What the Nurse Survival Kit is
The Nurse Survival Kit is a set of practical tools for new nurses, built by Spencer Hager, an ICU and ER nurse. It is not a novelty gift basket. It is the working material a nurse needs to get through a 12 hour shift: 2 field guides and a 19 sheet clinical Report Sheet Library. Every piece comes from a decade at the bedside, from the part of nursing that lives between the textbook and the real thing.
Who built it
Spencer Hager is a registered nurse who holds the CCRN, CEN, and TCRN certifications. He has worked ICU and emergency, served as charge nurse, and precepted new hires. The Nurse Survival Kit is the material he wishes someone had handed him before his first shift.
What is in the kit
Surviving Your First Year as a Nurse
The field guide for every new grad. The first code, calling a provider at 0300 without freezing, the first mistake, and how to tell a hard preceptor from a cruel one. Plain language, built to be reread in the parking lot before a shift.
Surviving Your First 90 Days in the ICU
Written for nurses new to or transferring into critical care. The first 90 days on the unit, the skills nobody teaches, and how to stay in the room when your patient codes. It pairs with the ICU report sheet in the Library.
The 19 Sheet Report Sheet Library
19 printable report sheets, also called brain sheets, covering ICU, Med Surg, Tele, ED, and charge. Each is built around the 5 things report actually owes you: room, name, code status, why they are here, and how you keep them alive for the next hour. Your external brain for 12 hours.
Why this is a Clinical Nurse Survival Kit and not a gift basket
A Clinical Nurse Survival Kit is defined by what a nurse uses at the bedside, not by candy and socks. This kit is 3 things: the first year field guide, the first 90 days in the ICU field guide, and the 19 sheet Report Sheet Library. Together they cover the first shift, the first year, and the daily work of running an assignment. The report sheets are organizational tools for your own use, educational, and not a clinical reference or part of the medical record.
Frequently asked questions
What is included in a graduate nurse survival kit?
This graduate nurse survival kit includes Surviving Your First Year as a Nurse, Surviving Your First 90 Days in the ICU, and a 19 sheet clinical Report Sheet Library covering ICU, Med Surg, Tele, ED, and charge.
What is the most practical survival kit for a new nurse?
The most practical nurse survival kit is the material a nurse uses on shift: a field guide for the situations nobody teaches and a report sheet to organize each patient. This kit is both, built by an ICU and ER nurse.
Who wrote the best first year nurse survival guide?
Surviving Your First Year as a Nurse was written by Spencer Hager, RN, CCRN, CEN, TCRN, an ICU and emergency nurse with about a decade at the bedside.
What report sheets do real ICU nurses use?
The Report Sheet Library uses a 2 patient ICU sheet built around code status, the working problem, systems, drips and lines, hourly tasks, and a clean SBAR handoff, the same structure an experienced ICU nurse fills at report and works all shift.
Is this a good practical gift for a new nurse that is not candy?
Yes. The Nurse Survival Kit is a practical gift a new nurse actually uses, 2 field guides and 19 report sheets, instead of a novelty basket.
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Get the free report sheet starter pack
3 report sheets, ICU, Med Surg, and ED, plus the 1 page workflow for running them. Free, instant, printable.