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Discussion

Clinical instructor gift?

Can anyone suggest a small gift that a clinical instructor would like? Our clinical instructor this semester has been amazing and the last day of clinical is her birthday. Our whole group wants to get her something not like a huge elaborate present or anything, but something like $20ish bucks possibly a bit more (just a few bucks each split between 8 people). Anyone have any good ideas?

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    • Featured Replies

    We usually just do a gift card. If you know what she likes, you can tailor the gift card to what she likes. We gave a Sephora gift card to one instructor that liked make up. A Red Lobster gift card to another that liked sea food. Barnes and Noble gift card to another that loved to read. All $25 gift cards. If someone in the group does something really well, they can make something, the rest of the group can chip in to buy what is needed. Example, for one rotation, one student was an excellent baker. She made an amazing cake, we bought the ingredients. Another rotation, a student was great at making gift baskets, we bought interesting things for the basket and she did a beautiful gift basket with different items that included a framed photo of our clinical group. That was first semester. I'm about to graduate and she still has that pic on her desk. Makes me smile everytime I go see her.

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    some of the gifts my groups have done in the past:

    -Gift card for Starbucks/Dunkies/etc with a mug filled with candies

    -Nurse Christmas ornament (rotation ended middle of December)

    -Framed picture of the group + a Build-A-Bear dressed in scrubs and personalized with her favorite saying, "What happens in clinical, STAYS in clinical!"

    -A small charm bracelet with an RN charm, and a vera bradley wallet

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    One that I liked we did was a gift basket from Sams club. Not too expensive and really nice.

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    we always give our clinical instructors a gift. if nothing stands out as something they're into, then we do a nice body wash/bath salts/lotion/hand lotion set. Bath and Body Works always has good deals if you sign up for their email coupons. It's kind of a overdone gift, but it's something everyone uses. If we give a gift card, we usually buy a nice bottle of hand lotion just to have something to put in a little giftbag with the card. Nurses always need hand lotion, right?

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    We usually throw in $5 each and end up with a $50 gift card for the clinical instructor.

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    • Expert

    Generally most people appreciate a gift that is personalized to them something specific that you've noticed about them, something they like over something more generic. Try and find out what your clinical instructor likes. Is she partial to a particular color of pen? Is she into a certain show on TV? Does she like artsy jewlrey? That sort of stuff.

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    As a nursing instructor, my favorite gift was a small, lovely photo album with a picture of the clinical group and a handwritten thank you note. Also, as mentioned above, many who love education are office supply addicts :)

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    • Author

    Thank you everyone for the ideas! We ended up getting her a Vera Bradley paper organizer. Some of the other girls noticed that she had some Vera Bradley items. We're giving it to her Friday. Thanks so much for the help!

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    • Expert

    I think you made a good choice -- because you knew she likes Vera Bradley. It shows that you noticed her preferrences and cared enough to try to give her something she would like.

    For others reading this thread, I recommend either (1) giving something consistent with things you know she already has/does and likes ... or ... (2) going with some sort of gift card. Avoid giving anything that might not be useful or might just turn into clutter over the years.

    Personally, as much as I care about my students, I would hate to get a photo album, framed picture, etc. Where would I put it? I have a cubical, not an office -- and not much space to put such knick-knacks. I struggle (and fail miserably) to de-clutter the place. I need to throw things out -- not collect knick-knacks. My home is a condo, where I need to be equally brutal to avoid looking like a hoarder.

    So don't give knick-knacks or keepsakes unless you know for sure that the person likes that kind of stuff and has plenty of room to collect it over the years. Given that most faculty members are overworked and underpaid, I think it is much more thoughtful to give something practical -- something the faculty member can actually use. The paper organizer is a good example of that. It serves a purpose, and the instructor will be reminded of that class every time she uses it. Gift cards are another good idea as the instructor can then use it to purchase something she will actually enjoy. If you don't know what she would like ... go generic, such as Amazon.com or some local shopping mall or bookstore -- perhaps the school bookstore. Faculty members often like books, pretty office supplies, etc. A mall gift card gives even more freedom to choose.

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