A Nurse’s Pockets

 

3am. Night Shift. Patients are sleeping. Charts reviewed. Documentations done. Extra duties performed.

 

Here’s to list down what’s inside my pockets right now. Just to keep me awake, otherwise, I’ll doze off.

 

1. a multicolored pen – I use three different pen colors on my endorsement sheets.
2. a yellow highlighter – This is to highlight the important tasks in my endorsement sheets.
3. a penlight – to check pupils in neuro patients and also to use as a light when entering patients’ rooms when patients don’t want to be disturbed by opening the lights.
4. my hospital ID clipped on the pocket – of course.
5. a pair of scissors – very dependable, should not go out on duty without.
6. 6 gauge 23 disposable needles – I need this to put an air vent when IV medications in glass bottles don’t infuse well.
7. my folded endorsement sheet – I might go crazy if I loose this while on duty.
8. my wallet – just in case I need money
9. my cellphone – somebody might call me
10. a hanky – to clean my oily face in the later part of the shift.
11. medication trolley key – each nurse has their own key
12. disaster pager – tonight I was the one assigned to hold the pager
13. 2 3-cc syringe – to aspirate normal saline for flushing IVs
14. 1 normal saline plastic ampule – for flushing tubings before administering IV medications
15. micropore tape – always needed
16. my USB flash drive – co I could copy a document quickly
17. my pocket notebook – where I write step-by-step procedures, and phone numbers
18. a couple of alcohol swabs – to wipe vials, tubing ports
19. 2 tape removing swabs – used when removing tapes of infiltrated cannulas
20. some blank stickers – to label tubings
21. some garbage – caps of needles, and tubings

 

That’s all folks.

 

The stethoscope is on my neck, not on my pockets, just in case you’re looking for it…