What's in the Relief Bag? A Relief Vet's Everyday Carry
So here I am, stuck in a hotel room for a week of CE. I’ve been wanting to do a “what’s in my bag” post for a while to show you what a relief vet carries around day to day. So I decided to dump it out and show you what’s inside.
If you’re a relief vet (or thinking about becoming one), this is what I carry around to survive a typical day at the hospital. Some of it is essential. Some of it is… less essential. Let’s go.
The Bag: Herschel Gibson Messenger
First, the bag itself. I’ve been using this Herschel Gibson Messenger for 3 years now, and it still looks as good as new. It’s comfortable, it’s spacious, and it’s taken everything relief life has thrown at it. If you’re in the market for a work bag, I highly recommend it.
The Stethoscope and the Lens I Never Use
My stethoscope is a Littmann Master Cardiology. It does a great job, and it comes in fun colors, which matters when you’re in a different hospital every week. Mine is red, so nobody walks off with it by mistake.
Next to it is my Volk 2.2 retinal lens, which I got back in vet school. I have used it a grand total of one time.
The Reading Material
The CVMA notebook is a souvenir from the PacVet conference, and it’s full of notes I still flip back to every now and then.
The book is Differential Diagnosis in Small Animal Medicine. I don’t open it very often. I usually reach for my VIN account way more than I reach for this book.
The Laptop
My MacBook Air is my work laptop. I like it because it’s lightweight and fast. Some of the clinics I work at use cloud-based records, so I can just log in from my own laptop instead of using a workstation, which is really convenient.
The Water Bottle
My Hydro Flask comes with me every day. Staying hydrated at work is important, especially as a relief vet, when you never know if a new hospital’s schedule will give you a proper break. Having water within reach means I’m not running on empty by the afternoon appointments.
The Snacks
Always pack snacks. Same logic as the water bottle: you don’t always know when (or if) lunch is happening. Today’s lineup is dill pickle cashews, a Gatorade protein bar, and a date bar.
And let’s be real: you’re not a relief vet if you don’t have a crumpled protein bar at the bottom of your bag.
The Motrin
Once you hit your late 30s, you’ll realize these are essential to pack.
The Pens
Can never have too many pens. Actually, this is too many.
The Mystery Item
A 70mm IMAX film strip from The Odyssey. No idea what it’s doing in here, but it was a pleasant surprise to find it!
That’s the Bag
That’s everything I carry on a typical relief day. Pack the essentials, pack some snacks, and maybe clean out your pens once in a while. Now, back to CE.
