What do you keep in your white coat pockets?

[Talon77]

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Pharmacy Students/Residents,

I have a question for you: "What do you keep in your white coat pockets?"

This thread will be a place to post recommendations about what to carry around during rotations and/or residencies. If an electronic version of what you suggest is available, please do your best to post a link to it. Medication guides, dosing guides, lists, pocket books, guidelines, or other references are all fair game.



To start things off, I'll tell you about one of the things that I like to carry. I made a large, detailed list of QT-prolongation syndrome drugs and drugs that are associated with Brugada syndrome. Here are the resources that I pulled this information from:

http://www.azcert.org/medical-pros/drug-lists/drug-lists.cfm
http://www.brugadadrugs.org/

I have found this list to be *very* useful in my critical care and internal medicine experiences.

 

[owlegrad]

Pharmacy Students/Residents,

I have a question for you: "What do you keep in your white coat pockets?"

This thread will be a place to post recommendations about what to carry around during rotations and/or residencies. If an electronic version of what you suggest is available, please do your best to post a link to it. Medication guides, dosing guides, lists, pocket books, guidelines, or other references are all fair game.



To start things off, I'll tell you about one of the things that I like to carry. I made a large, detailed list of QT-prolongation syndrome drugs and drugs that are associated with Brugada syndrome. Here are the resources that I pulled this information from:

http://www.azcert.org/medical-pros/drug-lists/drug-lists.cfm
http://www.brugadadrugs.org/

I have found this list to be *very* useful in my critical care and internal medicine experiences.

Notepad, pens, highlighters, calculator, brand/generic guide, stickers, schedule (calendar).

 

[Priapism321]

Calculator, prescription pad, opioid conversion chart, presentation on evidence based electrolyte repletion, recent articles I have read, my stamper, hospital antibiogram, Tide stain stick, sugar free gum.

 

[CynicalIntern]

As many damn drug pens as I can possibly cram in there, because my coworkers will inevitably steal the first three pens I pull out of my pocket.

 

[DAW2]

dont forget the chapstick

 

[Sparda29]

Wallet, iPod Touch.

 

[njac]

right pocket: 3 or 4 pens, cell phone, small notebook, sometimes articles/patient sheets

left pocket: small scientific calculator, Sanford, ACLS and PALS cards, peds dosing card I made for myself, notebook of useful things (3x5" photo album, slide things in as you find them), occasional articles/patient sheets.

 

[RxWildcat]

Ink pens and snacks.

 

[p-rog]

Ipod touch and a fiber bar. Cheat sheets are smart though.

 

[Praziquantel86]

Sanford Guide, Mass General internal medicine handbook, calculator, notepad. Also information on whatever patients I'm following at the time.

 

[Its Z]

I do not own a white coat.

 

[Sparda29]

Electronics fools, when are you going to abandon paper references? All my assignments I keep on my laptop also.

 

[Praziquantel86]

Electronics fools, when are you going to abandon paper references? All my assignments I keep on my laptop also.

You carry a laptop around with you on rounds?

Seeing charts laid out on paper is a lot nicer than having to flip through windows on a PDA/Droid/iPhone/Blackberry. Not to mention that a paper reference doesn't have a license to expire. And no, I'm not jailbreaking anything, so don't even bring it up.

 

[Its Z]

and if ur laptop crashes then u lost it all...unless you have it backed up...

i keep nothing on my laptop. nothing.

 

[Sparda29]

You carry a laptop around with you on rounds?

Seeing charts laid out on paper is a lot nicer than having to flip through windows on a PDA/Droid/iPhone/Blackberry. Not to mention that a paper reference doesn't have a license to expire. And no, I'm not jailbreaking anything, so don't even bring it up.

Not on rounds, I have it taking up a bunch of space in the pharmacy. And yes, more people should be jailbreaking.

I have my files backed up on my home machine as well as on my e-mail.

 

[SpirivaSunrise]

and if ur laptop crashes then u lost it all...unless you have it backed up...

i keep nothing on my laptop. nothing.

External HD?

 

[Its Z]

External HD?

yup.

i have 2..a portable and a stationary at home. thinking about uploading all my work stuff on the co network drive..but 100GB would take a while..

 

[njac]

my residency last year provided a tablet PC - there are definitely days that I miss it, but I found I used it too much as a crutch. This year is sharpening and refining my skillz already.

 

[SpirivaSunrise]

I type up notecards with whatever info I need, and laminate them...updating the file as things change. Then hole punch and keep them on a ring.

 

[SpirivaSunrise]

yup.

i have 2..a portable and a stationary at home. thinking about uploading all my work stuff on the co network drive..but 100GB would take a while..

External HD or laptop HD though...either one can crap out. Unless you're syncing to both?

 

[Its Z]

I type up notecards with whatever info I need, and laminate them...updating the file as things change. Then hole punch and keep them on a ring.

good lord.... what a dork.

 

[SpirivaSunrise]

good lord.... what a dork.

Yup...and my coworkers love'em. And now they're spreading throughout the company.

 

[Its Z]

External HD or laptop HD though...either one can crap out. Unless you're syncing to both?

my external HD is backed up to another external HD. both of them crapping out at once? very low chance.

 

[Its Z]

Yup...and my coworkers love'em. And now they're spreading throughout the company.

dorkiness is spreading like a wild fire throughout ur co?

geeks unite!

