Should I get a doctor bag?

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Doctor Bag?

  • Yes

    Votes: 25 29.1%

  • No

    Votes: 61 70.9%
  • Total voters
    86
A

AnonPanda1

Full Member
7+ Year Member
Joined
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I really want one of those old-school doctor bags. They just look really cool. Can someone tell me if they would be possibly practical, useful or silly?
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Absolutely you should. Carrying this around with you in the hospital is an excellent conversation starter:

21539cf5adb7f93c06f0e7207bc1f94e.jpg
 
mmmm what's a doctor bag? like a fat briefcase?
 
Doctor Strange said:
Don't be that person... Unless you're a neurologist and need to carry around like a dozen tools, there's no reason you can't carry what you need in your coat pockets.
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I was just gonna say my mom uses a doctor bag so it's not that weird... but she's also a child neurologist... it all makes sense now!!!
 
Gibbward said:
I was just gonna say my mom uses a doctor bag so it's not that weird... but she's also a child neurologist... it all makes sense now!!!
Click to expand...
Neurologists can be picked out exclusively by their doctor bags or utility belts.

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I use a small range bag intended for holding a handgun, ammo, and supplies. It is precisely the right size and has a dozen compartments that are a perfect size for holding instruments / supplies. Also, the price was right at $15 and it is durable and washable.

It is nice to have a bag of tricks. Mine contains hand sanitizer, AA and AAA batteries, a good flashlight, a pulse oximeter, otoscope, pens, a reflex hammer, 2 small reference books and a kindle fire, a universal phone charger, sterile and unsterile gloves (a set of each), tape, a suture removal kit, suture ties for practicing with, sticky notes, stickers and a couple of other small toys for amusing young patients or family members, a protein bar, chewing gum, and plenty of room for other stuff.

Yes, most of those things are easily obtained throughout the course of a day. But you know what is amazing? When a pager is dead and someone needs a battery and I just have it. Or when I don't have to find the supply closet to have my gloves handy. Or when I don't need to track down a pulse oximeter when a patient isn't looking so hot. My whole kit weighs maybe 3 pounds and is neatly contained and not falling out my overstuffed white coat pockets. The compactness and ability to be prepared for just about anything really appeals to me. I could get by without it, but gosh, it is really nice to have it.
 
When you sit in a lecture hall for the majority of your first two years, it's silly. I have a case that I keep my stethoscope, pen light, reflex hammer and Narcan in that all fits nicely in my commuter bag. I think Promethean's approach with gloves, sutures is overkill. You never need those enough that you can't walk the 30 feet to get them, nor keep them continuously on your person.
 
CyrilFiggis said:
When you sit in a lecture hall for the majority of your first two years, it's silly. I have a case that I keep my stethoscope, pen light, reflex hammer and Narcan in that all fits nicely in my commuter bag. I think Promethean's approach with gloves, sutures is overkill. You never need those enough that you can't walk the 30 feet to get them, nor keep them continuously on your person.
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It depends on where you are training and what kinds of supplies are available to you.

You have to understand that I've worked as a home care nurse. And on a 200 acre campus where I was going from building to building. At at hospitals where a lot of things that you might consider to be standard were, in fact, not present within 300 feet... let alone 30.

I shelled out $15 for that pulse oximeter because I needed one for a patient who was cyanotic... and one was NOT available on the nursing unit at all. There was one, nonfunctional unit. I was sent to borrow one from a respiratory therapist... who followed me back to my patient's bedside and ripped the equipment away to return to doing her scheduled treatments the moment that I obtained a reading (my patient's sats were in the toilet, btw.) And since that was her own personal equipment that she'd bought with her own money, I can't especially freak out at her for not wanting to let me, as a medical student, tell her how to deploy her resources. I hope that no one else runs into that situation, and that everyone has hospital supplied pulse oximeters. But I'm for danged sure not going to be without one again.

If you are training some place where you are well supplied and you don't have to sign out suture removal kits and sterile gloves, and where there is a gift shop where you could buy batteries and ibuprofen for your own use, then no, definitely don't port those things around with you. But if there are things you need and can't easily lay hands upon, it isn't foolish to have a little kit handy.

As for having these things in the first two years... that is when you have a whole backpack or messenger back full of useful gear. I'm strictly talking about the (again, very light, compact, and well packed) bag of tricks that I use because I hate having my pockets stuffed full. I don't carry a single thing more than I could fit in my two white coat pockets. I just like it all to be sorted and tidy.
 
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If you want to buy one to organize all your stuff for your clinical skills class, that's cool. But @Promethean is the first person I'ver heard of carrying one around on the floors, so I'm not sure I'd recommend that.
 
