Hey y'all! As you may or may not know, I'm starting my first job as a physical therapist this month. I will be working at a hospital and I'm so excited to finally get to work with patients!

One thing about working at the hospital is that I want to make sure I have everything I need for the day in case I end up having to stay later to see a patient who gets out of surgery late, or for any other reason. So I thought I'd share with y'all the things that I MUST have in my bag to get me through the day.

1. Dafi filtered water bottle- At the hospital the easiest way to refill my water bottle is by getting tap water from the sink (kinda yuck if you think about it!) That's why I'm so glad my Dafi water bottle comes with a carbon filter, to get all the gross chlorine taste out of the tap water so I can stay hydrated all day while working. These water bottles come in 3 different sizes: 10, 17, or 24 oz and multiple different colors. One 17 oz bottle replaces up to 300 plastic water bottles, so It’s great for the environment as well!

2. Scrunchies- my goodness y'all I LOVE scrunchies. I have thick, heavy hair and when I wear it in a normal ponytail holder it sometimes can give me a headache, which is why I love scrunchies! It also is a fun way to dress up my scrubs and wear something fun at work. Also.. working with patients sometimes has me working up a sweat and I need to be able to get my hair up so it doesn't distract me from working.

3. Chapstick- Any kind of chapstick or nourishing lip gloss has to be in my bag at all times. Though I will be wearing a mask at work, my lips start to get chapped as the weather cools down and I like to keep them hydrated. In the future when we aren't wearing masks, I will bring a tinted chapstick so I get hydration with just a little color!

4. Deodorant- Honestly.. sometimes you just need to reapply during the day. No biggie, no need to discuss ;)

5. Gum- Just a habit. Gum helps me focus!

6. Extra scrubs- I'll spare y'all the details but in the hospital, you just never know if you'll need to make a wardrobe change mid-day!

7. Notebook- I always carry a small pocket notebook so that I can write down things my patients tell me during their evaluation. As physical therapists, we have to take thorough notes and usually don't type them up until after seeing the patient, so I like to make sure I write notes down as I go.

8. Mask x 2- I am going to make sure to have 2 masks with me at all times just in case. I am not sure of the exact mask rules currently at my hospital, but I want to have my own at least for walking in/out of the hospital.

So that's it! I cannot wait to start this new chapter of my life at my first "big girl" job. Wish me luck!

xo,
Natalie