what's in my bag #22: nights on-call

Night shifts are the worst: twelve and a half hours where I cover all medical patients (around 300!). I try not to eat too much during the shift but it's a delicate balance as on an empty stomach, I do get hangry! Here are the usual contents of my on-call bag:

Bag: Longchamp Le Pliage small
Contents (top left to right): a bottle of water, a pen, crackers, a snack, stethoscope, lip balm, phone charger, tissues, hand cream and boiled sweets.

I try and carry a small-ish bag when doing my nights. One that's small enough to not be in the way when walking from ward to ward but still big enough to hold as many snacks as possible. This is where my small Longchamp Le Pliage comes in handy. I have tried using a small cross-body bag but found it didn't hold enough food in (my colleagues will laugh at this as they all understand my constant hunger).

Anyway, these are the usual contents of my bag. Often, there will be a banana or two, and a clementine in there too; sometimes even a packet of nuts if I'm after a bit of luxury. It is often tempting to eat a load of rubbish but I try and stay as healthy as possible. I also get a bit ratty if I've gone for too long without food so grazing every few hours or so on fruit helps. The crackers and Soreen mini-loaf are there for contingency more than anything as they aren't as healthy as fruit or nuts.