AnonPanda1 said:
I really want one of those old-school doctor bags. They just look really cool. Can someone tell me if they would be possibly practical, useful or silly?
Click to expand...

Get one only if you want to be teased mercilessly for four years.

The only people who carry those are neurologists, and that's because they have a ton of tools to use. Literally no one else does.

I cannot stress this enough. Do NOT get one until you become a neurology resident. Do not, do not, do not. You WILL be teased, at best.
 
Wow. I can't believe there are people who actually think this is good idea. My answer would be an emphatic NO. That is unless you are a 60+ year old attending. Since you seem to be a medical student (a preclinical one as well) I think it will make you look really weird, pretentious, and will draw a lot of negative attention to you from your classmates and instructors. If I saw someone carrying one of those stereotypical black crates around with them, I know would definitely make fun of them. You might as well wear a head mirror to lecture too while you are at it in that case.
 
I don't know any doctors (even neurologists) who use a doctor's bag. That's what the resident room, white coat pockets, and med students (!) are for. If you can't fit what you need comfortably in your white coat pockets, then you're carrying too much. Leave it in your backpack and grab it if you need it--there's not that much you really need immediate access too.

When I was a medical student, at one point I used to carry a quick reference book for my rotation, a small tablet, reflex hammer, stethoscope, penlight, granola bar, etc. all in my white coat. Now I carry a reflex hammer, a very small notebook, a few pieces of folded paper to write notes on, and a pen. If I am on inpatient, that coat get really heavy because I have to throw in my stethoscope and rounding list, though I can leave the reflex hammer in the resident room.

A bag would be very inconvenient--aside from looking very out of place, think about how you're going to round/take notes if you have to carry a bag in one hand. And what do you do when you need to use the bathroom? At least women's purses can be slung over the shoulder.
 
I keep a gear bag in my car for emergencies and volunteer work where supplies are limited that's got a decent amount of stuff in it. I'd never need something like that for regular use though.
 
RangerBob said:
A bag would be very inconvenient--aside from looking very out of place, think about how you're going to round/take notes if you have to carry a bag in one hand. And what do you do when you need to use the bathroom? At least women's purses can be slung over the shoulder.
Click to expand...

Ah. Here, maybe is the disconnect. My bag of tricks is a range bag, with a shoulder strap. Think a very small messenger bag. A handbag would get to be a pain, quickly.
 
Go for it. I usually just use a back pack, has my stethoscope, reflex hammer, q-tips, tongue depressor, otoscope, penlight, pocket medicine and another book I carry for reference. Never hurts to be prepared.
 
Like this: https://www.ebags.com/product/eastsport/gear-bag/300456?productid=10379490

It truly doesn't contain more than I can fit into my two coat pockets. I just really dislike having my pockets stuffed when I can have everything neatly organized. It isn't even that weird where I'm at. I see a lot of other students hauling around back packs or full sized messenger bags, so I felt like, if anything, I've consolidated.
 
Promethean said:
Ah. Here, maybe is the disconnect. My bag of tricks is a range bag, with a shoulder strap. Think a very small messenger bag. A handbag would get to be a pain, quickly.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if that makes no difference or makes it worse, but I'm leaning towards worse.
 
Im curious what makes neurologists the exception for looking foolish with these bags? What are all these tools they carry around?
 
I would recommend against the doctor bag, but if you're interested in emergency medicine, fanny packs are all the rage!
 
Yes, regardless of specialty, go for it (Disclaimer: response only valid if OP is chief of <insert specialty department>, and can be as eccentric as desired as a result of being at the top of the food chain. Otherwise, response is invalid.)


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AnonPanda1 said:
I really want one of those old-school doctor bags. They just look really cool. Can someone tell me if they would be possibly practical, useful or silly?
Click to expand...

I had one my grandfather used as a GP. It wasn't particularly useful. Neurologists tend to carry around a bag of goodies, so if you think you might want to be a neurologist then have at it!
 
Make sure to get a good head mirror with it


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MiamiBoyy said:
Im curious what makes neurologists the exception for looking foolish with these bags? What are all these tools they carry around?
Click to expand...

I've never needed one, or seen any non-neurologist have one. Usually your pockets are enough to fit anything you need. Neurologist usually have tendon hammers, tuning forks, eye charts, and other nifty things to check the nerves.
 
CyrilFiggis said:
When you sit in a lecture hall for the majority of your first two years, it's silly. I have a case that I keep my stethoscope, pen light, reflex hammer and Narcan in that all fits nicely in my commuter bag. I think Promethean's approach with gloves, sutures is overkill. You never need those enough that you can't walk the 30 feet to get them, nor keep them continuously on your person.
Click to expand...
You're allowed to just carry narcan?
 
