medical school backpack essentials
Hey family! Happy Friday Evening! We made it! One of my goals of the blog is to empower other health professional students to chase their dreams, sharing what works well for me. With one year of medical school and commuting from Boulder to east Denver under my belt, I wanted to share with my followers what must-haves I haul around in my backpack.
Commuting is an art form, and to be successful, on time and not grumpy, you have to come prepared. Same thing applies to studying medicine - a 12 hour day at the library is cheaper, more effective and more enjoyable when you arrive with everything you'll need.
The Backpack: The North Face Router Transit.
I did a TONNN of research before purchasing this bag as it wasn't cheap. I am slightly ashamed that last year, more than a few friends nicknamed me kindly as the bag lady. I had my yoga bag, my hospital bag, my lunch, my school bag. While I was *technically* ready for whatever the day threw at me, I was constantly losing things and feeling tired of gathering my belongings. NOT THIS YEAR. The Router Transit backpack has a 17" sleeve for my laptop, TWO water bottle holders (one for my coffee), tons of compartments for organizing, and a 41 liter capacity certified by the American Chiropractic Association. It's the biggest commuter backpack I could find and I am OBSESSED. I can carry my lunch, clothes, shoes, books, laptop and study materials all in one place. See ya never, bag lady!
The Energy:
You will NEVER catch me at school or on the bus without a snack and often an iced coffee. When I have time to plan ahead, I love to freeze and bring my own iced coffee from Skok Coffee Brewing in a mason jar and then transfer it to my morning tumbler filled with ice when I get to school. I always keep a couple Keurig pods and powdered creamer in my backpack to hit up one of the school's machines on chilly sleepy days. One thing I know about myself is that I am not effective when I get hungry. To stay prepared, I always have a quick go to protein filled snack in my bag. Some of my favorites are nuts, beef jerky, fruit snacks and chia seeds. I'll post the link to some of my favorite Amazon Snack Packs at the end of the post. Affordable, filling and portable. Just what I need.
The Headphones: Bose SoundSport Wireless
There are only a few material things that I believe in investing money in. Headphones are 1000% that for me. There are few other products that I use all day, every day. I've been a customer for 7 years and Bose never lets me down. With a chargeable carrying case, noise cancelling effects and incredible attention to sound detail, there is no way you can go wrong with these babies. I study in them, run in them, commute in them, take exams in them, and lift in them. I cannot say enough good things about them. I always carry my Apple iPhone headphones as well, in case I run out of battery on my Bose and their charging case.
The Pens and The Case:
Last year I drained over 36 pens of their ink by writing, studying and drawing. As a kinesthetic learner in medical school, identifying a pen that worked for me was CRUCIAL. When I was studying for the MCAT, I used a lot of Sharpie Pens, fine tip. My obsession carried over into medical school and I study almost exclusively with Sharpie pens now, despite the slightly higher cost. Having organized notes and using color coding has helped me be successful. To carry my pens, I LOVE the Homecube Big Capacity Pencil Case that I got off Amazon. It's big enough for all of my colors, extra tools and even has small pockets for things like erasers and lead. I even carry a small vial of Lavender essential oils to help me de-stress when studying.
The Water Bottle:
My hydroflask goes everywhere with me. I've had it for years and it keeps my water cold for HOURS. Last year though, before starting my second semester of school, I leveled up to a new Hydroflask lid, one with a straw. Despite the occasional leak, I am not kidding you when I say that I drink more water, and feel better with this lid. The Hydroflask is the best water bottle I could recommend, and the Wide Mouth Straw Lid is a must have addition.
First Aid for the USMLE Step 1:
I'll be honest. I caught a lot of hell for carrying this bad boy around as a first year. But if I was giving you advice, I'd say suck it up and take the teasing. Studying for my didactic classes using First Aid as a supplement was one of the key strategies for my success as a first year. A lot of time in lecture, it can feel like you need to know everything the professor said about a specific topic. First Aid helps me to prioritize my learning with high yield concepts and allows me to get a first exposure to the figures and diagrams I will need to know inside out for Step 1. The book is so thorough, yet not huge. I don't leave home without it.
Meds, Entertainment, Toothbrush, Mascara and Backup Clothes
Theres a few things in my pack that I can't live without, but don't fit in a specific category. A lot of the extras are required as tools to make my commute and long hours at the hospital bearable.
SOCKS At the bottom of my bag I keep a pair of Smart Wool socks. I like to take my shoes off when I'm studying and my feet often get cold on the bus in sandals.
IBUPROFEN I'll always have a bottle of Ibuprofen in my bag for when the headache hits at 5pm in traffic.
COLORING BOOK I try to carry a medical coloring book or novel, to pass the time on the bus when my brain is done studying for the day.
SWEATER I always keep a jacket in my bag for the air conditioned library. My absolute favorite is the Robin Style pullover from good hYOUman. It's lightweight and perfect over scrubs but also WARM and so so cozy. I literally live in mine.
HAT I keep a baseball hat in my bag for when I want to avoid eye contact on the bus and while waiting at the light rail station. Any other introverts out there?
MASCARA + TOOTHBRUSH I wear Bad Gal and love it. As for the toothbrush - No explanation necessary ;)
SCHOOL ID I feel much safer going to a school that requires identification on every part of campus. Not only does it help eliminate confusion and make me feel more comfortable understanding roles, it eliminates the awkwardness of not knowing someone's name (especially when you should)!
STETHOSCOPE/SCRUBS The best part of carrying the backpack in the first place :)
So that's pretty much it! Not pictured is the lunchbox I try to pack daily, but its not included as I plan to do a "What's in my Lunchbox" post soon. Thanks so much for hanging out and taking a peek in my backpack. I hope it helps you get ready for your own adventure to school.
To all the MS1s that started school today - Congratulations, Doc! You made it!