Quick Answer
The nursing essentials every new nurse and nursing student needs for their first shift: a fob watch (analog recommended by most clinical facilitators), stethoscope, at least two sets of scrubs in your facility's approved colour, closed-toe non-slip shoes, a pen, and a small notebook. This checklist covers everything — with the reasoning behind each item and what to avoid.
Your first shift as a nurse — whether it's your first clinical placement as a student or your first day as a graduate — is one of those days you'll remember for a long time. The last thing you want is to arrive unprepared, rummaging through your bag for a pen while your supervisor is waiting.
We've been supplying Australian healthcare professionals with scrubs and nursing essentials since 2001. This checklist is built from what we've learned over 25 years — including the things new nurses almost always forget and the gear that experienced nurses swear by. Let's go through it properly.
In this guide:
1. Scrubs — your uniform foundation
2. Fob watch — analog vs digital, and why it matters
3. Stethoscope — what to buy as a student vs a grad
4. Shoes — the most overlooked essential
5. Pens, notebook and clinical tools
1. Scrubs — Your Uniform Foundation
Before anything else, you need at least two complete sets of scrubs. This isn't a preference — it's an infection control requirement at virtually every Australian clinical facility. You need a fresh, laundered set every single shift, and if one set is in the wash, you need a backup.
The colour you need depends entirely on your facility or university. This is the single most important thing to confirm before you order. Most Australian hospitals use colour-coding to differentiate roles — navy for Registered Nurses, teal or ceil for Enrolled Nurses and students, hunter green for doctors, purple for midwives. As a student, your colour is deliberately different from the registered nurses you're working alongside. That's intentional — it signals to patients and staff that you're in a learning role.
The two-tone lesson from experience: When we supplied scrubs to nursing students at one Queensland university, the brief was teal tops and black scrub pants — matching the university's logo colours. The black pants served a deliberate purpose: they made students immediately distinguishable from registered nurses in all-one-colour sets. The university initially asked for normal black work pants rather than scrub pants, but students overwhelmingly preferred scrub pants for comfort and functionality. That practical preference is worth knowing before you shop — scrub pants are designed for clinical work in a way regular workwear isn't.
For first-placement students and new graduates on a budget, Dickies EDS Essentials and Cherokee Workwear Professionals are the best starting points — durable, well-priced and available in the clinical colours most Australian facilities require. Both hold their colour through frequent high-temperature washing, which matters when you're laundering every day.
Browse our full nursing scrubs collection filtered by colour, or read our clinical placement scrubs guide for university-specific colour information.
2. Fob Watch — Analog vs Digital, and Why It Matters
A fob watch is non-negotiable in nursing. Wristwatches aren't permitted in most clinical areas — "bare below the elbow" is standard infection control practice — so a fob watch clipped to your top or lanyard is how you tell the time and, critically, how you count a patient's pulse rate.
Here's something worth knowing: most clinical facilitators and senior nurses prefer students to use analog fob watches. The reason is clinical, not aesthetic. Counting a pulse requires you to watch a second hand sweep in real time — 15 seconds, 30 seconds, a full minute. A digital display showing changing numbers is significantly harder to use for this purpose than a sweeping second hand on an analog face. If your facilitator asks you to count a radial pulse and you're staring at digits ticking up, you'll understand immediately why analog is preferred.
Digital fob watches have their uses — they're great for timing medications, procedural intervals and other clinical tasks where you need a precise countdown. Many experienced nurses carry both. But for your first placement, if you're buying one watch, buy analog.
Fob watch buying guide:
Analog with sweeping second hand — best for clinical assessments including pulse counting. The standard recommendation from most clinical facilitators. Look for a clear, easy-to-read face with a bold second hand.
Retractable clip design — the most practical style for nursing. Clips to your top pocket or lanyard, pulls out when needed, retracts automatically so it's not swinging into patients or equipment.
Digital fob watch — useful for medication timing and procedure intervals. A secondary purchase once you're established. Not ideal as your only watch for clinical assessment.
Apple Watch / smartwatch — not permitted in most clinical areas as a substitute for a fob watch. Even where not prohibited, the bare-below-elbow policy makes these impractical. A dedicated fob watch is still required.
Browse our full range of nursing fob watches — retractable and standard styles, analog and digital, in a range of colours and patterns including our popular retractable fob watches.
3. Stethoscope — What to Buy as a Student vs a Graduate
Not every nursing placement requires your own stethoscope — many facilities provide them or have shared ones on the ward. But having your own matters for two reasons: hygiene (shared stethoscopes are an infection control concern) and skill development (using the same stethoscope consistently helps you learn what normal sounds like).
