As an experienced nurse who has many years of experience taking care of ER, critical care, and telemetry patients, I have learned that I must be prepared for my shifts. Nurses need to be ready for just about anything, and having the right nurse supplies to succeed has never been more critical.
The nurse essentials on this list are the same things that I use daily and make my life easier as a busy nurse. Keep your professional game on point, and stay prepared for whatever your shift will throw at you!
(This list includes affiliate links. See our disclosure page for more information here.)
The Ultimate Top 30 Nurse Supplies & Essentials: The Complete List:
Scrubs are the universal uniform for nurses for a good reason. They are very comfortable, designed for long hours of work, allow for easy assess to tools (with pockets), and they are durable to withstand frequent washing,
Also, scrubs make it easier for patients to identify them. If you can choose the scrubs at your workplace, then you have any color options available. They offer a way to stand out from your co-workers as well.
One of the most important nurse supplies is the stethoscope. Whether you are trying to obtain a manual blood pressure or listening to lung sounds, every nurse needs to have a quality stethoscope. I bought a 3M Littmann Classic in nursing school, and I have been using it ever since. They are available in many different colors and have a non-chill rim, so your cold stethoscope doesn’t you don’t shock your patients and make them uncomfortable.
With so many stethoscopes in the hospital setting, it is very easy to get yours mixed up with another nurse. Having a stethoscope identification badge is the best way to prevent this.
You can use a fanny pack each shift to carry nurse supplies, including trauma shears, alcohol swabs, pens, a penlight, notes, and extra needles and syringes. Having a “hip pack” can help prevent nurses from having to make additional trips back to the supply room for things they might have forgotten. Nurses need to have the tools they need fast. Go ahead and embrace your inner nurse dork with a fanny pack.
The Apple Watch is a stopwatch, a timer, and allows you to set the alarm to remind yourself of tasks you may forget when your shift gets busy. It also makes it possible to receive and send text messages without using your cell phone on the unit.
But what many nurses love most about the Apple Watch is that it records how much you stand, exercise, and move throughout your shift (it breaks them down into colorful rings). You will also know how many total steps you walked in a shift. It’s nice to know how much exercise you get in the workplace!
If the Apple Watch is too expensive, consider getting a less expensive watch with a second hand. Having a second-hand makes it possible for nurses to track important patient vital signs such as respiratory and heart rate.
As an ER nurse, the Raptor Shears are my absolute favorite nurse tool. They look a lot like a fancy pair of scissors. But make no mistake, these very functional and handy shears are 6 tools wrapped into one, including:
medical shears
strap cutter
ring cutter
ruler
oxygen tank wrench
carbide glass breaker
Many nurses in the emergency room setting use Raptor Shears because they are so functional. You can hook it to a belt or secure it using the pocket clip. They also have a 25-year limited warranty and will last you throughout your nursing career or longer.
Keeping a nurse clipboard with you is an easy, secure way to keep confidential documents and medical notes. They give you something to write on while getting a shift report or while in a patient’s room. They also help you store needed writing tools, such as your retractable pen or highlighter.
If a fanny pack isn’t something you are into, you may want to consider getting a pocket organizer to store needed nurse supplies and tools. Knowing you have the supplies you need within your reach at all times will not only keep you calmer in stressful situations, but you will appear more professional as well.
Retractable 4 color pens are great for color-coding your work notes or written patient information. Having retractable pens are also lovely to have for when you are studying for certifications! You can keep a few in your workbag, pocket organizer, or fanny pack.
You will need a nurse penlight for assessing extraocular movements. And these are especially great because they have pupil sizes right on the pen for a more accurate assessment. You can’t complete a neurological exam correctly without them.
Many hospital units have vein finders for nurses to use, but it is still nice to have your own because they always seem to be lost or already in use. If you are working on a unit where you will be starting frequent IV’s (such as the ER), this vein finder is a nice-to-have item.
Patients need IVs so we can give them medications and IV fluids. You could look for a vein finder on the unit, but why waste that precious time when you can carry one with you?
