As thousands of new nurses join the workforce each year, tons of essential products are geared toward making their lives easier. But whether you’re a new or experienced nurse, you might miss out on comfortable additions to your everyday work attire that will help you work 15-hour shifts without batting an eye.
If you’re ready to step up your work look and comfort game, check out the tools you need to ensure your day goes as smoothly as possible, support you as a medical professional, and keep you confident.
1. Scrub Jackets
Scrub jackets re exactly what they sound like —jackets that go over your scrubs. If you’re working in a colder city and you need a jacket to keep you warm on your way to work, or at work in a chilly hospital, scrub jackets are the answer. These stylish layering essentials look professional, match your scrubs, and add a touch of personality while keeping you warm. You can find scrub jackets in a ton of unique colors with warm materials, zippers, pockets, and other functional details.
2. Custom Scrubs
You may already have a scrub lineup that you love, but are they all monogrammed with your name or initials? Add your credentials under your name on the front pocket to take your workwear to the next level.
This is also a great way to build your wardrobe if you’re starting. Custom scrubs are about more than just your name. Most companies also help you personalize colors, patterns, details, cut, and fit to create an outfit that truly represents you and your career!
3. Bamboo Socks
You might think that any old athletic sock is good enough for spending hours on your feet — but you’re dead wrong. It would help if you had a highly moisture-wicking, breathable, and odor-minimizing sock. Bamboo socks are made of a unique, sustainable material that delivers!
You can also opt for toe-separating socks, which bring another level of comfort to your day. By separating each toe, you don’t have to worry about sweat and grime building up for hours and making your feet uncomfortable. These socks also offer compression and arch support to ensure standing all day isn’t such a chore.
4. The Right Shoes
Studies show that the average nurse walks about 8,000 steps each shift — that’s about four miles! Don’t let your bamboo socks be the only thing protecting your feet from possible diseases and all that walking. Get the right shoes for the job with specialized nursing shoes, like clogs or ultra-padded sneakers. Look for a pair that offers a lot of support for your ankles and cushions your soles to reduce strain.
5. A Carry-All Bag
Nurses need a lot of supplies to ensure they’re prepared for whatever the shift brings. While some nurses prefer scrubs with tons of pockets to carry all their essentials, there is another option. With a bag, you have something that’s easier to carry around. It also provides convenient access and more organization than the various pockets in your uniform.
You can personalize your tote to match your scrubs, broadcasting that this is part of your workwear and ensuring you always know which bag is yours. Choose the color and material before personalizing it with your name and credentials.
6. Water Bottle
In the past, a disposable water bottle would have been acceptable to keep you going throughout your shift. But, with today’s concerns about environmental sustainability and microplastics entering your body, you may want to turn to a reusable tumbler to keep you hydrated. You’ll also enjoy a bottle big enough to get the recommended 60 ounces of water daily to keep you healthy.
Forget finding a plastic disposable bottle in that size. Focus on a reusable tumbler that keeps your water cool and your coffee hot so you can rehydrate throughout your shift—even if you’re working a double shift.
7. A Blanket
Whether it’s another COVID surge or a local emergency, a crisis can strike any moment, and you may need to stay overnight at your hospital. Don’t rely on hospital materials to keep you comfortable if you need to grab a nap. Bring your blanket and set yourself up for comfort.
Choose a blanket cozy enough to ensure you fall asleep in moments and catch all the shut-eye you need right away. Even better, you can customize your blanket to match your scrubs or embroider it with your name, initials, and credentials!
Pack Up Your Gear
Do you already have all these essentials in your arsenal? Amazing! You’re prepared for anything and ready to go. But, if you find yourself missing a few things or want to upgrade your most essential accessories, use this list to start shopping.
Share this list with other nurses to guarantee everyone on your team feels their best.
Heart-stopping moments don’t just happen in the OR. As a nurse, you may be called upon in emergencies without access to an AED (automatic external defibrillator) or other equipment. Ensuring CPR certification means you are on hand with the knowledge to help save a life in or out of the hospital.
Debunking 5 Big Myths About CPR
Although most people know CPR and how it can save lives, wrong information often hinders effective aid. Do you think these, even to yourself?
Someone Around Me Will Know CPR
Most Americans know CPR increases survival rates for myocardial infarctions, but only 2 out of 5 would be willing to perform it. Why won’t people help with a procedure they know can be the difference between life and death?
The one reason cited for not rendering aid is a lack of confidence in proper CPR procedures. CPR certification addresses this issue and provides a way to save a life when others won’t step in.
The EMTs Will Render Aid When They Arrive
EMT arrival highly depends on traffic, weather, and location, with 1 in 10 people waiting more than 30 minutes for an ambulance. Even response times of fewer than 10 minutes may be too late when someone has suffered a heart attack.
Survival rates decrease 7-10% every minute CPR is delayed. Bystander help can double or triple survival, but you must act quickly. The rule of thumb is that you are the help until help arrives.
No One Dies From Heart Attacks Now
While increased efforts in prevention are laudable, they can promote the idea that heart attacks are not fatal in this modern age. But cardiac disease, including myocardial infarction, kills the most Americans every year compared to every other disease. Performing CPR is still the best way to respond and save a life.
Everyone Receives Equal Care and Help
Studies show that low-income and minority communities have much higher rates of death from heart attacks. This survival gap can be up to 19%, proving that CPR training is helpful and vital in disadvantaged areas. If you live or work in one of these areas, being confident in CPR and willing to assist is imperative.
Hospitals Have the Latest Equipment–We Don’t Need CPR
According to The Joint Commission, crash carts with missing or expired items make up the top three list of hospital problems. You cannot count on equipment to take the place of CPR training. When the AED fails, or the crash cart battery is dead, it is up to you to begin compressions immediately.
