What’s in YOUR Scrubs Pockets?

This article was republished with permission from SCRUBS Magazine.

Ever notice a little rattle noise when you walk? May be all the things you keep in your scrubs pockets. We wanted to know what you keep in your pockets, so we asked our Facebook fans to show us what they had in theirs. As you can see below, we got some great responses!

Oreo lunch
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“Lunch.”
—Meagan G.

Toy Army Figure

“My army guy…represents my husband in my pocket. Always have him in my left pocket.”

—Rick T.

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Tattoo Coverup

“Tattoo cover-up!”

—Stephanie C..

Chart Reminder

.“Right top—pens and my ‘brain’; left top—alcohol pads and flushes; back butt pocket—unit pager and unit cell phone; cargo pocket—stethoscope; hemostats are clipped to the cargo loop (when you need a pair, stat, no time to search) … But what I always end up with in my pockets at the end of the day are the vial caps, so I started making badge covers.”
—Elizabeth O.
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Air Freshener

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“Bottle of air freshener!”

—Jacquie S.
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Mess In Scrub Pockets
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“It’s a jungle in there! P.S. pen missing!”

—Milika M.
.Red Strand Of Pearls

“Small strands of pearls that I twist into a mini pearl puppy to bring smiles to my patients’ faces. I stock my pocket before every shift!”

—Evanna B.
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Bottle Of Mace

.“Mace!”

—Maggie H.
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Pile Of Pocket Items

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“Pockets slightly heavy as usual!”

—June H.

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Apple With Other Items

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“An apple!”

—Eva C.
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Let us know know in the comments if any of these look familiar, and what else you have in your scrubs pockets that you don’t see here!

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This article was republished with permission from SCRUBS Magazine.
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23 COMMENTS

  1. I always have alcohol preps, surgical tape, scissors, hemostats, EKG calipers, NSS flushes, flashlight, stapler—I wear scrub top with two pockets, cargo pants with four pockets and a vest with two pockets. Just call me a “pack mule” but I have most of what I will need in any situation!! Stethoscope is around my neck.

  2. As I told a Dr. one time when he asked me for something I knew I had and he comment that I had everything but a sink, I said “fortunately there is one of those in every room.” My pockets contain more than my purse.

  3. I like to carry a 9V battery for those times you need to crush a pill and don’t have time to go back to the medroom after scanning it. The window sill is the best surface to whackado away at those pills. And Lifesavers mints, always!

  4. When I was in ICU: Left pocket, calipers, hemostats, penlight and carpujet. Right pocket, pen, chapstick, sharpie, scissors and alcohol wipes.

  5. For me its a scissors, black sharpie, carpujet, measuring tape, pen light, flushes, rosary. But the craziest thing I’ve seen was a nurse pull a pork chop out of her pocket. Lol!!!

  6. I use five pockets sometimes six. Right top main pocket-three or four black pens, one multicolor pen, red pen, permanent marker, dry erase marker, scissors, pen light, yellow highlighter, maybe a mechanical pencil. Right top additional pocket-alcohol wipes, iv labels, iv hub caps. Left top- paper tape, plastic tape, car keys, lip balm, work iPhine. Right pant- notebook with hints and tips to make my job easier, personal cell phone. Pant left – Id card and debit card, women products when I need to. Sometimes in upper left pant pocket – personal notes/phone numbers from co-workers, meds if I need to take any during work days.

  7. 2 scrub top pockets, 2 pants pockets: Office keys, med cart keys, pens, scissors, tape, alcohol pads, iv flushes, sticky note pads, change for the soda machine, chapstick…no telling what else!

  8. In my scrub jacket pockets: 3 pens (because a doc will always need to “borrow” one; lip balm (OR air is so DRY!); several paper clips from charts; a mini notepad (with phone #’s for surgeons, PA’s, equipment reps, Xray techs, Charge RN’s, OR RN’s); a package of peanut butter crackers from PACU & some mints (for times I can’t get a break!); hand cream; alcohol pads; a roll of paper tape; a couple packets of Mastisol (for incisions); in my back pants pocket – my cell phone; clipped on my scrub top neck-line is my OR cell phone & my xray monitoring badge; in my scrub top pocket – more pens, markers (skin & white board).

  9. Pens and dry erase board markers (because someday you just KNOW that an M&M is going to blame a patient’s death on their whiteboard not having been filled out)

  10. Ditto to every thing up top and previous comments on my outside scrub jacket pockets ! My inside scrubs top pockets I have extra pens (tend to loose 1or 2 every shift ) something to lift my hair usually by mid shift , lip balm, and candy or granola for lunch on the run pretty much every shift .

  11. Top left pocket pocket protector with black pen, red pen, mechanical pencil, penlight, permanent marker, 5 inch bandage scissors, 3 inch hemostat, dry erase marker. Left cargo pocket O2 sensor, tape, alcohol pads, flushes, carpiject,. Right cargo pocket cellphone and stethoscope clipped to right hip.

  12. Left Shirt Pocket: ID, two black ink pens and one red, pen light. Left cargo pocket: Stethoscope, XL Gloves. Right Cargo Pocket: ‘Penny cutter’ scissors, one roll 3″ cloth tape, one roll 2″ elastic tape.

  13. Any and all of the above was located in my pockets except for the stethoscope and tape. Roll of tape was around the stethoscope. Add some hard-tack candy to pockets for that quick burst of energy…lol.

  14. Left jacket pocket- a multitude of colored pens, pencil, dermapore tape, highlighters, dry erase marker. (I have to write or generate and highlight a lot of reports), and pocket reference book. Right jacket pocket- scissors, pulse oximeter, alcohol pads, a flush or two, coban, bandaids, small hand lotion. If I’m wearing pants with a cargo pocket, stethascope and clamps go in there, other wise they are in my “bag of holding” which has a my “first aid” supplies- tylenol, excedrin, prilosec, cough drops, arthritis rub, glasses cleaner pads; a bag of spare pens, pencils; a bag of pocket references (regularly handed out at meetings and such, kept in case and never used); a bag of non-perishable snacks in case of a no-lunch day; and anything I pick up throughout the day or week that I don’t want to get rid of or don’t know what to do with until the end of the week when I clean it out. All of those items can make their way into my pockets from time to time.

  15. Right top pocket: 2-3 pens, penlight, Sharpie, white board marker, pencil, swab caps, line caps, scissors, hemostats. Left top pocket: mirror, alcohol swabs, chapstick, pulse oximeter, change purse. Right pants pocket: cell phone and work phone. Left pants pocket: saline flushes. Always!

  16. My pockets are ALWAYS heavy! I always make it home with gloves, alcohol pads, & at least a flush or two! It’s no surprise to find Lg scissors in my cargo pocket, sm scissors & clamp in my left jacket pocket. No telling what else you will find in there!

    • Before I retired I carried too many items for my pockets, so I wore a small fanny pack. However, in my pocket I DID carry a small knitted prayer pocket as a reminder of God’s grace and mercy to touch whenever working got to be just too much.

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