The nurse brain is an extremely important nurse essential for the organization during a busy shift. Keep your patient’s information organized and in one place. These brain sheets include areas for: vital signs, medication times, assessment notes, labs, patient history, and space for free text and notes. This also makes a great gift for new graduate nursing students.
To prevent the spread of infections, nurses wash their hand’s dozens of times each shift and often use hand sanitizer in-between. Travel hand sanitizers are always great to have extra with you in case you need it.
With nurses washing their hands so frequently every shift, it is no wonder that so many suffer from dry skin. Whenever possible, use hand lotion to prevent dry, chapped hands and protect your skin’s barrier. Many nurses keep extra in their nursing bags and car to use whenever they remember.
Highlighters are useful for organizing patient medical information, highlighting discharge education, and studying for your specialty certifications. You can even hook these on your badge reel to have handy and make sure you don’t lose it.
Keep a portable nursing drug handbook to make it easy to find the most vital information on the drugs that you administer as a nurse most frequently. This is an excellent tool for helping you learn more about medications while you are on the go and help keep your patients safe.
You can also lookup generic and trade names for drugs, find black box warnings, understand safety information for medications, and help you teach patients about potential side effects of medications.
There are a lot of things nurses need to keep with them: ID, wallet, nursing supplies, notebooks, planners, other personal items, and nurse supplies that you might need. Your nursing shifts will be stressful enough as it is, so you will want to keep all of your belongings organized. A great nursing bag will help you keep all of your supplies in one place, so you don’t forget anything at home.
Having a badge holder makes it easy for you to display your ID to patients and other staff members in the hospital. Badge holders allow you to let others know who you are, and they don’t get in the way of your work the way lanyards do. There are also several personalized options to choose from.
If there is anyone who needs to be wearing compression socks, it’s nurses. After all, we are on our feet for 12 hours a shift! Compression socks are so beneficial for nurses because they prevent or reduce varicose veins, improve blood flow, and decrease blood clots’ risk. Many nurses even say that wearing compressions socks make their legs feel energized, even after a shift.
Many nurses don’t drink nearly enough water during their 12-hour shifts and end up going home wholly dehydrated. Therefore, nurses need a great sealable water bottle with them for each shift.
The Hydro Flask Water Bottle is a high-quality water bottle that can be used for many years and still look brand new. It is made out of food-grade stainless steel and is BPA free. Also, it has excellent insulation, which prevents condensation from forming on the outside of the bottle.
But the best part about the Hydro Flask Water Bottle is the TempShield Insulation, which keeps beverages at the same temperature for many hours (hot drinks for 6 hours & cold drinks for up to 24 hours!).
Regular coffee mugs won’t work for busy nurses working with patients. Nurses, who are seldom in the same place for more than a few minutes, must have a mug with a sealable lid.
The Hydro Flask coffee mug is a popular choice among many nurses. It has a leak-proof lid (when closed) for on-the-go activities. Also, drinks stay hot for up to 7 hours and cold for up to 18 hours with vacuum insulation.
“I just love eating hospital cafeteria food,” said no nurse ever. Most nurses learn very quickly that they need to prepare and pack their food for two reasons – hospital food usually isn’t delicious, and packing a healthy lunch in advance ensures that the nurse will eat healthier throughout their shift. Otherwise, when lunch comes, and they are so exhausted, there is a chance they might reach for some not-so-healthy options.
Use a lunch bag that is waterproof, leak-proof, super easy to clean, and lightweight.
Nurses are frequently walking around on hard and sometimes wet surfaces -especially in the hospital setting. The floors are regularly being cleaned in between patients, and there are occasional spills that can sometimes result in unintended nurse falls. Nurses must have great shoes because not having them can be an occupational hazard.
Nursing shoes also need to give great support, protect your back, reduce stress on joints, and be comfortable to wear for long periods.
A sphygmomanometer is a tool that nurses can use to take manual blood pressure measurements and to have an accurate, reliable instrument to diagnose hypertension accurately. This is a great tool to have in case you need to get a manual blood pressure.
