The most expensive, silly or cheap gifts you received from your hospital

Nurses General Nursing

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I am not sure if there is any other thread similar to this one but I am just curious what is the most expensive, silly and /or least expensive gifts/ freebies you ever received from your hospital??

The most expensive gifts I ever got for my hospital is a bag with the hospital logo on it and the least expensive is those plastic fruits....they were just promoting health and well ness....I just wished they would give us lots of pen!!!

Last year I recieved a pad of post it's. You're probably thinking, 'well, at least they purchased something for you'. Nope. It was from a drug rep. I think it had Prozac or Cymbalta on it. I thought this was incredibly tacky especially since the hospital posted the biggest profit in 15 years.

I got my yearly raise last year around Christmas. I don't remember the exact amount, but I know that it put me in a higher tax bracket so in the end I saw less money. I told them to take it back.

Did receive a really nice, big bag. Big enough to pack a weekend worth of clothes but small enough to get on a plane. Even has a special zipper compartment for your ipod. There's a little hole in the compartment to thread your headphones through. That came from the dr's for nurse's week.

I went to the gym that night with a lot on my mind. I was replaying all these events in my head, thinking about all my personal mistakes I've made in my recent past and how I needed to quit shutting myself off all the time and should start opening up more. I thought about how I didn't even know how to do this, where to start. This was heavy stuff. I handed my gym membership card to the trainer who scanned it in the computer. He handed it back to me with the usual, "Have a good workout." I just nodded 'thanks' and sheepishly put my head down and started walking toward the locker room, back to the thoughts that were consuming me. After a few seconds I hear someone say, in a surprised voice, "Oh, and happy birthday." It was the person who had just scanned my card. A total stranger. It was the only live voice I heard wish me a happy birthday that day.

I pretended not to hear him and just kept my head down while walking away. It didn't cost him much, and probably seems kind of silly to some people that something so simple could mean so much from someone you don't even know. It was a great gift and was very much appreciated. Thank you.

Happy Birthday for the next gazillion years :balloons:

It makes me feel human when I go to the store, sign a check or the cashier sees my debit card, and say "thank you Elizabeth".

Specializes in Med/surg, ER/ED,rehab ,nursing home.

Hey, this stuff is an advertising write off. At least some of it has been good. An insulated lunch bag( guess they got tired of our recycled grocery bags),a blanket like thing for a picnic, a short chair, big umbrella, and a thing for our ID to hang on. We used to get $20 then $10 for the grocery of our choice...or Kroger. So I guess that was too much. We once got to choose the size jacket or polo shirt that we wanted. Those actually fit, but they made an error in the polo shirt. I gave it to my son in law.

If it doesn't fit, don't give it to me.

The last couple Xmas' we got a nice fleece sweatshirt with the hospital logo on it, and then the next year we got fleece sleeveless vests with the logo (and the girls do tend to where them to work a lot--the boys not as much). I heard that this year our managers are getting us scrub tops. We also are getting a dinner/party at a hotel...not too bad (at least for those of us who don't have to work that night. I think those that are working will get a dinner catered in). Our managers treat us pretty well I think...

the last hospital I worked in built a new ER and had brass (I guess) medallions made for the biggest donors and that was our Christmas gift that year. I think the trash can was very heavy that year!!!:down:

Greg,

I had a similar experience, once.

A sad and lonely birthday I spent all alone. When I went home in the pouring rain after a grueling shift, I stopped to fill up my tank, and buy a can of chicken soup to have for dinner. When I handed the clerk my driver's license along with a check, he saw it was my birthday. He gave me a free car-wash token, and bid me a cheery "happy birthday."

I kept that token for years and years.

Sometimes, a kind word from a stranger does mean a lot.

May you have many, many happy birthdays, Greg.

Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.

When I worked in the UK and we celebrated 50 years of the NHS (socialised medicine) we all recieved a cheap white mug with enscribed with "50 glorious years of the NHS'.

Not one you would serve tea to guests with LOL

Specializes in ICU, HOME HEALTH, NURSING EDUC, CASE MGT.

The nicest gift that I have ever recieved was a large bottle of Chanel No. 5 perfume, from a "secret" Santa, when I worked on the ICU in an Army Hospital. I never had the opportunity to thank that special Santa...but I will never forget that special gift. It was a little embarassing to open the gift in front of my co-workers since gifts were not to exceed more than five dollars.

:idea:I am a Student Nurse (LPN) with one week left to go till pinning. I used to be a secretary in various hospitals. The best gift the nurses received (I think) were warm up jackets made of snowman material with snaps down the front and over sized pockets for their stuff. The colors matched their plain scrubs. My unit manager had asked me to sew them and I made over 25 of these in one month, while working full time. I took personal time off at times and set to work making them for the staff. My manager paid me out of her pocket for my time and materials. She was the greatest manager I have had or perhaps will ever have. I had an investment in how the warm up jackets looked and everyone appreciated them very much. They asked the U.M. where she bought them and she referred them to me. It was the best gift I ever received at work, since I was able to give of myself. I no longer work there, but that is o.k., I will always remember the surprised look on their faces when the Boss gave the gifts out. They wondered why I was taking so much time off.......

The cheapest gift I received was a small bag of seeds to plant and an eraser.

Specializes in ortho/neuro/general surgery.

hmmm... let's see... In '04, '05 '06 We got a gift certificate for either a free ham or a free turkey- I always chose the turkey.

This year we got a card in the mail offering 6 options. Many were combinations of steak cuts, or a jar of nuts or a turkey, and we could choose one option. I chose the turkey.

The first couple years they did nothing for nurses' week. A couple of ward clerks bought the nurses' on our floor a big and yummy cake, and then made sure the leaving 3rd shifters got a piece, too. :heartbeat:heartbeat:smiley_aa.

Then last week they did a lot more. They had drawings with prizes, and the management came around to each floor ***including at 3 am*** and gave us soda, pizza and ice cream. From the drawing I got a coffee cup with a lid with the logo, chapstick with their logo which is the best I've used, scissors, a pen :yelclap: and a handheld massager (no, not the vibrating kind, it was plastic shaped kind of like a spider).

Specializes in Post Anesthesia.

You mean other than our last pay raise?

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