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Nursing School Supplies- Must-Have Nursing School Items
There are a lot of supplies that you will need for nursing school. In this post I will be reviewing the supplies that I feel are “must-haves” for nursing school. We will be focusing on the essentials and won’t be looking at “luxury” or “splurge” nursing school supplies.
Also, there are some items that I didn’t mention because they are the types of supplies that people usually buy whenever the semester begins. So, be sure to also purchase items like pens, highlighters, sticky notes, binders, folders, etc.
I divided the essential items in this post into 3 categories;
- Clinical Supplies
- Study Material Supplies
- At Home Supplies
If you are interested in any of the specific items that are shown in this post, simply click on the name of the product or its picture and you will be directed to Amazon.
Clinical Supplies
Lab Coat
Most nursing programs will require the students to have a white lab coat in addition to their nursing uniform. These white lab coats serve many functions throughout your nursing school career and are great to wear over your uniform when you are feeling chilly.
Please, for the love of all things nursing, do not buy one of those crunchy oversized white lab coats that make you look like a mad scientist. You know the ones I’m talking about, don’t you?
They are not flattering on anybody, and while I know that physical appearance has little bearing on being a good nurse, it doesn’t hurt to put a little effort into looking professional.
The best option is a coat that is shorter in length and fits you in a more tailored fashion.
I LOVED the lab coat that I had while in nursing school. Unfortunately, I can’t find the exact one that I had, but these other coats look professional and sleek!
Scrubs
One of the most exciting parts of getting ready for nursing school is buying the nursing uniform! There’s something about slipping into those scrubs that makes you feel like you’re going to do great things.
Bad news is that every school will have their own requirements for the nursing uniform so you can’t just go out and buy whatever color scrubs you want.
Good news is that there are some awesome brands out there that have got you covered!
You’ll want to get scrubs that are comfortable and that make you look professional. Again, please no oversized crunchy scrubs.
These are my favorite scrubs that I have been wearing for years and recommend to everyone. The material is soft, and the scrubs have a nice stretch to them. Even if you must wear all white, Cherokee has got you covered!
Cherokee Infinity Scrub Top & Bottom
Stain remover pen
You may be noticing a trend…there is a lot of white in the nursing uniform. From the lab coat to potentially your scrub top and bottom. There’s a lot of white.
There’s also a lot of room for pesky stains that can potentially ruin the professional vibe we want to maintain.
While there are solid ways to remove stains in the washing machine, we often find that stains happen at the most inconvenient time. Maybe you accidentally splash some coffee on you while you prepare for your day at clinicals. Or maybe you are the most daring person in the world and were drinking some red fruit punch during a break at a lab simulation and you accidentally get some of that dangerous punch on your shirt.
Fret not! Carry an instant stain remover with you and you can go on about your business like the accident never happened.
Tide To Go Instant Stain Remover
Compression Socks
When you think of compression socks, you may think of elderly men and women. However! Compression socks are not just for older individuals who struggle with swelling in their legs.
Compression socks are a must for nurses who are working 12 hour shifts and who are on their feet running around all shift. Nursing students don’t typically do 12-hour clinical rotations, but they are on their feet running around like a chicken with their head cut off when they are at clinicals.
In order to prevent tired legs and feet, pop on some compression socks and thank me later.
Stethoscope
A nurse is not a nurse without a stethoscope.
However, it can be difficult to know which stethoscope to use as a student nurse.
Personally, I would recommend keeping it simple while you are still in school. You may want to get that shiny Littman Cardiology IV, but I don’t think it is the best option for a beginner.
I used the simple stethoscope that came with the nursing supply kit at my college’s bookstore and it was enough for me until I decided to upgrade.
Littman Lightweight Stethoscope
Watch
In nursing school, you will need a watch and it will serve more than the function of simply telling the time. It’s important to have a watch, and specifically a watch with a second hand, for activities like your head-to-toe for assessment.
It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, it just needs to get the job done.
Handy Dandy Notebook
I gotta be honest with you…I despise clipboards.
Well, that’s not entirely true. I like clipboards, just not for use in the clinical setting by nurses or nursing students.
I know a lot of students get excited about those awesome clipboards that have the useful assessment data on the back of them. There are the big clunky ones and then the ones that fold in half and fit in your pocket.
They sound so awesome and useful, right?
Well, in my mind they just sound like big ole germ magnets. Because inevitably that clipboard will make its way across many surfaces in the rooms of many patients. And I have never personally seen a nurse or nursing student wipe down their clipboard with disinfectant.
So, my advice would be to skip the clipboard and opt for a small notebook that you can keep in your pocket and off the surfaces in your patients’ rooms.
You can write down any pertinent information you need in that notebook and stick it in your pocket once your done.