Clogs are a staple of the nurse uniform. They can provide nurses with better support to minimize foot, ankle, knee, and back pain, which is very important as nurses can spend long hours on their feet with little downtime.
Your hospital will have a specific type of thermometer that you must use on patients. But as nurses, it is great to have a way to monitor a patient’s vital signs if we ever find ourselves in an emergency away from the hospital. Having an infrared thermometer is a great non-invasive way to monitor a temperature away from the hospital.
The pulse oximeter is a non-invasive method for monitoring a person’s oxygen saturation. If you work in a hospital or other healthcare facility, you will use your facility’s pulse oximeters. However, many nurses have a supply kit in case they need to check a patient’s vital signs in an emergency away from the healthcare setting, in which case, a mobile pulse oximeter is a great tool to have.
Nurses are lifelong learners and need personal computers to research and study. By achieving advanced certifications within your specialty, you can advance your career, earn more money, improve your nursing skills, and become an expert in your field. To do that you need a laptop computer to do your work. The healthcare environment is continually changing, and there is always something new to learn!
In conclusion
Nursing is a challenging profession, but if you work hard and have the tools you need to succeed, you will excel and continue to move your career in an upwards direction. Stay organized, keep learning, and take care of yourself in the process (just like how you take good care of your patients).
Most of all, know that you are a valuable contributor to what has been considered the most trusted profession for decades. Best of luck to you, nurse!
So you want to be a nurse and are thinking about the nursing school supplies you will need. First of all, congratulations! You are embarking into an incredible profession, filled with an enormous amount of career opportunities. As a nurse, you will give back to your communities, help patients during some of the most challenging times of their lives, help the sick regain their health, relieve patient’s pain, and even save lives. You will learn to be a healer in your community.
But to learn as a student nurse, there are several nursing school supplies and tools that you will need to have. Most of the nurse essentials on this list, you will be able to continue to use after you graduate and throughout your career as a nurse. So it is crucial to think of this list as an investment towards your entire career in nursing – not just as items you will use short-term.
Try to stay as organized as you can and remember to take good care of yourself (just as you will be instructing your patients to do!). Without further ado, here is the essential list of the top 30+ nursing school supplies you will need for your nursing education.
(This list includes affiliate links. See our disclosure page here.)
The Top 30+ Nursing School Supplies: The Ultimate List
One of the most important supplies for nursing students is the stethoscope. You will be required to have one with you for all clinical rotations and skills labs.
Whether you are trying to obtain a manual blood pressure or listening to lung sounds, every nurse needs to have a quality stethoscope. I bought a 3M Littmann Classic in nursing school, and I have been using it ever since. They are available in many different colors and have a non-chill rim, so your cold stethoscope doesn’t you don’t shock your patients and make them uncomfortable.
It is a good idea to label all of your nursing supplies, especially ones that are more expensive.
With so many nursing students carrying stethoscopes into skills labs and clinical rotations at the hospital, it is effortless to get yours mixed up with another nurse. Having a stethoscope identification badge is the best way to prevent this.
Keep your stethoscope in a designated place where it will stay clean and in good condition. A stethoscope case helps to keep your scope clean and in good working condition throughout an entire nursing career.
Scrubs are the universal uniform for nurses for a good reason. They are very comfortable, designed for long hours of work, allow for easy assess to tools (with pockets), and they are durable to withstand frequent washing,
Most schools require that students all wear the same color of scrubs. Fortunately, every brand of scrubs has a variety of different scrubs to choose from.
The key to being a successful nursing student is staying organized and being prepared to learn. The nurse clipboard is an essential nursing student supply to keep your confidential documents and medical notes with you. Nursing clipboards also give you something to write on while getting a shift report or while in a patient’s room. They also help you store needed writing tools, such as your retractable pen or highlighter.
Students in the clinical setting need a way to get to their nursing supplies fast. The fanny pack is a great solution for this. You can keep it with you each clinical rotation to carry several nurse supplies, including trauma shears, alcohol swabs, pens, a penlight, notes, and extra needles and syringes. Also, having a “nurse hip pack” can help prevent nurses from having to make additional trips back to the supply room for things they might have forgotten.