My mom bought me a leather briefcase/bag with a strap to hold patient notes and charts and stuff. I wouldn't wear it on the wards, but I'll use it to carry documents from my home/car to the office/hospital/lab. It looks very professional.

It it kinda lame? Yeah.

But my mom bought it for me and it would break her heart if I didn't use it.
 
RogueBanana said:
You're allowed to just carry narcan?
Click to expand...
Massachusetts passed a law in 2016. Our school had a voluntary training program that allows us to carry. Plus it's available for purchase without a prescription at most pharmacies including chains like Walgreens.
 
Promethean said:
It depends on where you are training and what kinds of supplies are available to you.

You have to understand that I've worked as a home care nurse. And on a 200 acre campus where I was going from building to building. At at hospitals where a lot of things that you might consider to be standard were, in fact, not present within 300 feet... let alone 30.

I shelled out $15 for that pulse oximeter because I needed one for a patient who was cyanotic... and one was NOT available on the nursing unit at all. There was one, nonfunctional unit. I was sent to borrow one from a respiratory therapist... who followed me back to my patient's bedside and ripped the equipment away to return to doing her scheduled treatments the moment that I obtained a reading (my patient's sats were in the toilet, btw.) And since that was her own personal equipment that she'd bought with her own money, I can't especially freak out at her for not wanting to let me, as a medical student, tell her how to deploy her resources. I hope that no one else runs into that situation, and that everyone has hospital supplied pulse oximeters. But I'm for danged sure not going to be without one again.

If you are training some place where you are well supplied and you don't have to sign out suture removal kits and sterile gloves, and where there is a gift shop where you could buy batteries and ibuprofen for your own use, then no, definitely don't port those things around with you. But if there are things you need and can't easily lay hands upon, it isn't foolish to have a little kit handy.

As for having these things in the first two years... that is when you have a whole backpack or messenger back full of useful gear. I'm strictly talking about the (again, very light, compact, and well packed) bag of tricks that I use because I hate having my pockets stuffed full. I don't carry a single thing more than I could fit in my two white coat pockets. I just like it all to be sorted and tidy.
Click to expand...
That sounds very thoughtful of you to have all this, but again, you seem to be the exception to the rule. I asked 10 friends at 10 other med schools if they ever had a clinical site with the lack of resources that would warrant the materials you describes and they were all baffled at it. I'm not criticizing your preparation, but its certainly not the MO for the majority of us.
 
CyrilFiggis said:
Massachusetts passed a law in 2016. Our school had a voluntary training program that allows us to carry. Plus it's available for purchase without a prescription at most pharmacies including chains like Walgreens.
Click to expand...
This is becoming more common, where it is available otc.
 
libertyyne said:
This is becoming more common, where it is available otc.
Click to expand...

My state has a private program that paid the state enough money to equip all state troopers with their own narcan.

I hope they change the laws here so I can buy one for my own emergency kit. The area I work is notorious for ODs, it would be a good thing to have if it means maybe saving a life.
 
RogueBanana said:
My state has a private program that paid the state enough money to equip all state troopers with their own narcan.

I hope they change the laws here so I can buy one for my own emergency kit. The area I work is notorious for ODs, it would be a good thing to have if it means maybe saving a life.
Click to expand...

So, narcan is ideal, but if you are ever faced with the situation, you can do as much good by carrying one of these: CPR Masks & Face Shields - Red Cross Store

If you can provide rescue breaths while protecting yourself from disease transmission, you can provide oxygenation until narcan arrives via EMT or other emergency responder. Though, in the era of carfentanil and the concern for potentially fatal intoxications via even a small exposure, I can see why this approach might be deemed too risky to attempt these days.
 
Promethean said:
So, narcan is ideal, but if you are ever faced with the situation, you can do as much good by carrying one of these: CPR Masks & Face Shields - Red Cross Store

If you can provide rescue breaths while protecting yourself from disease transmission, you can provide oxygenation until narcan arrives via EMT or other emergency responder. Though, in the era of carfentanil and the concern for potentially fatal intoxications via even a small exposure, I can see why this approach might be deemed too risky to attempt these days.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice!
I'm actually a first responder so I already have a mask and PPE. I used to be volunteer firefighter!
They told us (in the case of unresponsive patients) to not do any kind of CPR without PPE, and with carfent to be extreeeeemely careful. A lethal dose is the size of a pinhead through the skin.
 
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