Putting together a medical kit

[Madrigal]

As I remember, some of y'all work or have worked in emergency medicine. I've been offered a basic medical kit as a birthday present, and I'm trying to decide what to ask for.

So, which basic tools do you find yourself using most often, or wishing you had most? Which do you find take up too much space, or never get used? I'm aiming to fill a relatively small and lightweight bag, which will fit into a small corner of a car trunk.

(I will also carry a few drugs and reference materials, but I already know which. Nothing I'm not licensed for, or that isn't for me.)

[Kath]

You couldn't go wrong looking at some of Jim McDonald's posts over at Making Light.

http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/009176.html

[Mausey]

That's a great site Kath. I just went and had a quick look, loads of good information.

[mawofone]

Normal bandaids. My sister is an EMT and has a large first aid kit, but no normal sized band aids.

[chrysalis]

Normal bandaids. My sister is an EMT and has a large first aid kit, but no normal sized band aids.

I have a first aid kit that is about the size of a soft sided square lunch box. It holds: large tube of after sun aloe gel, anti-itch cream, ointments for burns and cuts, triple antibiotic cream, two boxes of bandaids, gauzes pads, one-sided q-tips, medical tape, small scissors, bottle of aspirin/tylenol, bug spray, instant hot/cold packs, disinfecting wipes, and other small items. The bag has a hanger on one end and when you hang it up to open or lay it open it folds out. It holds lots of stuff because of the design but it's small enough for me to put it under the passenger seat of the car. For my girl scouts I need to get at least three more so when we go on trips each driver has a first aid kit.

[Madrigal]

Thanks, everyone!

Hadn't realized Making Light had medical posts, but I've stopped following it over the past few years. Not enough time.

I realized I was unclear, which is what I get for posting without much sleep. I'm an EMT by training. I'm trying to find the middle ground between the giant gym bags that hold everything under the sun, and the baggie with a sharpie and some gloves. (Most EMTs seem to wind up with one or the other in their cars...)

[Milo]

Superglue.

[Mausey]

I was a Cub leader for years and maybe we were lucky but the only items I ever needed from our first aid kit were a needle for digging out slivers, swabs to clean the spot and small bandaids. I asked one of our emt's and all he added was a couple of those packs that you squeeze to make them cold and an eye wash bottle.

[Bullbound]

safety scissors, medical tape, superglue, tweezers, a couple sewing needles of varying sizes, alcohol wipes, gauze, band-aids, a pen flashlight with batteries, one of those packs you crush for cold, gloves, and some candies or a tube of glucose are all I would think you need unless you are expected to have some of the more common remedies such as anti-itch cream and burn cream. Oh, and don't forget a CPR mask.

[Kath]

a pen flashlight with batteries

Nah, get one of these! (http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=GRY-HANDPRESS-LIGHT3&cat=GDT) I picked one up from the Eden Project last month, and it's great!

[Bullbound]

Never seen those, Kath. Neat. I like the flashlights that you shake to charge, but good luck finding a small enough one for a kit. Hope this list helps some, Madrigal.

[Madrigal]

Thanks again to everyone. After asking around, I think I've come up with a pretty good idea of what I want. I already have some, so I won't be asking for much, it seems. It might seem like an odd mix of things, but some of it is also stuff I'm likely to someday need.

For daily use:
Penlight
Sharpie
Pens (2)
Stethoscope
Watch with second hand
Notepad

For the kit:
Nitrile gloves
Gauze
High-glucose candy
Medical tape
Notepad
Safety pins
Tweezers
Shears
Coldpack
Small bottle of rubbing alcohol
2-gallon baggies (2)
Bulky dressing
Large bottle of sterile saline
Small tube of vaseline
Small tube of water-based lube
NPAs
Aspirin
Epipen
Small reference book
My medical history

No CPR mask because the AHA is switching to hands-only. I'm also in an area with a high tb rate, so we're already encouraged to only ventilate using a bag.

Because I often drive in very cold areas with frequent road closings, I also already carry in a separate bag:
Blanket
Flashlight
Lighter
Snacks
Water
Rope
Large garbage bag
Good book