing and needing to cut your gauze. Of course, you can try to find one of the scissors in the kits in the utility closet. However, it's much more convenient to have bandage scissors on hand. If you have been in any rotation as a nursing student, you would understand. If you've just been accepted into nursing school or are still a baby nurse, take my word for it. It's also impressive to your preceptor and clinical instructor, if you come to clinical PREPARED with bandage scissors.
4. Stethoscope
Now, the type of stethoscope you'd want is really dependent on which specialty you're planning to go into. I stand by the Littman Brand, and have used both their classic and cardiology stethoscopes. The classic stethoscope monitors and assesses a wide range of patients, detects normal and abnormal sounds and rhythms, and is useful in non-critical care environments such as a medical office, ambulatory clinic, urgent care, etc. The MAJORITY of my classmates had this classic stethoscope.
All the stethoscopes have a stainless steel finish, but have different colored tubing choices, to match to your personality or school colors. They have:
Black Tubing Burgandy Tubing Carribean Blue Tubing Ceil Blue Tubing Champagne Rose Tubing Grey Tubing Lavender Tubing Lemon Lime Tubing Marine Blue Tubing Navy Blue Tubing Pearl Pink Tubing Plum Tubing Raspberry Tubing Turquoise Tubing
The stethoscope I used in nursing school was the Littman Master Cardiology Stethoscope, which has THE BEST acoustics out of ALL the Littman stethoscopes. What I liked about this stethoscope is that it was a lot more convenient and easy to use. Unlike the two sided chest piece models (as in the classic), the Master Cardiology Stethoscope features tunable diaphragm technology that lets you hear different frequency sounds by simply adjusting the pressure on the chestpiece.
When considering which stethoscope to buy, think about which specialty you're considering. I worked in a telemetry unit and PLANNED on going into the CVICU which is why I opted for the Master Cardiology Stethoscope. However, you truly get what you pay for, and these Littman Stethoscopes are an investment that will pay off in the future. Get a GOOD quality stethoscope in nursing school so you can truly HEAR the difference between the sounds.
5. Fanny Pack
If you are in nursing school, and you have clinicals, you should CONSIDER WEARING A FANNY PACK (if your instructor and uniform allow it). Back when I was in nursing school, Amazon DIDN'T have all these cute and affordable nursing fanny packs. So I was stuck using a regular gray fanny pack.
Had I HAD THE OPTION to choose a more effective fanny pack, I would have used something like this. It's not too bulky, and has NINE pockets to store everything you need. The worst thing to do is fumble around for a flush, injection gaps, gauze, alcohol pad, etc. HOWEVER, with a nursing fanny pack, you have everything organized and with you at all times.
They have it in Black, Blue, and Maroon
Conversely, if you want something a little more slick, small, and structured, this is a fanny pack I would recommend (and wish they had back when I was in nursing school). You can put your flushes into the main zippered compartment. But IF YOU ARE IN NURSING SCHOOL and use your foldable clipboard to do your nursing worksheets, the foldable clipboard will fit into the main pocket! There's SIX total storage compartments so your bandage scissors, pen light, pens, and sharpies can store in the front pockets. AND there's a REMOVABLE tape strap! So if you need tape on the go, all you have to do is pull the roll of tape, and cut. I could have benefited from this, big time.
They have Black, Black with TWO Zippers, Gray, Moss, and Purple (although it looks more like fuchsia to me).
6. HEMOSTAT
This is more so if you're NOT into the fanny pack look and you want something lighter that still carries your tape and injection caps. This is how I used to wear my hemostat.
As you can see, you slide both of your tapes over the skinny part of the hemostat, add your IV cap strip, then clamp the hemostat on to your scrubs. This way, you still have access to the essentials, but are traveling a lot lighter. Of course, this is just another option since I know not everyone wants to wear a fanny pack.
7. EKG CALIPERS
If you have a telemetry/cardiac rotation, calipers are essential for reading EKG Strips and determining if your patient may have a bundle branch block... If you don't know what that is yet, don't worry you'll get there eventually. I used to be a monitor tech on a telemetry unit, so I NEEDED these calipers.
I had a black pair because black and white are my favorite colors. But they also have blue and pink.
Well, that's just a few of my recommendations, and you most certainly DO NOT need to buy all of them. However, these are just a few things that helped making my nursing school experience a bit easier. I wish you the best of luck on your nursing school journey!
(I'm thinking of doing a mini blog on which nursing specialty I chose and currently work in, and how I would rank each of the clinical specialties in nursing school from most favorite, to least favorite. . . Shed some REALNESS with you guys )