For some nursing students, the fanny pack may feel too bulky. If that is the case for you may want to consider getting a pocket organizer to store needed nursing school supplies and tools. Knowing you have the essentials you need within your reach at all times will not only keep you calmer in stressful situations, but you will appear more professional to boot.
Color-coding your notes can be a helpful way for nursing students to memorize terminology, medications, anatomy, or NCLEX test preparation.
Retractable 4 color pens are also great for color-coding your work notes or written patient information. Also, having retractable pens are lovely to have for when you are studying for certifications! You can keep a few in your workbag, pocket organizer, or fanny pack.
The penlight is a staple nursing student tool for assessments. You will need a nurse penlight for assessing extraocular movements. And these are especially great because they have pupil sizes right on the pen for a more accurate assessment. You can’t complete a neurological exam correctly without them.
Learning how to start IV’s as a nursing student is one of the most challenging skills to learn. It takes a lot of practice, but over time your skills will improve. A vein finder is a helpful tool for nursing students to visualize a vein, so you know exactly where your target is. The vein finder is also a helpful learning tool in the classroom where you can take turns observing, feeling for vessels, and using the vein finder to help visualize where you are going to insert your needle.
Nursing students must learn how to organize their patient’s information cohesively during clinical rotations. The nurse report sheet notebook helps you keep your patient’s information organized and in one place. These brain sheets include areas for: vital signs, medication times, assessment notes, labs, patient history, and space for free text and notes. Nurse report sheet notebooks also make a great gift for new graduate nursing students.
The laptop computer is an essential nursing supply for obvious reasons. But your education in the nursing profession will go far beyond the classroom and continue throughout your whole career.
Nurses are lifelong learners. Not long after nursing school, you will be achieving advanced certifications within your specialty, and possibly get an MSN or doctoral degree in nursing. To do that, you need a dependable laptop computer to do your work.
The Apple Watch is a stopwatch, a timer, and allows you to set the alarm to remind yourself of tasks as a nursing student in the hospital setting. It also makes it possible to receive and send text messages without having to use your cell phone on the unit.
But what many nurses love most about the Apple Watch is that it records how much you stand, exercise, and move throughout your shift (it breaks them down into colorful rings). You will also know how many total steps you walked during your clinical rotations.
The Apple Watch is a great nursing school tool that will serve you well into your nursing career, both professionally and from a personal health standpoint.
If the Apple Watch is too expensive, consider getting a less expensive watch with a second hand. Having a second-hand makes it possible for nursing students to track important patient vital signs such as respiratory and heart rate.
As most ER nurses will attest, the Raptor Shears are one of the greatest nursing student supplies to have. And that you will use them throughout your entire career (these have a 25-year limited warranty).
Raptor Shears are very functional, and handy shears are six tools wrapped into one, including medical shears, strap cutter, ring cutter, ruler, oxygen tank wrench, and carbide glass breaker.
You can hook raptor shears to a belt or secure it to your scrubs using the pocket clip.
Hand sanitizer is the number one nursing student supply for preventing the spread of infection. As a nursing student, you will wash your hand’s dozens of times a day and often use hand sanitizer in-between. Travel hand sanitizers are always great to have in your nursing bag at all times.
With nurses washing their hands so frequently every shift, it is no wonder that so many suffer from dry skin. Whenever possible, use hand lotion to prevent dry, chapped hands and protect the barrier of your skin. Many nurses keep extra in their nursing bags and car to use whenever they remember.
Highlighters are a useful nursing school supply for organizing and memorizing medical terminology and studying for exams. You can even hook these on your badge reel to have handy and make sure you don’t lose them.
Keep a portable nursing drug handbook to make it easy to find the most vital information on the drugs that you administer as a nurse most frequently. This is an excellent tool for helping you learn more about medications while you are on the go and help keep your patients safe.
