What Residency Looks Like LXXXIX: Packing my bags

With the heightened concern about transmissability of SARS-CoV-2, the Corona virus that causes COVID-19, many of us have stopped wearing white coats and are lobbying our programs to let us change into scrubs at the hospital so that we're not wearing clothes to and from that could carry infectious particles (of that or anything else). This is all well and good, except for the increase in laundry (time, detergent, electricity) if you can't access hospital scrubs, and the loss of all those glorious POCKETS, which is one of the main reasons I wear a white coat. Also, because I get cold. I have a slick residency program windbreaker with pockets, but I figure that falls into the category of wearable fomites, so I left that at home. Instead I decided to go back to carrying a "medical bag," an experiment I tried a few years ago and then gave up because I figured the bag itself was an infection risk. But I'm trying it again, leaving the bag at the hospital and laundering it weekly (which is as often as I wash my white coats, when I'm wearing them).

I packed my stethoscope (always cleaned before each use), reflex hammer because I'm on Neurology Consults (now cleaned after each use), a couple of pens, a penlight, my pager, some lip gloss, extra hand sanitizer, and alcohol wipes. The detachable wallet purse has my driver's license, debit card, meal tickets, and some cash. I can tuck my cell phone (wiped down a couple times a day now) into one of the outer pockets.

Maybe this is premature, but just in case we get to the place at which physician cannot or should not go home from the hospital to non-medical cohabitants, I have also packed an overnight bag with two sets of scrubs, two tshirts to wear underneath (hospitals get cold at night!), extra socks and underwear (not pictured), grubby sneakers, shampoo and toothpaste, a hair barrette, silicon ear plugs for sleeping at night, sanitary supplies, arch supports, key medical references, green tea, granola bars, M&Ms, and dried apricots. (Meal tickets are no go if the cafeteria is closed!) Hopefully I end up pulling this bag from my trunk once the pandemic blows over, but until then, I'll be prepared like the Girl Scout I am.

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