There are certain things that I always carry in my pocket.
1. Mini Mag Light – for looking down throats and into other dark places, also very useful for finding dropped toys in movie theaters
2. Pocket knife – indispensable for multiple things, used most often for opening packages
3. Chap Stick – for softening my lips right before I walk in the door and say hello to Mrs. WhiteCoat
4. USB drive/SD card – I have a MicroSD card with a USB reader and a MicroSD to SD adapter so I have a backup for my camera. On the MicroSD card I keep an encrypted file with all my important data/PowerPoint lectures/etc., and I have an installation of PortableApps all set up as a backup for my keychain thumb drive if I need it.
At work, I also keep my Palm Pre loaded with Epocrates and MediPDA (plus internet bookmarks for other sites) and I keep my trusty stethoscope which doubles as a reflex hammer. That’s about all I carry with me.
Someone commented that they thought it was strange that I always have a flashlight with me. So I started wondering …
What do you carry in your pocket?
Very similar:
Swiss Army Knife
Small LED flashlight
iPod Touch instead of a PDA
I don’t carry around a thumbdrive anymore since my hospital disabled all the USB ports in the name of IT security….
Want to save some room in your pocket? Lose the knife and get one of these:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/tools/6d98/
Especially if all you do with the knife is open packages.
or these –
http://www.medgadget.com/archives/2010/02/surgeon_in_haiti_finds_some_items.html
iPhone, trauma shears, pen & while not at work I also carry my Ruger LCP.
Get an iphone and you don’t need the flashlight. I’m surprised the hospital allows knives. I had to quit carrying a knife because the bailiffs don’t like it.
Have you ever seen hospital security?? And there is no detector at the entrance. I pack heat every day
I keep a pocketknife, keys, and smartphone on me whenever I leave the house. At work I carry a small holster with trauma shears, flashlight, gloves, reflex hammer, and a spare pen.
Great post…I don’t carry a thing except my pen and a stethoscope. If I need anything else, including your list of things, it can be retrieved within seconds in our doctor stations. I don’t wear a white coat, though, which I think facilitates me not carrying too much.
Earplugs
Oh, the EDC thread has finally come here…
Keys
Watch
Benchmade Griptilian knife
Nexus 1 cell phone with Epocrates
Swiss Card Lite multi tool in the wallet
4Sevens Quark MiNi Titanium flashlight (tinyurl.com/ykhls9t)
And, when I’m not at work, a CZ P01 9mm.
Carmex, tissues, iphone, motrin/tylenol and gum, safety pins, retractable pen a ziplock with baby wipes.
That is on my person. In the car, I carry a little mini “kitchen sink” bag. 9×4x4. small tweezers/scissors with magnifier, assorted bandaids,powder propel/gatoragde packets, motrin/tylenol, benadryl…mini sewing kit, tape,sunscreen stick, antacid, Immodium, and and inhaler for one kid, a butane flicker, and last- the pen light.
Got the “cures” for most normal maladies.
As a nurse, my pockets are jammed with all kinds of goodies: alcohol swabs, skin prep, NSS flushes, blunt needles, filter needles, penlight, scissors, hemostats, tape, Android phone (with merck medicus — best freebie out there), hospital phone, pens (black, red), highlighter, O2 tubing connectors, & any meds I decide to temporarily hold. Most of it is neatly shoved into a geeky pocket organizer. Unfortunately, the bulging pockets make me look pregnant.
I carry my palm T5, stethscope, a pen, and my netbook to connect to the hospital EMR.
Handkerchief. While 6 years of allergies shots as a teen made a world of difference I still get more sniffly than anyone else I know.
I carry things very similar to WC although I also have hemostats (they come in handy for SO many things) and a host of references (ACLS, PALS, NRP, critical care sheet made by my hospital, EMRA Antibiotic guide)- but I’m just an intern so the raft of reference sheets are to be expected.
I do carry a flashlight in the form of a LED penlight- it took me forever to find a version that takes replaceable AA batteries. I found myself losing the disposable ones WAY too often and it was a pain when they ran out so quickly and you had to replace them by stealing…I mean BUYING…another one…plus the LED is so much brighter than the bulb on the disposable ones…
I was on a call to-day, so I’ve got
Wallet
A Swiss Card in the wallet
CRKT Van Hoy Snaplock
Home, office, and car keys
2 GB flashdrive on the keychain
A Victronox Classic SD knife on the keychain
Handkerchief
Assorted change
8 x 57 mm cartridge
Fountain pen
Box of matches
Passport
Sunglasses
a .45 and four full magazines
Mini Mag-lite
kershaw blur knife
wallet
keys with led light & another small blade
bandana
pocket bible
notepad
pen
cell phone
Gum
trade in the chapstick for some lipstick
Nothing but a few business cards and guaiac in the whitecoat. Usually get to hot in the whitecoat so have to hang it up.
