New Grad-Stepdown Nurse Shopping List

When I made this list, it made me laugh thinking about all of the “stuff” it requires to get me through a shift! While not everything is 100% necessary, I can vouch that each item below has made my work day that much smoother, I may be a high maintenance nurse, but that also makes me a productive & prepared nurse! ~So to me all of the following are totally necessary! 😉 and great gift ideas for the new nurse in your life…

• CUSTOM BADGE REELS | if you have to get a badge reel, why not get a good one?! there are so many options available and they are fun to switch out, good conversation starters with patients & an easy way to make your uniform a little more unique. Etsy has so many great options!
• MINI SHARPIE/EXP/HIGHLIGHTER | You’ve got to have these badge attachments! When I’m not at work sometimes I will catch myself clutching for my Sharpie! It’s a must for all the marks you make throughout the day- bandages, chest tubes, dressings, white boards…
• LITTMAN STETHOSCOPE | I love my Cardiology III stethoscope, its the one tool I can count on to always be able to hear the important stuff! Puts my other stethoscopes to shame
• HYDROFLASK WATER BOTTLE | 12 hrs is a long time… so you’ve got to stay hydrated! Hydroflask keeps things COLD and when you bring a real water bottle, you don’t have to worry about mixing cups or your drink getting thrown away
• STORAGE CLIPBOARD | For bedside rounding you’ve got to be able to be in the room and have a clean space to write, space is limited so I would rather have my board then lean against a wall or wet counter, and I store all of my clean prints of report sheets & preceptor notes in the bottom, this way I grab my clipboard at beginning of shift & I’m ready to go!
• FAST FACTS RESOURCE BOOK | Whatever specialty you go into, you’ve got so much to learn & that does require some studying on your part until it’s baseline, everyone thinks that the studying is left behind in nursing school but there is always so much more to learn! For Cardiothoracic Surgery this was the book for me! You won’t know everything right away but it’s good to have resources and more information
• JOURNAL | this is one of those things that I don’t bring to work, but I am so thankful to have at home… nursing is the craziest field- sometimes you want to remember everything or maybe even forget it! but either way sometimes you’ve got to vent/reflect & your family/friends can’t listen to every story 24/7 and most of your memories are NOT going to be Facebook status appropriate 😉 After particularly interesting days I journal & I like looking back and seeing the growth in my practice. Anything can make the journal- good, bad, sad, confusing, learning info…
• MINI NOTEBOOKS | At the beginning of your preceptorship, you will be learning so many things! Keep a notebook in your pocket so you can write down, learn & remember what you’re doing… keeping things is one place
• ALEGRIA KELI SHOE | There are so many nursing shoes out there… don’t sleep on Alegria! Very comfortable, love the slip on & my feet never hurt after! I’ve gone through lots of shoes & these are my latest favorite, on my 2nd pair!
• ELLO MEAL PREP SET | packing a lunch/dinner breakfast… I feel my best when I plan ahead, pack a meal & have good food waiting on me during a crazy shift, these glass containers are the best for staying organized, are the perfect size & easily heat up in the microwave -win, win!
• HAIR CLIPS | As much as I LOVE a pony tail, I’ve been adding these to the rotation, trying not to completely damage all of my hair
• PATAGONIA VEST | Vest is Best 😉 first you’re cold then you’re hot then you’re running around the unit, then you need more pockets… My vest is the perfect accessory for every situation! Can’t imagine a shift without!
• WARBY PARKER GLASSES | I made sure to get a work & home set of glasses… The work glasses are blue light safe and Warby Parker has so many affordable options! I like to keep things separate so I feel cleaner & I gave up on wearing contacts in the dry hospital environment, doesn’t work for me!
• ENSO RINGS | Don’t want to wear my actual rings to work, but don’t want to feel like I’m missing something on my hand all day, so Enso ring it is! durable, plastic, washable, no stress about losing it!
• FOLDABLE CLIPBOARD | I don’t use this as much anymore… but I would keep all of my report sheets together on it & fold it up to keep in my pocket, it’s nice to have your papers secure & close by
• APPLE WATCH | flash light, timer, activity levels, HR, quick way to see emails & texts without clinging to your phone, couldn’t live without my watch at home or work!
• SCRIBE PAD | a mini portable whiteboard for my badge! I use this for my I&O when I working around the room
• BIC WRITING PENS | These are my favorite pens to use at work, they don’t bleed & are smooth to write with, I got a big box to make sure I never run out! it’s the worst when you lose your pen!
• COMPRESSION SOCKS | I can never work a shift without wearing my socks, total life savers! don’t wait to start wearing compression socks, its the only way to keep your legs
• FIG SCRUBS | the scrubs you hate to love… lol they are expensive, somewhat pretentious but as much as I hate to say it- they’re SO SOFT, very durable & THE POCKETS are my favorite yet! I only have a few pairs of Figs, but I will continue to build my collection 🙂
• TELE TIES | My favorite pony tail holder! Holds my hair tight, never stretched out & easy to wash/clean
• POCKET RESOURCE GUIDES | At the beginning of work there is so much to remember! Don’t hesitate to keep what you need close by- EKG strips, lab values, ABGs