Why Certification is Crucial
You Forget What You Learned
You probably received CPR training in nursing school, but did you know that retraining and revisiting procedures are vital to rendering optimal aid? Your knowledge of methods and skills in administering CPR deteriorate as time passes since your initial training.
Procedures Are Updated Regularly
Also, remember that guidelines for CPR are updated as new research emerges, and you need to know what the latest findings advise to give the best help.
For example, in 2020, the American Heart Association released new guidelines on CPR for both in-hospital and out-of-hospital cases. Included are changes to the Adult CPR Algorithm and
Chains of Survival. If your training was before 2020, you must include these essential revisions.
But I’m not a cardiac nurse, you might say. According to specialist Diana-Lyn Baptiste, “every nurse is a cardiac nurse” because, quite simply, every patient has a heart susceptible to disease and infarctions. And crises can happen anywhere, in any ward.
Your Patient Outcomes Will be Better
Swiftly providing aid helps patient outcomes in the short run, but the effects don’t stop there. When nurses are certified in CPR, their patients exhibit improved outcomes from the time of the event to discharge.
Training also helps you stay calm when emergencies happen, and your attitude transfers to your patients, reassuring them amid what can be a terrifying episode.
Certification is Easier Than Ever
You used to have to spend hours at in-person training sessions or pay for expensive certifications. But now, you can get CPR certification online and even study on your mobile phone at home or when you have spare moments during the day.
There are no textbooks or manuals to buy, no taking time off to attend classes, and your workplace might even pay for your training. The convenience of online certification makes it a no-sweat, no-hassle way to level up your skills and resume.
What better way to contribute to the well-being of yourself, your patients, and your workplace?
Having CPR certification lets you act with speed and confidence in a crisis. Think about it this way: if you or a loved one were having a cardiac event, what kind of person would you want to help?
With the holiday gift season approaching, it’s a great time to start thinking about how to show appreciation to your favorite colleagues. Positive nurse-to-nurse relationships can profoundly impact your experience working in healthcare. Gift exchanges are common in many workplaces, so why not plan one with your nurse colleagues? Here are some options for the best nurse-to-nurse gift exchange ideas.
Make Their Shift Easier
As their coworker, you know best what makes their shifts easier. Pay extra attention in the next few weeks to see if your fellow nurses have any consistent complaints. Does one of them keep losing their water bottle? Or, another could benefit from new shoe inserts to stay comfortable during a long shift.
Think about anything your colleagues might talk about wanting, like a phone sanitizer, a new journal, or a personal massager. If you pay close enough attention, you’ll often realize people talk about the gifts they’d like to receive. As their nurse colleague, you have a unique opportunity to spend much time listening to them!
Show some sparkle
Show Some Sparkle
Although not every nurse can wear jewelry during a shift, Christmas jewelry gifts are always a thoughtful choice for a colleague. There’s a wide range of jewelry for various budgets, depending on what you’re comfortable spending. Has a fellow nurse done something that genuinely impacted your career or overall experience in healthcare in the past year? This is an excellent opportunity to get them a slightly nicer gift than you might get from another colleague.
As you know, nurses often go under-appreciated despite the work they do. It’s important to show your colleagues the appreciation you want to be shown. A beautiful bracelet or pair of earrings can go a long way—every time your coworker wears their gift, they’ll be reminded of your appreciation!
Help Them Relax
After long shifts on your feet all day, going home, changing into comfortable clothes, and relaxing are the best feelings. As a nurse yourself, you know what helps you most! Consider sharing your secrets and giving your coworkers some of your favorite end-of-day comforts. Aromatic candles, bath bombs, fuzzy socks, comfy sweaters, and cozy blankets make great gifts, especially in the wintertime.
It can be easy to overthink gifts, especially for colleagues you don’t know very well on a personal level. However, remember you’re at an advantage—you work the same job! You know what helps you relax after a long day of work, and your nurse colleagues will likely appreciate you sharing any of that with them. It can be a good idea to include a sweet note with your gift explaining how you benefit from it yourself. This way, they’ll feel touched by you, believing they’d also benefit.
Bring the Team Closer
The nurses you’re exchanging gifts with are likely part of the same team. Take the holiday gift-giving season as an opportunity to bring the team closer together with matching presents. This doesn’t have to be anything fancy unless you want it to be. Even getting your team of nurses the same pair of fun socks, nursing-themed or not, can be a thoughtful gesture. Or, consider personalizing the same gift for everyone.
For example, many reusable water bottle brands will personalize their products with names and gifts like sweatshirts, key chains, and more. You can even take it a step further by using nicknames instead of their full names to show you’re paying attention.
Make It Yourself
Are you still paying off nursing school loans and not in a position to be spending a lot of money on gifts? Or, do you have so many nurse colleagues that it wouldn’t make sense to pay for a gift for each one? Plenty of gift exchange ideas only require you to spend a little money while still being thoughtful and putting a smile on your fellow nurses’ faces.
If you love to bake in your free time, homemade sweets are always an excellent idea. You can even give them a fun, decorated “coupon” that explains you will take on a shift for them if they ever need to be covered!
Appreciate your coworkers (photo credit: Cottonbro Studio)
Appreciate Your Coworkers
According to researchers at Xavier University’s School of Nursing, nurse-to-nurse relationships impact the nurses involved and can also affect the quality of patient care. Moreover, the quality of nurse-to-nurse relationships in the workplace determines whether someone remains in the profession. If you appreciate your colleagues, consider participating in a gift exchange this holiday.
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