Saying Thank You to Clinical Sites

I have the students each bring an item of food to share and everyone signs a card. I I usually bring a big platter of cookies. I also suggest the students write personal thank you notes to any staff member who has been especially kind or helpful.

What I do is similar to Whispera. I usually bring 2 or 3 medium-sized boxes of doughnuts or cookies from the local bakery and I ask the students to bring some "goodies" also. I'm careful to let the students know that their contributions are only "voluntary," as many are strapped for funds. I also have the students sign a thank-you card and pin it up in a prominent place on the unit.

I also buy pastries and
have the students
distribute the goodies
to the units
as a menas of saying,
THANK YOU
to the Staff.

The Staff appreciates
the gifts of gratitude.

Speaking as a student, my clinical groups have always gotten together and brought things like goodies, veggie trays, and fruit baskets for the units we had the opportunity to work on, as well as a thank you card.

I buy a basket and thank you card for each department that the students rotated through. I then ask the students to bring a small snack item for each basket. I always let them know that this is voluntary (some of my students are really struggling to make ends meet). On the last clinical day, the students put the baskets together, sign the cards and go to all of the departments as a group to deliver the baskets and say a personal thank you. This works really well--the nurses always say they love it.

The best thing is to make sure that students comment on good or bad things they experienced! Yeah and I have not met a nurse who didn't like chocolate!