I am, and always have been, a supplies nerd. A new school year meant new office supplies, usually a new backpack or other school bag, and usually new clothes. I would weigh the pros and cons of the various binder systems (Trapper Keepers rock!) and folders I had to choose from, trying to make certain I had just the right organizational system for the upcoming school year. Choosing the right pens and pencils was equally important. For me, it’s all part of the anticipation of the next great adventure – and you gotta get the right “stuff.”
When I first went to school to become an Emergency Medical Technician, I discovered that buying the required uniforms, gear, and other accessories had that same feeling of “gearing up” and I loved it. Nursing school required more uniforms, more gear, and more accessories. I think every nursing student hates their uniforms. I didn’t mind the teal scrub pants, but I really didn’t care for white tops, as they’re nigh unto impossible to keep clean. We also had to conform to some pretty narrow requirements for our footwear: white, leather, and laced. My shoes were okay, but I found that they weren’t the right support for being on my feet for 12 hours.
Now that I’m approaching my first job as a nurse, I have the opportunity to “gear up” once again, and I am happy to have a little more latitude in my options. I have already been to the office supply store because after all, I needed a couple of notebooks for organizing all the information I’m going to have to learn as a new nurse, and I have a definite pen preference. I have ordered new scrubs online, and a couple of pocket references I think I’ll need. I’ve charged up my iTouch and updated my reference apps. All that is left is the right bag and some shoes better suited to 3 – 12 hour shifts a week.
The perfect bag is still TBD, but I bought my new shoes today at lunch and am already breaking them in. Somehow it seems more “real” to me now that I’m getting my gear ready. It’s the next of my great adventures, and I’m getting just a little giddy with the anticipation. I wonder a bit if I should be more jaded about this process, more calm and less excitable. After all, this isn’t my first career, my first job, or even my first job caring for patients. At the same time, however, it is a completely new chapter in my life, and I think I’m entitled.
Now to find the perfect bag!
If you haven’t already do add a pair of hemistats to your equipment. They do come in handy.
Thanks! I do have one pair in my collection of crap that goes in my pockets every morning before shift. I had two pair but one got dropped/lost somewhere. I’ve gotten past the point of trying to color-coordinate all my gear, though.
Which shoes?
can you wear fun socks with them?
I got Dansko Professional clogs, and I *can* wear fun socks with them, but I need to wear compression socks at work, and they come in boring white and black.