7 Things That Always End Up In A Nurse's Pocket

Empty your scrub pockets at the end of a shift and you never know what you'll find. Here are the seven things that turn up most often.

1. Scissors

Wherever you're assigned, a pair of scissors saves time. Nurses tape and cut constantly: bandages, clothing, wrappers. Even if you never grabbed a pair, one somehow appears by the end of the shift. Ask any ER nurse who reached into a pocket mid-trauma and found bandage scissors they don't remember picking up.

2. Tape

If you've had a patient who keeps tugging at an IV line, you know to keep tape close. The catch is you never remember to take it out until you're home.

3. Candy wrappers

Twelve hours of nonstop work means you snack on the move. Candy fits in a pocket, you pop it in your mouth, and the wrapper goes right back in. By end of shift you've collected a small pile.

4. Pens

Pens appear and vanish at will, and they change color and type while they're at it. You start with a black pen and sign out with a four-color click pen you've never seen. Lose enough of them to coworkers and patients and you start gluing your photo to the barrel.

5. IV tubing caps

Breaks are short. When you're rushing back from one, you cap the line, pocket the cap, and wash your hands to save a step. Most nurses find one or two caps per shift, sometimes not until the scrubs hit the washer.

6. Alcohol pads

Alcohol pads earn their pocket space: cleaning IV ports, prepping skin before an injection, wiping down equipment. They also have a way of migrating right back into your pocket after you use them.

7. Tongue depressor

A tongue depressor isn't just for an oral exam. It also stirs your coffee or scoops your lunch when you forgot a spoon. Patients sometimes ask why it's in your pocket. The honest answer is usually that you skipped breakfast.

What ends up in your pocket?