You can also lookup generic and trade names for drugs, find black box warnings, understand safety information for medications, and help you teach patients about potential side effects of medications.
Many nursing students don’t drink nearly enough water and end up going home after class or clinical rotations wholly dehydrated. Therefore, a great sealable water bottle is an essential nursing student essential to always keep with you.
The Hydro Flask Water Bottle is a high-quality water bottle that can be used for many years and still look brand new. It is made out of food-grade stainless steel and is BPA free. Also, it has excellent insulation, which prevents condensation from forming on the outside of the bottle.
But the best part about the Hydro Flask Water Bottle is the TempShield Insulation, which keeps beverages at the same temperature for many hours (hot drinks for 6 hours & cold drinks for up to 24 hours!).
Regular coffee mugs can spill in the classroom or clinical setting. It is important to have a mug with a sealable lid.
The Hydro Flask coffee mug is a popular nursing school essential for those who are pulling all-nighters to finish papers or cramming for exams. It has a leak-proof lid (when closed) for on-the-go activities. Also, drinks stay hot up to 7 hours and cold up to 18 hours with vacuum insulation.
There are a lot of supplies that nursing students need to keep with them: ID, wallet, pens, highlighters, a computer, notebooks, planners, or other personal items that you might need. A great nursing bag will help you keep all of your nursing school supplies in one place, so you don’t forget anything at home.
Having a badge holder makes it easy for you to display your ID to patients and other staff members in the hospital. Badge holders allow you to let others know who you are, and they don’t get in the way of your work the way lanyards do. There are also several personalized options to choose from.
If you are a nursing student, then you should get used to wearing compression on your legs now. Compression socks are so beneficial for nurses and students because they prevent or reduce varicose veins, they improve blood flow, and they decrease the risk of blood clots. Many nurses even say that wearing compressions socks make their legs feel lighter, even after a shift.
Many nursing students learn very quickly that they need to prepare and pack their food for two reasons – hospital food usually isn’t delicious, and packing a healthy lunch in advance ensures that the nurse will eat healthier throughout their shift. Otherwise, when lunch comes, and they are stressed and tired from studying, there is a chance they might reach for more unhealthy choices.
You can keep your ‘lunch bag” habit well into your career as a nurse as well. Use a lunch bag that is waterproof, leak-proof, super easy to clean, and lightweight.
Nursing students must have great shoes because not having them can be an occupational hazard. Hospital floors are regularly being cleaned in between patients, and there are occasional spills that can sometimes result in unintended nurse falls.
Nursing shoes also need to give great support, protect your back, reduce stress on joints, and be comfortable to wear for long periods.
A sphygmomanometer is a tool that nursing students can use to take manual blood pressure measurements and to have an accurate, reliable instrument to diagnose hypertension accurately. This is a great nursing school supply because it is so important to know how to take a manual blood pressure if you need to. Many experienced nurses forget because they haven’t done one in so many years.
Clogs are a staple of the nursing student uniform. They can provide better support to help them minimize foot, ankle, knee, and back pain, which is very important as nurses can spend long hours on their feet with little downtime.
Many nursing students (as well as experienced nurses) will switch off between clogs and other sturdy nurse shoes.
Your hospital will have a specific type of thermometer that you must use on patients. But as students and nurses, it is great to have a way to monitor a patient’s vital signs if we ever find ourselves in an emergency away from the hospital. Having an infrared thermometer is a great non-invasive way to monitor a temperature away from the hospital.
The pulse oximeter is a non-invasive method for monitoring a person’s oxygen saturation. If you work in a hospital or other healthcare facility, you will use your facility’s pulse oximeters. However, many nurses have a supply kit in case they need to check a patient’s vital signs in an emergency away from the healthcare setting, in which case, a mobile pulse oximeter is a great tool to have.
Going to nursing school is a challenge (many say its the hardest thing they have ever done!), but if you work hard and have the right nursing school supplies you need to succeed, you will excel in your studies and make a great nurse. Stay organized, keep learning, and take care of yourself in the process – the same way you will be taking care of your patients.
