How to pack for aways

I'm interested in this as well. I'm driving to all of my locations and I have an SUV, so I'm literally brining as much as I can fit...maybe 20+ dress shirts, all the socks/underwear/scrubs I can find, etc. Basically I don't want to run into a situation where I run out of clothes and need to find a drycleaners or something like that.

I'm interested as well, but a somewhat different question.. Do hospitals you rotate at generally have scrubs available for rotators? I own a bunch of my own scrubs that match the colors that people wear at the hospital I did my home sub-i at (they don't give students scrubs however). I know some hospitals don't allow you to wear scrubs other than the ones they provide - or ones that are the same color at least.

This only applies to my home institution, but oh well - we have scrub machines that work with our ID badges to get scrubs; rotaters didn't get access to the machines, so I took some of the outside rotaters to the teaching hospital basement and they "borrowed" some scrubs for the rotation by directly asking the linen staff people for some scrubs.

So you aren't planning on doing laundry during your rotation?

This isn't like you're going on safari in Africa. Just bring what you wear on a daily basis.

Dear God.

You expect people to let you cut them open and you can't pack your shit for a trip?

I don't know where you're going, and like you said, every hospital is different. At most places, you'll probably be in scrubs all day, so even if you have to enter and leave the building in dress clothes you can get away with bringing only a few shirts/ties/dress pants. Obviously, try to get program-specific advice. The residency coordinator is usually a good resource.

As for scrubs - sure, bring a couple pairs of your own, but realize that it is a JCAHO requirement that only hospital-issued scrubs that in theory you put on right before you enter the OR are allowed. So, the hospital basically has to give you scrubs regardless of what the secretary who runs the scrub pixis says.

just actually talked with one of the places I am doing an away at and they said I would "not" be wearing scrubs only 3-4 days out of the whole month.

real question: did any of you guys bring your stethoscope on your away rotation?

real question]

Haha even though I haven't used a stethoscope since July I think I'm going to bring one just in case... I mean you can always leave it wherever you're staying if no one else has one on the first day.

real question]

Haha even though I haven't used a stethoscope since July I think I'm going to bring one just in case... I mean you can always leave it wherever you're staying if no one else has one on the first day.

Don't bother. You won't need it. If you do, just borrow one from a nurse.