Ask a Nurse: What Are the Must-Have Gadgets as a Nurse?

The Eko CORE Digital Attachment is an addition to your regular stethoscope that converts it to a digital stethoscope. The attachment is placed between the tubing and the chest piece of a stethoscope.

Brian Clark, BSN, MSNA, is the founder of United Medical Education. “Its features include noise cancellation technology, 40X amplification, and supports live streaming for telemedicine applications,” he says.

This must-have gadget for nurses gives the flexibility to write notes, and it records everything you say and hear. You don’t have to be concerned you’ll miss an important detail. If the information is said aloud, the pen records it.

The Echo 2 by Livescribe will playback your notes directly from the pen from internal speakers or it can be paired to your Android or Apple device. You can also send your notes over email or save them to your favorite cloud application.

Veinlite carries several devices that are clinically proven to improve your ability to find an appropriate vein. To visualize the vein, the devices use transillumination with either red or orange LED lighting.

The EMS Pro Vein Finder also acts like a tourniquet and keeps the vein from rolling during a stick. The company has a device for infants to adults with a far higher success rate for first venipuncture sticks than without the device.

Working nights can be challenging. You want to keep the room dark so the patient’s sleep is uninterrupted, but some tasks require lighting. Gatty Chavarría is a registered nurse who prizes having a hands-free light during hectic night shifts.

“To provide hands-free lighting, this wearable emergency lamp simply hooks into your scrubs. This straightforward and inexpensive device is readily cleaned and can be very helpful during hectic shifts,” she says.

This handy palm-sized device lets you speak in real-time to anyone in 36 different languages. Once you have downloaded the app to your smartphone, you speak into the device and your conversation is immediately translated into the language you choose.

Press the microphone button and let the other person speak. You’ll hear the translation back in your language. This little gadget works far quicker and more effectively than Google Translate when you’re speaking with and teaching patients.

This is a must-have for nurses working in home healthcare or hospice. The device clips to the steering wheel of your car, creating a handy desktop for your laptop or for grabbing lunch on the go.

The tray is two-sided — one for food and the other for your laptop. It’s flat and easy to store when it’s not in use. It is slim, sturdy, lightweight, and ergonomically designed for mobile workers.

Nurses understand the importance of proper posture, but knowing and executing can be two different things at the end of a long shift. The benefits of maintaining proper posture include a lower risk of back pain, better digestion, and greater confidence.

The Upright GO 2 device is cordless or can be worn like a necklace, with the movement sensor resting in the middle of your upper back. It connects to an app on your smartphone and gives you real-time feedback on your posture.

Old-school gadgets can be just as helpful as digital devices. In this case, Clark says a simple ampule opener can protect your finger. He says, “This gizmo helps break open the ampule easily and protects the finger.”

Brittany Ferri, Ph.D., integrative mental health, notes that self-care is vital to providing good patient care. “You need to stay hydrated to think and move the best. Self-care is the only way you can keep helping others, so drinking water and staying energized is important,” she says.

The insulated, double-walled, stainless steel water bottle by Iron Flask comes in various colors and sizes from 12 ounces to 64 ounces. The water bottle is BPA-free and keeps liquid cold for 24 hours or hot for 12 hours.