Healthcare Essentials. Nurse must haves!
When the rest of the world steps back, your healthcare team steps forward! Today I’m sharing my nurse must haves, or really must haves for anyone in healthcare! These items could also make for a great gift to new graduates. Thank your healthcare team for their long hours of work, for putting themselves at risk to care for patients, for missing holidays with their family, and the list goes on! Please remember the smallest gesture and thank you makes such an impact to those in healthcare.
The most essential item: Scrubs. My favorite scrubs are from FIGS. They are the softest scrubs out there and provide style with the ‘joggers’ option too! Even if you have a dress code at your place of work, you can normally still wear the pants!
Compression Socks. I’m preventing those varicose veins by wearing compression socks. I wear this 6 pack from Amazon for $13.99. I’ve tried so many different brands, some were too tight and uncomfortable, but these provide compression and comfort for those long shifts on my feet!
Long Sleeve Under Scrub Tops. It can get chilly at work, and if you don’t have a ‘work’ approved jacket then these tops are a life savor! I use to wear my nice J. Crew long sleeves, but after a few bleach stain accidents I purchased specific work long sleeves at an affordable price. They’re soft and comfortable, even when I roll up the sleeves!
Badge Holder. You’re going to wear this badge of honor daily so you might as well use a cute retractable reel. The cost of one from Etsy is roughly the cost of buying one from your hospitals gift shop. My favorite is the Rae Dunn lettering RN.
Stethoscope Tag. Stethoscopes are pricey, and can be sentimental. For instance, my parents bought mine for me when I started nursing school and I would be so upset if I lost it! Purchase yourself a customized tag so it doesn’t get lost!
Stay Hydrated. From water to coffee, stay hydrated! These cups serve as a reminder to drink water. I also love the smaller size of the insulated cups. I know the smaller insulated tumblers are used for ‘wine’, but I use them for my coffee as it is the perfect size for one cup of coffee and it fits in my cup holder on my way to work! There is nothing worse than showing up at work with coffee stains on your scrubs and no coffee to drink!
Shoes. I wear regular tennis shoes for comfort. I wear tennis shoes that I would wear to the gym. The cloud foam from Adidas and Sketchers are my favorite. Many nurse wear clogs, but I do not find them comfortable. I actually find clogs difficult to walk in, as I’ve almost twisted my ankle in them before!
Pen. These all in one multi colored pens help me stay organized!
Bag. I sound really fancy for using a lulu lemon backpack as my work bag, but I also use it as my gym bag if I go to the gym before work, or I’ll use it as a travel bag. I also place my bag in a locker at work, so it is safe and sanitary! I justified this purchase by telling myself one day, it could be used as a diaper bag. Does anyone else do this so they can purchase an item guilt free haha.
I hope this blog was helpful for my healthcare girls out there! We are all in this together! This tee shirt from Etsy below isn’t an essential, but I think it would be the cutest gift for a new grad or a way to show the nurse in your life appreciation!
Stay Fearless Fam,
Michelle Foster