Do have a fanny pack for nights that holds a Glock 9mm.
I carry my phone, a mechanical pencil, a breakaway lanyard with about 20 freaking keys, another set of “van” keys in my pocket, a flashdrive, and random crap like psychotrophic pills, coins, “funny” money, receipts, random crap (psychotrophic pills) that my clients leave around.
And a diet coke, just like Dr Grumpy!
This is just the crap I carry around….the purse is locked up!
Scissors, pens, sharpie (damifino why) nss flushes, alcohol preps, chloraprep, calipers, penlight, keys, phone and folded “brain” sheets…
at home: Wallet, spare mag, p250, keys, dog biscuits, leatherman.
So far, I’ve managed not to bring the heat to work. yet…….
I like the dog biscuits!
OK, so I’m just a dumb Canadian, but what’s with doctors/nurses carrying guns around? Don’t you see enough bullet trauma as it is? Not that I’m against the right to bear arms, just surprised that so many medical professionals are making use of it. Oh, and by the way, William, 4 extra magazines? A bit excessive perhaps? That must really weigh you down. I bet if you cut it down to three, you’ll still make it home safe and sound.
It really is a different world up here. In my city (Think recent sporting events), I cannot legally own any type of pistol. But there are still a hell of a lot of shootings. Ironic, eh? So much for Canadian gun control laws.
What was my point anyways?
We carry because we DON’T want to be the victim. We’d rather not have to use it, but we’d rather use it then be the victim.
As you can tell from my internet handle, I am a CORONER. Because of my actions, there are people in jail and people on death row. Some of them resent it. I have gotten death threats. If I were expecting trouble, I would be carrying a long arm, but that’s kind of showy.
And yes, four mags are heavy. It is a lighter burden than regret or what my casket would be. It is MY life I am betting here, and I will take whatever steps I need to.
Seeing as you are carrying a .45 that fourth magazine is probably easier to justify too.
Due to working in higher education carrying isn’t an option for me legally or professionally (especially in the humanities). When I’m backpacking in bear country though… a .44 and range time is cheaper than life insurance or an air ambulance and years of surgery.
I have been stalked by druggies I denied. I have been threatened by gang bangers when a member died. It is not uncommon for staff to get assaulted. Hospitals are a soft target for terrorism, or anything else. Hospital security is usually a few old men that limp and have no weapons. Very few people know I have a Glock in my bag…those that do know are glad.
The mag light is a good idea, however I would probably use my pen torch.
I carry:
2 pens
Spare pair of gloves for bloody pts (or to make glove elephants for peads)
ID card
Change
Mobile
Lip gloss (essential!)
Tissues
Stethoscope
Tape
Interesting ECGs or notes about what I need to look up collected from the shift
Stickers (for pead pts)
eh. epocrates on my iphone, trauma shears.
but i’ve never been much of a packrat.
It seems your discussing medical pockets and I don’t have any… but in a regular random pocket ..maybe a tissue or loose change.
It’s my pocketbook that basically has my life in it ..depending on the size.
A couple of days ago I went to the doc’s office and was dropping stuff all over because I had a lot in my hands, my scarf was falling off when I tried to hoist the strap over my shoulder on a leather coat, but the weight caused it to fall down and I dropped the water bottle twice ..wetting the chair in the waiting room ..well 2 different chairs ..1 on each side of the waiting room, the book and the heart shaped Longaberger basket. In the purse was a full unopened jar of … and I am realizing this is turning into a post. Thanks for the inspiration!
Non medical anyway ..unless you count one afternoon in a urology office qualifying my unsaid pocketbook contents as medical through association.
Wallet
Bottle of Purell
4 gb flash drive
Keys w/ flash light clipped on
Cell phone…not a smartphone
Sunglass clips w/ cloth case
Pens, laptop, calculator, gameboy, magazine, book, and all that jazz I keep in my backpack which I always have on if I’m out.
Doc,
A few of us hit this meme a few weeks ago
http://newlifechanges.blogspot.com/2010/02/meme-bandwagon.html
You should feel grateful that every item of clothing (well, alright, not so much underpants) designed for you has pockets. I have to resort to carrying around an overstuffed, medium-sized handbag. Suppose it does mean I don’t leave things in my other pants though.
A multitool and a USB drive, though the USB drive I don’t use much. I miss my cellphone that had a torch on it (left it on the bus and noone ever handed it in). Panadiene. A pen (no paper, I can always write on my hand). Bandaids. Notes on which bus/train to catch when from where.