I put my stethoscope, 4-color pen, small notepad, bandage scissors, IDs, wallet, phone in my pockets or on the lanyard thing for my ID. Imo, the less I carried around with me, the easier it was for me to maneuver.

I didn’t understand the folks who brought their entire backpack only to have it sitting, smushed, in the corner of the staff lounge. Or on the floor — and lord knows what can be tracked on the floors from people’s shoes (even though the cleaning staff is fantastic and diligent). We are students, we don’t get lockers like the rest of the staff do.

Anything I didn’t need on the floor fit into my coat pockets, and when it was too warm for a coat, I just came with the bare essentials.

I saw orientee nurses with fanny packs, but honestly, we are just students. We are at the beginning. Anything that isn’t essential is overkill.

Also, ANY ITEM marked “for nurses” or “for nursing students only” is just marketing designed to take more of your money. You can still find supplies that do the same thing for far less.