Annoying female penlight breast-pocket problem

[Altered Mental Status]

I'll try to be as delicate as possible describing this.

I'm a female with a large bust. Carrying a typical ADC medical pupilary penlight in my breast-pocket results in losing a lot of penlights since the durn thing "rides up" and out. It's especially embarrassing when this happens in front of patients, police and firemen. "That's me, the freakin AEMT n00b girl, chasing her pupil penlight down the street instead of pushing the stretcher!"

I had a Prestige Medical brand penlight with a better clip that didn't fall out so easily but the light is a piece of poo and looking on Amazon for a replacement reveals that it's not just a defective fluke, MOST of the reviews for that product are bad.

I was thinking of getting something with maybe a carabiner to carry on a belt-loop or something but can't find a standard, non-bright bulb. I was advised NOT to buy an LED penlight since using the bright blue-white on a patient with head trauma due to seizure could cause another seizure.

I'm thinking there has got to be another lady-EMT out there who has experienced and solved this problem somehow. I'm trying NOT to be the new, green EMT with half-a-dozen things hanging from my belt. I've managed to pare myself down to trauma shears in the trauma shears pocket, a pen in each pants pocket (one for gloved hands and one for bare hands) and an extrication tool with a seatbelt cutter and windshield buster that someone bought me as a gift on the belt.

So, lady EMS, tell me your thoughts!

 

[shfd739]

Keep it in a pen slot on your pants leg maybe.

FWIW I just use a small Streamlight Nano clipped to my ID. I dont too many people that carry penlights anymore.

 

[TheGodfather]

Clip it to the inside of one of your front pants pockets.. i keep mine there as well as my pen, you'll be able to distinguish which is which.

 

[ffemt8978]

You could also clip it to the underside of your collar or if you wear a t-shirt underneath your work shirt, it can be clipped to the collar of that. Or you could clip it to the pocket flap on your shirt in a horizontal position.

 

[Epi-do]

I don't carry one. The only things I keep on me are a pen, and I grab my stethoscope and toss it around my neck on the way out of the truck. Anything else I need is in my gear.

In my bunker gear, I do have a flashlight and trauma shears, but don't wear them on every run, so don't have them on me for every run.

 

[bigbaldguy]

Head lamp?

 

[bstone]

Head lamp?

hahaha, funny.

I would suggest you carry a penlight inside of your BDU pants pocket. I carry it there and it's great.

 

[CritterNurse]

As another top-heavy female, I avoid putting anything in the breast pocket unless it will be taken out within minutes. The scrubs I buy for my other profession has large pockets on the outside of the legs, like EMT pants do, so that's where I put my shears, pens, pen-lights, chewing gum, small notebook, and other items, if I need to carry them.

 

[bstone]

As another top-heavy female, I avoid putting anything in the breast pocket unless it will be taken out within minutes. The scrubs I buy for my other profession has large pockets on the outside of the legs, like EMT pants do, so that's where I put my shears, pens, pen-lights, chewing gum, small notebook, and other items, if I need to carry them.

 

[mm505]

I guess I'll be the one to say it - put it right between them!

Seriously, I've worked with a couple "breast advantaged" partners, and they usually just kept their lights clipped to their t-shirt or in their utility case on their belts.

 

[abckidsmom]

Leatherman/flashlight holster on my belt.

 

[sperry]

If you wear a polo shirt on duty, a possible solution is under the first button horizontally. I carry a pen that way.

 

[DPM]

Pictures or it didn't happen!

 

[ffemt8978]

This is not Junior High, so keep it respectful and civil.

 

[DrParasite]

in all seriousness, as a man who doesn't have large boobs, I tend to keep my ID in my shirt pocket. pens, pen lights, or sunglasses don't go there. pens and/or penlights are clipped to my pants pockets, and my sunglasses on my head.

if I need a flashlight, I have one or two attached to my belt.

truth be told, penlights are better off left in the kit and ambulance, and not in your pockets.

 

[DPM]

Hahah alright, it was only a joke. Just stick it in your trouser pocket or between the buttons on your shirt

 

[Akulahawk]

If you're that well-endowed that anything in a breast pocket gets pushed out, I would suggest carrying those items in a cargo pocket in the pants or in some kind of utility pack/bag you'd wear around the waist. Another possibility is wearing a slightly loose uniform shirt to allow objects in the breast pocket to not be pushed out. I would imagine that breast pockets of uniform shirts that are mostly form-fitting (even though such shirts look good) are the ones susceptible to the push stuff up and out...

Flat clip lights that attach to keychains can also be attached to a small lanyard or a badge holder and can be a bright source of light. My preference would be to use a retractable lanyard for that as it puts the light at the same place every time and is easy to access for use.

If a lanyard is not OK and you can't use a waist pack, get a small gear holster and put an actual flashlight in there. abckidsmom has probably one of the better solutions, if you don't have extra pockets...

 

[rwik123]

You should probably get a custom kydex holster for your penlight. God forbid you have to use one of your other 30 pockets.

 

[bigbaldguy]

You should probably get a custom kydex holster for your penlight. God forbid you have to use one of your other 30 pockets.

Just make sure it's fireproof and has a star of life on it

I know a couple of medics where I volly just have one of those little key chain fob lights that they use. They work fine for checking pupils and because they can be held at almost a flat angle to the skin can also be used to help locate a vein when starting a line.

 

[adamjh3]

Just make sure it's fireproof

Not possible with kydex