Tattoo Coverings
If you’re a fan of body art, then you will be disappointed to find out that nursing schools do not let their nursing students show off their sick ink. Tattoos always have to be covered up while in the nursing school uniform.
If you have tattoos on your arms but don’t want to wear a long sleeve undershirt, then you can opt for arm sleeves to conceal the tattoos. There are also small wrist bands you can wear if you have a wrist tattoo.
If you have a tattoo on your neck or anywhere above where the top of your shirt will lay, then you can try to use a bandage to cover it up or you may even try some tattoo covering concealer. But be careful if you opt for the concealer, it could potentially transfer to your clothes if it is in close contact.
Pulse ox
These little pulse oximetry devices have the ability to detect the heart rate as well as oxygen saturation. These are great to have when you just want to quickly check a patient’s oxygen saturation when they seem short of breath. These will save you a lot of time trying to track down a vital signs machine.
Just pop this bad boy on a patient’s finger and you’ll be good to go!
Blood pressure cuff
A blood pressure cuff was a requirement at my nursing school, so I’m assuming it is for all nursing schools. And for good reason!
It is important to have a blood pressure cuff so that you can practice taking a blood pressure even when you’re not at school. (I can’t tell you how many times I took my parent’s blood pressure when I was first learning.)
This is a skill that takes a bit of practice so you will want to be able to practice regularly.
Also, if you take the blood pressure cuff to clinical rotations, you will be able to take a manual blood pressure when needed. Also, if you can’t find a vital signs machine, you can use your blood pressure cuff and pulse ox and you’ve almost got all of your vital signs!
Reusable water bottle
It is imperative to stay hydrated and what better way than to use a reusable water bottle?
Using plastic water bottles is a thing of the past, plus they don’t have that much water in them anyway.
Get yourself a nice, big reusable water bottle and keep it filled up for times like clinical rotations, long lectures, and long study sessions.
Study Supplies
Picmonic
If you are a visual learner, then you will especially like these illustrations that help guide your studying. These visual aids help students learn and remember information in a meaningful way.
Their full service is a subscription-based plan, so see if there is an option that is affordable for you over on their website.
There are also these picmonic-esque books by Mosby’s that also have picture mnemonics if you find that you can’t or don’t want to subscribe to a plan over at Picmonic.
NCLEX Review
You might be thinking, why in the world do I need an NCLEX review book while I’m in nursing school. I can’t take the NCLEX until I graduate nursing school.
While that is true, an NCLEX review book can actually help you pass your nursing school exams!
The NCLEX review books have a content review as well as NCLEX style questions, both of which will set you up for success on your nursing school exams.
Lippincott NCLEX Alternate-Format Questions
Planner
Staying organized while in nursing school is important but it can be difficult.
There are so many different things going on at once that it can be difficult to keep them all straight. That is why it is very important to have a planner/calendar to help keep you organized.
At Home Supplies
Coffee Maker
You may have heard that nursing students are addicted to coffee…and it is true. If you aren’t already a coffee drinker there is a good chance you will become one once you are in nursing school.
For this reason, it would be in your best interest to buy yourself a coffee maker! In theory, you could grab a cup of joe at Starbucks or at a coffee shop, but that $5-$10 coffee adds up quickly.
In order to save money but still fuel your coffee addiction, I highly recommend scooping up a coffee maker. This way you can make coffee before you go to class, when you get back home from class, and during those snoozy study sessions.
Printer
There is a lot of paperwork that must be printed while in nursing school. A lot!
Sometimes you will have to print out homework to hand in and sometimes you will be printing out lecture notes to take to class with you.
I know that most colleges allow the students to use the printers in the computer labs, but oftentimes you will find that you want to print in the comfort of your own home at the wee hours of the morning. Plus, some colleges will charge you to print from their printers anyway.
In my opinion, it’s much easier to have a printer at home to use at your own leisure. I used mine a ton while in nursing school!
Make sure you check out my FREE printable PDF study guides for extra incentive to get that at home printer! 😊
Organization for at home
There are a lot of books and paperwork (as I just mentioned) that you have to keep straight in nursing school. If you don’t have a good organizational system at place in your home, then you’ll be swimming in a big ole mess.
In order to keep your schoolwork organized, I highly suggest looking into some organizational supplies for your workspace.
Even if you don’t have an office space or a desk, you will still want to set aside some space for organizational supplies like these to help keep you sane.
I hope that you will find these items useful to you throughout your nursing school journey!
If you are in nursing school and are struggling with a particular content area, go check out my FREE study guides and cheat sheets to see if there is some information over there that can help you out. The cheat sheets can be downloaded and printed so you can easily add them to your nursing binder.
As always, feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or just want to chat.
Happy Nursing!