Nursing is one of many industries and professions that needs specific equipment and supplies to perform its duties effectively and efficiently.
The patients view nurses as superhumans. A new nurse should take a number of crucial steps to ensure a successful career launch after graduating from nursing school. Do you know what tools do nurses use?
Along with crafting the ideal resume and submitting applications for entry-level nursing jobs, you should equip yourself with the appropriate nursing tools to help you in your job search.
Early in your career, having the proper tools allows you to hone your skills while providing patients with attentive care, demonstrating your value to an employer.
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What Are Nurse Tools?
Nurse tools are implements, materials, apparatus, and mechanisms that aid in the efficient performance of nursing duties. They make it easier and more accurate for you to assess patients, provide care, and maintain health records. While some nurse tools allow you to personalize how you use them, others are frequently incorporated into standard operating procedures in healthcare facilities like hospitals and other care facilities. Your daily tasks and obligations as a nurse depend on the tools you use.
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Importance Of Nurse Tools
Nurse tools are essential because they enable you to deliver excellent patient care and be ready for any emergency. Your ability to complete a task, fulfill a responsibility, or provide care for a patient successfully depends on having the right tool. Your nursing tools can save a life by taking vital signs and giving emergency care. They support you in maintaining important patient information, keeping track of tasks, and collaborating with others in the medical field. Regardless of your nursing specialty or level of experience, using the right tools can help you complete tasks more quickly and effectively.
10 Essential Equipment & Tools For Nurses
1. Shoes
You spend a lot of time standing around as a nurse. Your feet will be the first to alert you if you’re wearing the incorrect footwear. The wrong shoe can have a negative impact on your long-term health in addition to leaving you in pain and with a sore foot. Some of our favorite shoes for nurses include:
- HOKA One One
- Crocs
- Dankso
2. Scrubs
You essentially live in your scrubs, whether you work long hours for a few days or short hours for several days in a row. Why shouldn’t they feel at ease? Great scrubs are functional as well; they have a ton of pockets, are sturdy, and are fitted in all the right places. Our favorite scrub brands include:
- Dickies
- ScrubStar
- Cherokee
3. Compression Socks
Increased support throughout the feet and legs is achieved by compression socks, which also help to reduce swelling and improve blood flow. You can work for longer periods of time on your feet and experience less discomfort. Additionally, compression socks are available in a variety of patterns to reflect your personality or build rapport with your patients. Our favorites include:
- SB Sox
- Physix
- Bombas
4. Bag
Scrub pockets are useless in negating the necessity of a really good bag. A bag can keep your hands free while providing you with everything you require, from carrying personal items like your wallet, keys, and phone to carrying life-saving supplies like EpiPens and bandages. Some of the best bag brands for nurses include:
- Nurse Mates
- Rothco
- N. Gil
5. Planner/Organizer
Maintaining organization not only benefits your mental health but also improves your abilities as a nurse. A planner can help you stay organized if your patient takes several medications throughout the course of the day at various times. You can jot down notes and create lists to keep your top priorities front of mind.
6. Medical Reference Book
Having a reference manual for things you’ve forgotten can help you continue to provide high-quality care whether you’ve just finished school or have been out of the workforce for some time. You might occasionally be the only one who has to make a choice. Having medical reference books or pocket guides can help you avoid making mistakes.
7. Sphygmomanometer
Sphygmomanometers enable you to quickly check your patient’s blood pressure in order to evaluate and track their condition. Patients aren’t always confined to beds. If you provide home health care, you might be spending time with your patients at a park playing with them, going to school with them, or just taking them out to lunch. A trustworthy sphygmomanometer can be useful for spotting problems while you’re out and about.
8. Stethoscope
Although there are many different styles and sound levels of stethoscopes, most nurses favor high-quality instruments. One of the most crucial items to always carry with you is a good stethoscope. Stethoscopes enable you to listen to the heart, lungs, and any other bodily sounds to identify abnormalities early, whether you’re at a patient’s home, at school, or in a clinical setting.
9. Technology
Technology facilitates your work, from dashboards that streamline paper trails to mobile apps that let you track your patient’s data in real-time. We use ContinuLink at Sonas to make it simpler for our nurses to clock in and out, get in touch with their patient’s families, and alert us to any problems. This not only results in less paperwork for you to complete at the end of your shift, but it also enhances the level of care that you can give your patient.
10. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
The importance of nurses’ health cannot be emphasized enough. Your ability to assist your patient in achieving health depends on your own state of physical, mental, and social well-being. For nurses, having enough PPE can make all the difference. Having enough PPE is not just necessary; it’s also important. Examples include masks that protect you from viruses and gloves that protect you from bodily fluids. It’s a requirement.
11. Tongue Depressor
To examine the mouth and throat of a patient, use these types of available straightforward tools to press down on the patient’s tongue. They are crucial to have in your supply kit because they are frequently disposable and made of wood.
12. Clipboard Folder
A calculator, timer, or alarm can all be kept in clipboard folders, which are compact closed cases that also have a paper clip for writing on. Many of them can now be folded to fit in pockets. At the bedside of a patient, they serve as useful writing surfaces.
13. Watch
A watch, whether digital or with a second hand, is necessary for nurses to time various aspects of a patient’s health, such as taking blood pressure, checking a pulse, or timing medications. Take into consideration donning a watch that you can clean.
14. Pocket Notebook
Keep a small notebook and pen nearby to record any instructions or notes from the doctor while diagnosing or keeping track of the patient. This makes sure you record precise figures, statistics, or other data to later add to patient charts or to consult while working a shift.
15. Pocket Reminder Charts
Important information is contained on pocket-sized laminated cards in pocket reminder charts so that you always have guidance to confirm or compare. Some pocket reminder charts include information on:
- Heart rhythms
- Injection locations
- Basic anatomy
- Lab draw orders
16. Hand Sanitizer
Although hand sanitizer dispensers are frequently located in waiting rooms, rooms, and hallways of medical facilities, it is still advisable to carry some on your person to protect both you and the patients from bacteria and germs. Consider carrying lotion as well because frequent hand washing and hand sanitizer use can often leave your hands feeling dry. As a nurse, having alcohol wipes on hand to clean up wounds, dressings, or medical equipment is a great idea.
17. Gum
Even though gum isn’t really a medical tool, it can help keep your breath fresh, especially since you interact with and get close to patients as a nurse. While having a piece of gum on your break can help you recharge and refresh during lengthy shifts, some facilities or medical units do not permit chewing gum while on the job. Carrying a toothbrush and toothpaste around will achieve the same result.
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