 

[wezvidz]

Sanford guide, Pharmacist's Letter chart of oral contraceptives+missed dose guidelines, along with their chart of pediatric OTC dosing, a self made chart with lots of info tidbits (equivalent dosages of statins, ACEIs/ARBs, stability/storage of all the reconstituted suspensions, etc)... some pens, and mints.

 

[SpirivaSunrise]

my external HD is backed up to another external HD. both of them crapping out at once? very low chance.

That's what I mean...gotta have it saved on @ least two drives.

 

[SpirivaSunrise]

dorkiness is spreading like a wild fire throughout ur co?

geeks unite!

Organization skillz...that's what it's all about.

 

[aboveliquidice]

my external HD is backed up to another external HD. both of them crapping out at once? very low chance.

What a dork... get an online backup service. Live Mesh is awesome.

 

[IndustryPharmD]

What has it got in its pocketses, huh?

I am surprised no one carries a PDA (though they might be outdated - I carried it on rotations, and they were really expensive back then too 🙄 ) or a smartphone.

Oh, sorry, one person does.

 

[Its Z]

What a dork... get an online backup service. Live Mesh is awesome.

why...is it free? i got about 500GB of pictures and 100GB of pharm relatd stuff. how long do u think it will take to upload?

 

[FruitFly]

I type up notecards with whatever info I need, and laminate them...updating the file as things change. Then hole punch and keep them on a ring.

too much work

 

[SpirivaSunrise]

too much work

Work? Takes like 5 seconds to update, then send it off to be laminated.

 

[Its Z]

oh i never answered the op.

i carry business cards in my left suit inner pocket. my smartphone in the right inner suit pocket and one pen in my lshirt pocket.

 

[Its Z]

btw...2 DOP positions came up 2 weeks ago. we filled both last week. another position opened yesterday..received 3 applications today.. things have changed over the past 12 months

 

[owlegrad]

oh i never answered the op.

i carry business cards in my left suit inner pocket. my smartphone in the right inner suit pocket and one pen in my lshirt pocket.

Ishirt?

 

[SpirivaSunrise]

btw...2 DOP positions came up 2 weeks ago. we filled both last week. another position opened yesterday..received 3 applications today.. things have changed over the past 12 months

3 apps qualified?

 

[Its Z]

Ishirt?

typo. posting from phone

 

[Its Z]

3 apps qualified?

all with dop experience.

 

[SpirivaSunrise]

Ishirt?

He's saying he wears a pocket protector

 

[owlegrad]

typo. posting from phone

Drat, sounded cool for a second. I pictured a white shirt with the apple logo on the back and a clear plastic front, retailing for maybe $150. I know what an apple fan you are, seemed like it would be right up your ally.

P.S. Can I patient this idea? Sans the apple logo of course.

 

[aboveliquidice]

why...is it free? i got about 500GB of pictures and 100GB of pharm relatd stuff. how long do u think it will take to upload?

Ha - It's free for the first 5gb... 500gb... you may have an issue.

White coat: iPhone w/ LexiComplete, pen x 3, RxPad/transfer pad in retail or simple notepad for hospital, spiral bound notecards w/ peripheral brain esque info (similar to spiriva), gum.

 

[aboveliquidice]

What has it got in its pocketses, huh?

I am surprised no one carries a PDA (though they might be outdated - I carried it on rotations, and they were really expensive back then too 🙄 ) or a smartphone.

Oh, sorry, one person does.

Many of the former PDA users became smartphone users... I agree that chart based info blows on smartphones... Somethings just have to be visceral.

 

[Its Z]

Drat, sounded cool for a second. I pictured a white shirt with the apple logo on the back and a clear plastic front, retailing for maybe $150. I know what an apple fan you are, seemed like it would be right up your ally.

P.S. Can I patient this idea? Sans the apple logo of course.

I own nothing that's apple.. anymore... I did have a tiny ipod...gave to my daughter

 

[Momus]

-My work schedule
-How to solve certain insurances
-Phone numbers
-6 Sharpees
-20-30+ Pens
-Script Pads
-Lip Balm

 

[mipharmd]

3 highlighters, 1 blue pen, 1 green pen, 1 pencil, soft lips chapstick, coupon for some snacks, receipts from items i have bought, my pharmacy keys, a coke bottle cap

 

[Its Z]

Coke Bottle Cap? What in the world for?

 

[FruitFly]

Work? Takes like 5 seconds to update, then send it off to be laminated.

5 minutes too much! A second gone is a second wasted! 😛

 

[SpirivaSunrise]

5 minutes too much! A second gone is a second wasted! 😛

Sure, but do you know how much time I save...not constantly hounded by my coworkers since they come to me with: "how do I do this?", "how much of this?", "when do I do this?", "when is this coming?", "how much should I tell them this costs?", "who do I call for this?", "when does this expire?", "what do I do when...?"

I can just say...check the notecards!

 

[mipharmd]

Coke Bottle Cap? What in the world for?

My technician gave it to me to put in the code on cokerewards.com and still haven't had time to put it in.

 

[Talon77]

These are some great posts so far! Keep up the good work!

The Massachusetts Hospital Handbook is definitely handy to have around. I've found a number of uses for it.

I'm also very partial to Lexi-Comp, but that's partially because I've worked there 😀. MicroMedex isn't bad either, but they currently lack a good PDA/smartphone app.