Nurse Top 10 Must Haves

When I first became a nurse I purchased a lot of items that I ended up not needing.  Now that I have been at it for a few years there are certain items that I rely on every shift.  Here is my list of top finds:

A good stethoscope is a must because if you listen with a crappy one you will immediately see a difference.  There are a lot of fashion brands that have cute tubing, but at the end of the day I want to be able to hear what is going on.  Littmann is the only brand I will use.  They make the Littmann classic stethoscope, which is a great price for the quality.  They make cheaper and higher end products, but even the under $100 stethoscopes are a good buy.  

When working 12 to 13 hours on your feet, shoes are extremely important.  Every nurse has a different preference, but I only use Sketchers Memory Foam.  I always buy without laces because I don't have time to worry about them coming untied. They only last for a couple of months, but can easily be found on sale.  

I can't live without my Multicolored pens. I write in black for shift 1, blue if I come back the next day, and red for stat orders and labs.  It is a really simple way to look at my brain sheet and know what is going on quickly.  

Every nurse needs a small bag to keep personal items close by.  I float a lot to other units, so I may not have time to go to my locker during a shift.  Having a small bag with my snacks and extra items makes it easy to have what I need anywhere.

If your badge reel breaks it becomes apparent how important a working reel is to charting. Most computers have badge tap functions, so being able to reel the badge back and forth for charting, opening doors, clocking on, etc. is vital. I keep extra ones in my small bag because they break every now and then.

During covid it was required to wear eye protection in airborne rooms.  I hate wearing the giant plastic shield.  I bought some Stoggles, but any cheaper brand works fine too.  Keep them around for emptying foleys and wound care.  Trust me I would rather wipe these glasses than be splashed in the eye with fluids. 

I don't wear compression socks every shift, but I try to at least once a week.  I love these sets of compression socks.  I tried other brands, but these are the most comfortable. I don't feel like ripping them off after one hour.  These are easy to wash and can go in the dryer.

During covid surges I started to wash my scrubs with Oxiclean laundry sanitizer.  You will ALWAYS find this in my laundry room.  It kills 99.9% of bacteria and viruses.  After reading that studies show nurses scrubs still had MRSA and c-diff on them after washing I researched how to sanitize.  I don't know if it gets everything off, but I put this in with the scrubs and set the washer to pre-soak if I had a particularly treacherous shift.

Nurses are required to park in the farthest parking lots, which can mean a decent walk in the morning.  I keep rain boots in my car because I freak out if my socks get wet.  These are my favorite from Marleylilly because they are monogrammed and they make matching for girls so I have some for my daughter as well.  I just bring my Sketchers in a bag with an extra set of socks if I know a huge downpour is coming.

Most of my patients are on telemetry and occasionally I get a rhythm that is tricky.  I don't keep these on my badge, but in my bag I keep EKG reference cards.  They are a great reference to have when trying to figure out an odd rhythm.  

These are the things I can't live without as a nurse.  I hope this helps someone! My website is supported by users like you.  I may receive commissions from affiliated links.  Please comment on your favorite things as a nurse!  Please email with any questions or concerns.