ER essentials: what to bring to work in the emergency department

The ER is not a ward with more noise. It is a place where you can go from a sprained ankle to a code to a patient who wants to fight you, all before your coffee goes cold. Nobody knows what comes through the doors next, so your kit has to be ready for all of it, and it has to survive being splashed, wiped and sprinted with.

This list is for everyone who works the department: nurses, docs, techs, medics and CNAs. The basics that every unit needs (good shoes, compression socks, a stethoscope) are covered in the locker room essentials list. Here we only cover what the ER changes.

What makes the ER different

Four things, mostly:

• Fluids land on you. Blood, vomit, urine and things that defy description. They land on the floor, then on your shoes, then on your pants.
• You move fast. Short sprints, sudden stops, and lots of crouching beside stretchers.
• Breaks are a theory. Twelve hours can pass with one granola bar and half a bottle of water.
• Some patients get physical. Pain, intoxication, fear and long waits are a rough mix.

Everything below answers one of those.

Shoes that wipe clean and grip

Mesh running shoes are lovely on a med-surg floor. In the ER, mesh soaks up whatever splashes onto it. That is why so many ER staff switch to leather, rubber or closed foam: something you can wipe down at the end of a shift.

Grip matters just as much. NIOSH says slips, trips and falls are the second most common cause of lost-workday injuries in hospitals. And an ER floor is wet more often than most.

There are more options, from cushioned leather sneakers to rinse-clean clogs, in our ER shoe guide. It also covers a cheap habit worth starting: a separate bag that keeps your work shoes out of your house.

Your legs still matter

Fast doesn’t mean you are off your feet. If anything you stand more, because sitting down is not on the menu. Graduated compression socks help a lot of people feel less wrecked at the end of a shift. Start with a light to moderate pressure, and see the compression sock guide for the numbers.

Fast hands

In the ER, the thing you need is usually needed right now. Shears are the clearest example: clothes come off, dressings come off, tape gets cut in a hurry. Carry your own pair and you will never wait for the one on the trauma cart.

Hemostats, reference cards, a glove pouch and the rest of the small stuff are in the ER pocket kit.

Safety gear you might not have thought about

This is the part general nursing lists skip. In a 2024 pulse survey by the Emergency Nurses Association, more than half of the ER nurses who responded said they had been physically or verbally assaulted, or threatened, in the previous month. OSHA’s workplace violence guidance for healthcare names high-volume urban emergency departments among the highest-risk settings.

The same OSHA guidance suggests a few simple things that touch your kit directly:

• Nothing around your neck that can be grabbed. It discourages necklaces and chains because of the risk of strangulation in a struggle. A breakaway lanyard pops open under a hard pull. A badge reel at your chest or waist avoids the question entirely.
• Badges without last names, where your employer allows it.
• Nothing in your pockets that could become a weapon if it ends up in the wrong hands. Think about what you actually need to carry.
• Hair tied back or covered, so it can’t be grabbed and used to pull you.

No gear replaces your hospital’s de-escalation training, security team and reporting process. But not handing someone a ready-made handle is a sensible start.

Eye protection: use the unit’s

Splashes to the face are an everyday risk in the ER. OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard says employers must provide personal protective equipment at no cost, and that eye protection with a mask, or a chin-length face shield, is worn when splashes of blood or other infectious material are reasonably expected.

Here is the bit people get wrong: the CDC says regular prescription glasses do not count as eye protection, and that safety glasses should not be used for infection control. Well-fitted goggles or a face shield are the right tools. So skip buying your own “safety specs” for this and grab the unit’s goggles or shield.

Layers for cold bays and hot ones

ER rooms swing from fridge to sauna. Trauma bays are often kept cold, and then you spend twenty minutes in a lead apron and a gown. A thin long-sleeve layer under your top beats a bulky jacket you have to peel off when a patient rolls in.

Check your infection control rules first. Some departments ask for bare below the elbows during patient care.

Food and water for a shift with no break

You will not always get a proper break. Plan for that instead of being surprised by it every shift.

A big bottle with a lid that you can sip from between rooms makes drinking enough far more likely. Keep it at the station, where your unit allows drinks.

On hot, sweaty shifts in gowns and masks, some people like an electrolyte mix in that bottle. It is not magic, and plain water does most of the work, but it can make a dull bottle more drinkable.

Then stash food that needs no fridge and no microwave. A bar in your locker beats the vending machine at 4 a.m.

For a proper lunch setup, the shift bag guide has bags and containers. If you are on nights, the night shift guide covers sleeping through the day.

What to skip

• Mesh shoes as your only pair. Fine for a quiet day, miserable after a GI bleed.
• Anything dangling around your neck that does not break away.
• Your own safety glasses as splash protection. Use the department’s goggles or face shield.
• A heavy pocket load. You will be crouching, running and lifting. Every extra ounce gets in the way.
• Fancy scrubs you would cry about. Some days your scrubs end up in a biohazard bag. The scrubs guide has tough, cheap sets.

The ER checklist

1. Wipe-clean, slip-resistant shoes, and a bag to carry them home in
2. Compression socks
3. Trauma shears and a lean pocket kit
4. A breakaway lanyard or a badge reel, and nothing else around your neck
5. A thin layer for cold bays
6. A big water bottle, plus electrolyte sticks for hot shifts
7. Shelf-stable food in your locker
8. Your unit’s PPE for splashes, every time

Shopping for someone in the ER? The ER gift guide has ideas they will actually use.

Follow your own unit’s dress code and infection control rules, which always come first.