Most of all, know that you are a valuable contributor to what has been considered the most trusted profession for decades – nursing. Best of luck to you, student nurse!
I have a few favorite nurse essentials that I keep with me each day I go to work.
I am a registered nurse who has worked in several departments in the hospital setting taking care of ER, Med Surg, and ICU patients. As a result, I have seen it all and then some. And I still see new things that shock me every day.
I created this list of my favorite essentials I use as a nurse to help other nurses keep their professional nurse game on point.
(This post contains affiliate links. You can find my disclosure page here.)
I bought a 3M Littmann Classic in nursing school, and I have been using it ever since. They are available in many different colors and have a “non-chill” rim, so you don’t shock your patients with a cold stethoscope. Whether you are trying to obtain a manual blood pressure or listening to lung sounds, every nurse needs to have a stethoscope.
Keeping your stethoscope around your neck can get in the way sometimes. I love the Koala-Qlip stethoscope holder because it attaches firmly to my scrubs and it takes the weight of the stethoscope off my neck.
Nikes are my favorite shoes to wear for 12-hour shifts when I know I’m going to be on my feet all day long. Wearing sturdy, no-slip shoes that help cushion your feet during 12-hour shifts is an absolute must!
Compression stockings are often overlooked as a way to prevent some of the chronic issues that come from working in a profession where you are on your feet for such long hours. Wearing compression socks helps to prevent varicose veins, improve venous blood flow, decrease the risk of blood clots, and decrease swelling of the ankles and feet. I have found that compression socks with 20-30mmHg are the right compression strength for me as a nurse.
At work, I use the Apple Watch as a stopwatch, a timer, and as an alarm to remind myself of tasks I might forget when my shift gets crazy busy. I can also receive and send text messages on it without having to carry my cell phone with me.
But my favorite thing about the Apple Watch is that it records how much I stand, exercise, and move throughout my shift (it breaks them down into colorful rings) and tells me how many total steps I get in a shift. My record so far is 22,000 steps during a single shift!
Comfortable under scrub t-shirts are great because it can get cold in the hospital. This brand is especially great because they have thumb holes in the sleeves. I have several so that I always have a clean one to put on under my scrubs.
As a nurse and mom, I start my days very early, usually by 0530. And then I’m usually on the road to get to work no later than 0600. Which doesn’t leave a lot of time to sit for coffee. I have used the same Contigo coffee mug for over a year, and it is still in great condition. It is 20 oz, is stainless and has a lockable lid that is leak proof. Best of all, it keeps my coffee hot for up to 7 hours!
My Hydro Cell Water bottle is another item I have with me at all times. It is 32 oz and has a leak-proof wide mouth lid. Nurses often forget to drink enough water during busy 12-hour shifts, but having this water bottle helps me stay hydrated.
I have this crossbody bag, which is technically not a bag that is just for nurses. But I love the design. I use it to hold my nursing badge, stethoscope, water bottle, coffee mug, breast pump, pens, and all work-related paperwork that I need.
Making my lunch everyday has several benefits. I eat healthier, I don’t reach for junk that is in the break room because I pack my healthy snacks, and I save a lot of money. I’m also a foodie, and hospital food just isn’t my cup of tea. So I pack my lunch in my favorite lunch bag every evening before my shifts, and I’m good to go.
The Raptor Shears look like a fancy pair of scissors. But these functional and handy shears are 6 tools wrapped into one:
medical shears
strap cutter
ring cutter
ruler
oxygen tank wrench
carbide glass breaker
Many nurses I work with in the emergency room have the Raptor Shears and we use them frequently in emergency situations. You can hook it to a belt or secure it using the pocket clip. It also has a 25-year limited warranty and will last you throughout your nursing career or longer. They also make a great nursing gift for a new graduate!
These retractable four-color pens are great in case you need something to stand out in your work notes. Or use different colors for different patients when taking report. These pens are also great for color-coding notes and flashcards for when you are studying for certifications! I always have a few in my work bag and one on me while I am at work