As a nursing student, you don't need to spend a lot. A solid entry-level dual-head stethoscope covers everything you'll encounter on placement — cardiac, respiratory and bowel sounds. The Spirit range is a popular choice with Australian nursing students for its reliability at a reasonable price point.
As a graduate nurse moving into a specific specialty — ED, ICU, cardiac — you may want to upgrade to a higher-quality acoustic stethoscope. But this is a later decision. Start with a reliable mid-range stethoscope and upgrade when your specialty becomes clear.
One practical tip: write your name on your stethoscope tubing with a permanent marker or use a label. Stethoscopes disappear on busy wards. It happens to every nurse at least once.
Browse our stethoscopes and medical accessories range.
4. Shoes — The Most Overlooked Essential
New nurses consistently underestimate how important footwear is — until they're eight hours into a twelve-hour shift on a hard floor and their feet are screaming. Clinical footwear requirements are strict: fully enclosed, non-slip, easy to clean. No open-toed shoes, no trainers with mesh panels that absorb fluids, no heels.
Beyond compliance, the practical rule is: spend more on shoes than you think you need to. Your feet carry you through 8–12 hour shifts on hard floors. A $30 pair of shoes that leaves you in pain by hour four is a false economy. Look for dedicated nursing or healthcare shoes with arch support, cushioned soles and slip-resistant outsoles.
Most facilities require black or dark shoes to match clinical scrubs. Check your specific facility policy before buying.
5. Pens, Notebook and Clinical Tools
Bring multiple pens. Not one — multiple. Pens disappear in clinical environments at a rate that defies explanation. Black ballpoint pens are standard for clinical documentation. Many nurses also carry a red pen for specific documentation requirements. Keep them in your scrub top pocket with a pen loop so they're always accessible.
A small notebook or clinical reference notepad is worth having in your pocket for the first few placements — for quick references, patient task lists and jotting down questions to ask your supervisor later. Some nurses prefer pre-printed clinical reference cards covering normal vital signs ranges, drug calculations and assessment frameworks.
Depending on your placement setting, you may also need:
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Clinical Assessment Tools → Fob watch (see above) → Stethoscope (see above) → Pen torch (for pupillary assessment) → Bandage scissors / trauma shears (ED and surgical placements) |
Documentation and Reference → Black and red ballpoint pens (multiple) → Small clinical notebook or reference cards → Drug reference app on your phone (confirm with facility) → Student ID and clinical placement paperwork |
6. Your Bag and What Goes in It
You'll likely leave your bag in a locker during your shift — most clinical areas don't allow personal bags on the ward. So what you carry into the ward needs to fit in your scrub pockets. This is one reason scrubs with multiple, deep pockets matter so much. Your fob watch, pens, notebook, phone and ID need to be accessible without a bag.
For your locker or break room, pack:
→ A spare pair of scrubs in case of contamination
→ Water bottle — staying hydrated on long shifts is harder than it sounds
→ Snacks — meal breaks aren't always on schedule
→ Hand cream — clinical hand hygiene is hard on skin
→ Pain relief — paracetamol for headaches, because long shifts happen
7. The Complete Nursing Essentials Checklist
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✅ WEAR TO WORK ☐ Clean, freshly laundered scrubs (correct colour) ☐ Enclosed, non-slip clinical shoes ☐ Hair tied back ☐ No jewellery below the elbow ☐ Short, unpainted nails ✅ IN YOUR SCRUB POCKETS ☐ Analog fob watch (retractable recommended) ☐ 2–3 black ballpoint pens ☐ Small notebook or clinical reference cards ☐ Student ID / staff ID ☐ Stethoscope (around neck or in pocket) |
✅ IN YOUR LOCKER / BAG ☐ Spare complete set of scrubs ☐ Water bottle ☐ Snacks / meal for break ☐ Hand cream ☐ Pain relief (paracetamol) ☐ Placement paperwork / compliance documents ✅ DEPENDING ON PLACEMENT ☐ Pen torch ☐ Bandage scissors ☐ Digital fob watch (medication timing) ☐ Red pen (specialty documentation) |
Ready to Kit Out Your First Shift?
Infectious has everything on this checklist — scrubs, fob watches, stethoscopes and accessories. Shipped from the Sunshine Coast to anywhere in Australia.
Nursing Scrubs Fob Watches & Accessories Nursing Essentials
