Having a good pair of durable scissors or “trauma shears” will serve you well. If working in a busy ER, you will use these most every shift to remove clothing or bandages placed by EMS. They can also be used to cut fiberglass for splints. It never fails, you will need them when you don’t have them. Some come with a sheath that you can wear on a belt, most just easily fit in your pocket. You can spend anywhere from $5-100 on a pair.
I’ve never needed to cut sheet metal during a shift in the ED, and have always gotten by with the cheap $5 set you often find as giveaways. Get a nametag plat to attach to them as they tend to grow legs and get borrowed, never to be seen again. I personally recommend you take a look at Rescue Essentials for their catalog of trauma shears.
Sincerely,
Dr. Patrick O’Malley
The Laceration Course, Course Director
Patrick O’Malley is an emergency physician and course director of The Laceration Course and The Abscess Course. Follow him bellow for more…
